Coronavirus A.30 option (A.Voi.v2), discovered in the spring of 2021 in patients in Angola and Sweden, is able to avoid an immune response mediated by antibodies. Scheduled University of Göttingen University in Germany, who published the details of the scientific work in the Nature magazine.
Experts studied penetration into host cells and antibodies mediated by antibodies neutralization of version A.30. For comparison, Beta options were analyzed (B.1.351) and ETA (B.1.525). These two options were first discovered in Africa, and a beta option, which is considered to be concerned by the option (WDI), demonstrates the highest level of neutralization resistance among such SARS-COV-2 strains.
S-protein variant A.30 contains ten amino acid substitutions and five deletions, that is, chromosomal rearrangements, which lead to the loss of the DNA fragment. All deletions and four substitutions are in the site, which is the target for most neutralizing antibodies not directed against the binding domain receptor (RBD). Three mutations are located inside the RBD, which binds to the ACE2 cell receptor and is the main target of neutralizing antibodies.
It turned out that A.30 was easier penetrated into the cells and demonstrated increased resistance to some types of antibodies induced by vaccination. At the same time, the neutralization resistance was even higher than that of the beta version of the coronavirus. However, at the same time, the Pfizer / Biontech vaccine can provide enough reliable protection from the strain A.30. According to scientists, the variant A.30 requires careful observation and quick adoption of measures to prevent its distribution.