Omicron Spike Function and Neutralizing Activity Elicited by a Comprehensive Panel of Vaccines

Overview

Journal Science

Specialty Science

Date 2022 Jul 20

PMID 35857529

Authors

John E Bowen

Amin Addetia

Ha V Dang

Cameron Stewart

Jack T Brown

William K Sharkey

Kaitlin R Sprouse

Alexandra C Walls

Ignacio G Mazzitelli

Jennifer K Logue

Nicholas M Franko

Nadine Czudnochowski

Abigail E Powell

Exequiel Dellota Jr

Kumail Ahmed

Asefa Shariq Ansari

Elisabetta Cameroni

Andrea Gori

Alessandra Bandera

Christine M Posavad

Jennifer M Dan

Zeli Zhang

Daniela Weiskopf

Alessandro Sette

Shane Crotty

Najeeha Talat Iqbal

Davide Corti

Jorge Geffner

Gyorgy Snell

Renata Grifantini

Helen Y Chu

David Veesler

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant of concern comprises several sublineages, with BA.2 and BA.2.12.1 having replaced the previously dominant BA.1 and with BA.4 and BA.5 increasing in prevalence worldwide. We show that the large number of Omicron sublineage spike mutations leads to enhanced angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) binding, reduced fusogenicity, and severe dampening of plasma neutralizing activity elicited by infection or seven clinical vaccines relative to the ancestral virus. Administration of a homologous or heterologous booster based on the Wuhan-Hu-1 spike sequence markedly increased neutralizing antibody titers and breadth against BA.1, BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5 across all vaccines evaluated. Our data suggest that although Omicron sublineages evade polyclonal neutralizing antibody responses elicited by primary vaccine series, vaccine boosters may provide sufficient protection against Omicron-induced severe disease.

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