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Gröhs Ferrareze PA, Zimerman RA, Franceschi VB, Caldana GD, Netz PA, Thompson CE. Molecular evolution and structural analyses of the spike glycoprotein from Brazilian SARS-CoV-2 genomes: the impact of selected mutations. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2022; 41:3110-3128. [PMID: 35594172 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2076154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has reached by February 2022 more than 380 million cases and 5.5 million deaths worldwide since its beginning in late 2019, leading to enhanced concern in the scientific community and the general population. One of the most important pieces of this host-pathogen interaction is the spike protein, which binds to the hACE2 cell receptor, mediates the membrane fusion and is the major target of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. The multiple amino acid substitutions observed in this region, specially in RBD have enhanced the hACE2 binding affinity and led to several modifications in the mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis, improving the viral fitness and/or promoting immune evasion, with potential impact in the vaccine development. In this work, we identified 48 sites under selective pressures, 17 of them with the strongest evidence by the HyPhy tests, including VOC related mutation sites 138, 142, 222, 262, 484, 681, and 845, among others. The coevolutionary analysis identified 28 sites found not to be conditionally independent, such as E484K-N501Y. The molecular dynamics and free energy estimates showed the structural stabilizing effect and the higher impact of E484K for enhanced binding affinity between the spike RBD and hACE2 in P.1 and P.2 lineages (specially with L452V). Structural changes were also identified in the hACE molecule when interacting with B.1.1.7 RDB. Despite some destabilizing substitutions, a stabilizing effect was identified for the majority of the positively selected mutations.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia Aline Gröhs Ferrareze
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | | | - Vinícius Bonetti Franceschi
- Center of Biotechnology, Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology (PPGBCM), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Gabriel Dickin Caldana
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Paulo Augusto Netz
- Graduate Program in Chemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Claudia Elizabeth Thompson
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Center of Biotechnology, Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology (PPGBCM), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Department of Pharmacosciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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Franceschi VB, Caldana GD, Perin C, Horn A, Peter C, Cybis GB, Ferrareze PAG, Rotta LN, Cadegiani FA, Zimerman RA, Thompson CE. Predominance of the SARS-CoV-2 Lineage P.1 and Its Sublineage P.1.2 in Patients from the Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil in March 2021. Pathogens 2021; 10:988. [PMID: 34451453 PMCID: PMC8402156 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10080988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Almost a year after the COVID-19 pandemic had begun, new lineages (B.1.1.7, B.1.351, P.1, and B.1.617.2) associated with enhanced transmissibility, immunity evasion, and mortality were identified in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil. The previous most prevalent lineages in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS, Southern Brazil), B.1.1.28 and B.1.1.33, were rapidly replaced by P.1 and P.2, two B.1.1.28-derived lineages harboring the E484K mutation. To perform a genomic characterization from the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, we sequenced viral samples to: (i) identify the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 lineages in the region, the state, and bordering countries/regions; (ii) characterize the mutation spectra; (iii) hypothesize viral dispersal routes by using phylogenetic and phylogeographic approaches. We found that 96.4% of the samples belonged to the P.1 lineage and approximately 20% of them were assigned as the novel P.1.2, a P.1-derived sublineage harboring signature substitutions recently described in other Brazilian states and foreign countries. Moreover, sequences from this study were allocated in distinct branches of the P.1 phylogeny, suggesting multiple introductions in RS and placing this state as a potential diffusion core of P.1-derived clades and the emergence of P.1.2. It is uncertain whether the emergence of P.1.2 and other P.1 clades is related to clinical or epidemiological consequences. However, the clear signs of molecular diversity from the recently introduced P.1 warrant further genomic surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinícius Bonetti Franceschi
- Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology (PPGBCM), Center of Biotechnology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre 91501-970, RS, Brazil;
| | - Gabriel Dickin Caldana
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre 90050-170, RS, Brazil; (G.D.C.); (P.A.G.F.); (L.N.R.)
| | - Christiano Perin
- Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Hospital da Brigada Militar, Porto Alegre 91900-590, RS, Brazil; (C.P.); (A.H.)
| | - Alexandre Horn
- Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Hospital da Brigada Militar, Porto Alegre 91900-590, RS, Brazil; (C.P.); (A.H.)
| | - Camila Peter
- Laboratório Exame, Novo Hamburgo 93510-250, RS, Brazil;
| | - Gabriela Bettella Cybis
- Department of Statistics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 91501-970, RS, Brazil;
| | - Patrícia Aline Gröhs Ferrareze
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre 90050-170, RS, Brazil; (G.D.C.); (P.A.G.F.); (L.N.R.)
| | - Liane Nanci Rotta
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre 90050-170, RS, Brazil; (G.D.C.); (P.A.G.F.); (L.N.R.)
| | | | - Ricardo Ariel Zimerman
- Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Hospital da Brigada Militar, Porto Alegre 91900-590, RS, Brazil; (C.P.); (A.H.)
| | - Claudia Elizabeth Thompson
- Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology (PPGBCM), Center of Biotechnology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre 91501-970, RS, Brazil;
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre 90050-170, RS, Brazil; (G.D.C.); (P.A.G.F.); (L.N.R.)
- Department of Pharmacosciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre 90050-170, RS, Brazil
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Franceschi VB, Ferrareze PAG, Zimerman RA, Cybis GB, Thompson CE. Mutation hotspots and spatiotemporal distribution of SARS-CoV-2 lineages in Brazil, February 2020-2021. Virus Res 2021; 304:198532. [PMID: 34363852 PMCID: PMC8654641 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2021.198532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has already reached more than 110 million people and is associated with 2.5 million deaths worldwide. Brazil is the third worst-hit country, with approximately 10.2 million cases and 250 thousand deaths. International efforts have been established to share information about Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) epidemiology and evolution to support the development of effective strategies for public health and disease management. We aimed to analyze the high-quality genome sequences from Brazil from February 2020-2021 to identify mutation hotspots, geographical and temporal distribution of SARS-CoV-2 lineages by using phylogenetics and phylodynamics analyses. We describe heterogeneous sequencing efforts, the progression of the different lineages along time, evaluating mutational spectra and frequency oscillations derived from the prevalence of specific lineages across different Brazilian regions. We found at least seven major (1–7) and two minor clades related to the six most prevalent lineages in the country and described its spatial distribution and dynamics. The emergence and recent frequency shift of lineages (P.1 and P.2) carrying mutations of concern in the spike protein (e. g., E484K, N501Y) draws attention due to their association with immune evasion and enhanced receptor binding affinity. Improvements in genomic surveillance are of paramount importance and should be extended in Brazil to better inform policy makers about better decisions to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinícius Bonetti Franceschi
- Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology (PPGBCM), Center of Biotechnology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Patrícia Aline Gröhs Ferrareze
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Ariel Zimerman
- Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Hospital da Brigada Militar, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Bettella Cybis
- Department of Statistics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Claudia Elizabeth Thompson
- Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology (PPGBCM), Center of Biotechnology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Department of Pharmacosciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), 245/200C Sarmento Leite St, Porto Alegre, RS 90050-170, Brazil.
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Franceschi VB, Santos AS, Glaeser AB, Paiz JC, Caldana GD, Machado Lessa CL, de Menezes Mayer A, Küchle JG, Gazzola Zen PR, Vigo A, Winck AT, Rotta LN, Thompson CE. Population-based prevalence surveys during the Covid-19 pandemic: A systematic review. Rev Med Virol 2021; 31:e2200. [PMID: 34260777 PMCID: PMC7883186 DOI: 10.1002/rmv.2200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Population-based prevalence surveys of Covid-19 contribute to establish the burden of infection, the role of asymptomatic and mild infections in transmission, and allow more precise decisions about reopen policies. We performed a systematic review to evaluate qualitative aspects of these studies, assessing their reliability and compiling practices that can influence the methodological quality. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, bioRxiv and medRxiv, and included cross-sectional studies using molecular and/or serological tests to estimate the prevalence of Covid-19 in the general population. Survey quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Prevalence Studies. A correspondence analysis correlated methodological parameters of each study to identify patterns related to higher, intermediate and lower risks of bias. The available data described 37 surveys from 19 countries. The majority were from Europe and America, used antibody testing, and reached highly heterogeneous sample sizes and prevalence estimates. Minority communities were disproportionately affected by Covid-19. Important risk of bias was detected in four domains: sample size, data analysis with sufficient coverage, measurements in standard way and response rate. The correspondence analysis showed few consistent patterns for high risk of bias. Intermediate risk of bias was related to American and European studies, municipal and regional initiatives, blood samples and prevalence >1%. Low risk of bias was related to Asian studies, nationwide initiatives, reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction tests and prevalence <1%. We identified methodological standards applied worldwide in Covid-19 prevalence surveys, which may assist researchers with the planning, execution and reporting of future population-based surveys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinícius Bonetti Franceschi
- Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology (PPGBCM)Center of BiotechnologyUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)Porto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
| | - Andressa Schneiders Santos
- Undergraduate Program in BiomedicineUniversidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA)Porto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
| | - Andressa Barreto Glaeser
- Graduate Program in PathologyUniversidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA)Porto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
| | - Janini Cristina Paiz
- Graduate Program in EpidemiologyUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)Porto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
| | - Gabriel Dickin Caldana
- Graduate Program in Health SciencesUniversidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA)Porto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
| | - Carem Luana Machado Lessa
- Graduate Program in PathologyUniversidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA)Porto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
| | - Amanda de Menezes Mayer
- Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology (PPGBCM)Center of BiotechnologyUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)Porto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
| | - Julia Gonçalves Küchle
