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Sci Rep. 2019 Oct 11;9(1):14690. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-51097-w. Evolutionary, genetic, structural characterization and its functional implications for the influenza A (H1N1) infection outbreak in India from 2009 to 2017.
Jones S1, Nelson-Sathi S2, Wang Y3, Prasad R1, Rayen S2, Nandel V2, Hu Y3, Zhang W4, Nair R5, Dharmaseelan S6, Chirundodh DV1, Kumar R7, Pillai RM8.
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1 Pathogen Biology Program, Rajiv Gandhi Center for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695014, India. 2 Interdiciplinary Biology Program, Rajiv Gandhi Center for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695014, India. 3 Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen, 518060, China. 4 Shenzhen Gen Read Technology, Shenzhen, 518000, China. 5 Laboratory Medicine and Molecular Diagnostics Program, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695014, India. 6 Cancer Research Program, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695014, India. 7 Cancer Research Program, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695014, India. rakeshkumar@rgcb.res.in. 8 Pathogen Biology Program, Rajiv Gandhi Center for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695014, India. mrpillai@rgcb.res.in.
Abstract
Influenza A (H1N1) continues to be a major public health threat due to possible emergence of a more virulent H1N1 strain resulting from dynamic changes in virus adaptability consequent to functional mutations and antigenic drift in the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) surface proteins. In this study, we describe the genetic and evolutionary characteristics of H1N1 strains that circulated in India over a period of nine years from 2009 to 2017 in relation to global strains. The finding is important from a global perspective since previous phylogenetic studies have suggested that the tropics contributed substantially to the global circulation of influenza viruses. Bayesian phylogenic analysis of HA sequences along with global strains indicated that there is a temporal pattern of H1N1 evolution and clustering of Indian isolates with globally circulating strains. Interestingly, we observed four new amino acid substitutions (S179N, I233T, S181T and I312V) in the HA sequence of H1N1 strains isolated during 2017 and two (S181T and I312V) were found to be unique in Indian isolates. Structurally these two unique mutations could lead to altered glycan specificity of the HA gene. Similarly, sequence and structural analysis of NA domain revealed that the presence of K432E mutation in H1N1 strains isolated after 2015 from India and in global strains found to induce a major loop shift in the vicinity of the catalytic site. The findings presented here offer an insight as to how these acquired mutations could be associated to an improved adaptability of the virus for efficient human transmissibility.
PMID: 31604969 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51097-w
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