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Structural study of full-length SARS-Cov-2 Spike proteins by Cryo-EM


EMSL Project ID
51356

Abstract

As of February 25th, 2020 there were 80,146 confirmed cases of SARS-Cov-2 infection across the globe. However, no vaccine or drug is available to prevent or treat the infection. Spike protein of SARS-Cov-2 recognizes a host receptor ACE2, is responsible for virus entry, and a crucial target for vaccine design. Understanding of the spike protein structure will be essential for vaccine design or drug development. Although there are several reports of structures of modified spike protein, they are neither full-length nor functional wildtype proteins. Currently there is only one SARS-Cov neutralizing antibody reported to be able to bind SARS-Cov-2 spike protein. However, the structural basis for antibody recognition remains unknown. In collaboration with Dr. Youdong Mao’s lab at Dana Farber Cancer Research Institute and Peking University, we have developed a method to purify full-length wildtype SARS-Cov-2 spike protein using a detergent-free system. Based on the new system, we propose to analyze the structures of unliganded spike protein by Cryo-EM.

Project Details

Start Date
2020-05-04
End Date
2021-03-17
Status
Closed

Team

Principal Investigator

Liman Zhang
Institution
Oregon Health & Science University

Team Members

Sean Mulligan
Institution
Oregon Health & Science University

Jianhao Cao
Institution
Oregon Health & Science University

Irina El Khoury
Institution
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Trevor Moser
Institution
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory