Nanoscopic Assessment of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Spike Neutralizing Antibody Using High-Speed AFM

Abstract

Anti-spike neutralizing antibodies (S NAbs) have been developed for prevention and treatment against COVID-19. The nanoscopic characterization of the dynamic interaction between spike proteins and S NAbs remains difficult. By using high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM), we elucidate the molecular property of an S NAb and its interaction with spike proteins. The S NAb appeared as monomers with a Y conformation at low density and formed hexameric oligomers at high density. The dynamic S NAb-spike protein interaction at RBD induces neither RBD opening nor S1 subunit shedding. Furthermore, the interaction was stable at endosomal pH. These findings indicated that the S NAb could have a negligible risk of antibody-dependent enhancement. Dynamic movement of spike proteins on small extracellular vesicles (S sEV) resembled that on SARS-CoV-2. The sensitivity of variant S sEVs to S NAb could be evaluated using HS-AFM. Altogether, we demonstrate a nanoscopic assessment platform for evaluating the binding property of S NAbs.