![\"\"](\"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/494468.webp\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe peer-reviewed study<\/a>\u00a0titled \u201cOmicron SARS-CoV-2 variant: Unique features and their impact on pre-existing antibodies\u201d was first published in the\u00a0Journal of Autoimmunity<\/em>\u00a0and was produced by Kamlendra Singh, a professor in the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine and assistant director of the college\u2019s Molecular Interactions Core and Bond Life Sciences Center investigator.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The research team set out to gather data on the mutations found in the spike protein (S-protein) of the Omicron variant. An S-protein refers to a large structure projecting from the surface of the virus\u2019s outermost layer, and they are most commonly associated with all forms of coronavirus cells.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The research team found an unprecedented number of mutations in the Omicron S-protein. They analyzed the available sequences of the virus along with the structural data on the spike protein in order to understand the possible impact that the high number of mutations could have on the binding of antibodies to the virus.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Antibodies allow the human body to fight off viruses that enter the system, preventing them from entering the immune system. While earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic it was thought that being infected with COVID-19, or being vaccinated against it, would provide enough antibodies to prevent reinfection, the Omicron variant has proved otherwise, as high amounts of people are being re-infected, or infected despite being\u00a0fully vaccinated.<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Using complete sequences of the Omicron variant, the research team identified a total of 46 signature mutations within the variant, 23 of which were completely unique and had not been identified in any of the earlier variants of the virus. Two of the mutations had first been recorded in the Delta or Delta Plus variant which preceded Omicron by several months.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Of the 46 mutations found, 30 were identified in the S-protein while the remainder were located elsewhere in the virus cell.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Having identified the unique mutations found in the Omicron variant, the team turned to researching whether or not they were responsible for the lack of antibody response against the variant.<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n