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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 9, 2025

Engineering Antiviral Agents via Surface Plasmon Resonance

Engineering Antiviral Agents via Surface Plasmon Resonance

Published on: June 14, 2022

Single-molecule force stability of the SARS-CoV-2-ACE2 interface in variants-of-concern.

Magnus S Bauer^1,2,3,4, Sophia Gruber¹, Adina Hausch^1,5

¹Department of Physics and Center for NanoScience (CeNS), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.

Nature Nanotechnology

|November 27, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

SARS-CoV-2 variants show increased binding affinity to ACE2. However, only the Alpha variant demonstrated enhanced force stability, suggesting this is a key factor in viral transmissibility.

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Area of Science:

Virology
Biophysics
Molecular Biology

Background:

Mutations in SARS-CoV-2 enhance immune evasion and ACE2 receptor binding.
The mechanical forces within the respiratory tract may influence viral evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants on the force stability and bond kinetics of the ACE2 interaction.
To determine if force stability, in addition to binding affinity, is a selection factor for viral mutations.

Main Methods:

Magnetic tweezers were used for single-molecule analysis of the receptor-binding domain-ACE2 interface.
Molecular dynamics simulations were employed to understand the mechanistic origins of observed force stability.

Main Results:

All variants of concern exhibited a significantly higher binding affinity to ACE2 compared to the wild type.
The Alpha variant was unique in demonstrating a 17% increase in force stability.
Molecular dynamics simulations provided mechanistic insights into the enhanced force stability of the Alpha variant.

Conclusions:

Viral transmissibility is influenced by a combination of factors, including binding affinity and force stability.
Force stability is identified as a critical factor contributing to the fitness of SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Understanding these fitness advantages can aid in predicting mutations and adapting countermeasures.