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Heparan sulfate promotes ACE2 super-cluster assembly to enhance SARS-CoV-2-associated syncytium formation (preprint)
researchsquare; 2023.
Preprint
in English
| PREPRINT-RESEARCHSQUARE | ID: ppzbmed-10.21203.rs.3.rs-2693563.v1
ABSTRACT
The mechanism of syncytium formation, caused by spike-induced cell-cell fusion in severe COVID-19, is largely unclear. Here we combine chemical genetics with 4D confocal imaging to establish the cell surface heparan sulfate (HS) as a critical host factor exploited by SARS-CoV-2 to enhance spike’s fusogenic activity. HS binds spike to facilitate ACE2 clustering, generating synapse-like cell-cell contacts to promote fusion pore formation. ACE2 clustering, and thus, syncytium formation is significantly mitigated by chemical or genetic elimination of cell surface HS, while in a cell-free system consisting of purified HS, spike, and lipid-anchored ACE2, HS directly induces ACE2 clustering. Importantly, the interaction of HS with spike allosterically enables a conserved ACE2 linker in receptor clustering, which concentrates spike at the fusion site to overcome fusion-associated activity loss. This fusion-boosting mechanism can be effectively targeted by an investigational HS-binding drug, which reduces syncytium formation in vitro and viral infection in mice.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
Preprints
Database:
PREPRINT-RESEARCHSQUARE
Main subject:
Virus Diseases
/
COVID-19
Language:
English
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Preprint
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