Natural Polymorphisms Are Present in the Furin Cleavage Site of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein
Yue Xing, Xiao Li, Xiang Gao, Qunfeng Dong
Abstract
The furin cleavage site in the spike glycoprotein of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is considered important for the virus to enter the host cells. By analyzing 45828 SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences, we identified 103 strains of SARS-CoV-2 with various DNA mutations including 18 unique non-synonymous point mutations, one deletion, and six gains of premature stop codon that may affect the furin cleavage site. Our results revealed that the furin cleavage site might not be required for SARS-CoV-2 to enter human cells <italic>in vivo</italic>. The identified mutants may represent a new subgroup of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus with reduced tropism and transmissibility as potential live-attenuated vaccine candidates.
Topics & Concepts
FurinSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)GlycoproteinCleavage (geology)Spike (software development)VirologyBiologyCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)2019-20 coronavirus outbreakGeneticsComputational biologyMedicineComputer scienceOutbreakEnzymeBiochemistryInfectious disease (medical specialty)Software engineeringPaleontologyFracture (geology)PathologyDiseaseSARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 ResearchViral gastroenteritis research and epidemiologyAnimal Virus Infections Studies