scholarly journals Association of E484K spike protein mutation with SARS-CoV-2 infection in vaccinated persons---Maryland, January – May 2021

Author(s):  
Kenneth A Feder ◽  
Ami Patel ◽  
Venkata R Vepachedu ◽  
Catherine Dominguez ◽  
Eric N Keller ◽  
...  

Abstract Among 9,048 people infected with SARS-CoV-2 between January-May, 2021 in Maryland, in regression-adjusted analysis, SARS-CoV-2 viruses carrying the spike protein mutation E484K were disproportionately prevalent among persons infected after full vaccination against COVID-19 as compared to infected persons who were not fully vaccinated (aOR 1.96, 95% CI, 1.36 to 2.83).

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xianding Deng ◽  
Miguel A Garcia-Knight ◽  
Mir M. Khalid ◽  
Venice Servellita ◽  
Candace Wang ◽  
...  

AbstractWe identified a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant by viral whole-genome sequencing of 2,172 nasal/nasopharyngeal swab samples from 44 counties in California. Named B.1.427/B.1.429 to denote its 2 lineages, the variant emerged around May 2020 and increased from 0% to >50% of sequenced cases from September 1, 2020 to January 29, 2021, exhibiting an 18.6-24% increase in transmissibility relative to wild-type circulating strains. The variant carries 3 mutations in the spike protein, including an L452R substitution. Our analyses revealed 2-fold increased B.1.427/B.1.429 viral shedding in vivo and increased L452R pseudovirus infection of cell cultures and lung organoids, albeit decreased relative to pseudoviruses carrying the N501Y mutation found in the B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1 variants. Antibody neutralization assays showed 4.0 to 6.7-fold and 2.0-fold decreases in neutralizing titers from convalescent patients and vaccine recipients, respectively. The increased prevalence of a more transmissible variant in California associated with decreased antibody neutralization warrants further investigation.


Author(s):  
Yogendar Singh ◽  
Neeraj Kumar Fuloria ◽  
Shivkanya Fuloria ◽  
Vetriselvan Subramaniyan ◽  
Dhanalekshmi Unnikrishnan Meenakshi ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
ASIT KUMAR CHAKRABORTY

We previously predicted Nsp2 Corona virus protein as RNA topoisomerase through amino acid homology among Vibrio haemolytica DNA topoisomerase IA/IV as well as DNA primase, DNA gyrase and bi-subunit Trypanosoma brucei DNA topoisomerase IB. Many DNA topoisomerase I/III have RNA topoisomerase activity and such ubiquitous enzymes are conserved and involved in the regulation of replication and transcription. We have checked here mutational profile of Nsp2 RNA topoisomerase analyzing >10000 orf1a 4405 amino acid length Corona virus polyprotein. Mutant proteins were selected by BLAST search having 99.84% sequence similarity and 181-818aa portion Nsp2 protein (protein id. QIU82057) was analyzed using CLUSTAL Omega software. We found 26 different mutations where most changes were selected at Isoleucine and Alanine into Valine or Leucine into Phenylanaline pinpointing conserved nature of the Corona virus RNA topoisomerase. Major nonsense very abundant mutations were found at I120F (Isoleucine to Phenylalanine). Other important mutations were R27C, I198V, T85I, L410F, I559V and P583S. The I120F mutation was abundant in Australian isolates and its spread was seen in the Bangladesh and other countries like USA. We suggest that abundant I120F mutation of Nsp2 Topoisomerase may increase transmission of Corona virus by stabilizing RNA structure for efficient virus pakaging. Interestingly, such mutations were found in association of D614G mutation of Spike protein, known to >70% increase infectivity. On the contrary, all P583S Nsp2 mutants analyzed had no concurrence D614G spike protein mutation. Many silent mutations (5-7) were detected by genome wide analysis but no N501Y Spike protein mutation. This is first report that predicts a link of greater Corona virus transmission with Nsp2 protein I120F and spike protein D614G mutations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Isabel ◽  
Lucía Graña-Miraglia ◽  
Jahir M. Gutierrez ◽  
Cedoljub Bundalovic-Torma ◽  
Helen E. Groves ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (49) ◽  
pp. 946-947
Author(s):  
Liang Wang ◽  
◽  
Yuhai Bi ◽  
George F. Gao ◽  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena E. Giorgi ◽  
Tanmoy Bhattacharya ◽  
Will Fischer ◽  
Hyejin Yoon ◽  
Werner Abfalterer ◽  
...  

