Proteolytic control of the SARS-CoV-2 furin cleavage site defines the phenotypic evolution from the pandemic to endemic state
Anupriya Aggarwal, Samantha Ognenovska, Timothy Ison, Christina Fichter, Vanessa Milogiannakis, Madeeha Afzal, Alberto Ospina-Stella, Daniel Asarnow, Angelica L. Morgan, Shafagh A. Waters, Till Böcking, Boaz Ng, Camille Esneau, Nathan Bartlett, Atharva Naik, , Stuart Grant Turville
The paper shows how SARS-CoV-2 variants, particularly Omicron, evolved proteolytic controls at the Spike furin cleavage site to enhance transmission while reducing lower respiratory tract pathogenicity.
bioRxiv · Sep 24, 2026 · PreprintMicrobiology