Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 V367F Spike RBD His-tag Protein, CF

SARS-CoV-2, which causes the global pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), belongs to a family of viruses known as coronaviruses that also include MERS and SARS-CoV-1. Coronaviruses are commonly comprised of four structural proteins: Spike protein (S), Envelope protein (E), Membrane protein (M) and Nucleocapsid protein (N) (1). The SARS-CoV-2 S protein is a glycoprotein that mediates membrane fusion and viral entry. The S protein is homotrimeric, with each ~180-kDa monomer consisting of two subunits, S1 and S2 (2). In SARS-CoV-2, as with most coronaviruses, proteolytic cleavage of the S protein into S1 and S2 subunits is required for activation. The S1 subunit is focused on attachment of the protein to the host receptor while the S2 subunit is involved with cell fusion (3-5). A metallopeptidase, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), has been identified as a functional receptor for SARS-CoV-2 through interaction with a receptor binding domain (RBD) located at the C-terminus of S1 subunit (6,7). The RBD of SARS-CoV-2 shares 73% aa identity with the RBD of the SARS-CoV-1, but only 22% amino acid (aa) identity with the RBD of MERS. A SARS-CoV-2 variant carrying the aa substitution V367F in the RBD is one of the most prevalent mutations found Covid-19 cases (8-10). This mutation has been associated with enhanced receptor binding affinity, potentially resulting in greater infectivity and transmission of the disease (8, 9). The V367F mutation was also found to have increased sensitivity to neutralizing mAb (9).