학술논문

Transmission, infectivity, and neutralization of a spike L452R SARS-CoV-2 variant.
Document Type
article
Source
Cell. 184(13)
Subject
20C/L452R
B.1.427/B.1.429
COVID-19
L452R mutation
SARS-CoV-2
antibody neutralization
genomic epidemiology
molecular dating
pseudovirus infectivity studies
spike protein
variant of concern
viral whole-genome sequencing
Developmental Biology
Biological Sciences
Medical and Health Sciences
Language
Abstract
We identified an emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant by viral whole-genome sequencing of 2,172 nasal/nasopharyngeal swab samples from 44 counties in California, a state in the western United States. Named B.1.427/B.1.429 to denote its two lineages, the variant emerged in May 2020 and increased from 0% to >50% of sequenced cases from September 2020 to January 2021, showing 18.6%-24% increased transmissibility relative to wild-type circulating strains. The variant carries three mutations in the spike protein, including an L452R substitution. We found 2-fold increased B.1.427/B.1.429 viral shedding in vivo and increased L452R pseudovirus infection of cell cultures and lung organoids, albeit decreased relative to pseudoviruses carrying the N501Y mutation common to variants B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1. Antibody neutralization assays revealed 4.0- to 6.7-fold and 2.0-fold decreases in neutralizing titers from convalescent patients and vaccine recipients, respectively. The increased prevalence of a more transmissible variant in California exhibiting decreased antibody neutralization warrants further investigation.