- Undergraduate Program in Biomedical InformaticsUniversidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA)Porto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
| | - Paulo Ricardo Gazzola Zen
- Graduate Program in PathologyUniversidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA)Porto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
- Department of Internal MedicineUniversidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA)Porto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
| | - Alvaro Vigo
- Graduate Program in EpidemiologyUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)Porto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
- Department of StatisticsUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)Porto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
| | - Ana Trindade Winck
- Department of Exact and Social Applied SciencesUniversidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA)Porto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
| | - Liane Nanci Rotta
- Graduate Program in Health SciencesUniversidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA)Porto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
- Department of Diagnostic MethodsUniversidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA)Porto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
| | - Claudia Elizabeth Thompson
- Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology (PPGBCM)Center of BiotechnologyUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)Porto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
- Graduate Program in Health SciencesUniversidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA)Porto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
- Department of PharmacosciencesUniversidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA)Porto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
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Franceschi VB, Caldana GD, de Menezes Mayer A, Cybis GB, Neves CAM, Ferrareze PAG, Demoliner M, de Almeida PR, Gularte JS, Hansen AW, Weber MN, Fleck JD, Zimerman RA, Kmetzsch L, Spilki FR, Thompson CE. Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Esteio, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:371. [PMID: 34016042 PMCID: PMC8136996 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07708-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Brazil is the third country most affected by Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), but viral evolution in municipality resolution is still poorly understood in Brazil and it is crucial to understand the epidemiology of viral spread. We aimed to track molecular evolution and spread of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Esteio (Southern Brazil) using phylogenetics and phylodynamics inferences from 21 new genomes in global and regional context. Importantly, the case fatality rate (CFR) in Esteio (3.26%) is slightly higher compared to the Rio Grande do Sul (RS) state (2.56%) and the entire Brazil (2.74%). RESULTS We provided a comprehensive view of mutations from a representative sampling from May to October 2020, highlighting two frequent mutations in spike glycoprotein (D614G and V1176F), an emergent mutation (E484K) in spike Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) characteristic of the B.1.351 and P.1 lineages, and the adjacent replacement of 2 amino acids in Nucleocapsid phosphoprotein (R203K and G204R). E484K was found in two genomes from mid-October, which is the earliest description of this mutation in Southern Brazil. Lineages containing this substitution must be subject of intense surveillance due to its association with immune evasion. We also found two epidemiologically-related clusters, including one from patients of the same neighborhood. Phylogenetics and phylodynamics analysis demonstrates multiple introductions of the Brazilian most prevalent lineages (B.1.1.33 and B.1.1.248) and the establishment of Brazilian lineages ignited from the Southeast to other Brazilian regions. CONCLUSIONS Our data show the value of correlating clinical, epidemiological and genomic information for the understanding of viral evolution and its spatial distribution over time. This is of paramount importance to better inform policy making strategies to fight COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinícius Bonetti Franceschi
- Center of Biotechnology, Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology (PPGBCM), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Gabriel Dickin Caldana
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Amanda de Menezes Mayer
- Center of Biotechnology, Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology (PPGBCM), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Bettella Cybis
- Department of Statistics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Carla Andretta Moreira Neves
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Patrícia Aline Gröhs Ferrareze
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Meriane Demoliner
- Molecular Microbiology Laboratory, Universidade Feevale, Novo Hamburgo, RS, Brazil
| | | | | | - Alana Witt Hansen
- Molecular Microbiology Laboratory, Universidade Feevale, Novo Hamburgo, RS, Brazil
| | - Matheus Nunes Weber
- Molecular Microbiology Laboratory, Universidade Feevale, Novo Hamburgo, RS, Brazil
| | - Juliane Deise Fleck
- Molecular Microbiology Laboratory, Universidade Feevale, Novo Hamburgo, RS, Brazil
| | | | - Lívia Kmetzsch
- Center of Biotechnology, Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology (PPGBCM), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | | | - Claudia Elizabeth Thompson
- Center of Biotechnology, Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology (PPGBCM), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. .,Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. .,Department of Pharmacosciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), 245/200C Sarmento Leite St, Porto Alegre, RS, 90050-170, Brazil.
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Deconte D, dos Santos CBL, de Morais CO, Yonamine TM, Nogueira LT, Ferreira MAT, Franceschi VB, Longhi ALS, Villacis RAR, Rogatto SR, Ligabue-Braun R, Zen PRG, Rosa RFM, Fiegenbaum M. Unusual features in a child with Marshall-Smith syndrome due to a novel NFIX variant: Evidence for an abnormal protein function. Gene Reports 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.genrep.2020.100991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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