Impact of African-Specific ACE2 Polymorphisms on Omicron BA.4/5 RBD Binding and Allosteric Communication Within the ACE2-RBD Protein Complex.

ABSTRACT: Severe acute respiratory symptom coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection occurs via the attachment of the spike (S) protein's receptor binding domain (RBD) to human ACE2 (hACE2). Natural polymorphisms in hACE2, particularly at the interface, may alter RBD-hACE2 interactions, potentially affecting viral infectivity across populations. This study identified the effects of six naturally occurring hACE2 polymorphisms with high allele frequency in the African population (S19P, K26R, M82I, K341R, N546D and D597Q) on the interaction with the S protein RBD of the BA.4/5 Omicron sub-lineage through post-molecular dynamics (MD), inter-protein interaction and dynamic residue network (DRN) analyses. Inter-protein interaction analysis suggested that the K26R variation, with the highest interactions, align

SUBMITTER: Barozi V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11818624 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature