SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86 enters lung cells and evades neutralizing antibodies with high efficiency

Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved..

BA.2.86, a recently identified descendant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron BA.2 sublineage, contains ∼35 mutations in the spike (S) protein and spreads in multiple countries. Here, we investigated whether the virus exhibits altered biological traits, focusing on S protein-driven viral entry. Employing pseudotyped particles, we show that BA.2.86, unlike other Omicron sublineages, enters Calu-3 lung cells with high efficiency and in a serine- but not cysteine-protease-dependent manner. Robust lung cell infection was confirmed with authentic BA.2.86, but the virus exhibited low specific infectivity. Further, BA.2.86 was highly resistant against all therapeutic antibodies tested, efficiently evading neutralization by antibodies induced by non-adapted vaccines. In contrast, BA.2.86 and the currently circulating EG.5.1 sublineage were appreciably neutralized by antibodies induced by the XBB.1.5-adapted vaccine. Collectively, BA.2.86 has regained a trait characteristic of early SARS-CoV-2 lineages, robust lung cell entry, and evades neutralizing antibodies. However, BA.2.86 exhibits low specific infectivity, which might limit transmissibility.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2024

Erschienen:

2024

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:187

Enthalten in:

Cell - 187(2024), 3 vom: 01. Feb., Seite 596-608.e17

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Zhang, Lu [VerfasserIn]
Kempf, Amy [VerfasserIn]
Nehlmeier, Inga [VerfasserIn]
Cossmann, Anne [VerfasserIn]
Richter, Anja [VerfasserIn]
Bdeir, Najat [VerfasserIn]
Graichen, Luise [VerfasserIn]
Moldenhauer, Anna-Sophie [VerfasserIn]
Dopfer-Jablonka, Alexandra [VerfasserIn]
Stankov, Metodi V [VerfasserIn]
Simon-Loriere, Etienne [VerfasserIn]
Schulz, Sebastian R [VerfasserIn]
Jäck, Hans-Martin [VerfasserIn]
Čičin-Šain, Luka [VerfasserIn]
Behrens, Georg M N [VerfasserIn]
Drosten, Christian [VerfasserIn]
Hoffmann, Markus [VerfasserIn]
Pöhlmann, Stefan [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Antibodies, Neutralizing
Antibodies, Viral
Antibody evasion
BA.2.86
Caspases
EC 3.4.22.-
Fusion
Infectivity
Journal Article
Lung cell entry
Mutations
Pirola variant
SARS-CoV-2
Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
Spike protein
Spike protein, SARS-CoV-2
TMPRSS2

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 06.02.2024

Date Revised 06.02.2024

published: Print-Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1016/j.cell.2023.12.025

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM366855646