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GGG>AAC changes in the SARS-CoV-2 have resulted in two types of strains with different infectivity as shown in the research of Dr. Mustak Ibn Ayub. These two strains can be further subdivided which helps to understand both infectivity and lethality of SARS-CoV-2 in different regions Courtesy

The observation sheds light on the association between Sars-CoV-2 mutations and its infectivity for the first time

Sars-CoV-2, the new strain of coronavirus behind the global Covid-19 pandemic, has changed in different countries by accumulating only a handful of key changes in its genome. Among them, a unique change has made the virus less infective, according to a research.

Dr Mustak Ibn Ayub, assistant professor at the department of genetic engineering and biotechnology at Dhaka University, discovered the unique change during his research of the virus' genetic mutations, according to a press statement.

A genome is the complete genetic information of any living entity that works as the blue print to determine its characteristics.

Dr Mustak, who obtained his PhD from Oxford University in the UK, characterized two strains of the virus after analyzing 3,000 complete genome sequences of Sars-CoV-2.

Designated as Sars-CoV-2a and Sars-CoV-2g, the strains have a unique difference in the 28,881-28,883 position of their genomes.

In Sars-CoV2g, those three positions are occupied by GGG, but in Sars-CoV2a, the GGG positions have mutated into AAC, the research findings show.

This is a unique event where three nucleotide (the building blocks of the virus genome) have changed as a bloc among 30,000 such positions in the virus genome.

Dr Mustak Ibn Ayub | CourtesyThe research also showed that this unique mutation negatively affects the nucleocapsid (N) protein, a crucial component for virus multiplication and infection of new cells.

The journal paper written based on the research is waiting peer review but has been published as a preprint here.

A remarkable finding in Dr Mustaks research is that the Sars-CoV-2a strain is prevalent in areas or countries with relatively low Covid-19 cases, such as Portugal, Netherlands, and Belgium, whereas in highly affected countries such as the US, Spain, France, and Germany, Sars-CoV-2g is predominant.

This trend is also true in different regions within a country, as shown in the research; Abruzzo in Italy has very low Covid-19 cases and high presence of Sars-CoV-2a.

This crucial observation sheds light on the association between Sars-CoV-2 mutations and its infectivity for the first time.

However, Dr Mustak cautioned that more studies need to be designed and executed on this aspect of Sars-CoV-2 mutation across the world.

He expects that from such research, monitoring the dynamics of these two strains will give valuable information to understand and manage the course of Covid-19 pandemic around the globe.

Read more here:
Coronavirus might be changing into less infective form, DU teacher's research finds - Dhaka Tribune

This entry was posted on April 26, 2020 at 8:54 am and is filed under Genetic Engineering. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |