Open AccessRampant C→U Hypermutation in the Genomes of SARS-CoV-2 and Other Coronaviruses: Causes and Consequences for Their Short- and Long-Term Evolutionary Trajectories
Author(s) -
Peter Simmonds
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
msphere
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.749
H-Index - 39
ISSN - 2379-5042
DOI - 10.1128/msphere.00408-20
Subject(s) - biology , somatic hypermutation , coronavirus , genetics , mutation , apobec , mutation rate , reversion , evolutionary biology , virology , genome , covid-19 , gene , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , medicine , b cell , pathology , antibody , phenotype
The wealth of accurately curated sequence data for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), its long genome, and its low substitution rate provides a relatively blank canvas with which to investigate effects of mutational and editing processes imposed by the host cell. The finding that a large proportion of sequence change in SARS-CoV-2 in the initial months of the pandemic comprised C→U mutations in a host APOBEC-like context provides evidence for a potent host-driven antiviral editing mechanism against coronaviruses more often associated with antiretroviral defense. In evolutionary terms, the contribution of biased, convergent, and context-dependent mutations to sequence change in SARS-CoV-2 is substantial, and these processes are not incorporated by standard models used in molecular epidemiology investigations.