Covid’X Men’—Over 7,000 mutations in India, how to understand them and where they came from

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Bangalore: As the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to spread and the number of cases in India increases again, new attention is being paid to various variants of the virus that are prevalent in the country.

These variants and mutations have been found in several states in the country, including Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Maharastra, Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, Orissa, West Bengal and Telangana.

Over 7,000 mutations Has been recorded In India.according to Ministry of Public Health, Some of these are more prevalent in the country, but have not contributed to the proliferation of cases.

The following is an introduction to these variants, their mutations, and known abilities.

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Understand virus word cloud

The word “stock” is often used interchangeably with “variant” or “lineage.” However, there are differences between them.

A Strain It is a genetically distinct subtype within the viral family. There is no widely accepted definition of what a strain is, but it usually refers to different types of viruses within the virus family.

For example, within the coronavirus family, the SARS-CoV-2 virus is a separate strain, similar to the SARS-CoV virus that occurred in 2003 and the MERS-CoV virus that occurred in 2012. Coronavirus strains cause mild common colds in humans such as 229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1.

A variantOn the other hand, is a subtype of strain, which is genetically different from the original version of the strain, but in reality it is not so different that it is classified as a strain by itself.

For example, the more contagious variant B.1.1.17, known as the UK variant, is technically a variant, not a lineage. A variant consists of one or more mutations that have caused a different cause than the original version of the virus. The B.1.1.17 variant is known to have multiple mutations such as N501Y and P681H.

Notable variants currently in circulation worldwide include B.1.1.17 UK variantP.1 variant from Manaus, Brazil, Brazilian P.2 variant (also known as B.1.1.248) and 501.V2 variant From South Africa..

the term ‘system‘When’Clade‘Is used interchangeably with’variant’.

Variants consist of various mutations that are specific changes in the genetics of the virus.

Coronavirus is a continuously growing ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus. As the virus propagates, the code for each RNA sequence contains minor errors and changes, and each of these changes mutation..

Mutations are noted in the form of nucleotide changes — when the mutated RNA code produces different amino acids than those produced by previous versions of the virus, and where the changes occur.

For example, the D614G mutation affects the SARS-CoV-2 virus peplomer by replacing the D (glycine) amino acid at position 614 with the G (glycine) amino acid.

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Notable mutations in India

D614G

Of all the mutations that occurred, D614G spread rapidly in countries where the disease was not well contained. It has spread to countries such as India (as part of the A2a variant that originated in Europe), France, and the United States, and has become the predominant mutation in these countries.

Now “Ancestral” mutation G614 — The D amino acid has been replaced by the G amino acid.that too Considered a dominant mutation Replaces pandemic L and S viruses Found Early in last year’s pandemic.

Since then, it has produced mutants with other mutations that are circulating today.

Mutations in vitro or in the laboratory showed higher viral load and the ability to cause more infectivity (the ability to cause infection), but did not show an increase in the severity of the disease.In some experiments it also Proven Higher transmissibility and replication in animals.

Especially the mutation do not worry About the effectiveness of the vaccine.

N501Y

This mutation causes a change from asparagine (N) to tyrosine (Y) at amino acid position 501. It has increased binding capacity due to the location of peplomer proteins that bind to our body’s ACE2 receptor (an enzyme in our cells), providing a gateway for viruses to catch and infect a wide range of human cells. Membrane to be. Therefore, it is more contagious and spreads faster.

Mutations have evolved independently in South African, Brazilian, and British variants. This is an immune evasion mutation, which means that it can evade detection by the body’s immune system.Therefore, it is Not effectively neutralized By antibody treatment.

This mutation is also present in India, as only a handful of sequences have been detected in India as well.

However, there is still no evidence to suggest that the vaccine is ineffective against this mutation.However, some reports show that some vaccines, such as those of Oxford-AstraZeneca, have. Decreased efficacy It is against a South African variant, and this mutation may be one of the reasons.

N440K

N440K mutation Found It has spread with new vitality in the southern states of India in late June and since then.it was Recently found In about 42% of the samples sequenced in Andhra Pradesh.

This mutation has not yet shown increased transmissibility or immune evasion and is not a concern for vaccine efficacy. Experts pointed out that its prevalence in Andhra Pradesh could simply be due to the lack of sequencing in other states across the country.

This mutation Was associated In one case of reinfection in India.But the Ministry of Health Clarification On Tuesday, it has nothing to do with the increase or surge in transmission rates of the Maharashtra case.

E484K

This mutation, in which glutamate (E) is replaced by lysine (K) at position 484, has also been found in India. This is an immune evasion mutation, which means it has the ability to evade detection by the body’s immune system.

It evolved independently with two Brazilian and South African varieties.afterwards Also evolved In a variant of England.Detected in 3 samples So far in Maharashtra.

For this mutation, or any other mutation at Site E484, Decreased sensitivity For neutralization with antibodies. This means that the virus is less likely to be neutralized by the body’s antibodies.

This mutation Probably the reason behind Reduced efficacy of AstraZeneca, Novabax, Johnson & Johnson vaccines against South African variants.

This mutation is also associated With reinfection.

E484Q

This mutation First detected It is now reappearing in India between March and July 2020.

In this mutation, glutamic acid (E) is replaced by glutamine (Q) at position 484. 11 other countries United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, South Africa, etc.

This mutation is located at the E484 site and, like E484K, is less sensitive to antibody neutralization. The E484 mutation has also appeared in South African and Brazilian variants.

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Other mutations

As the virus evolves continuously, mutations occur constantly and in the thousands.

India Identified So far, there are over 7,000 mutations, including N439K and Q493K. None of these appear to have yet shown increased infectivity (ability to spread), infectivity (ability to infect) or immune evasion.

However, many other mutations and mutations, and their true spread, may be underestimated due to lack of sequencing.

“India has not previously sequenced SARSCoV-2 isolates at full capacity and has deposited only about 6,400 genomes out of the more than 10.4 million recorded cases (0.06%).” Recent treatises From the Science and Industry Research Council, India’s top science research organization.

The authors of the study added that increasing monitoring and sequencing efforts after the region recorded a surge in cases would help identify viral mutations effectively. This also helps to understand the mutations of concern while their effects are being studied in more detail.

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