Cryo-EM data acquisition of the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) in complex with an alpha repetition fusion-enhancing proteind D12

Our protein complex consists of the PED (Porcine epidemic diarrhea) virus spike in complex with a fusion‑enhancer α‑repeat protein called D12. This work is a collaboration with the team of Bernard Delmas at INRAE (Jouy‑en‑Josas).
By solving the structure of this complex, we aim to gain insight into the enhancing mechanism of D12 and more generally, into spike dynamics and conformational mechanics. The structure will not only be beneficial for PEDV but will also facilitate the understanding of spikes of related α‑coronaviruses. First, we need to identify the location of the D12 binding on the spike trimer, then determine the implicated amino acids and their role in the trimer’s conformational changes compared with non‑complexed spikes and published spike structures.
The structural work will be combined with the molecular and cellular experiments already performed (and some work in progress) by our collaborators and should lead, in the upcoming months, to the submission of a paper.