Multiepitope Proteins for the Differential Detection of IgG Antibodies against RBD of the Spike Protein and Non-RBD Regions of SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the extent of global connectivity and collective vulnerability to emerging diseases. From its suspected origins in Wuhan, China, it spread to all corners of the world in a matter of months. The absence of high-performance, rapid diagnostic methods that could identify asymptomatic carriers contributed to its worldwide transmission. Serological tests offer numerous benefits compared to other assay platforms to screen large populations. First-generation assays contain targets that represent proteins from SARS-CoV-2. While they could be quickly produced, each actually has a mixture of specific and non-specific epitopes that vary in their reactivity for antibodies. To generate the next generation of the assay, epitopes were identified in three SARS-Cov-2 proteins (S, N, and Orf3a) by SPOT synthesis analysis. After their similarity to other pathogen sequences was analyzed, 11 epitopes outside of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein that showed high reactivity and uniqueness to the virus. These were incorporated into a ß-barrel protein core to create a highly chimeric protein. Another de novo protein was designed that contained only epitopes in the RBD. In-house ELISAs suggest that both multiepitope proteins can serve as targets for high-performance diagnostic tests. Our approach to bioengineer chimeric proteins is highly amenable to other pathogens and immunological uses.