COVID-19 epsilon
2021-07-07 17:30:22.179834+02 by Dan Lyke 0 comments
The Epsilon COVID-19 variant is here, works its way around the vaccines: Science Magazine: SARS-CoV-2 immune evasion by the B.1.427/B.1.429 variant of concern. DOI: 10.1126/science.abi7994
Abstract A novel variant of concern (VOC) named CAL.20C (B.1.427/B.1.429), originally detected in California, carries spike glycoprotein mutations S13I in the signal peptide, W152C in the N-terminal domain (NTD), and L452R in the receptor-binding domain (RBD). Plasma from individuals vaccinated with a Wuhan-1 isolate-based mRNA vaccine or convalescent individuals exhibited neutralizing titers, which were reduced 2-3.5 fold against the B.1.427/B.1.429 variant relative to wildtype pseudoviruses. The L452R mutation reduced neutralizing activity of 14 out of 34 RBD-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). The S13I and W152C mutations resulted in total loss of neutralization for 10 out of 10 NTD-specific mAbs since the NTD antigenic supersite was remodeled by a shift of the signal peptide cleavage site and formation of a new disulphide bond, as revealed by mass spectrometry and structural studies.
Via https://twitter.com/ScienceMagazine/status/1412290256901128195