PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Taiaroa, George
AU  - Rawlinson, Daniel
AU  - Featherstone, Leo
AU  - Pitt, Miranda
AU  - Caly, Leon
AU  - Druce, Julian
AU  - Purcell, Damian
AU  - Harty, Leigh
AU  - Tran, Thomas
AU  - Roberts, Jason
AU  - Scott, Nichollas
AU  - Catton, Mike
AU  - Williamson, Deborah
AU  - Coin, Lachlan
AU  - Duchene, Sebastian
TI  - Direct RNA sequencing and early evolution of SARS-CoV-2
AID  - 10.1101/2020.03.05.976167
DP  - 2020 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 2020.03.05.976167
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/04/03/2020.03.05.976167.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/04/03/2020.03.05.976167.full
AB  - Fundamental aspects of SARS-CoV-2 biology remain to be described, having the potential to provide insight to the response effort for this high-priority pathogen. Here we describe the first native RNA sequence of SARS-CoV-2, detailing the coronaviral transcriptome and epitranscriptome, and share these data publicly. A data-driven inference of viral genetic features and evolutionary rate is also made. The rapid sharing of sequence information throughout the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic represents an inflection point for public health and genomic epidemiology, providing early insights into the biology and evolution of this emerging pathogen.