Volume 32, Issue 5 e2346
REVIEW

Development of antibody resistance in emerging mutant strains of SARS CoV-2: Impediment for COVID-19 vaccines

Narasimha M. Beeraka

Narasimha M. Beeraka

Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou, Zhengzhou, China

Department of Human Anatomy, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russian Federation

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Olga A. Sukocheva

Olga A. Sukocheva

Discipline of Health Sciences, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University of South Australia, Bedford Park, Australia

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Elena Lukina

Elena Lukina

Discipline of Biology, College of Sciences, Flinders University of South Australia, Bedford Park, Australia

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Junqi Liu

Corresponding Author

Junqi Liu

Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou, Zhengzhou, China

Correspondence

Ruitai Fan and Junqi Liu, Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, 1 Jianshedong Str, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.

Email: [email protected] and [email protected]

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Ruitai Fan

Corresponding Author

Ruitai Fan

Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou, Zhengzhou, China

Correspondence

Ruitai Fan and Junqi Liu, Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, 1 Jianshedong Str, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.

Email: [email protected] and [email protected]

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First published: 13 April 2022
Citations: 6

Narasimha M. Beeraka and Olga A. Sukocheva contributed equally.

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), a highly infectious agent associated with unprecedented morbidity and mortality. A failure to stop growth of COVID-19-linked morbidity rates is caused by SARS-CoV-2 mutations and the emergence of new highly virulent SARS-CoV-2 strains. Several acquired SARS-CoV-2 mutations reflect viral adaptations to host immune defence. Mutations in the virus Spike-protein were associated with the lowered effectiveness of current preventive therapies, including vaccines. Recent in vitro studies detected diminished neutralisation capacity of vaccine-induced antibodies, which are targeted to bind Spike receptor-binding and N-terminal domains in the emerging strains. Lower than expected inhibitory activity of antibodies was reported against viruses with E484K Spike mutation, including B.1.1.7 (UK), P.1 (Brazil), B.1.351 (South African), and new Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) with E484A mutation. The vaccine effectiveness is yet to be examined against new mutant strains of SARS-CoV-2 originating in Europe, Nigeria, Brazil, South Africa, and India. To prevent the loss of anti-viral protection in vivo, often defined as antibody resistance, it is required to target highly conserved viral sequences (including Spike protein) and enhance the potency of antibody cocktails. In this review, we assess the reported mutation-acquiring potential of coronaviruses and compare efficacies of current COVID-19 vaccines against ‘parent’ and ‘mutant’ strains of SARS-CoV-2 (Kappa (B.1.617.1), Delta (B.1.617.2), and Omicron (B.1.1.529)).

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Authors declare no conflicts of interest.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

Not applicable.

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