State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Centre (ChemBIC), Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
Chem Commun (Camb). 2023 Sep 19;59(75):11268-11271. doi: 10.1039/d3cc02721j.
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants has further raised concerns about viral transmission. A fundamental understanding of the intermolecular interactions between the coronavirus and different surfaces is needed to address the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through respiratory droplet-contaminated surfaces or fomites. The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein is a key target for the adhesion of SARS-CoV-2 on the surface. To understand the effect of mutations on adhesion, atomic force microscopy-based single-molecule force spectroscopy (AFM-SMFS) was used to quantify the interactions between wild-type, Omicron, and XBB with several surfaces. The measurement revealed that RBD exhibits relatively higher forces on paper and gold surfaces, with the average force being 1.5 times greater compared to that on plastic surface. In addition, the force elevation on paper and gold surfaces for the variants can reach ∼28% relative to the wild type. These findings enhance our understanding of the nanomechanical interactions of the virus on common surfaces.
SARS-CoV-2 变体的出现进一步引发了人们对病毒传播的担忧。为了解决通过呼吸道飞沫污染表面或污染物传播 SARS-CoV-2 的问题，需要深入了解冠状病毒与不同表面之间的分子间相互作用。刺突蛋白的受体结合域（RBD）是 SARS-CoV-2 表面附着的关键靶点。为了了解突变对附着的影响，使用基于原子力显微镜的单分子力谱学（AFM-SMFS）来量化野生型、奥密克戎和 XBB 与几种表面的相互作用。测量结果表明，RBD 在纸张和金表面上表现出相对较高的力，平均力比在塑料表面上高 1.5 倍。此外，变体在纸张和金表面上的力升高幅度相对于野生型可达约 28%。这些发现提高了我们对病毒在常见表面上的纳米力学相互作用的理解。
