Conformational dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spike trimers during fusion activation at single molecule resolution

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron entry involves spike (S) glycoprotein-mediated fusion of viral and late endosomal membranes. Here, using single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (sm-FRET) imaging and biochemical measurements, we directly visualized conformational changes of individual spike trimers on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron pseudovirions during fusion activation. We observed that the S2 domain of the Omicron spike is a dynamic fusion machine. S2 reversibly interchanges between the pre-fusion conformation and two previously undescribed intermediate conformations. Acidic pH shifts the conformational equilibrium of S2 toward an intermediate conformation and promotes the membrane hemi-fusion reaction. Moreover, we captured conformational reversibility in the S2 domain, which suggests that spike can protect itself from pre-triggering. Furthermore, we determined that Ca²⁺ directly promotes the S2 conformational change from an intermediate conformation to post-fusion conformation. In the presence of a target membrane, low pH and Ca²⁺ stimulate the irreversible transition to S2 post-fusion state and promote membrane fusion.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; conformational dynamics; coronavirus; membrane fusion; single molecule imaging; smFRET; viral entry.