Deletion of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Cytoplasmic Tail Increases Infectivity in Pseudovirus Neutralization Assays

• DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00044-21
• Publication Date: 2021-03-17T13:43:16Z
• Authors: Jingyou Yu; Zhenfeng Li; Xuan He; Makda S. Gebre; Esther A. Bondzie; Huahua Wan; Catherine Jacob-D...; David R. Martinez; Joseph P. Nkolola; Ralph S. Baric; Dan H. Barouch
• Keywords: Infectivity

Pseudotyped viruses are valuable tools for studying virulent or lethal viral pathogens that need to be handled in biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) higher facilities. With the explosive spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, establishment a BSL-2 adapted SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus neutralization assay is needed facilitate development countermeasures. Here we describe an approach generate single-round lentiviral vector-based pseudovirus, which produced signal more than 2 logs above background. Specifically, spike variant with cytoplasmic tail deletion 13 amino acids, termed SΔCT13, conferred enhanced incorporation into pseudovirions and increased entry cells as compared full-length (S). We further S SΔCT13 terms their sensitivity vaccine sera, purified convalescent IgG, hACE2-mIgG, virus inhibitor BafA1. developed SΔCT13-based defined key characteristics, including linearity, limit detection, intra- intermediate-assay precision. Our data demonstrate shows infectivity target cells, will assessment humoral immunity infection, antibody therapeutics, vaccination. This can also readily variants emerge.IMPORTANCESARS-CoV-2 etiologic agent COVID-19 pandemic. The high throughput critical vaccines immune-based therapeutics. In this study, show leads pseudoviruses infectivity. should broadly useful field.