SARS-CoV-2 spike protein aggregation is triggered by bacterial lipopolysaccharide

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  • Jitka Petrlova
  • Firdaus Samsudin
  • Peter J. Bond
  • Artur Schmidtchen

SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein is crucial for virus invasion in COVID-19. Here, we showed that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can trigger S protein aggregation at high doses of LPS and S protein. We demonstrated the formation of S protein aggregates by microscopy analyses, aggregation and gel shift assays. LPS at high levels boosts the formation of S protein aggregates as detected by amytracker and thioflavin T dyes that specifically bind to aggregating proteins. We validated the role of LPS by blocking the formation of aggregates by the endotoxin-scavenging thrombin-derived peptide TCP-25. Aggregation-prone sequences in S protein are predicted to be nearby LPS binding sites, while molecular simulations showed stable formation of S protein-LPS higher-order oligomers. Collectively, our results provide evidence of LPS-induced S protein aggregation.

Original languageEnglish
JournalFEBS Letters
Volume596
Issue number19
Pages (from-to)2566-2575
Number of pages10
ISSN0014-5793
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

    Research areas

  • COVID-19, endotoxins, inflammation, lipopolysaccharide, protein-aggregation, spike protein, C-TERMINAL FRAGMENTS

ID: 320392486