Recurrent emergence and transmission of a SARS-CoV-2 Spike deletion H69/V70
S. Kemp, B. Meng, I. Ferreira, R. Datir, W. Harvey, D. Collier, COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) consortium, G. Papa, A. Carabelii, S. Lytras, J. Kenyon, A. Lever, L. James, D. L. Robertson, R. K. Gupta
This paper identifies a recurrent SARS-CoV-2 Spike deletion (H69/V70) that increases infectivity and compensates for RBD mutations, suggesting it may facilitate immune escape and variant emergence.
bioRxiv · Dec 14, 2020Microbiology