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Distinct conformational states of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

2020; American Association for the Advancement of Science; Volume: 369; Issue: 6511 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1126/science.abd4251

1095-9203

Yongfei Cai, Jun Zhang, Tianshu Xiao, Hanqin Peng, Sarah M. Sterling, Richard M. Walsh, Shaun Rawson, Sophia Rits‐Volloch, Bing Chen,

Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology

A dynamic viral spike Efforts to protect human cells against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have focused on the trimeric spike (S) protein. Several structures have shown a stabilized ectodomain of the spike in its prefusion conformation. Cai et al. now provide insight into the structural changes in the S protein that result in the fusion of the viral and host cell membranes. They purified full-length S protein and determined cryo–electron microscopy structures of both the prefusion and postfusion conformations. These structures add to our understanding of S protein function and could inform vaccine design. Science , this issue p. 1586