[Proteopedia] Coronavirus spike protein priming and fusion

[Eric Martz]

I have completed 2 new tutorials:

http://proteopedia.org/w/SARS-CoV-2_spike_protein_priming_by_furin

http://proteopedia.org/w/SARS-CoV-2_spike_protein_fusion_transformation

Each includes interactive morph animations, and downloadable 
Powerpoint-ready animations. These are based on recent cryo-EM 
structures <http://proteopedia.org/wiki/index.php/Cryo-EM> of multiple 
conformations.

A protease (typically furin, ample in the lungs) clips spike protein, 
inducing the extension of a receptor-binding surface to engage the ACE2 
receptor on the host cell.

The mechanism of membrane fusion, which deposits the viral RNA inside 
the host cell initiating infection, appears similar to that of influenza 
hemagglutinin. The spike protein "spears" the host cell membrane, 
capturing it with a "fusion peptide", and pulls the virus membrane very 
close. Fusion has been seen in molecular dynamics simulations (see 
Figure 2 in the fusion link). Spike protein has a cavity that is the 
target of drug screening (see Figure 4 in the fusion link). A cute 
graphical abstract shows a 3-legged folding stool as an analogy to spike 
protein, with the drug-target cavity between its legs (see Figure 3 in 
the fusion link).

For those developing educational tutorials, consider listing them at 
http://Merlot.Org, a well- and long-established catalog of educational 
resources. See for example what I've listed there:

https://www.merlot.org/merlot/materials.htm?userId=14545&fromAdvancedSearch=true&sort.property=dateCreated

-Eric


Eric Martz, Professor Emeritus, Dept Microbiology (he/him/his)
U Mass, Amherst -- Martz.MolviZ.Org <http://Martz.MolviZ.Org>

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  * Interactive Molecules in Architectural Spaces:
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  * Workshops: Workshops.MolviZ.Org <http://workshops.MolviZ.Org>

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