Why is Omikron more contagious and spreads quickly? Here’s what the researchers found

When Omikron was discovered in late 2021, it was hailed as a superwariant almost immediately. The first sub-variant (B.1.1.529) was already spreading much faster than Delta. Since then, the Omikron family has grown with more mutations, each one considered “disturbing”. Why is Omikron more contagious than previous coronavirus variants, and what could it lead to? Scientists from three American research institutes were looking for answers. Here’s what they found.

1. Detected in November 2021, Omicron spreads more easily between humans than the original strain of the coronavirus. It also caused more breakthrough infections compared to other variants
2. Omicron mutations in the spike protein resulted in twice the infectivity of the older version of SARS-CoV-2
3. Changes that occurred in another structural protein, the so-called N protein increased infectivity as much as 30 times
4. The evolution of the Omicron could go even more infectious, says lead author Dr Abdullah Syed, and explains why
5. More information can be found on the TvoiLokony home page

The Omikron sub-variant family under the scrutiny of scientists

In mid-November last year, we heard about Omikron for the first time. Due to the greatest number of mutations at that time (approx. 50) and greater infectivity, it was defined as a superwariant. Omicron took over the world very quickly, creating new mutations, each of which became a “worrying variant”.

Today, the Omikron family includes the sub-options B.1.1.529, BA.1, BA.1.1., BA.2, BA.3, BA.4 and BA.5. Eric Topol, a cardiologist and professor of molecular medicine, said the latest was “the worst coronavirus we have ever seen.” BA.5 is becoming more infectious than the measles virus, one of the most contagious pathogens (so far), but it also circumvents the developed immunity better than other variants (it has caused more breakthrough infections in people previously infected or fully vaccinated against COVID-19).

What is behind the “success” of Omikron? What has changed about the virus that it infects more easily and spreads faster? Scientists from the Gladstone Institutes, UC Berkeley, and the Innovative Genomics Institute in the US were looking for answers.

Two important discoveries and two key Omicron proteins

To capture the effect of various mutations in Omicron, scientists used specially developed virus-like particles. They are composed of the basic SARS-CoV-2 proteins that make up the structure of the virus particle, but they do not contain its genome, which means that they cannot be infectious (therefore they are safer to work with than live viruses).

Researchers found that omicron mutations in the spike protein made virus-like particles twice as infectious as those with the spike protein of the pathogen’s ancestors. Recall that The spike protein (the so-called S protein) is the first to attack our cells and its effectiveness determines whether the virus enters the body.

However, this is not the end of discoveries. Researchers also focused on another protein that makes up the coronavirus structure, the nucleocapsid protein (the so-called N protein). It is more difficult to access than the S protein and more stable than it. Its role is to protect the RNA of the virus. The N protein also participates in the replication of genetic material. Research showed that virus-like particles carrying Omicron mutations in the nucleocapsid protein were 30 times more infectious than the ancestor of SARS-CoV-2.

“Omicron may go even more infectious”

“We can see that for both Delta and Omicron, nucleocapsid is more important in increasing viral spread,” emphasizes Melanie Ott, MD, director of the Gladstone Institute of Virology and one of the authors of the study. “I think if we want to generate better vaccines or look at blocking coronarirus transmission, we could think of targets other than the spike protein,” he adds.

Dr. Abdullah Syed of the Doudny Laboratory in Gladstone and the lead author of the study highlights another point: “Omicron has many mutations and our findings say some of them are actually harmful to the virus” – says the scientist, adding: “It also means that the evolution of the Omicron could go even more infectious if these brakes are lifted”.

“We are certainly not at the point where we fully understand this variant, but the data we have obtained proves once again that Omikron appears to be very good at infecting and very good at avoiding antibodies,” comments Dr. Syed. .

We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time Joanna Kozłowska, author of the book High Sensitivity. A Guide for Those Who Feel Too Much »says that high sensitivity is not a disease or dysfunction – it’s just a set of characteristics that affect the way you perceive and perceive the world. What are the genetics of WWO? What are the perks of being highly sensitive? How to act with your high sensitivity? You will find out by listening to the latest episode of our podcast.