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Evidence for adaptive evolution in the receptor-binding domain of seasonal coronaviruses

View ORCID ProfileKathryn E. Kistler, View ORCID ProfileTrevor Bedford
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.30.352914
Kathryn E. Kistler
1Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA USA
2Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
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  • For correspondence: kistlerk@uw.edu
Trevor Bedford
1Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA USA
2Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
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Abstract

Seasonal coronaviruses (OC43, 229E, NL63 and HKU1) are endemic to the human population, regularly infecting and reinfecting humans while typically causing asymptomatic to mild respiratory infections. It is not known to what extent reinfection by these viruses is due to waning immune memory or antigenic drift of the viruses. Here, we address the influence of antigenic drift on immune evasion of seasonal coronaviruses. We provide evidence that at least two of these viruses, OC43 and 229E, are undergoing adaptive evolution in regions of the viral spike protein that are exposed to human humoral immunity. This suggests that reinfection may be due, in part, to positively-selected genetic changes in these viruses that enable them to escape recognition by the immune system. It is possible that, as with seasonal influenza, these adaptive changes in antigenic regions of the virus would necessitate continual reformulation of a vaccine made against them.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Footnotes

  • https://github.com/blab/seasonal-cov-adaptive-evolution

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The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.
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Posted October 30, 2020.
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Evidence for adaptive evolution in the receptor-binding domain of seasonal coronaviruses
Kathryn E. Kistler, Trevor Bedford
bioRxiv 2020.10.30.352914; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.30.352914
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Evidence for adaptive evolution in the receptor-binding domain of seasonal coronaviruses
Kathryn E. Kistler, Trevor Bedford
bioRxiv 2020.10.30.352914; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.30.352914

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