Deep mutational scans of XBB.1.5 and BQ.1.1 reveal ongoing epistatic drift during SARS-CoV-2 evolution

• Published in: PLoS pathogens Vol. 19; no. 12; p. e1011901
• Main Authors: Taylor, Ashley L., Starr, Tyler N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 29.12.2023; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: ACE2; Amino acids; Analysis; Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2; Antibodies; Binding; Biology and Life Sciences; Codon; Comparative analysis; COVID-19; Deletion; Drift; Epistasis; Evolution; Gene deletion; Gene mutations; Genetic aspects; Health aspects; Medicine and health sciences; Mutation; Phenotype; Protein binding; Receptors; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; United States

Substitutions that fix between SARS-CoV-2 variants can transform the mutational landscape of future evolution via epistasis. For example, large epistatic shifts in mutational effects caused by N501Y underlied the original emergence of Omicron, but whether such epistatic saltations continue to define...