As the Omicron COVID-19 variant continues to push a rise in cases across Canada, scientists at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have revealed the first in-depth analysis of the structure of the variant’s spike protein.
In a study currently in pre-print and under peer-review in the journal bioRxiv, researchers used cryo-electron microscopy to analyze the variant at near atomic resolution, according to a news release, which shows how the “heavily mutated” Omicron variant infects human cells and is “highly evasive of immunity.”
Cryo-electron microscopy involves flash-freezing the study subject and then bombarding them with electrons to produce microscope images of individual molecules. Those are then used to reconstruct the structure of the subject in minute detail.
“The Omicron variant is unprecedented for having 37 spike protein mutations, that’s three to five times more mutations than any other variant we’ve seen,” said UBC department of biochemistry and molecular biology professor Dr. Sriram Subramaniam in a release.
Subramaniam said analysis of the spike protein was important because the spike is how the virus attaches and infects human cells, and is also where antibodies attach to neutralize the virus.
“Small mutations on the spike protein have potentially big implications for how the virus is transmitted, how our body fights it off and the effectiveness of treatments,” he said.
The study results show that several mutations in the spike protein have created new “salt bridges” and hydrogen bonds between the Omicron spike protein and the human cell receptor known as ACE2. These mutations appear to increase the binding strength of the virus.
Researcher’s findings show that Omicron has a much greater binding affinity than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, with levels more comparable to the Delta variant.
Characteristics of the Omicron mutations likely contribute to the increased transmissibility of the variant, researchers wrote.
Subramaniam said the study confirms what other scientists are detecting in real-time worldwide, that the Omicron spike protein is “far better” than other COVID-19 variants at evading monoclonal antibodies, as well as evading immunity produced by both vaccines and natural infection.
“Notably, Omicron was less evasive of the immunity created by vaccines compared to the immunity stemming from natural infection in unvaccinated COVID-19 patients,” he said. “This suggests that vaccination remains our best defence against the Omicron variant.”
Subramaniam said the study shows the path forward on how to develop more effective treatments against the Omicron variant and any others that develop in the future.
“Understanding how the virus attaches to and infects human cells means we can develop treatments that disrupt that process and neutralize the virus,” he said.
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