Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein palmitoylation reduces virus infectivity

Ramadan, Ahmed A.; Mayilsamy, Karthick; McGill, Andrew R.; Ghosh, Anandita; Giulianotti, Marc A.; Donow, Haley M.; Mohapatra, Shyam S.; Mohapatra, Subhra; Chandran, Bala; Deschenes, Robert J.; Roy, Arunava

Spike glycoproteins of almost all enveloped viruses are known to undergo post-translational attachment of palmitic acid moieties. The precise role of such palmitoylation of the spike protein in membrane fusion and infection is not completely understood. Here, we report that palmitoylation of the first five cysteine residues of the c-terminal cysteine-rich domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike are indispensable for infection and palmitoylation deficient spike mutants are defective in trimerization and subsequent membrane fusion. The DHHC9 palmitoyltransferase interacts with and palmitoylates the spike protein in the ER and Golgi, and knockdown of DHHC9 results in reduced fusion and infection of SARS-CoV-2. Two bis-piperazine backbone-based DHHC9 inhibitors inhibit SARS-CoV-2 spike protein palmitoylation and the resulting progeny virion particles released are defective in fusion and infection. This establishes these palmitoyltransferase inhibitors as potential new intervention strategies against SARS-CoV-2.