Free fatty acid binding pocket in the locked structure of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

Locking down the SARS-CoV-2 spike Many efforts to develop therapies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are focused on the spike (S) protein trimer that binds to the host receptor. Structures of trimeric S protein show its receptor-binding domain in either an up or a down conformation. Toelzer et al. produced SARS-CoV-2 S in insect cells and determined the structure by cryo–electron microscopy. In their dataset, the closed form was predominant and was stabilized by binding linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid. A similar binding pocket appears to be present in previous highly pathogenic coronaviruses, and past studies suggested links between viral infection and fatty acid…

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  Oracle
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  Wellcome Trust

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  British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy

  Award: BSAC-COVID-30
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  U.S. Food and Drug Administration

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  Medical Research Council

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  Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

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