Mutation investigation frequency in SARS-CoV-2 positive patients

Subject Areas : microbiology

Mojdeh Lashkari ¹ , Ashraf Kariminik ² , Mohammad Javad Soltani-Banavandi ³

1 - Department of Microbiology, Kerman Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Ir
2 -
3 - Department of Microbiology, Kerman Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran.

Received: 2024-12-11 Accepted : 2024-12-27 Published : 2025-02-11

Keywords: COVID-19, spike gene, mutation,

Abstract :

The outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019, caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), has evolved into a global health crisis. The spike gene (S) is responsible for producing the spike protein, which helps the virus attach to and enter human cells. Mutations in this gene can have significant effects on the virus's transmissibility, disease severity, and the effectiveness of vaccines. The aim of the present study was to investigate the frequency of mutations in hospitalized patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. This study is descriptive cross-sectional research conducted on 70 COVID-19 patients admitted to Afzalipour Hospital in Kerman city. RNA was extracted from the respiratory samples of the subjects, and then cDNA was synthesized using a kit. The identification of the virus was performed using Cyber Green real-time PCR. Additionally, positive COVID samples were sequenced using the Sanger method, and the frequency of mutations in them was examined. All positive samples analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 included a substitution at position 24525 of the S gene, where nucleotide C was replaced by T, resulting in the substitution of the amino acid histidine with tyrosine. Protein sequence analysis using online software showed that these mutations caused changes in the amino acid level but were unable to alter the three-dimensional structure of the spike protein in SARS-CoV-2. Although mutations that do not affect the three-dimensional structure of proteins do not elicit a response from immune system-related receptors, examining these mutations could aid in the development of new drugs to inhibit the virus and reduce the complications of COVID-19.

 

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