Strikingly Different Roles of SARS-CoV-2 Fusion Peptides Uncovered by Neutron Scattering.

ABSTRACT: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), a potentially lethal respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, emerged in the end of 2019 and has since spread aggressively across the globe. A thorough understanding of the molecular mechanisms of cellular infection by coronaviruses is therefore of utmost importance. A critical stage in infection is the fusion between viral and host membranes. Here, we present a detailed investigation of the role of selected SARS-CoV-2 Spike fusion peptides, and the influence of calcium and cholesterol, in this fusion process. Structural information from specular neutron reflectometry and small angle neutron scattering, complemented by dynamics information from quasi-elastic and spin-echo neutron spectroscopy, revealed strikingly different functions enc

SUBMITTER: Santamaria A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8862744 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature