No evidence of direct activation of human neutrophil responses by multivalent prefusion trimeric SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein ex vivo.

ABSTRACT: The SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein is essential for viral entry and serves as the primary immunogen in most COVID-19 vaccines. While its role in adaptive immunity is well defined, its potential to contribute directly to innate immune activation remains incompletely understood. Neutrophils, in particular, are prominent effectors in COVID-19 severity, yet how they respond directly to the S protein presented in a multivalent format is unclear. Here, we investigated whether the S protein can directly activate human neutrophils ex vivo using two biologically relevant models: nanoparticles displaying multivalent stabilized prefusion trimeric S glycoprotein, and purified β-propiolactone-inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virions. Neutrophils were exposed to nanoparticles or inactivated virus, either alone or p

SUBMITTER: Fortin A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12571262 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature