SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variations reveal mechanisms controlling cell entry dynamics and antibody neutralization.

ABSTRACT: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is adapting to continuous presence in humans. Transitions to endemic infection patterns are associated with changes in the spike (S) proteins that direct virus-cell entry. These changes generate antigenic drift and thereby allow virus maintenance in the face of prevalent human antiviral antibodies. These changes also fine tune virus-cell entry dynamics in ways that optimize transmission and infection into human cells. Focusing on the latter aspect, we evaluated the effects of several S protein substitutions on virus-cell membrane fusion, an essential final step in enveloped virus-cell entry. Membrane fusion is executed by integral-membrane "S2" domains, yet we found that substitutions in peripheral "S1" domains altered late-stage

SUBMITTER: Qing E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11637440 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature