Dissecting Naturally Arising Amino Acid Substitutions at Position L452 of SARS-CoV-2 Spike
Toong Seng Tan, Mako Toyoda, Hirotaka Ode, Godfrey Barabona, Hiroshi Hamana, Mizuki Kitamatsu, Hiroyuki Kishi, Chihiro Motozono, Yasumasa Iwatani, Takamasa Ueno
Abstract
In a span of less than 3 years since the declaration of the coronavirus pandemic, numerous SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern have emerged all around the globe, fueling a surge in the number of cases and deaths that caused severe strain on the health care system. A major concern is whether viral evolution eventually promotes greater fitness advantages, transmissibility, and immune escape. In this study, we addressed the differential effect of amino acid substitutions at a frequent mutation site, L452 of SARS-CoV-2 spike, on viral antigenic and immunological profiles and demonstrated how the virus evolves to select one amino acid over the others to ensure better viral infectivity and immune evasion. Identifying such virus mutation signatures could be crucial for the preparedness of future interventions to control COVID-19.