1. SARS-CoV-2 Alpha, Beta, and Delta variants display enhanced Spike-mediated syncytia formation
- Author
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Mathieu Hubert, Jérémy Dufloo, Rémy Robinot, Hugo Mouquet, Olivier Schwartz, Ludivine Grzelak, Nell Saunders, Elodie Bishop, Françoise Porrot, Delphine Planas, Maaran Michael Rajah, Julian Buchrieser, Lisa A. Chakrabarti, Marija Zivaljic, Alice Bongers, Stacy Gellenoncourt, Florence Guivel-Benhassine, Cyril Planchais, Virus et Immunité - Virus and immunity, Institut Pasteur [Paris]-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris Cité (UPCité), Vaccine Research Institute (VRI), Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12 (UPEC UP12), Sorbonne Université (SU), Neurobiologie intégrative des Systèmes cholinergiques / Integrative Neurobiology of Cholinergic Systems (NISC), Institut Pasteur [Paris]-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Ecole doctorale Cerveau Cognition et Comportement [Paris] (ED 158 - 3C), Immunologie humorale - Humoral Immunology, Institut Pasteur [Paris]-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Work in OS lab is funded by Institut Pasteur, Urgence COVID-19 Fundraising Campaign of Institut Pasteur, ANRS, the Vaccine Research Institute (ANR-10-LABX-77), Fondation Pour la Recherche Médicale (FRM), Labex IBEID (ANR-10-LABX62-IBEID), ANR/FRM Flash Covid PROTEO-SARS-CoV-2, ANR CoronaMito AAP RA-COVID-19 V14, and IDISCOVR. Work in UPBI is funded by grant ANR-10-INSB-04-01 and Région Ile-de-France program DIM1-Health. MMR and MZ are supported by the Pasteur-Paris University (PPU) International Doctoral Program. MMR is also supported by Institut Pasteur Department of Virology 'Bourse de Soudure' fellowship. DP is supported by the Vaccine Research Institute. LG is supported by the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. EB is supported by the Medecine-Sciences ENS-PSL Program. HM laboratory is funded by the Institut Pasteur, the Milieu Intérieur Program (ANR-10-LABX-69- 01), the INSERM, REACTing, EU (RECOVER), and Fondation de France (#00106077) grants., We thank members of the Virus and Immunity Unit for helpful discussions, Dr. Nicoletta Casartelli for her critical reading of the manuscript, and Nathalie Aulner and the UtechS Photonic BioImaging (UPBI) core facility (Institut Pasteur), a member of the France BioImaging network, for image acquisition and analysis support., ANR-10-LABX-0077,VRI,Initiative for the creation of a Vaccine Research Institute(2010), ANR-10-LABX-0062,IBEID,Integrative Biology of Emerging Infectious Diseases(2010), ANR-20-COVI-0059,PROTEO-SARS-CoV-2,Protéomique du SARS-CoV-2(2020), ANR-21-CO14-0007,CoronaMito,Conséquences de l'infection par le SRAS-CoV-2 sur la fonction mitochondriale(2021), ANR-10-INBS-0004,France-BioImaging,Développment d'une infrastructure française distribuée coordonnée(2010), ANR-10-LABX-0069,MILIEU INTERIEUR,GENETIC & ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL OF IMMUNE PHENOTYPE VARIANCE: ESTABLISHING A PATH TOWARDS PERSONALIZED MEDICINE(2010), Virus et Immunité - Virus and immunity (CNRS-UMR3569), Institut Pasteur [Paris] (IP)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Vaccine Research Institute [Créteil, France] (VRI), Institut Pasteur [Paris] (IP)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut Pasteur [Paris] (IP)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Ziani, Isma, Laboratoires d'excellence - Initiative for the creation of a Vaccine Research Institute - - VRI2010 - ANR-10-LABX-0077 - LABX - VALID, Integrative Biology of Emerging Infectious Diseases - - IBEID2010 - ANR-10-LABX-0062 - LABX - VALID, Protéomique du SARS-CoV-2 - - PROTEO-SARS-CoV-22020 - ANR-20-COVI-0059 - COVID-19 - VALID, Conséquences de l'infection par le SRAS-CoV-2 sur la fonction mitochondriale - - CoronaMito2021 - ANR-21-CO14-0007 - COVID-19 - VALID, Développment d'une infrastructure française distribuée coordonnée - - France-BioImaging2010 - ANR-10-INBS-0004 - INBS - VALID, and Laboratoires d'excellence - GENETIC & ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL OF IMMUNE PHENOTYPE VARIANCE: ESTABLISHING A PATH TOWARDS PERSONALIZED MEDICINE - - MILIEU INTERIEUR2010 - ANR-10-LABX-0069 - LABX - VALID
- Subjects
fusion ,coronavirus ,MESH: Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus ,MESH: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 ,medicine.disease_cause ,Virus Replication ,Giant Cells ,SARS‐CoV‐2 ,MESH: Antibodies, Monoclonal ,MESH: Giant Cells ,MESH: Chlorocebus aethiops ,Chlorocebus aethiops ,MESH: Animals ,Receptor ,Coronavirus ,[SDV.MP.VIR] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Microbiology and Parasitology/Virology ,Syncytium ,Strain (chemistry) ,General Neuroscience ,Antibodies, Monoclonal ,Articles ,Transmembrane protein ,Microbiology, Virology & Host Pathogen Interaction ,Cell biology ,MESH: HEK293 Cells ,[SDV.MP.VIR]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Microbiology and Parasitology/Virology ,Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus ,MESH: Caco-2 Cells ,Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 ,MESH: Mutation ,medicine.drug_class ,Immunology ,Alpha (ethology) ,MESH: Vero Cells ,Biology ,Monoclonal antibody ,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,Article ,Cell Line ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,MESH: SARS-CoV-2 ,Beta (finance) ,syncytia ,Molecular Biology ,Vero Cells ,MESH: Humans ,General Immunology and Microbiology ,SARS-CoV-2 ,MESH: Virus Replication ,spike ,MESH: Cell Line ,HEK293 Cells ,Mutation ,Caco-2 Cells - Abstract
Severe COVID‐19 is characterized by lung abnormalities, including the presence of syncytial pneumocytes. Syncytia form when SARS‐CoV‐2 spike protein expressed on the surface of infected cells interacts with the ACE2 receptor on neighboring cells. The syncytia forming potential of spike variant proteins remain poorly characterized. Here, we first assessed Alpha (B.1.1.7) and Beta (B.1.351) spread and fusion in cell cultures, compared with the ancestral D614G strain. Alpha and Beta replicated similarly to D614G strain in Vero, Caco‐2, Calu‐3, and primary airway cells. However, Alpha and Beta formed larger and more numerous syncytia. Variant spike proteins displayed higher ACE2 affinity compared with D614G. Alpha, Beta, and D614G fusion was similarly inhibited by interferon‐induced transmembrane proteins (IFITMs). Individual mutations present in Alpha and Beta spikes modified fusogenicity, binding to ACE2 or recognition by monoclonal antibodies. We further show that Delta spike also triggers faster fusion relative to D614G. Thus, SARS‐CoV‐2 emerging variants display enhanced syncytia formation., Spike protein mutations expressed by emerging SARS‐CoV‐2 variants‐of‐concern differentially affect host cell‐to‐cell fusion, ACE2 receptor binding, and antibody escape.
- Published
- 2021