Non-Neutralizing Epitopes Shade Neutralizing Epitopes against Omicron in a Multiple Epitope-Based Vaccine.

ABSTRACT: The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has raised concerns about the risk of re-infection. Non-neutralizing epitopes are one of the major reasons for antibody-dependent enhancement. Past studies on the ancestral severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have revealed an infectivity-enhancing site on the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. However, infection enhancement associated with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain remains elusive. In this study, we examined the antibodies induced by a multiple epitope-based vaccine, which showed infection enhancement for the Omicron strain but not for the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 or Delta strain. By examining the antibodies induced by single epitope-based vaccines, we identified a conserved epitope, IDf (450-469), with neutralizing ac

SUBMITTER: Gong HR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9662650 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature