Generation of a Novel SARS-CoV-2 Sub-genomic RNA Due to the R203K/G204R Variant in Nucleocapsid: Homologous Recombination has Potential to Change SARS-CoV-2 at Both Protein and RNA Level.
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Authors
Leary, Shay
Gaudieri, Silvana
Parker, Matthew D
Chopra, Abha
James, Ian
Pakala, Suman
Alves, Eric
John, Mina
Lindsey, Benjamin B
Keeley, Alexander J
Rowland-Jones, Sarah L
Swanson, Maurice S
Ostrov, David A
Bubenik, Jodi L
Das, Suman R
Sidney, John
Sette, Alessandro
COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) consortium
de Silva, Thushan I
Phillips, Elizabeth
Mallal, Simon
Publication Date
2021Journal Title
Pathog Immun
ISSN
2469-2964
Publisher
Case Western Reserve University
Volume
6
Issue
2
Pages
27-49
Type
Article
This Version
AM
Physical Medium
Electronic-eCollection
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Leary, S., Gaudieri, S., Parker, M. D., Chopra, A., James, I., Pakala, S., Alves, E., et al. (2021). Generation of a Novel SARS-CoV-2 Sub-genomic RNA Due to the R203K/G204R Variant in Nucleocapsid: Homologous Recombination has Potential to Change SARS-CoV-2 at Both Protein and RNA Level.. Pathog Immun, 6 (2), 27-49. https://doi.org/10.20411/pai.v6i2.460
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Genetic variations across the SARS-CoV-2 genome may influence transmissibility of the virus and the host's anti-viral immune response, in turn affecting the frequency of variants over time. In this study, we examined the adjacent amino acid polymorphisms in the nucleocapsid (R203K/G204R) of SARS-CoV-2 that arose on the background of the spike D614G change and describe how strains harboring these changes became dominant circulating strains globally. METHODS: Deep-sequencing data of SARS-CoV-2 from public databases and from clinical samples were analyzed to identify and map genetic variants and sub-genomic RNA transcripts across the genome. Results: Sequence analysis suggests that the 3 adjacent nucleotide changes that result in the K203/R204 variant have arisen by homologous recombination from the core sequence of the leader transcription-regulating sequence (TRS) rather than by stepwise mutation. The resulting sequence changes generate a novel sub-genomic RNA transcript for the C-terminal dimerization domain of nucleocapsid. Deep-sequencing data from 981 clinical samples confirmed the presence of the novel TRS-CS-dimerization domain RNA in individuals with the K203/R204 variant. Quantification of sub-genomic RNA indicates that viruses with the K203/R204 variant may also have increased expression of sub-genomic RNA from other open reading frames. CONCLUSIONS: The finding that homologous recombination from the TRS may have occurred since the introduction of SARS-CoV-2 in humans, resulting in both coding changes and novel sub-genomic RNA transcripts, suggests this as a mechanism for diversification and adaptation within its new host.
Keywords
COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, homologous recombination, sub-genomic RNA transcript, transcription-regulating sequence, viral polymorphism
Sponsorship
SG, SL and EA were supported by a grant awarded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC; APP1148284). SM was supported by a National Institutes of Health (NI-H)-funded Tennessee Center for AIDS Research (P30 AI110527). MDP was funded by the NIHR Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre (BRC - IS-BRC-1215-20017). Sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 samples was undertaken by the Sheffield COVID-19 Genomics Group as part of the COG-UK CONSORTIUM. COG-UK and supported by funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC) part of UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) and Genome Research Limited, operating as the Wellcome Sanger Institute. TIdS is supported by a Wellcome Trust Intermediate Clinical Fellowship (110058/Z/15/Z).
Funder references
MRC (MC_PC_19027)
Medical Research Council (MC_PC_19027)
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.20411/pai.v6i2.460
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/332750
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