Cold sensitivity of the SARS-CoV-2 spike ectodomain.
Robert J EdwardsKatayoun MansouriVictoria StallsKartik ManneBrian E WattsRob ParksKatarzyna JanowskaSophie M-C GobeilMegan KoppDapeng LiXiaozhi LuZekun MuMargaret DeytonThomas H OguinJordan SprenzWilton B WilliamsKevin O SaundersDavid MontefioriGregory D SempowskiRory C HendersonS Munir AlamBarton F HaynesPriyamvada AcharyaPublished in: Nature structural & molecular biology (2021)
The SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein, a primary target for COVID-19 vaccine development, presents its receptor binding domain in two conformations, the receptor-accessible 'up' or receptor-inaccessible 'down' states. Here we report that the commonly used stabilized S ectodomain construct '2P' is sensitive to cold temperatures, and this cold sensitivity is abrogated in a 'down' state-stabilized ectodomain. Our findings will impact structural, functional and vaccine studies that use the SARS-CoV-2 S ectodomain.