Recombination and lineage-specific mutations linked to the emergence of SARS-CoV-2.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 underscores the need to better understand the evolutionary processes that drive the emergence and adaptation of zoonotic viruses in humans. In the betacoronavirus genus, which also includes SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, recombination frequently encompasses the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the Spike protein, which is responsible for viral binding to host cell receptors. In this work, we reconstruct the evolutionary events that have accompanied the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, with a special emphasis on the RBD and its adaptation for binding to its receptor, human ACE2.

Methods

By means of phylogenetic and recombination analyses, we found evidence of a recombination event in the RBD involving ancestral linages to both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. We

SUBMITTER: Patino-Galindo JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8343217 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature