SARS-CoV-2 S Protein

The spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 is the type I transmembrane trimer decorating the virion surface and executing receptor engagement followed by membrane fusion. This full-length recombinant form presents the complete ectodomain, spanning the S1 subunit with its N-terminal domain and receptor-binding domain through to the S2 fusion subunit, rather than any single isolated module. Proteolytic cleavage at the S1/S2 and S2' sites primes the protein, and preservation of the native prefusion conformation generally requires stabilising substitutions in expression constructs. As the immunogen behind nearly all authorised vaccines, full-length spike is the reference antigen for neutralising antibody titres, ACE2-blocking assays and variant cross-reactivity studies.