Mutations in SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern link to increased spike cleavage and virus transmission

• Published in: Cell host & microbe Vol. 30; no. 3; pp. 373 - 387.e7
• Main Authors: Escalera, Alba, Gonzalez-Reiche, Ana S., Aslam, Sadaf, Mena, Ignacio, Laporte, Manon, Pearl, Rebecca L., Fossati, Andrea, Rathnasinghe, Raveen, Alshammary, Hala, van de Guchte, Adriana, Farrugia, Keith, Qin, Yiren, Bouhaddou, Mehdi, Kehrer, Thomas, Zuliani-Alvarez, Lorena, Meekins, David A., Balaraman, Velmurugan, McDowell, Chester, Richt, Jürgen A., Bajic, Goran, Sordillo, Emilia Mia, Dejosez, Marion, Zwaka, Thomas P., Krogan, Nevan J., Simon, Viviana, Albrecht, Randy A., van Bakel, Harm, García-Sastre, Adolfo, Aydillo, Teresa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 09.03.2022
• Subjects: COVID-19; fusion; gamma; H655Y mutation; Humans; Mutation; omicron; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2 - genetics; spike cleavage; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus - genetics; syncytia formation; variants of concern; fusion; SARS-CoV-2; omicron; spike cleavage; variants of concern; syncytia formation; H655Y mutation; gamma

SARS-CoV-2 lineages have diverged into highly prevalent variants termed “variants of concern” (VOCs). Here, we characterized emerging SARS-CoV-2 spike polymorphisms in vitro and in vivo to understand their impact on transmissibility and virus pathogenicity and fitness. We demonstrate that the substi...