Recombination-aware phylogenetic analysis sheds light on the evolutionary origin of SARS-CoV-2.

ABSTRACT: SARS-CoV-2 can infect human cells through the recognition of the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor. This affinity is given by six amino acid residues located in the variable loop of the receptor binding domain (RBD) within the Spike protein. Genetic recombination involving bat and pangolin Sarbecoviruses, and natural selection have been proposed as possible explanations for the acquisition of the variable loop and these amino acid residues. In this study we employed Bayesian phylogenetics to jointly reconstruct the phylogeny of the RBD among human, bat and pangolin Sarbecoviruses and detect recombination events affecting this region of the genome. A recombination event involving RaTG13, the closest relative of SARS-CoV-2 that lacks five of the six residues, and an unsampled Sa

SUBMITTER: Esquivel Gomez LR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10766966 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature