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The Case for S2: The Potential Benefits of the S2 Subunit of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein as an Immunogen in Fighting the COVID-19 Pandemic
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

The Case for S2: The Potential Benefits of the S2 Subunit of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein as an Immunogen in Fighting the COVID-19 Pandemic

Priyanka Shah, Gabriela A Canziani, Erik P Carter and Irwin Chaiken
Frontiers in immunology, v 12, pp 637651-637651
2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.637651
PMID: 33767706
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.637651View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)CC BY V4.0,  Open

Abstract

Animals Antibodies, Neutralizing - blood Antibodies, Viral - blood Antibody Specificity COVID-19 - immunology COVID-19 - prevention & control COVID-19 - virology COVID-19 Vaccines - immunology COVID-19 Vaccines - therapeutic use Cross Reactions Epitopes Host-Pathogen Interactions Humans Immunogenicity, Vaccine Protein Subunits SARS-CoV-2 - immunology Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus - immunology Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus - therapeutic use T-Lymphocytes - drug effects T-Lymphocytes - immunology T-Lymphocytes - virology Vaccines, Subunit - immunology Vaccines, Subunit - therapeutic use
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, it is imperative to learn more about antibodies and T-cells produced against the causative virus, SARS-CoV-2, in order to guide the rapid development of therapies and vaccines. While much of the current antibody and vaccine research focuses on the receptor-binding domain of S1, a less-recognized opportunity is to harness the potential benefits of the more conserved S2 subunit. Similarities between the spike proteins of both SARS-CoV-2 and HIV-1 warrant exploring S2. Possible benefits of employing S2 in therapies and vaccines include the structural conservation of S2, extant cross-reactive neutralizing antibodies in populations (due to prior exposure to common cold coronaviruses), the steric neutralization potential of antibodies against S2, and the stronger memory B-cell and T-cell responses. More research is necessary on the effect of glycans on the accessibility and stability of S2, SARS-CoV-2 mutants that may affect infectivity, the neutralization potential of antibodies produced by memory B-cells, cross-reactive T-cell responses, antibody-dependent enhancement, and antigen competition. This perspective aims to highlight the evidence for the potential advantages of using S2 as a target of therapy or vaccine design.

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101 citations in Web of Science
87 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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Web of Science research areas
Immunology
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