SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Subvariants Balance Host Cell Membrane, Receptor, and Antibody Docking via an Overlapping Target Site.

ABSTRACT: Variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are emerging rapidly and offer surfaces that are optimized for recognition of host cell membranes while also evading antibodies arising from vaccinations and previous infections. Host cell infection is a multi-step process in which spike heads engage lipid bilayers and one or more angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) receptors. Here, the membrane binding surfaces of Omicron subvariants are compared using cryo-electron microscopy (cEM) structures of spike trimers from BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA.2.13, BA.2.75, BA.3, BA.4, and BA.5 viruses. Despite significant differences around mutated sites, they all maintain strong membrane binding propensities that first appeared in BA.1. Both their closed and open states retain elevated

SUBMITTER: Overduin M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9967007 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature