Selective Budding of SARS-CoV-Like Particles from Glycolipid-Enriched Membrane Lipid Rafts and Host Gene Modulation.

ABSTRACT: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) assembles and buds from the Golgi apparatus or the ER membrane, but the specific membrane microdomains utilized during this process remain underexplored. Here, we show that co-expression of the SARS-CoV structural proteins S, M, and N in HEK-293T cells is sufficient to generate genome-free SARS-CoV-like virus-like particles (VLPs), which preferentially bud from glycolipid-enriched membrane lipid raft microdomains. Immunofluorescence microscopy using raft-selective dyes (DiIC16) and spike-specific antibodies revealed strong co-localization of VLPs with lipid rafts. Detergent-resistant membrane analysis and sucrose gradient centrifugation further confirmed the presence of S protein in buoyant, raft-associated fractions alongside the ra

SUBMITTER: Pastey MK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12844276 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature