ABSTRACT
An effect of receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 S-protein on structural parameters of model lipid membranes presented by dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) systems with cholesterol and melatonin impurities is studied by small angle neutron scattering (SANS). It is shown that an increase in melatonin concentration in the lipid membrane leads to a decrease in the thickness of the lipid bilayer, while an increase in the concentration of cholesterol leads to an increase in its thickness. It is suggested that increasing the concentration of melatonin in a membrane prevents the interaction of coronaviral S-protein with a lipid membrane of a cell. In the presence of cholesterol in the system, the interaction of a lipid membrane with an active part of S-protein occurs depending on a phase state of the lipid: in the case of a gel phase, there is no changes in structural parameters, but at higher temperatures in the case of a liquid crystal phase, an addition of RBD SARS-CoV-2 to the system causes a reduce in the membrane thickness. © 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.
ABSTRACT
A mathematical model has been proposed to describe the deformation behavior of a cell, when a coronavirus enters it. The model is continuum-based, and the theory of elasticity is used in calculations. It was found that the deformation process accompanying the penetration of coronavirus consists of two stages. At the first stage, the deformations of cytoplasmic membrane are elastic. At the second stage, the structure of a cytoplasmic membrane is destroyed. The dependence of the energy of the “coronavirus–cell” system on the size of the contact zone that separates the coronavirus and the cell was obtained. The existence of an energy barrier that separates both stages of the deformation process was proved. As a result, the penetration of the coronavirus terminates at the end of the first stage. However, the energy barrier can be overcome due to thermal fluctuations. L.A. BULAVIN, YU.F. ZABASHTA, K.I. HNATIUK, 2021.