PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - George Taiaroa
AU  - Daniel Rawlinson
AU  - Leo Featherstone
AU  - Miranda Pitt
AU  - Leon Caly
AU  - Julian Druce
AU  - Damian Purcell
AU  - Leigh Harty
AU  - Thomas Tran
AU  - Jason Roberts
AU  - Nichollas Scott
AU  - Mike Catton
AU  - Deborah Williamson
AU  - Lachlan Coin
AU  - Sebastian Duchene
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.