2023-06-30 07:00:00
In addition, the team discovered a sequence in the spike gene that is a precursor to the furin cleavage site found in SARS-CoV-2 and significantly increases its infectivity. This sequence was found in all European sarbecoviruses, but not in the viruses originating in Asia, the team reports. This supports the thesis that the furin cleavage site is of natural origin; it had arisen at least six times independently of each other in the case of betacoronaviruses. The sequence discovered in the sarbecoviruses from Great Britain differs from the furin cleavage site in SARS-CoV-2 in only one nucleotide. The authors around Tan conclude that the corona viruses would have to change further in order to be able to infect people effectively. Their results showed that the zoonotic risk of sarbecoviruses extends beyond Asia, emphasizing the importance of global surveillance of the virus family.
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