Potential COVID-19 vaccines not affected by dominant "G-strain"

[2greys]

COVID-19 vaccine candidates primarily target the trimeric ‘spike’ (S) glycoprotein, as this factor enables binding to the ‘angiotensin-converting enzyme 2’ (ACE2) host surface receptors and facilitates virus entry into the cells. Over the last few months, an Aspartate-to-Glycine amino acid change has arisen at position 614 of the S protein (resulting from a single A-to-G nucleotide change at position 23,403 in the Wuhan-Hu-1 reference genome), with G614 variants accounting for 75% of published genome sequences worldwide as of 1 July 2020. This mutation has resulted in a number of articles and preprints postulating that isolates containing this ‘D614G’ mutation have a structural advantage, including as a better substrate to the S1 furin cleavage domain, and are associated with an increase in: (a) transmissibility and viral loads; (b) transduction of human cells; (c) pathogenicity and case fatality. These have led to speculation that the efficacy of vaccines and countermeasures which target the S protein could be adversely affected, necessitating frequent vaccine matching.

nature.com/articles/s41541-...

[Ergendl]

It's a tricky little b! of a virus, this one. Continuing to pray for all the researchers and scientists working flat out trying to develop vaccines.