Conservation and Enhanced Binding of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Spike Protein to Coreceptor Neuropilin-1 Predicted by Docking Analysis
Piyush Baindara, Roy Dinata, Santi M. Mandal, Adam G. Schrum
Abstract
The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 bears peptide sequence alterations that correlate with a higher infectivity than was observed in the original SARS-CoV-2 isolated from Wuhan, China. We analyzed the CendR motif of spike protein and performed in silico molecular docking with neuropilin-1 (Nrp1), a receptor-ligand interaction known to support infection by the original variant. Our analysis predicts conserved and slightly increased energetic favorability of binding for Omicron CendR:Nrp1. We propose that the viral spike:Nrp1 coreceptor pathway may contribute to the infectivity of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2.
Topics & Concepts
Neuropilin 1InfectivitySevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)Spike ProteinDocking (animal)In silicoCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)2019-20 coronavirus outbreakCoronavirusPeptideVirologyMolecular biologyBiologyMedicineVirusGeneticsBiochemistryGeneCancer researchNursingVEGF receptorsOutbreakInfectious disease (medical specialty)PathologyVascular endothelial growth factorDiseaseSARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 ResearchLong-Term Effects of COVID-19Lipid Membrane Structure and Behavior