Recurrent deletions in the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein drive antibody escape

Zoonotic pandemics, such as that caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ( SARS-CoV-2), can follow the spillover of animal viruses into highly susceptible human populations. The descendants of these viruses have adapted to the human host and evolved to evade immune pressure. Coronaviruses acquire substitutions more slowly than other RNA viruses. In the spike glycoprotein, we found that recurrent deletions overcome this slow substitution rate. Deletion variants arise in diverse genetic and geographic backgrounds, transmit efficiently, and are present in novel lineages, including those of current global concern. They frequently occupy recurrent deletion regions (RDRs), which map to defined antibody epitopes. Deletions in RDRs confer resistance to neutralizing antibodies. By altering stretches of amino acids, deletions appear to accelerate SARS- CoV-2 antigenic evolution and may, more generally, drive adaptive evolution.

Automated summary

The translation above discusses zoonotic pandemics caused by animal viruses spilling over into highly susceptible human populations, specifically focusing on the evolution of coronaviruses in human hosts and the impact of recurrent deletions in the spike glycoprotein on antibody epitopes. These studies help understand the antigenic evolution and adaptive evolution of SARS-CoV-2.