Dataset Information

Structural basis for receptor binding and broader interspecies receptor recognition of currently circulating Omicron sub-variants.

ABSTRACT: Multiple SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sub-variants, such as BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5, emerge one after another. BA.5 has become the dominant strain worldwide. Additionally, BA.2.75 is significantly increasing in some countries. Exploring their receptor binding and interspecies transmission risk is urgently needed. Herein, we examine the binding capacities of human and other 28 animal ACE2 orthologs covering nine orders towards S proteins of these sub-variants. The binding affinities between hACE2 and these sub-variants remain in the range as that of previous variants of concerns (VOCs) or interests (VOIs). Notably, R493Q reverse mutation enhances the bindings towards ACE2s from humans and many animals closely related to human life, suggesting an increased risk of cross-species transmission. Structures of S/hACE2 or RBD/hACE2 complexes for these sub-variants and BA.2 S binding to ACE2 of mouse, rat or golden hamster are determined to reveal the molecular basis for receptor binding and broader interspecies recognition.

SUBMITTER: Zhao Z

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10362042 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Structural basis for receptor binding and broader interspecies receptor recognition of currently circulating Omicron sub-variants.

Zhao Zhennan Z Xie Yufeng Y Bai Bin B Luo Chunliang C Zhou Jingya J Li Weiwei W Meng Yumin Y Li Linjie L Li Dedong D Li Xiaomei X Li Xiaoxiong X Wang Xiaoyun X Sun Junqing J Xu Zepeng Z Sun Yeping Y Zhang Wei W Fan Zheng Z Zhao Xin X Wu Linhuan L Ma Juncai J Li Odel Y OY Shang Guijun G Chai Yan Y Liu Kefang K Wang Peiyi P Gao George F GF Qi Jianxun J

Nature communications 20230721 1

Multiple SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sub-variants, such as BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5, emerge one after another. BA.5 has become the dominant strain worldwide. Additionally, BA.2.75 is significantly increasing in some countries. Exploring their receptor binding and interspecies transmission risk is urgently needed. Herein, we examine the binding capacities of human and other 28 animal ACE2 orthologs covering nine orders towards S proteins of these sub-variants. The binding affinities between hACE2 a ...[more]

PMID: 37479708

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Project description:The highly contagious and fast-spreading omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 infects the respiratory tracts efficiently. The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the omicron spike protein recognizes human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as its receptor and plays a critical role in the tissue tropism of SARS-CoV-2. Here, we showed that the omicron RBD (strain BA.1) binds to ACE2 more strongly than does the prototypic RBD from the original Wuhan strain. We also measured how individual omicron mutations affect ACE2 binding. We further determined the crystal structure of the omicron RBD (engineered to facilitate crystallization) complexed with ACE2 at 2.6 Å. The structure shows that omicron mutations caused significant structural rearrangements of two mutational hot spots at the RBD/ACE2 interface, elucidating how each omicron mutation affects ACE2 binding. The enhanced ACE2 binding by the omicron RBD may facilitate the omicron variant's infection of the respiratory tracts where ACE2 expression level is low. Our study provides insights into the receptor recognition and tissue tropism of the omicron variant. IMPORTANCE Despite the scarcity of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)-in the respiratory tract, the omicron variant efficiently infects the respiratory tract, causing rapid and widespread infections of COVID-19. The omicron variant contains extensive mutations in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of its spike protein that recognizes human ACE2. Here, using a combination of biochemical and X-ray crystallographic approaches, we showed that the omicron RBD binds to ACE2 with enhanced affinity and also elucidated the role of each of the omicron mutations in ACE2 binding. The enhanced ACE2 binding by the omicron RBD may contribute to the omicron variant's new viral tropism in the respiratory tract despite the low level of ACE2 expression in the tissue. These findings help us to understand tissue tropism of the omicron variant and shed light on the molecular evolution of SARS-CoV-2.

Project description:Understanding the evolutionary strategies of the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant is crucial for comprehending the COVID-19 pandemic and preventing future coronavirus pandemics. In this study, we determined the crystal structures of the receptor-binding domains (RBDs) from currently circulating omicron subvariants XBB.1 and XBB.1.5 (also the emerging XBB.1.9.1), each complexed with human ACE2. We studied how individual RBD residues evolved structurally in omicron subvariants, specifically how they adapted to human ACE2. Our findings revealed that residues 493 and 496, which exhibited good human ACE2 adaptation in pre-omicron variants, evolved to poor adaptation in early omicron subvariants (but with good adaption to mouse ACE2) and then reverted to good adaptation in recent omicron subvariants. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that non-human animals facilitated the evolution of early omicron subvariants. Additionally, residue 486, which exhibited good human ACE2 adaptation in early omicron subvariants, evolved to poor adaptation in later omicron subvariants and then returned to good adaptation in recent omicron subvariants. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that immune evasion facilitated the evolution of later omicron subvariants. Thus, our study suggests that both non-human animals and immune evasion may have contributed to driving omicron evolution at different stages of the pandemic. IMPORTANCE The sudden emergence and continued evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant have left many mysteries unanswered, such as the origin of early omicron subvariants and the factors driving omicron evolution. To address these questions, we studied the crystal structures of human ACE2-bound receptor-binding domains (RBDs) from omicron subvariants XBB.1 and XBB.1.5 (XBB.1.9.1). Our in-depth structural analysis sheds light on how specific RBD mutations adapt to either human or mouse ACE2 and suggests non-human animals and immune evasion may have influenced omicron evolution during different stages of the pandemic. These findings provide valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying omicron evolution, deepen our understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic, and have significant implications for preventing future coronavirus pandemics.

Dataset Information

Structural basis for receptor binding and broader interspecies receptor recognition of currently circulating Omicron sub-variants.

Publications

Structural basis for receptor binding and broader interspecies receptor recognition of currently circulating Omicron sub-variants.

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