SARS-CoV-2 RBD of Spike protein– lineage B.1.1.529 – Omicron Variant

General information on SARS-CoV-2 RBD of Spike protein– lineage B.1.1.529 – Omicron Variant

Lineage B.1.1.529 was reported to WHO in late November 2021 in South Africa. This variant of SARS-CoV-2 accumulates an unprecedented high number of mutations on the spike protein, and especially receptor binding domain (RBD), compared to former variants involved in the Covid-19 pandemic.
The reported mutations are the following : A67V, Δ69-70, T95I, G142D, Δ143-145, Δ211-212, ins214EPE, G339D, S371L, S373P, S375F, K417N, N440K, G446S, S477N, T478K, E484A, Q493K, G496S, Q498R, N501Y, Y505H, T547K, D614G, H655Y, N679K, P681H, N764K, D796Y, N856K, Q954H, N969K, L981F.
The consequences of these new mutations are not yet clear. Some of them had been detected in other variants. K417N and N501Y are typical mutations of the Beta variant from South Africa. S477N had been reported in a variant found in the USA, detected in December 2020, lineage B.1.526.2. Many other mutations are new to the scientific community and need to be studied. According to preliminary results, this new variant might be related to an increased reinfection rate. There are also evidences for a higher growth of the virus.
The PCR tests that have been deployed for other variants still detect it. The efficiency of market vaccines on the omicron variant is currently studied.
After spreading in all South African regions, the variant has been reported in other African countries such as Botswana and then in Europe.
More studies are necessary to determine the precise properties of this variant, especially the impacts of its unreported mutations on transmissibility and the severity its cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.