AbstractThe SARS-CoV-2 variant carrying the Spike protein mutation G614 was first detected in late January 2020 and within a few months became the dominant form globally. In the months that followed, many studies, both in vitro and in animal models, showed that variants carrying this mutation were more infectious and more readily transmitted than the ancestral Wuhan form. Here we investigate why a recently published study by van Dorp et al. failed to detect such higher transmissibility of the G614 variant using homoplasy-based methods. We show that both low diversity and recombination confound the methods utilized by van Dorp et al. and significantly decrease their sensitivity. Furthermore, though they claim no evidence of recombination in their dataset, we and several other studies identify a subset of the sequences as recombinants, possibly enough to affect their statistic adversely.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsuyoshi Sekizuka ◽  
Kentaro Itokawa ◽  
Masanori Hashino ◽  
Kazuhiro Okubo ◽  
Asami Ohnishi ◽  
...  

Three COVID-19 waves in Japan have been characterized by the presence of distinct PANGO lineages (B.1.1. 162, B.1.1.284, and B.1.1.214). Recently, in addition to the B.1.1.7 lineage, which shows 25% abundance, an R.1 lineage carrying the E484K mutation in the spike protein was found to show up to 40% predominance.


Author(s):  
Jessica A. Plante ◽  
Yang Liu ◽  
Jianying Liu ◽  
Hongjie Xia ◽  
Bryan A. Johnson ◽  
...  

AbstractA spike protein mutation D614G became dominant in SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the mutational impact on viral spread and vaccine efficacy remains to be defined. Here we engineer the D614G mutation in the SARS-CoV-2 USA-WA1/2020 strain and characterize its effect on viral replication, pathogenesis, and antibody neutralization. The D614G mutation significantly enhances SARS-CoV-2 replication on human lung epithelial cells and primary human airway tissues, through an improved infectivity of virions with the spike receptor-binding domain in an “up” conformation for binding to ACE2 receptor. Hamsters infected with D614 or G614 variants developed similar levels of weight loss. However, the G614 virus produced higher infectious titers in the nasal washes and trachea, but not lungs, than the D614 virus. The hamster results confirm clinical evidence that the D614G mutation enhances viral loads in the upper respiratory tract of COVID-19 patients and may increases transmission. For antibody neutralization, sera from D614 virus-infected hamsters consistently exhibit higher neutralization titers against G614 virus than those against D614 virus, indicating that (i) the mutation may not reduce the ability of vaccines in clinical trials to protect against COVID-19 and (ii) therapeutic antibodies should be tested against the circulating G614 virus before clinical development.ImportanceUnderstanding the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic is essential for disease control and prevention. A spike protein mutation D614G emerged and became dominant soon after the pandemic started. By engineering the D614G mutation into an authentic wild-type SARS-CoV-2 strain, we demonstrate the importance of this mutation to (i) enhanced viral replication on human lung epithelial cells and primary human airway tissues, (ii) improved viral fitness in the upper airway of infected hamsters, and (iii) increased susceptibility to neutralization. Together with clinical findings, our work underscores the importance of this mutation in viral spread, vaccine efficacy, and antibody therapy.


2021 ◽  
pp. 105013
Author(s):  
Tsuyoshi Sekizuka ◽  
Kentaro Itokawa ◽  
Masanori Hashino ◽  
Kazuhiro Okubo ◽  
Asami Ohnishi ◽  
...  

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