Development of multiscale ultra-coarse-grained models for the SARS-CoV-2 virion from cryo-electron microscopy data

Abstract

The global spread of the new coronavirus COVID-19 has seriously affected human health and has caused a large number of deaths. Using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the microscopic dynamic behavior of the virion provides an important means to study the pathogenic mechanism. In this work, we develop an ultra-coarse-grained (UCG) model of the SARS-CoV-2 virion from the authentic cryo-electron microscopy data, which enables MD simulation of the entire virion within microseconds. In addition, a hybrid all-atom and UCG (AA/UCG) virion model involving an all-atom spike protein is developed for the investigation of the spike protein interactions. A comparison of the conformational changes for the spike proteins as simulated in the hybrid model and that isolated in solution as in the free form reveals that the former is completely different from the latter. The simulation results demonstrate the necessity for the development of multiscale models to study the functions of proteins in the biomolecular complexes.