A Neutralization Assay Based on Pseudo-Typed Lentivirus with SARS CoV-2 Spike Protein in ACE2-Expressing CRFK Cells

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a highly pathogenic zoonotic virus that spreads rapidly. In this work, we improve the hitherto existing neutralization assay system to assess SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors using a pseudo-typed lentivirus coated with the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (LpVspike +) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)-transfected cat Crandell–Rees feline kidney (CRFK) cells as the host cell line. Our method was 10-fold more sensitive compared to the typical human embryonic kidney 293T (HEK293T) cell system, and it was successfully applied to quantify the titers of convalescent antisera and monoclonal anti-spike antibodies required for pseudo virus neutralization. The 50% inhibition dilution (ID50) of two human convalescent sera, SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) and SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin M (IgM), which were 1:350 (±1:20) and 1:1250 (±1:350), respectively. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of the IgG, IgM and immunoglobulin A (IgA) anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against LpVspike(+) were 0.45 (±0.1), 0.002 (±0.001) and 0.004 (±0.001) µg mL(−1), respectively. We also found that reagents typically used to enhance infection were not effective in the CFRK system. This methodology is both efficient and safe; it can be employed by researchers to evaluate neutralizing monoclonal antibodies and contribute to the discovery of new antiviral inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2.