Impact of mutations near the SARS-CoV-2 furin-cleavage site on viral infectivity

Abstract

To facilitate virus entry into the cell, the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein is cleaved at the S1/S2 and S2’ sites. SARS-CoV-2 contains a sequence insertion (RRAR) at the S1/S2 cleavage site, which may be cleaved by furin. To elucidate how recent mutations near the S1/S2 site can impact the cleavage efficiency of furin, we calculate data-driven cleavage scores, based on sequence. We find that most mutations that increase the positive charge around the S1/S2 furin site lead to higher cleavage efficiency.