In late 2022, SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants have become highly diversified, and XBB is spreading rapidly around the world. Our phylogenetic analyses suggested that XBB emerged through the recombination of two cocirculating BA.2 lineages, BJ.1 and BM.1.1.1 (a progeny of BA.2.75), during the summer of 2022. XBB.1 is the variant most profoundly resistant to BA.2/5 breakthrough infection sera to date and is more fusogenic than BA.2.75. The recombination breakpoint is located in the receptor-binding domain of spike, and each region of the recombinant spike confers immune evasion and increases fusogenicity. We further provide the structural basis for the interaction between XBB.1 spike and human ACE2. Finally, the intrinsic pathogenicity of XBB.1 in male hamsters is comparable to or even lower than that of BA.2.75. Our multiscale investigation provides evidence suggesting that XBB is the first observed SARS-CoV-2 variant to increase its fitness through recombination rather than substitutions.

• MeSH
• COVID-19 * MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• glykoprotein S, koronavirus genetika   MeSH
• křečci praví MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• rekombinace genetická MeSH
• SARS-CoV-2 genetika   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• křečci praví MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• glykoprotein S, koronavirus MeSH
• spike protein, SARS-CoV-2 MeSH Prohlížeč

In late 2022, various Omicron subvariants emerged and cocirculated worldwide. These variants convergently acquired amino acid substitutions at critical residues in the spike protein, including residues R346, K444, L452, N460, and F486. Here, we characterize the convergent evolution of Omicron subvariants and the properties of one recent lineage of concern, BQ.1.1. Our phylogenetic analysis suggests that these five substitutions are recurrently acquired, particularly in younger Omicron lineages. Epidemic dynamics modelling suggests that the five substitutions increase viral fitness, and a large proportion of the fitness variation within Omicron lineages can be explained by these substitutions. Compared to BA.5, BQ.1.1 evades breakthrough BA.2 and BA.5 infection sera more efficiently, as demonstrated by neutralization assays. The pathogenicity of BQ.1.1 in hamsters is lower than that of BA.5. Our multiscale investigations illuminate the evolutionary rules governing the convergent evolution for known Omicron lineages as of 2022.

• MeSH
• biotest MeSH
• COVID-19 * MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• křečci praví MeSH
• neutralizující protilátky MeSH
• protilátky virové MeSH
• SARS-CoV-2 genetika   MeSH
• substituce aminokyselin MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• křečci praví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• neutralizující protilátky MeSH
• protilátky virové MeSH

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.75 variant emerged in May 2022. BA.2.75 is a BA.2 descendant but is phylogenetically distinct from BA.5, the currently predominant BA.2 descendant. Here, we show that BA.2.75 has a greater effective reproduction number and different immunogenicity profile than BA.5. We determined the sensitivity of BA.2.75 to vaccinee and convalescent sera as well as a panel of clinically available antiviral drugs and antibodies. Antiviral drugs largely retained potency, but antibody sensitivity varied depending on several key BA.2.75-specific substitutions. The BA.2.75 spike exhibited a profoundly higher affinity for its human receptor, ACE2. Additionally, the fusogenicity, growth efficiency in human alveolar epithelial cells, and intrinsic pathogenicity in hamsters of BA.2.75 were greater than those of BA.2. Our multilevel investigations suggest that BA.2.75 acquired virological properties independent of BA.5, and the potential risk of BA.2.75 to global health is greater than that of BA.5.

• Klíčová slova
• BA.2.75, COVID-19, Omicron, SARS-CoV-2, antiviral drug resistance, immune resistance, pathogenicity, transmissibility,
• MeSH
• antivirové látky farmakologie   terapeutické užití   MeSH
• COVID-19 * MeSH
• glykoprotein S, koronavirus genetika   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• neutralizující protilátky MeSH
• protilátky virové MeSH
• SARS-CoV-2 * genetika   MeSH
• sérologická léčba covidu-19 MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• antivirové látky MeSH
• glykoprotein S, koronavirus MeSH
• neutralizující protilátky MeSH
• protilátky virové MeSH
• spike protein, SARS-CoV-2 MeSH Prohlížeč

Signaling by the human C-type lectin-like receptor, natural killer (NK) cell inhibitory receptor NKR-P1, has a critical role in many immune-related diseases and cancer. C-type lectin-like receptors have weak affinities to their ligands; therefore, setting up a comprehensive model of NKR-P1-LLT1 interactions that considers the natural state of the receptor on the cell surface is necessary to understand its functions. Here we report the crystal structures of the NKR-P1 and NKR-P1:LLT1 complexes, which provides evidence that NKR-P1 forms homodimers in an unexpected arrangement to enable LLT1 binding in two modes, bridging two LLT1 molecules. These interaction clusters are suggestive of an inhibitory immune synapse. By observing the formation of these clusters in solution using SEC-SAXS analysis, by dSTORM super-resolution microscopy on the cell surface, and by following their role in receptor signaling with freshly isolated NK cells, we show that only the ligation of both LLT1 binding interfaces leads to effective NKR-P1 inhibitory signaling. In summary, our findings collectively support a model of NKR-P1:LLT1 clustering, which allows the interacting proteins to overcome weak ligand-receptor affinity and to trigger signal transduction upon cellular contact in the immune synapse.

• MeSH
• antigeny povrchové MeSH
• buňky NK * MeSH
• difrakce rentgenového záření MeSH
• lektinové receptory NK-buněk - podrodina B MeSH
• lektiny typu C MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• ligandy MeSH
• maloúhlový rozptyl MeSH
• receptory buněčného povrchu * MeSH
• shluková analýza MeSH
• synapse MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• antigeny povrchové MeSH
• lektinové receptory NK-buněk - podrodina B MeSH
• lektiny typu C MeSH
• ligandy MeSH
• receptory buněčného povrchu * MeSH

NKp30 is one of the main human natural killer (NK) cell activating receptors used in directed immunotherapy. The oligomerization of the NKp30 ligand binding domain depends on the length of the C-terminal stalk region, but our structural knowledge of NKp30 oligomerization and its role in signal transduction remains limited. Moreover, ligand binding of NKp30 is affected by the presence and type of N-glycosylation. In this study, we assessed whether NKp30 oligomerization depends on its N-glycosylation. Our results show that NKp30 forms oligomers when expressed in HEK293S GnTI- cell lines with simple N-glycans. However, NKp30 was detected only as monomers after enzymatic deglycosylation. Furthermore, we characterized the interaction between NKp30 and its best-studied cognate ligand, B7-H6, with respect to glycosylation and oligomerization, and we solved the crystal structure of this complex with glycosylated NKp30, revealing a new glycosylation-induced mode of NKp30 dimerization. Overall, this study provides new insights into the structural basis of NKp30 oligomerization and explains how the stalk region and glycosylation of NKp30 affect its ligand affinity. This furthers our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in NK cell activation, which is crucial for the successful design of novel NK cell-based targeted immunotherapeutics.

• Klíčová slova
• B7-H6, NK cell, NKp30, glycosylation, oligomerization,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Working at the border between innate and adaptive immunity, natural killer (NK) cells play a key role in the immune system by protecting healthy cells and by eliminating malignantly transformed, stressed or virally infected cells. NK cell recognition of a target cell is mediated by a receptor "zipper" consisting of various activating and inhibitory receptors, including C-type lectin-like receptors. Among this major group of receptors, two of the largest rodent receptor families are the NKR-P1 and the Clr receptor families. Although these families have been shown to encode receptor-ligand pairs involved in MHC-independent self-nonself discrimination and are a target for immune evasion by tumour cells and viruses, structural mechanisms of their mutual recognition remain less well characterized. Therefore, we developed a non-viral eukaryotic expression system based on transient transfection of suspension-adapted human embryonic kidney 293 cells to produce soluble native disulphide dimers of NK cell C-type lectin-like receptor ectodomains. The expression system was optimized using green fluorescent protein and secreted alkaline phosphatase, easily quantifiable markers of recombinant protein production. We describe an application of this approach to the recombinant protein production and characterization of native rat NKR-P1B and Clr-11 proteins suitable for further structural and functional studies.

• MeSH
• HEK293 buňky MeSH
• krysa rodu Rattus MeSH
• lektinové receptory NK-buněk - podrodina B chemie   genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• multimerizace proteinu MeSH
• protein podobný kalcitoninovému receptoru chemie   genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• proteinové domény MeSH
• proteinové inženýrství metody   MeSH
• rekombinantní proteiny chemie   genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• krysa rodu Rattus MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• Calcrl protein, rat MeSH Prohlížeč
• lektinové receptory NK-buněk - podrodina B MeSH
• protein podobný kalcitoninovému receptoru MeSH
• rekombinantní proteiny MeSH

Contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CNTNAP2) encodes for CASPR2, a multidomain single transmembrane protein belonging to the neurexin superfamily that has been implicated in a broad range of human phenotypes including autism and language impairment. Using a combination of biophysical techniques, including small angle x-ray scattering, single particle electron microscopy, analytical ultracentrifugation, and bio-layer interferometry, we present novel structural and functional data that relate the architecture of the extracellular domain of CASPR2 to a previously unknown ligand, Contactin1 (CNTN1). Structurally, CASPR2 is highly glycosylated and has an overall compact architecture. Functionally, we show that CASPR2 associates with micromolar affinity with CNTN1 but, under the same conditions, it does not interact with any of the other members of the contactin family. Moreover, by using dissociated hippocampal neurons we show that microbeads loaded with CASPR2, but not with a deletion mutant, co-localize with transfected CNTN1, suggesting that CNTN1 is an endogenous ligand for CASPR2. These data provide novel insights into the structure and function of CASPR2, suggesting a complex role of CASPR2 in the nervous system.

• Klíčová slova
• analytical ultracentrifugation, ligand-binding protein, molecular cell biology, protein structure, small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS),
• MeSH
• difrakce rentgenového záření MeSH
• HEK293 buňky MeSH
• hipokampus cytologie   metabolismus   MeSH
• kontaktin 1 metabolismus   MeSH
• kultivované buňky MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• maloúhlový rozptyl MeSH
• mapy interakcí proteinů MeSH
• membránové proteiny chemie   metabolismus   ultrastruktura   MeSH
• molekulární modely MeSH
• myši inbrední C57BL MeSH
• proteiny nervové tkáně chemie   metabolismus   ultrastruktura   MeSH
• terciární struktura proteinů MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
• Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. MeSH
• Názvy látek
• CNTN1 protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
• CNTNAP2 protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
• kontaktin 1 MeSH
• membránové proteiny MeSH
• proteiny nervové tkáně MeSH

Human LLT1 is a C-type lectin-like ligand of NKR-P1 (CD161, gene KLRB1), a C-type lectin-like receptor of natural killer cells. Using X-ray diffraction, the first experimental structures of human LLT1 were determined. Four structures of LLT1 under various conditions were determined: monomeric, dimeric deglycosylated after the first N-acetylglucosamine unit in two forms and hexameric with homogeneous GlcNAc2Man5 glycosylation. The dimeric form follows the classical dimerization mode of human CD69. The monomeric form keeps the same fold with the exception of the position of an outer part of the long loop region. The hexamer of glycosylated LLT1 consists of three classical dimers. The hexameric packing may indicate a possible mode of interaction of C-type lectin-like proteins in the glycosylated form.

• Klíčová slova
• C-type lectin-like ligand, LLT1,
• MeSH
• glykosylace MeSH
• kvarterní struktura proteinů MeSH
• lektinové receptory NK-buněk - podrodina B chemie   genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• lektiny typu C chemie   genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• multimerizace proteinu * MeSH
• receptory buněčného povrchu chemie   genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• CLEC2D protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
• KLRB1 protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
• lektinové receptory NK-buněk - podrodina B MeSH
• lektiny typu C MeSH
• receptory buněčného povrchu MeSH