This article is a Preprint
Preprints are preliminary research reports that have not been certified by peer review. They should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Preprints posted online allow authors to receive rapid feedback and the entire scientific community can appraise the work for themselves and respond appropriately. Those comments are posted alongside the preprints for anyone to read them and serve as a post publication assessment.
SARS-CoV-2 spike P681R mutation enhances and accelerates viral fusion (preprint)
biorxiv; 2021.
Preprint
in English
| bioRxiv | ID: ppzbmed-10.1101.2021.06.17.448820
ABSTRACT
During the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a variety of mutations have been accumulated in the viral genome, and at least five variants of concerns (VOCs) have been considered as the hazardous SARS-CoV-2 variants to the human society. The newly emerging VOC, the B.1.617.2 lineage (delta variant), closely associates with a huge COVID-19 surge in India in Spring 2021. However, its virological property remains unclear. Here, we show that the B.1.617 variants are highly fusogenic and form prominent syncytia. Bioinformatic analyses reveal that the P681R mutation in the spike protein is highly conserved in this lineage. Although the P681R mutation decreases viral infectivity, this mutation confers the neutralizing antibody resistance. Notably, we demonstrate that the P681R mutation facilitates the furin-mediated spike cleavage and enhances and accelerates cell-cell fusion. Our data suggest that the P681R mutation is a hallmark characterizing the virological phenotype of this newest VOC, which may associate with viral pathogenicity. HighlightsO_LIP681R mutation is highly conserved in the B.1.617 lineages C_LIO_LIP681R mutation accelerates and enhances SARS-CoV-2 S-mediated fusion C_LIO_LIPromotion of viral fusion by P681R mutation is augmented by TMPRSS2 C_LI
Full text:
Available
Collection:
Preprints
Database:
bioRxiv
Main subject:
COVID-19
Language:
English
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Preprint
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS