Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 (previously 2019-nCoV) infection by a highly potent pan-coronavirus fusion inhibitor targeting its spike protein that harbors a high capacity to mediate membrane fusion

The recent outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection in Wuhan, China has posed a serious threat to global public health. To develop specific anti-coronavirus therapeutics and prophylactics, the molecular mechanism that underlies viral infection must first be defined. Therefore, we herein established a SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein-mediated cell-cell fusion assay and found that SARS-CoV-2 showed a superior plasma membrane fusion capacity compared to that of SARS-CoV. We solved the X-ray crystal structure of six-helical bundle (6-HB) core of the HR1 and HR2 domains in the SARS-CoV-2 S protein S2 subunit, revealing that several mutated amino acid residues in the HR1 domain may be…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 81703571, 81822045, 2018ZX10301403, 81630090
• CA
  Chinese Academy of Sciences
• FU
  Fudan University
• SU
  ShanghaiTech University
• NK
  National Key Research and Development Program of China

  Awards: SARS-CoV-2, 2018ZX10301403
• IO
  Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• NM
  National Mega Project on Major Infectious Disease Prevention

  Award: 2018ZX10301403