CD81 fusion alters SARS-CoV-2 Spike trafficking.
Allaura S ConeYijun ZhouRyan P McNamaraAnthony B EasonGabriel F AriasJustin T LandisKyle W ShifflettMeredith G ChambersRunjie YuanSmaranda WillcoxJack D GriffithDirk P DittmerPublished in: mBio (2024)
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic caused the biggest public health crises in recent history. To understand the maturation pathway of S, we fused S to the tetraspanin protein CD81. The resulting molecule is secreted in extracellular vesicles and induces antibodies in mice. This may be a general design path for viral glycoprotein vaccines.