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Updated: Aug 5, 2025

Isolation of Fidelity Variants of RNA Viruses and Characterization of Virus Mutation Frequency
Published on: June 16, 2011
Retrospect of the Two-Year Debate: What Fuels the Evolution of SARS-CoV-2: RNA Editing or Replication Error?
1College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China. wl@bnu.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Mutation is one of the mechanisms of the evolutionary divergence of an organism. Under this global COVID-19 pandemic, the fast evolution of SARS-CoV-2 became one of the most worrying issues. Some researchers believed that the hosts' RNA deamination systems (APOBECs and ADARs) are the major source of mutations and have driven the evolution of SARS-CoV-2. However, apart from RNA editing, the RDRP (RNA-dependent RNA polymerase)-mediated replication errors may also contribute to the mutation of SARS-CoV-2 (just like the single-nucleotide polymorphisms/variations in eukaryotes caused by DNA replication errors). Unfortunately, it is technically unable to distinguish RNA editing and replication errors (SNPs) in this RNA virus. Here comes a fundamental question: we indeed observed the fast evolution of SARS-CoV-2, but what exactly fuels its evolution: RNA editing or replication errors? This debate lasts for 2 years. In this piece, we will retrospect the 2-year debate on RNA editing versus SNPs.
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