Mutations and Evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein

• Published in: Viruses Vol. 14; no. 3; p. 640
• Main Authors: Magazine, Nicholas, Zhang, Tianyi, Wu, Yingying, McGee, Michael C., Veggiani, Gianluca, Huang, Weishan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 19.03.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Antibodies; COVID-19; COVID-19 infection; Endoplasmic reticulum; Evolution; Gene mutations; Humans; Infections; infectivity; Membrane Glycoproteins; Mutation; neutralization tests; Protein research; Protein structure; Proteins; Reproductive fitness; Review; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2 - genetics; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; spike; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus - genetics; Spike protein; Strains (organisms); Target recognition; Viral Envelope Proteins - genetics; Viruses; World Health Organization; United States; COVID-19; mutation; SARS-CoV-2; immune escape; evolution; infectivity; spike

The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein mediates target recognition, cellular entry, and ultimately the viral infection that leads to various levels of COVID-19 severities. Positive evolutionary selection of mutations within the spike protein has led to the genesis of new SARS-CoV-2 variants with greatly enhan...