# Structural and Functional Analysis of the Coronavirus Spike Protein Fusion Peptide

> **NIH NIH R01** · CORNELL UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $87,264

## Abstract

Project Summary / Abstract
Enveloped viruses access their host cells by binding to receptors on the plasma membrane and then undergoing
fusion with the host membrane. Both binding and fusion are mediated by a specific viral “spike” protein that is
typically primed for fusion activation by proteolytic cleavage to expose the fusion peptide. Coronavirus fusion
spike protein (CoV S) is a complex biomolecular machine that has a novel fusion peptide with has a great deal
of inherent flexibility in its fusion reaction. This is exploited by these viruses in their diverse entry pathways and
is a primary determinant of viral tropism. We have pioneered the concept that that the proteolytic cleavage events
in S that lead to membrane fusion occur both at the interface of the receptor binding (S1) and fusion (S2) domains
(called S1/S2), as well as adjacent to a structurally and functionally novel fusion peptide within S2 (called S2’).
Thus, there are notable differences between CoV S and most other class I fusion proteins including: 1) that the
proteolytic events liberating the fusion peptide are diverse, and 2) that the fusion peptide itself is atypical in
sequence compared to other fusion peptides, containing a mixture of important hydrophobic and negatively-
charged residues, and may represent a larger than normal fusion “platform” instead of a defined “peptide”. Thus
fusion peptide activity is likely controlled by reorganization of the fusion platform, based on both hydrophobic
(i.e. lipid-binding) and ionic (i.e. Ca2+ and pH) interactions. Despite the recent availability of two S structures,
there remains a very limited mechanistic understanding of membrane fusion for the CoV family, or any structural
information to correlate structural biology aspects of S to its function in membrane fusion. This information is
critical to understanding viral pathogenesis and CoV emergence into the human population. We propose to
develop a panel of monoclonal antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 fusion peptide that will be used as tools
to understand the fusion mechanism of coronaviruses, and which will be integrated into our biophysical,
biochemical, and in vivo approach to study the unique cleavage-activated regulation of CoV S protein. These
antibodies will also provide a platform for development of novel broadly-acting therapeutic antibodies for SARS-
CoV-2 and other coronaviruses. Moving the field forward with these innovative studies will provide critical
knowledge about CoV entry and tropism needed to safeguard human health from an emerging pathogen likely
to cause severe outbreaks, and for which few or no medical countermeasures exist.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10137606
- **Project number:** 3R01AI135270-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** CORNELL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Susan Daniel
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $87,264
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-04-21 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10137606

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10137606, Structural and Functional Analysis of the Coronavirus Spike Protein Fusion Peptide (3R01AI135270-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-11 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10137606. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*