On the SARS‐CoV‐2 BA.2.75 variant: A genetic and structural point of view
Fabio Scarpa, Daria Sanna, Ilenia Azzena, Marta Giovanetti, Domenico Benvenuto, Silvia Angeletti, Giancarlo Ceccarelli, Stefano Pascarella, Marco Casu, Pier Luigi Fiori, Massimo Ciccozzi
Abstract
Due to the continuing evolution of SARS-CoV-2, the formation of new variants is not a novelty or a sporadic case, but it is a certainty that periodically recurs.1 One of the most recent variants is represented by the subvariant BA.2.75, also known as Centaurus. In comparison to the BA.2 variant, BA.2.75 carries nine additional mutations in the sequence of the spike protein genes: K147E, W152R, F157L, I210V, G257S G339H, G446S, N460K, and R493Q. The site G446S has been indicated as the site of potential escape from antibodies evoked by current vaccines that are capable of neutralizing Omicron 52 and it has been hypothesized that the BA.2.75 spike significantly reduces sensitivity toward therapeutic monoclonal antibodies than BA.5 (and thus than BA.2 and BA.4).