The altered entry pathway and antigenic distance of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant map to separate domains of spike protein
T. P. Peacock, J. C. Brown, J. Zhou, N. Thakur, K. Sukhova, J. Newman, R. Kugathasan, A. W. C. Yan, W. Furnon, G. De Lorenzo, V. M. Cowton, D. Reuss, M. Moshe, O. K. Platt, J. L. Quantrill, , W. S. Barclay
This study identifies distinct genetic determinants in the Omicron spike protein for altered cell entry and antigenic properties, showing they are separable and may affect future variant severity and vaccine efficacy.
bioRxiv · Dec 31, 2021 · PreprintMicrobiology