Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 13, 2025

Engineering Antiviral Agents via Surface Plasmon Resonance
Published on: June 14, 2022
Heparan Sulfate-Mimicking Glycopolymers Bind SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein in a Length- and Sulfation Pattern-Dependent
Hawau Abdulsalam1, Jiayi Li1, Ravi S Loka1
1Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202, United States.
Abstract:
Heparan sulfate-mimicking glycopolymers, composed of glucosamine (GlcN)-glucuronic acid (GlcA) repeating units, bind to the receptor-binding subunit (S1) and spike glycoprotein (S) domains of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in a length- and sulfation pattern-dependent fashion. A glycopolymer composed of 12 repeating GlcNS6S-GlcA units exhibits a much higher affinity to the S1 protein (IC50 = 13 ± 1.1 nM) compared with the receptor-binding domain (RBD). This glycopolymer does not interfere in angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 binding of the RBD. Although this compound binds strongly to the S1/membrane-fusion subunit (S2) junction (KD = 29.7 ± 4.18 nM), it does not shield the S1/S2 site from cleavage by furin-a behavior contrary to natural heparin. This glycopolymer lacks iduronic acid, which accounts for 70% of heparin. Further, this compound, unlike natural heparin, is well defined in both sulfation pattern and length, which results in fewer off-target interactions with heparin-binding proteins. The results highlight the potential of using polymeric heparan sulfate (HS) mimetics for the therapeutic agent development.
Related Concept Videos
Glycosaminoglycans
GAGS are found in the extracellular matrix of vertebrates, invertebrates, and bacteria. Due to their polar nature they attract water, and serve as excellent lubricants or shock absorbers in an animal body.
Hyaluronic...
Proteoglycans
Protein Glycosylation
Glycosylation occurs in...
Oligosaccharide Assembly
Multiple sugar molecules that may or may...
Glycocalyx and its Functions
Conjugated Proteins
Nucleoproteins are protein complexes that contain nucleic acids, categorized as deoxyribonucleoproteins (DNPs) or ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) respectively. The nucleosome is a typical example of a DNP where nuclear DNA is associated with histone proteins. The major antigen for the Covid-19 virus SARS-CoV is an RNP that is critical...

