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Evaluation of a safe and sensitive Spike protein-based immunofluorescence assay for the detection of antibody responses to SARS-CoV.

ABSTRACT: Previously, we have identified a truncated antigenic fragment named protein C [441 to 700 amino acids (a.a.)] as the immunodominant fragment of Spike (S) protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (SARS-CoV). We have now successfully expressed protein C using the baculovirus system in S. frugiperda (Sf-9) cells. This recombinant baculovirus expressing protein C was first characterized using five SARS convalescent human sera and five normal human sera. The results showed that protein C is an authentic antigen against SARS-CoV antibody. Our Spike protein-based immunoflourescence assay (IFA) based on this recombinant baculovirus-Sf-9 system was further assessed with a panel of 163 clinical samples collected during the SARS epidemic in Singapore, which include samples from 21 clinically confirmed SARS, 42 non-SARS patient sera, and 100 normal sera. The results were compared to a commercial SARS IFA kit (EUROIMMUN, Germany) and a conventional IFA test performed in Singapore General Hospital. All of the 21 SARS-positive serum samples could be recognized by our IFA, giving a specificity and sensitivity of 100%, which was compatible with both whole virus-based IFA assays. No cross-reactivity with serum samples against infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) and transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) were detected in our assays. Thus, our Spike protein-based IFA could offer a safer procedure which can be performed in a BSL-2 laboratory as it could mimic the whole virus based-IFA without any loss of sensitivity and specificity. It is also more user-friendly and cost-effective than the whole virus-based IFA.

SUBMITTER: Manopo I

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7094334 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Evaluation of a safe and sensitive Spike protein-based immunofluorescence assay for the detection of antibody responses to SARS-CoV.

Manopo Ivanus I Lu Liqun L He Qigai Q Chee Li Lian LL Chan Shzu-Wei SW Kwang Jimmy J

Journal of immunological methods 20041210 1-2

Previously, we have identified a truncated antigenic fragment named protein C [441 to 700 amino acids (a.a.)] as the immunodominant fragment of Spike (S) protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (SARS-CoV). We have now successfully expressed protein C using the baculovirus system in S. frugiperda (Sf-9) cells. This recombinant baculovirus expressing protein C was first characterized using five SARS convalescent human sera and five normal human sera. The results showed that ...[more]

PMID: 15680149

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Project description:The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has spread to all parts of the world and can cause life-threatening pneumonia and other severe disease manifestations known as COVID-19. This health crisis has resulted in a significant effort to stop the spread of this new coronavirus. However, while propagating itself in the human population, the virus accumulates mutations and generates new variants with increased fitness and the ability to escape the human immune response. Here we describe a color-based barcoded spike flow cytometric assay (BSFA) that is particularly useful to evaluate and directly compare the humoral immune response directed against either wild type (WT) or mutant spike (S) proteins or the receptor-binding domains (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2. This assay employs the human B lymphoma cell line Ramos, transfected for stable expression of WT or mutant S proteins or a chimeric RBD-CD8 fusion protein. We find that the alpha and beta mutants are more stably expressed than the WT S protein on the Ramos B cell surface and/or bind with higher affinity to the viral entry receptor ACE2. However, we find a reduce expression of the chimeric RBD-CD8 carrying the point mutation N501Y and E484K characteristic for the alpha and beta variant, respectively. The comparison of the humoral immune response of 12 vaccinated probands with 12 COVID-19 patients shows that after the boost, the S-specific IgG class immune response in the vaccinated group is similar to that of the patient group. However, in comparison to WT the specific IgG serum antibodies bind less well to the alpha variant and only poorly to the beta variant S protein. This is in line with the notion that the beta variant is an immune escape variant of SARS-CoV-2. The IgA class immune response was more variable than the IgG response and higher in the COVID-19 patients than in the vaccinated group. In summary, we think that our BSFA represents a useful tool to evaluate the humoral immunity against emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 and to analyze new vaccination protocols against these variants.

Project description:The nucleic acid test is still the standard assessment for the diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by human infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In addition to supporting the confirmation of disease cases, serological assays are used for the analysis of antibody status and epidemiological surveys. In this study, a single Western blot strip (WBS) coated with multiple Escherichia coli (E. coli)-expressed SARS-CoV-2 antigens was developed for comprehensive studies of antibody profiles in COVID-19 patient sera. The levels of specific antibodies directed to SARS-CoV-2 spike (S), S2, and nucleocapsid (N) proteins were gradually increased with the same tendency as the disease progressed after hospitalization. The signal readouts of S, S2, and N revealed by the multi-antigen-coated WBS (mWBS)-based serological assay (mWBS assay) also demonstrated a positive correlation with the SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing potency of the sera measured by the plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) assays. Surprisingly, the detection signals against the unstructured receptor-binding domain (RBD) purified from E. coli inclusion bodies were not observed, although the COVID-19 patient sera exhibited strong neutralizing potency in the PRNT assays, suggesting that the RBD-specific antibodies in patient sera mostly recognize the conformational epitopes. Furthermore, the mWBS assay identified a unique and major antigenic epitope at the residues 1148, 1149, 1152, 1155, and 1156 located within the 1127-1167 fragment of the S2 subunit, which was specifically recognized by the COVID-19 patient serum. The mWBS assay can be finished within 14-16 min by using the automatic platform of Western blotting by thin-film direct coating with suction (TDCS WB). Collectively, the mWBS assay can be applied for the analysis of antibody responses, prediction of the protective antibody status, and identification of the specific epitope. KEY POINTS: • A Western blot strip (WBS) coated with multiple SARS-CoV-2 antigens was developed for the serological assay. • The multi-antigen-coated WBS (mWBS) can be utilized for the simultaneous detection of antibody responses to multiple SARS-CoV-2 antigens. • The mWBS-based serological assay (mWBS assay) identified a unique epitope recognized by the COVID-19 patient serum.

Dataset Information

Evaluation of a safe and sensitive Spike protein-based immunofluorescence assay for the detection of antibody responses to SARS-CoV.

Publications

Evaluation of a safe and sensitive Spike protein-based immunofluorescence assay for the detection of antibody responses to SARS-CoV.

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