tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Korean Med Sci
. 2021 May 10;36(18):e124.
doi: 10.3346/jkms.2021.36.e124.
Will Mutations in the Spike Protein of SARS-CoV-2 Lead to the Failure of COVID-19 Vaccines?
Zaixing Jia[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Wenping Gong[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has spread worldwide since it was first identified in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019. With the global transmission of the virus, a large number of SARS-CoV-2 variants have also appeared, especially, emerging strains that have recently been discovered in the United Kingdom (variant 20I/501Y.V1, lineage B.1.1.7), South Africa (variant 20H/501Y.V2, lineage B.1.351), and Brazil (variant 20 J/501Y.V3, and lineage P.1). The common feature of these variants is that they share the N501Y mutation involving the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein, which is precisely the target of most COVID-19 vaccines. Furthermore, mutations such as N501Y, E484K, and K417N in the S protein may affect viral fitness and transmissibility. However, current research on the impact of these variants on COVID-19 vaccines is still lacking. Herein, we briefly explain why most COVID-19 vaccines target the S protein, update the progress of research regarding S protein-related COVID-19 vaccines, review the latest studies concerning the effects of S protein variants on COVID-19 vaccines, and finally, propose certain strategies to deal with SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Keywords: COVID-19; Mutation; SARS-CoV-2; Spike Protein; Vaccine; Variant.
. 2021 May 10;36(18):e124.
doi: 10.3346/jkms.2021.36.e124.
Will Mutations in the Spike Protein of SARS-CoV-2 Lead to the Failure of COVID-19 Vaccines?
Zaixing Jia[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Wenping Gong[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33975397
- DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2021.36.e124
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has spread worldwide since it was first identified in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019. With the global transmission of the virus, a large number of SARS-CoV-2 variants have also appeared, especially, emerging strains that have recently been discovered in the United Kingdom (variant 20I/501Y.V1, lineage B.1.1.7), South Africa (variant 20H/501Y.V2, lineage B.1.351), and Brazil (variant 20 J/501Y.V3, and lineage P.1). The common feature of these variants is that they share the N501Y mutation involving the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein, which is precisely the target of most COVID-19 vaccines. Furthermore, mutations such as N501Y, E484K, and K417N in the S protein may affect viral fitness and transmissibility. However, current research on the impact of these variants on COVID-19 vaccines is still lacking. Herein, we briefly explain why most COVID-19 vaccines target the S protein, update the progress of research regarding S protein-related COVID-19 vaccines, review the latest studies concerning the effects of S protein variants on COVID-19 vaccines, and finally, propose certain strategies to deal with SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Keywords: COVID-19; Mutation; SARS-CoV-2; Spike Protein; Vaccine; Variant.