Origin, virological features, immune evasion and intervention of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sublineages

Shuai Xia; Lijue Wang; Yun Zhu; Lu Lu; Shibo Jiang

doi:10.1038/s41392-022-01105-9

Origin, virological features, immune evasion and intervention of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sublineages

Signal Transduct Target Ther. 2022 Jul 19;7(1):241. doi: 10.1038/s41392-022-01105-9.

Authors

Shuai Xia¹, Lijue Wang¹, Yun Zhu², Lu Lu³, Shibo Jiang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microbes and Infection, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
² National Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microbes and Infection, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. lul@fudan.edu.cn.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microbes and Infection, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. shibojiang@fudan.edu.cn.

Abstract

Recently, a large number of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants continuously emerged and posed a major threat to global public health. Among them, particularly, Omicron variant (B.1.1.529), first identified in November 2021, carried numerous mutations in its spike protein (S), and then quickly spread around the world. Currently, Omicron variant has expanded into more than one hundred sublineages, such as BA.1, BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA.4 and BA.5, which have already become the globally dominant variants. Different from other variants of concern (VOCs) of SARS-CoV-2, the Omicron variant and its sublineages exhibit increased transmissibility and immune escape from neutralizing antibodies generated through previous infection or vaccination, and have caused numerous re-infections and breakthrough infections. In this prospective, we have focused on the origin, virological features, immune evasion and intervention of Omicron sublineages, which will benefit the development of next-generation vaccines and therapeutics, including pan-sarbecovirus and universal anti-CoV therapeutics, to combat currently circulating and future emerging Omicron sublineages as well as other SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Humans
Immune Evasion / genetics
Prospective Studies
SARS-CoV-2* / genetics

Supplementary concepts

SARS-CoV-2 variants