ArticleCell reports2026
Functional and structural basis of Omicron BA.3.2.1 spike.
Article in Cell reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Immunological imprinting shapes the cross-reactive antibody responses to the KP.2 and LP.8.1 vaccine doses.Journal of virology · 2026Article
- Localized Rigidification and Allosteric Modulation Mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Neutralization by Class 3 and Class 4 Antibodies at Atomic Resolution: An Integrated Computational Study of Binding, Dynamics, and Allostery.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- SARS-CoV-2 Variants and Immune Evasion: Mapping the Future of Vaccine Design.Reviews in medical virology · 2026Review
- Mechanisms of Binding and Immune Escape Resistance for Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies Targeting Distinct Conserved SARS-CoV-2 Spike Epitopes: A Hierarchical Approach Integrating Mutational Profiling and Energy Landscape Analysis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Frustration Landscapes of Broadly Neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 Spike Antibodies Targeting Conserved Epitopes Reveal Energetic Logic of Escape-Proof and Escape-Prone Mechanisms.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 BA.3.2 sublineages, derived from BA.3 and carrying substantial spike divergence, raised concerns about altered fitness and antigenicity. Using BA.3.2.1 as a representative strain, we engineered live-attenuated SARS-CoV-2 encoding BA.3.2.1, LP.8.1, or XEC spikes and benchmarked them against BA.3 and KP.3. BA.3.2.1 outcompetes BA.3 in primary human airway epithelium but replicates less efficiently than JN.1 descendants and shows the greatest resistance to neutralization by KP.2/KP.3 convalescent sera. Although BA.3.2.1 RBD binds hACE2 with high affinity, its trimeric spike engages hACE2 less efficiently than LP.8.1. Cryoelectron microscopy structures reveal that BA.3.2.1 spike predominantly adopts a compact, asymmetric closed conformation stabilized by protomer rearrangements, N-linked glycosylation, and a distinct fusion-peptide-proximal region. This architecture increases spike stability, limits receptor engagement, reduces fusogenicity, and masks antibody-sensitive epitopes. Thus, BA.3.2.1 enhances immune evasion at the cost of replication fitness, providing a structural-functional explanation for BA.3.2's limited prevalence and underscoring the need for continued variant surveillance.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.