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The Receptor Binding Domain of the New Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Maps to a 231-Residue Region in the Spike Protein That Efficiently Elicits Neutralizing Antibodies |
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| Authors: | Huihui Mou V Stalin Raj Frank J M van Kuppeveld Peter J M Rottier Bart L Haagmans Berend Jan Bosch |
| Institution: | Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Virology Division, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlandsa;Department of Viroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlandsb |
| Abstract: | The spike (S) protein of the recently emerged human Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) mediates infection by binding to the cellular receptor dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4). Here we mapped the receptor binding domain in the S protein to a 231-amino-acid fragment (residues 358 to 588) by evaluating the interaction of spike truncation variants with receptor-expressing cells and soluble DPP4. Antibodies to this domain—much less so those to the preceding N-terminal region—efficiently neutralize MERS-CoV infection. |
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