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Related Concept Videos

Viral Mutations00:36

Viral Mutations

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A mutation is a change in the sequence of bases of DNA or RNA in a genome. Some mutations occur during replication of the genome due to errors made by the polymerase enzymes that replicate DNA or RNA. Unlike DNA polymerase, RNA polymerase is prone to errors because it is not capable of “proofreading” its work. Viruses with RNA-based genomes, like HIV, therefore accrue mutations faster than viruses with DNA-based genomes. Because mutation and recombination provide the raw material...
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Viral Recombination00:57

Viral Recombination

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Cells are sometimes infected by more than one virus at once. When two viruses disassemble to expose their genomes for replication in the same cell, similar regions of their genomes can pair together and exchange sequences in a process called recombination. Alternatively, viruses with segmented genomes can swap segments in a process called reassortment.
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Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms-SNPs01:05

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms-SNPs

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A single nucleotide polymorphism or SNP is a single nucleotide variation at a specific genomic position in a large population. It is the most prevalent type of sequence variation found in the human genome. Point mutations that occur in more than 1% of the population qualify as SNPs. These are present once every 1000 nucleotides on an average in the human genome. Replacement of a purine with another purine (A/G) or a pyrimidine with another pyrimidine (C/T) is known as a transition. In contrast,...
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Mutations in Microorganisms01:18

Mutations in Microorganisms

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Mutations are heritable changes in an organism’s genome involving alterations in the base sequence of DNA or RNA. These changes can influence cellular processes and phenotypic traits, potentially transforming the unaltered wild type into a mutant form. Such changes, termed forward mutations, are pivotal in shaping the genetic diversity of organisms.RNA viruses exhibit the highest mutation rates due to the absence of robust proofreading mechanisms during genome replication. In contrast,...
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Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer01:03

Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer

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Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand  RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
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Mismatch Repair01:20

Mismatch Repair

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Organisms are capable of detecting and fixing nucleotide mismatches that occur during DNA replication. This sophisticated process requires identifying the new strand and replacing the erroneous bases with correct nucleotides. Mismatch repair is coordinated by many proteins in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
The Mutator Protein Family Plays a Key Role in DNA Mismatch Repair
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Updated: Dec 13, 2025

Production of Pseudotyped Particles to Study Highly Pathogenic Coronaviruses in a Biosafety Level 2 Setting
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Mutations Strengthened SARS-CoV-2 Infectivity.

Jiahui Chen1, Rui Wang1, Menglun Wang1

  • 1Department of Mathematics, Michigan State University, MI 48824, USA.

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|July 26, 2020
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The SARS-CoV-2 virus is becoming more infectious due to mutations. Future variants are likely to increase COVID-19 infectivity, posing ongoing public health challenges.

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COVID-19mutationprotein-protein interactionspike proteinviral infectivity

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Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Computational Biology
  • Machine Learning

Background:

  • Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infectivity is critical for COVID-19 prevention and economic recovery.
  • Determining SARS-CoV-2 infectivity is challenging due to rapid viral evolution and numerous genetic variants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantitatively assess changes in SARS-CoV-2 infectivity following mutations using a novel computational model.
  • To predict future infectivity trends and identify key mutation sites.

Main Methods:

  • Employed an algebraic topology-based machine learning model to calculate binding free energy changes between SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and the ACE2 receptor.
  • Analyzed over 10,000 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variants and evaluated 3686 potential future mutations on the S protein receptor-binding domain.

Main Results:

  • Revealed that SARS-CoV-2 has increased infectivity, with three subtypes showing slight increases and three showing significant strengthening.
  • Found SARS-CoV-2 to be slightly more infectious than SARS-CoV based on binding free energy.
  • Predicted that most future mutations will further enhance SARS-CoV-2 infectivity.

Conclusions:

  • The study demonstrates a trend of increasing SARS-CoV-2 infectivity driven by viral evolution.
  • Identified specific residues (452, 489, 500, 501, 505) on the S protein receptor-binding motif as critical for future highly infectious strain development.
  • Highlights the need for continued monitoring of viral mutations and their impact on infectivity.