SARS-CoV-2 mutations in Brazil: from genomics to putative clinical conditions

Luis Fernando Saraiva Macedo Timmers,Fernanda Majolo,Rodrigo Gay Ducati,Rafael Andrade Caceres,Débora Bublitz Anton,Odir Antônio Dellagostin,Leandro De Mattos Pereira,Guilherme Liberato Da Silva,Stefan Laufer,Márcia Inês Goettert,Léder Leal Xavier,João Antônio Pegas Henriques,Julia Vasconcellos Peixoto,José Fernando Ruggiero Bachega

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-91585-6

Abstract

Due to the high rate of transmissibility, Brazil became the new COVID-19 outbreak epicenter and, since then, is being monitored to understand how SARS-CoV-2 mutates and spreads. We combined genomic and structural analysis to evaluate genomes isolated from different regions of Brazil and show that the most prevalent mutations were located in the S, N, ORF3a and ORF6 genes, which are involved in different stages of viral life cycle and its interaction with the host cells. Structural analysis brought to light the positions of these mutations on protein structures, contributing towards studies of selective structure-based drug discovery and vaccine development.

Highlights

Due to the high rate of transmissibility, Brazil became the new COVID-19 outbreak epicenter and, since is being monitored to understand how SARS-CoV-2 mutates and spreads
This was not the only mutation identified, as new ones are continuously described; high rates of transmissibility were reported in countries such as the USA, Italy, South Africa, Spain and India, which could be associated with a higher number of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome
As more data is being gathered on viral behavior, we proceeded to annotate and carry out a structural characterization on the distribution of mutations present in genomes isolated from different regions of Brazil in order to understand if there are novel mutations when compared to other countries

Summary

Introduction

Due to the high rate of transmissibility, Brazil became the new COVID-19 outbreak epicenter and, since is being monitored to understand how SARS-CoV-2 mutates and spreads. In order to monitor the presence of new mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome, we applied genomic and structural analysis to evaluate lineages isolated from different regions of Brazil, and mapped where such mutations. This information could help understand the impact of these mutations on the stability of the viral proteins, the efficacy of vaccines and to monitor how different the viruses are (here) when compared to other regions

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Conclusion