SARS-CoV-2 Bearing a Mutation at the S1/S2 Cleavage Site Exhibits Attenuated Virulence and Confers Protective Immunity

• Published in: mBio Vol. 12; no. 4; p. e0141521
• Main Authors: Sasaki, Michihito, Toba, Shinsuke, Itakura, Yukari, Chambaro, Herman M., Kishimoto, Mai, Tabata, Koshiro, Intaruck, Kittiya, Uemura, Kentaro, Sanaki, Takao, Sato, Akihiko, Hall, William W., Orba, Yasuko, Sawa, Hirofumi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society for Microbiology 31.08.2021
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, Neutralizing - immunology; Antibodies, Viral - immunology; attenuation; Cell Line; Chlorocebus aethiops; COVID-19 - pathology; Cross Reactions - immunology; Furin - metabolism; furin cleavage site; Humans; Microbial Pathogenesis; neutralizing antibodies; Research Article; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2 - genetics; SARS-CoV-2 - immunology; SARS-CoV-2 - pathogenicity; spike; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus - genetics; Vaccines, Attenuated - immunology; Vero Cells; Virulence - genetics; neutralizing antibodies; SARS-CoV-2; attenuation; furin cleavage site; spike

SARS-CoV-2 uses its spike protein to enter target cells. The spike protein is cleaved by a host protease, and this event facilitates viral entry and broadens cell tropism. Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) possesses a discriminative polybasic cleavage motif in its spike pr...