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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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Mutations01:39

Mutations

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Overview
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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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Point and Frameshift Mutations01:30

Point and Frameshift Mutations

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Point mutations are genetic alterations involving the change of a single nucleotide base pair in DNA. Depending on how the alteration affects protein synthesis, they can lead to various consequences.Point mutations fall into the following types:Silent mutations occur when a nucleotide change does not alter the amino acid sequence due to the redundancy of the genetic code. For instance, changing ACC to ACA still encodes threonine, leaving the protein function unaffected. This occurs because...
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Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift01:09

Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift

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In a population that is not at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the frequency of alleles changes over time. Therefore, any deviations from the five conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium can alter the genetic variation of a given population. Conditions that change the genetic variability of a population include mutations, natural selection, non-random mating, gene flow, and genetic drift (small population size).
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Production of Pseudotyped Particles to Study Highly Pathogenic Coronaviruses in a Biosafety Level 2 Setting
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Structural and functional impact by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spike mutations.

Jun Zhang1, Yongfei Cai1, Christy L Lavine2

  • 1Division of Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, 3 Blackfan Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, 3 Blackfan Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

Cell Reports
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The Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) shows increased antibody resistance due to mutations in its spike protein. These changes also reduce its ability to fuse with host cells.

Keywords:
CP: Molecular biologySARS-CoV-2cryo-EMspike proteinstructure

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Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Structural Biology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • The Omicron variant (SARS-CoV-2) rapidly became dominant globally.
  • Omicron possesses a high number of mutations compared to previous strains.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the structural, functional, and antigenic properties of the Omicron spike (S) protein.
  • To compare Omicron S protein characteristics with those of earlier SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of the full-length Omicron S protein in its native sequence.
  • Comparative assessment of structural, functional, and antigenic properties.

Main Results:

  • Omicron S requires higher ACE2 receptor levels for membrane fusion, potentially altering cellular tropism.
  • Mutations remodel antigenic sites (N-terminal domain) and the receptor-binding domain, explaining antibody evasion.
  • Omicron exhibits significant resistance to neutralizing antibodies.

Conclusions:

  • Omicron's extensive mutations grant exceptional immune evasion capabilities.
  • These mutations compromise the fusogenic capacity of the Omicron S protein.