Abstract
The independent emergence late in 2020 of the B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1 lineages of SARS-CoV-2 prompted renewed concerns about the evolutionary capacity of this virus to overcome public health interventions and rising population immunity. Here, by examining patterns of synonymous and non-synonymous mutations that have accumulated in SARS-CoV-2 genomes since the pandemic began, we find that the emergence of these three “501Y lineages” coincided with a major global shift in the selective forces acting on various SARS-CoV-2 genes. Following their emergence, the adaptive evolution of 501Y lineage viruses has involved repeated selectively favored convergent mutations at 35 genome sites, mutations we refer to as the 501Y meta-signature. The ongoing convergence of viruses in many other lineages on this meta-signature suggests that it includes multiple mutation combinations capable of promoting the persistence of diverse SARS-CoV-2 lineages in the face of mounting host immune recognition.
Keywords: COVID 19; convergent mutations; directional selection; diversifying selection; evolutionary adaptation; immune evasion; lineage-defining mutations; positive selection; recurrent mutations; transmission advantage.
【저자키워드】 Positive selection, COVID 19, immune evasion, convergent mutations, directional selection, diversifying selection, evolutionary adaptation, lineage-defining mutations, recurrent mutations, transmission advantage., 【초록키워드】 Evolution, SARS-CoV-2, pandemic, Mutation, adaptive, Positive selection, B.1.351, Genome, Transmission, virus, immune, COVID, immune evasion, B.1.1.7, persistence, SARS-CoV-2 genome, P.1, Lineage, Public health interventions, population immunity, Non-synonymous mutation, Combination, Public health intervention, SARS-CoV-2 genomes, SARS-CoV-2 genes, selective, positive, SARS-CoV-2 lineage, Host, repeated, independent, synonymous, virus, include, involved, overcome, directional, rising, accumulated, acting, multiple mutation, 【제목키워드】 Evolution, N501Y, Lineage, the SARS-CoV-2,