Variant BA. 2.86 and its descendant, JN. 1, of SARS-CoV-2 are rising in incidence across
Europe and globally. We isolated recent JN. 1, BA. 2.86, EG. 5, XBB. 1.5 and earlier variants …

In late 2023, several SARS-CoV-2 XBB descendants, notably EG. 5.1, were predominant
worldwide. However, a distinct SARS-CoV-2 lineage, the BA. 2.86 variant, also emerged …

Due to the incessant emergence of various SARS-CoV-2 variants with enhanced fitness in
the human population, controlling the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging …

Over the last three years, the pandemic of COVID-19 has had a significant impact on
people's lives and the global economy. The incessant emergence of variant strains has …

The most recent wave of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants descending from BA. 2 and BA.
2.86 exhibited improved viral growth and fitness due to convergent evolution of functional …

SARS-CoV-2 variants are mainly defined by mutations in their spike. It is therefore critical to
understand how the evolutionary trajectories of spike affect virus phenotypes. So far, it has …

Abstract Since 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has undergone mutations, resulting in pandemic and
epidemic waves. The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, crucial for cellular entry, binds to the ACE2 …

ABSTRACT A multitude of functional mutations continue to emerge on the N-terminal
domain (NTD) of the spike protein in SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants. Understanding the …

Introduction The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) spike (S)
protein is essential in mediating membrane fusion of the virus with the target cells. Several …

The most recent wave of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants descending from BA. 2 and BA.
2.86 exhibited improved viral growth and fitness due to convergent evolution of functional …