J Infect. Evolutionary analysis of SARS-CoV-2: how mutation of Non-Structural Protein 6 (NSP6) could affect viral autophagy

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J Infect. 2020 Apr 10. pii: S0163-4453(20)30186-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2020.03.058. [Epub ahead of print]
Evolutionary analysis of SARS-CoV-2: how mutation of Non-Structural Protein 6 (NSP6) could affect viral autophagy.


Benvenuto D¹, Angeletti S², Giovanetti M³, Bianchi M⁴, Pascarella S⁴, Cauda R⁵, Ciccozzi M⁶, Cassone A⁷.

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Abstract

BACKGROUND:

SARS-CoV-2 is a new coronavirus that has spread globally, infecting more than 150000 people, and being declared pandemic by the WHO. We provide here bio-informatic, evolutionary analysis of 351 available sequences of its genome with the aim of mapping genome structural variations and the patterns of selection.
METHODS:

A Maximum likelihood tree has been built and selective pressure has been investigated in order to find any mutation developed during the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic that could potentially affect clinical evolution of the infection.
FINDING:

We have found in more recent isolates the presence of two mutations affecting the Non-Structural Protein 6 (NSP6) and the Open Reding Frame10 (ORF 10) adjacent regions. Amino acidic change stability analysis suggests both mutations could confer lower stability of the protein structures.
INTERPRETATION:

One of the two mutations, likely developed within the genome during virus spread, could affect virus intracellular survival. Genome follow-up of SARS-CoV-2 spread is urgently needed in order to identify mutations that could significantly modify virus pathogenicity.
Copyright ? 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.



KEYWORDS:

Autophagy; Bio-informatic; COVID-19; Coronavirus; Molecular evolution; SARS-CoV-2


PMID:32283146DOI:10.1016/j.jinf.2020.03.058