Emily
Editor, Senior Moderator
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.10.29.466401v1
SARS-CoV-2 spike protein as a bacterial lipopolysaccharide delivery system in an overzealous inflammatory cascade
Firdaus Samsudin, Palur Raghuvamsi, Ganna Petruk, Manoj Puthia, Jitka Petrlova, Paul MacAry, Ganesh S Anand, Artur Schmidtchen, Peter J Bond
bioRxiv 2021.10.29.466401; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.29.466401 This article is a preprint and has not been certified by peer review [what does this mean?].
Abstract
Accumulating evidence indicates a potential role for bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the overactivation of the immune response during SARS-CoV-2 infection. LPS is recognised by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in innate immunity. Here, we showed that LPS binds to multiple hydrophobic pockets spanning both the S1 and S2 subunits of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein. LPS binds to the S2 pocket with a lower affinity compared to S1, suggesting its possible role as an intermediate in the TLR4 cascade. Congruently, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation in vitro is strongly boosted by S2. In vivo, however, a boosting effect is observed for both S1 and S2, with the former potentially facilitated by proteolysis. Collectively, our study suggests the S protein may act as a delivery system for LPS in host innate immune pathways. The LPS binding pockets are highly conserved across different SARS-CoV-2 variants and therefore represent potential therapeutic targets.
Competing Interest Statement
A.S. is a founder and shareholder of in2cure AB, a company developing therapies based on host defence peptides. A patent application related to the present work, with A.S., G.P. and M.P. listed as inventors, has been filed.
....
The evolutionary origin of LPS binding capacity by the SARS-CoV-2 S protein remains
an enigma. From a structural standpoint, the presence of partially exposed hydrophobic patches
that allow for LPS binding is counterintuitive...
SARS-CoV-2 spike protein as a bacterial lipopolysaccharide delivery system in an overzealous inflammatory cascade
Firdaus Samsudin, Palur Raghuvamsi, Ganna Petruk, Manoj Puthia, Jitka Petrlova, Paul MacAry, Ganesh S Anand, Artur Schmidtchen, Peter J Bond
bioRxiv 2021.10.29.466401; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.29.466401 This article is a preprint and has not been certified by peer review [what does this mean?].
Abstract
Accumulating evidence indicates a potential role for bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the overactivation of the immune response during SARS-CoV-2 infection. LPS is recognised by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in innate immunity. Here, we showed that LPS binds to multiple hydrophobic pockets spanning both the S1 and S2 subunits of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein. LPS binds to the S2 pocket with a lower affinity compared to S1, suggesting its possible role as an intermediate in the TLR4 cascade. Congruently, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation in vitro is strongly boosted by S2. In vivo, however, a boosting effect is observed for both S1 and S2, with the former potentially facilitated by proteolysis. Collectively, our study suggests the S protein may act as a delivery system for LPS in host innate immune pathways. The LPS binding pockets are highly conserved across different SARS-CoV-2 variants and therefore represent potential therapeutic targets.
Competing Interest Statement
A.S. is a founder and shareholder of in2cure AB, a company developing therapies based on host defence peptides. A patent application related to the present work, with A.S., G.P. and M.P. listed as inventors, has been filed.
....
The evolutionary origin of LPS binding capacity by the SARS-CoV-2 S protein remains
an enigma. From a structural standpoint, the presence of partially exposed hydrophobic patches
that allow for LPS binding is counterintuitive...