Quantum Dot-Conjugated SARS-CoV-2 Spike Pseudo-Virions Enable Tracking of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 Binding and Endocytosis
Kirill Gorshkov, Kimihiro Susumu, Jiji Chen, Miao Xu, Manisha Pradhan, Wei Zhu, Xin Hu, Joyce C. Breger, Mason A. Wolak, Eunkeu Oh
Abstract
The first step of SARS-CoV-2 infection is binding of the spike protein's receptor binding domain to the host cell's ACE2 receptor on the plasma membrane. Here, we have generated a versatile imaging probe using recombinant Spike receptor binding domain conjugated to fluorescent quantum dots (QDs). This probe is capable of engaging in energy transfer quenching with ACE2-conjugated gold nanoparticles to enable monitoring of the binding event in solution. Neutralizing antibodies and recombinant human ACE2 blocked quenching, demonstrating a specific binding interaction. In cells transfected with ACE2-GFP, we observed immediate binding of the probe on the cell surface followed by endocytosis. Neutralizing antibodies and ACE2-Fc fully prevented binding and endocytosis with low nanomolar potency. Importantly, we will be able to use this QD nanoparticle probe to identify and validate inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike and ACE2 receptor binding in human cells. This work enables facile, rapid, and high-throughput cell-based screening of inhibitors for coronavirus Spike-mediated cell recognition and entry.