Section of Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
JC Wilt Infectious Disease Research Centre, Public Health Agency of Canada, National Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
PLoS One. 2021 Mar 4;16(3):e0247799. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247799. eCollection 2021.
COVID-19 has greatly affected public health and world economy. In this study, we analyzed 129 full-length genomes of SARS-CoV-2 viruses of a Canadian population during early phase of the pandemic. Phylogenetic analysis revealed three major paths of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 viruses into Canada. Twenty-one substitutions that have frequencies greater than 3% of viral population were identified. Analysis of these substitutions indicated that P1427I (ORF1b), Y1464C (ORF1b), and Q57H (ORF3a) might affect functions of the corresponding SARS-CoV-2 encoded proteins. Additionally, we found the evidence of positive selection on the ORF3a and codon 614 of Spike protein, suggesting the viral components responsible for host entry and activation of inflammation response were targeted by host immune responses. The study showed genomic variation and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in a Canadian population. These information may help develop preventive strategies and be used for further study of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and therapeutics development.
COVID-19 极大地影响了公众健康和世界经济。在这项研究中，我们分析了大流行早期加拿大人群中 129 个全长 SARS-CoV-2 病毒基因组。系统进化分析揭示了 SARS-CoV-2 病毒传入加拿大的三个主要途径。鉴定出了 21 个频率大于病毒群体 3%的替换。对这些替换的分析表明，P1427I（ORF1b）、Y1464C（ORF1b）和 Q57H（ORF3a）可能影响相应 SARS-CoV-2 编码蛋白的功能。此外，我们发现 ORF3a 和 Spike 蛋白第 614 位密码子存在正选择的证据，表明宿主免疫反应针对的是负责宿主进入和炎症反应激活的病毒成分。该研究显示了加拿大人群中 SARS-CoV-2 的基因组变异和进化。这些信息可能有助于制定预防策略，并用于进一步研究 SARS-CoV-2 的发病机制和治疗方法的开发。
