A SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate would likely match all currently circulating variants
Abstract
The rapid spread of the virus causing COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, raises questions about the possibility of a universally effective vaccine. The virus can mutate in a given individual, and these variants can be propagated across populations and time. To understand this process, we analyze 18,514 SARS-CoV-2 sequences sampled since December 2019. We find that neutral evolution, rather than adaptive selection, can explain the rare mutations seen across SARS-CoV-2 genomes. In the immunogenic Spike protein, the D614G mutation has become consensus, yet there is no evidence of mutations affecting binding to the ACE2 receptor. Our results suggest that, to date, the limited diversity seen in SARS-CoV-2 should not preclude a single vaccine from providing global protection.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Aug 31, 2020
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.2008281117
Entities
People
- Bethany L Dearlove
- Daniel Reeves
- Eric Lewitus
- Hongjun Bai
- Kayvon Modjarrad
- M Gordon Joyce
- Mihret F Amare
- Morgane Rolland
- Nelson Michael
- Paul T. Scott
- Sandhya Vasan
- Yifan Li
Organizations
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research