Functional domains in the spike protein of transmissible gastroenteritis virus

The coronavirus spike protein S is assumed to mediate essential biological functions, including recognition of target cells. Earlier studies from our and other groups identified two regions of the TGEV S (220K) protein possibly implicated in such functions. The first of these corresponds to the 224 amino acid N-terminal region which is deleted in PRCV, the respiratory variant of TGEV. We have examined the pathogenicity for the newborn piglet of a series of neutralization escape mutants encoding an S protein mutated in this region. Several amino acid changes were correlated with a dramatic loss of enterovirulence, thus indicating that crucial determinants are associated with this domain of S. The second region of potential relevance is the major neutralization domain. Baculovirus-vectored expression of 150 to 220 amino acid-long stretches encompassing this region, which is encoded by both TGEV and PRCV, was performed. The resultant recombinant proteins were shown to react with the cognate antibodies and to bind APN specifically, thus localizing the receptor-binding site on the S primary structure. Altogether these data lend support to the view that a domain of S protein structurally distinct from the receptor binding site is required for the virus to express its enteric tropism.