Key result
Structural analysis of SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86 and JN.1 spike proteins revealed that increased mobility of up-state receptor-binding domains allows ACE2 to interact with down-state domains, while the K356T mutation enhances infectivity and immune evasion.
Why the study?
It remained unclear whether ACE2 interacts with the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor-binding domain in the down-conformation to facilitate the conformational shift to the up-conformation.
Structural analysis reveals ACE2 binding to down-conformation spike proteins in SARS-CoV-2 variants BA.2.86 and JN.1, highlighting mechanisms of viral entry and immune evasion.
Since 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has undergone mutations, resulting in pandemic and epidemic waves. The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, crucial for cellular entry, binds to the ACE2 receptor exclusively when its receptor-binding domain (RBD) adopts the up-conformation. However, whether ACE2 also interacts with the RBD in the down-conformation to facilitate the conformational shift to RBD-up remains unclear. Herein, we present the structures of the BA.2.86 and the JN.1 spike proteins bound to ACE2. Notably, we successfully observed the ACE2-bound down-RBD, indicating an intermediate structure before the RBD-up conformation. The wider and mobile angle of RBDs in the up-state provides space for ACE2 to interact with the down-RBD, facilitating the transition to the RBD-up state. The K356T, but not N354-linked glycan, contributes to both of infectivity and neutralizing-antibody evasion in BA.2.86. These structural insights the spike-protein dynamics would help understand the mechanisms underlying SARS-CoV-2 infection and its neutralization. JN.1 lineage is a globally dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2. Here, the authors examine structural insights into the BA.2.86 and JN.1 spike dynamics to help understand the mechanisms underlying SARS-CoV-2 infection and its neutralizing-antibody evasion.
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Yajima et al. (2024) studied SARS-CoV-2 (n=10). SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86 and JN.1 variants vs. XBB.1.5 variant was evaluated on Spike protein structural dynamics, ACE2 binding, and neutralizing antibody evasion. Structural analysis of SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86 and JN.1 spike proteins revealed that increased mobility of up-state receptor-binding domains allows ACE2 to interact with down-state domains, while the K356T mutation enhances infectivity and immune evasion.
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