Fusion assays for screening of fusion inhibitors targeting SARS-CoV-2 entry and syncytia formation.

ABSTRACT: Virus fusion process is evolutionarily conserved and provides a promising pan-viral target. Cell-cell fusion leads to syncytial formation and has implications in pathogenesis, virus spread and immune evasion. Drugs that target these processes can be developed into anti-virals. Here, we have developed sensitive, rapid, adaptable fusion reporter gene assays as models for plasma membrane and alternative fusion pathways as well as syncytial fusion in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and have confirmed their specificity using neutralizing antibodies and specific protease inhibitors. The fusion report gene assays are more sensitive and unbiased than morphological fusion assay. The fusion assays can differentiate between transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2)-de

SUBMITTER: Chan SW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9691968 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature