Erythro-VLPs: Anchoring SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins in erythrocyte liposomes

Sebastian Himbert; Isabella Passos Gastaldo; Rashik Ahmed; Karla Martinez Pomier; Braeden Cowbrough; Dushyant Jahagirdar; Samantha Ros; Janos Juhasz; Harald D H Stöver; Joaquin Ortega; Giuseppe Melacini; Dawn M E Bowdish; Maikel C Rheinstädter

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0263671

Erythro-VLPs: Anchoring SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins in erythrocyte liposomes

PLoS One. 2022 Mar 11;17(3):e0263671. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263671. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Sebastian Himbert^{1

2}, Isabella Passos Gastaldo^{1

2}, Rashik Ahmed^{3

4}, Karla Martinez Pomier^{3

4}, Braeden Cowbrough^{5

6}, Dushyant Jahagirdar⁷, Samantha Ros³, Janos Juhasz^{1

8}, Harald D H Stöver³, Joaquin Ortega⁷, Giuseppe Melacini^{3

4}, Dawn M E Bowdish^{5

6

9}, Maikel C Rheinstädter^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
² Origins Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
³ Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
⁴ Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton ON, Canada.
⁵ Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
⁶ McMaster Immunology Research Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
⁷ Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
⁸ Juravinski Cancer Centre, Department of Medical Physics, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
⁹ Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, ON, Canada.

Abstract

Novel therapeutic strategies are needed to control the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) pandemic. Here, we present a protocol to anchor the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S-)protein in the cytoplasmic membranes of erythrocyte liposomes. A surfactant was used to stabilize the S-protein's structure in the aqueous environment before insertion and to facilitate reconstitution of the S-proteins in the erythrocyte membranes. The insertion process was studied using coarse grained Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations. Liposome formation and S-protein anchoring was studied by dynamic light scattering (DLS), ELV-protein co-sedimentation assays, fluorescent microcopy and cryo-TEM. The Erythro-VLPs (erythrocyte based virus like particles) have a well defined size of ∼200 nm and an average protein density on the outer membrane of up to ∼300 proteins/μm2. The correct insertion and functional conformation of the S-proteins was verified by dose-dependent binding to ACE-2 (angiotensin converting enzyme 2) in biolayer interferometry (BLI) assays. Seroconversion was observed in a pilot mouse trial after 14 days when administered intravenously, based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). This red blood cell based platform can open novel possibilities for therapeutics for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) including variants, and other viruses in the future.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
COVID-19 Vaccines* / chemistry
COVID-19 Vaccines* / immunology
COVID-19 Vaccines* / pharmacology
COVID-19* / immunology
COVID-19* / prevention & control
Erythrocyte Membrane* / chemistry
Erythrocyte Membrane* / immunology
Female
Liposomes
Mice
Molecular Dynamics Simulation*
Pilot Projects
Protein Domains
SARS-CoV-2 / immunology*
Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus* / chemistry
Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus* / immunology
Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus* / pharmacology
Vaccines, Virus-Like Particle* / chemistry
Vaccines, Virus-Like Particle* / immunology
Vaccines, Virus-Like Particle* / pharmacology

Substances

COVID-19 Vaccines
Liposomes
Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
Vaccines, Virus-Like Particle
spike protein, SARS-CoV-2

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC, RGPIN-2021-03926), the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation. M.C.R. is the recipient of an Early Researcher Award of the Province of Ontario and a University Scholar of McMaster University. Cryo-EM images were collected at the Facility for Electron Microscopy Research (FEMR) at McGill University. FEMR is supported by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, the Quebec government, and McGill University. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.