SARS‐CoV‐2 B.1.617 Indian variants: Are electrostatic potential changes responsible for a higher transmission rate?

Department of Biochemical Sciences “A. Rossi Fanelli”. Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Medical Statistic and Molecular Epidemiology Unit, University of Biomedical Campus. Rome, Italy.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Human Virology and Global Virus Network Center. University of Maryland School of Medicine. Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Department of Biochemical Sciences “A. Rossi Fanelli”. Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Human Virology and Global Virus Network Center. University of Maryland School of Medicine. Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Medical Statistic and Molecular Epidemiology Unit, University of Biomedical Campus. Rome, Italy.
Department of Clinical Medicine and Prevention. University of Milano‐Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
Istituto Clinica di Malattie Infettive, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. Rome, Italy.
Department of Microbiology and Virology. Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy.
Unit of Clinical Laboratory Science. University Campus Bio‐Medico of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Insituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Flavivírus. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
Center of of Genomics, Genetics and Biology. Siena, Italy.

Abstract

Lineage B.1.617+, also known as G/452R.V3 and now denoted by WHO with the Greek letters δ and κ, is a recently described SARS‐CoV‐2 variant under investigation first identified in October 2020 in India. As of May 2021, three sublineages labeled as B.1.617.1 (κ), B.1.617.2 (δ), and B.1.617.3 have been already identified, and their potential impact on the current pandemic is being studied. This variant has 13 amino acid changes, three in its spike protein, which are currently of particular concern: E484Q, L452R, and P681R. Here, we report a major effect of the mutations characterizing this lineage, represented by a marked alteration of the surface electrostatic potential (EP) of the receptor‐binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein. Enhanced RBD‐EP is particularly noticeable in the B.1.617.2 (δ) sublineage, which shows multiple replacements of neutral or negatively charged amino acids with positively charged amino acids. We here hypothesize that this EP change can favor the interaction between the B.1.617+ RBD and the negatively charged ACE2, thus conferring a potential increase in the virus transmission.

Keywords in Portuguese

SARS‐CoV‐2 B.1.617
Variantes indianas
Mudanças de potencial eletrostático
Responsável
Maior taxa de transmissão

Keywords

SARS‐CoV‐2 B.1.617
Indian variants
Electrostatic potential changes
Responsible
Higher transmission rate

Publisher

Wiley

Citation

PASCARELLA, Stefano et al. SARS‐CoV‐2 B.1.617 Indian variants: Are electrostatic potential changes responsible for a higher transmission rate?. Journal of Medical Virology, p. 1 - 6, 2021.

DOI

10.1002/jmv.27210

ISSN

0146-6615

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://www.arca.fiocruz.br/handle/icict/51445

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Open access

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