Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 10, 2026
A "Plug-And-Display" Nanoparticle Vaccine Platform Based on Outer Membrane Vesicles Displaying SARS-CoV-2 Receptor-Binding Domain
Published on: July 25, 2022
Receptor binding domain of SARS CoV2 spike protein exhibits in vitro liquid-liquid phase separation due to structural
Manikanta Sodasani1, Abhinav V K S Grandhi2, Niharikha Mukala3
1Department of Intramural Research Core, The Center for Advanced-Applied Biological Sciences & Entrepreneurship (TCABS-E), Visakhapatnam 530003, India.
Abstract:
In this study we expressed, purified and demonstrated the protein liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) formation by the receptor binding domain (RBD) of coronavirus spike protein in vitro. Our molecular dynamics simulations revealed multiple structurally disordered regions lacking secondary structural elements within RBD that exhibited high structural flexibility with deviations as high as 6 Å over 500 ns in support of our in vitro findings. Additionally these disordered regions overlap with epitopes potentially altering their architecture. Based on these results we conclude that the structural disorderedness of RBD causes LLPS formation in vitro and may potentially challenge the COVID-19 vaccine efficacy.
Related Concept Videos
02:50Conjugated 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...
01:10Antibody Structure
Antibodies, also known as immunoglobulins (Ig), are essential players of the adaptive immune system. These antigen-binding proteins are produced by B cells and make up 20 percent of the total blood plasma by weight. In mammals, antibodies fall into five different classes, which each elicits a different biological response upon antigen binding.
The Y-Shaped Structure of Antibodies Consists of Four Polypeptide Chains
Antibodies consist of four polypeptide chains: two identical heavy...