Emerging XBB variants in Vietnam show high affinity for hACE2
1 Faculty of Natural science Education, Saigon University, 273 An Duong Vuong, Ward 3, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 700000.
2 VNU HCMC University of Science, 227 Nguyen Van Cu, Ward 4 District 5, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam, 700000
Research Article
GSC Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2023, 23(03), 231–236.
Article DOI: 10.30574/gscbps.2023.23.3.0256
Publication history:
Received on 19 May 2023; revised on 27 June 2023; accepted on 29 June 2023
Abstract:
Since the beginning of 2022, the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic has been the dominant variant. Numerous subvariants of Omicron have been identified, including BA.2.75, BA.4, and BA.5, which are classified as Variants of Concern (VOCs) due to their potential to cause severe illness. Additionally, an emerging variant called XBB has recently caused outbreaks and is believed to be highly lethal. To better understand the XBB variant, we compared the variation in the S protein to that of the other variants. Our initial findings indicate that the XBB variant has spread in Vietnam and carries unique nucleotide changes in the S gene. Specifically, we observed two mutations, G22317T (G252V) and C23123T (P521S), that have resulted in a new subvariant called XBB.1 on the phylogenetic tree. Our analysis also suggests that the XBB variant has a high affinity for hACE2, as indicated by an increase in the interface's number of residues and van der Waals energy. We found that XBB has conserved mutations in RBD that enhance its binding affinity for hACE2. In this report, we noted the mutation V83A, H146Q, and G252V in the NTD increased the binding free energy of the XBB spike protein in the complex with hACE2.
Keywords:
SARS-CoV-2; Omicron; XBB variant; Spike protein; Spike gene; Vietnam.
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Copyright © 2023 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0
