Details of Omicron's infection of human cells revealed

Science and Technology Daily, Beijing, January 23 (Reporter Liu Xia) According to a report by the Physicist Organization Network on the 20th, researchers from the University of British Columbia School of Medicine in Canada wrote in the latest issue of "Science" magazine that they used cryo-electron microscopy to At near atomic resolution, the molecular-scale analysis of the spike protein of the new coronavirus Omicron variant has been carried out for the first time, revealing the details of how the variant attaches to and infects human cells, helping the development of new treatments

The spike protein located on the outside of the virus is the key for the new coronavirus to enter human cells.

The latest structural analysis revealed that mutations R493, S496 and R498 create new salt bridges and hydrogen bonds between the spike protein and the human cell receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)

Dr.

The researchers then carried out further experiments showing that Omicron's spike protein exhibited greater antibody evasion: it evaded all six (and five of them completely) tested monoclonals to some extent antibody

Subramaniam emphasized: "Our findings suggest that mutations in the spike protein may be the main factor responsible for the increased infectivity of Omicron

Understanding the molecular structure of the Omicron spike protein is important, the researchers said, and by analyzing the mechanism by which the virus infects human cells, scientists can develop better treatments to disrupt this process and neutralize this variant and its novel coronavirus virus variant