Exploring Highly Conserved Regions of SARS-CoV-2 Spike S2 Subunit as Targets for Fusion Inhibition Using Chimeric Proteins.

ABSTRACT: Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, considerable efforts have been made to develop protective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, immunity tends to decline within a few months, and new virus variants are emerging with increased transmissibility and capacity to evade natural or vaccine-acquired immunity. Therefore, new robust strategies are needed to combat SARS-CoV-2 infection. The viral spike composed of S1 and S2 subunits mediates viral attachment and membrane fusion to infect the host cell. In this process, interaction between the highly conserved heptad repeat 1 and 2 regions (HR1 and HR2) of S2 is crucial and for this reason; these regions are promising targets to fight SARS-CoV-2. Here, we describe the design and characterization of chimeric proteins that struct

SUBMITTER: Polo-Megias D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9778920 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature