Chopped Pig wrote ” The May 2022 issue of Scientific American summarizes a new advance on the Omicron research paper , analyzing why it is able to evade the human immune system. Back in November 2020 Alpha Before the emergence of the strain, scientists knew very little about its mutations and their effects, and now, with the help of more than a year of data and knowledge, researchers have the ability to determine how the more than 50 mutations in Omicron have helped its rapid spread. Micron has twice as many mutations as the other variants of interest, and probably more of the BA.2 subtype. Its spike protein alone has 13 mutations. Previous variants had only receptor binding domains (RBDs) Two or three mutations, while Omicron has 15, and changes in RBDs affect recognition by some antibodies. Omicron’s spike protein is also more stable. Previous mutants require two proteins, the ACE2 receptor, to enter cells and TMPRSS2 receptors, while Omicron only requires ACE2, which means it can infect a wider cell population. Omicron variants enter cells as endosome-wrapped air bubbles, which then take over the host. Other The variant infects cells in the lungs, and Omicron only infects the respiratory tract above the lungs.”
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