Abstract Compared with other SARS-related coronaviruses (SARSr-CoVs), SARS-CoV-2 possesses a unique furin cleavage site (FCS) in its spike. This has stimulated discussion pertaining to the origin of SARS-CoV-2 because the FCS has been observed to be under strong selective pressure in humans and confers the enhanced ability to infect some cell types and induce cell–cell fusion. Furthermore, scientists have demonstrated interest in studying novel cleavage sites by introducing them into SARSr-CoVs. We review what is known about the SARS-CoV-2 FCS in the context of its pathogenesis, origin, and how future wildlife coronavirus sampling may alter the interpretation of existing data.
All Keywords
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, coronavirus, Virology, furin cleavage site, 【초록키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, Pathogenesis, Human, Interpretation, cell type, cleavage site, selective, SARS-related coronavirus, SARSr-CoVs, infect, Alter, stimulated, unique, demonstrated, induce, FCS, the SARS-CoV-2, 【제목키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, emergence, Site, the Spike,
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, coronavirus, Virology, furin cleavage site, 【초록키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, Pathogenesis, Human, Interpretation, cell type, cleavage site, selective, SARS-related coronavirus, SARSr-CoVs, infect, Alter, stimulated, unique, demonstrated, induce, FCS, the SARS-CoV-2, 【제목키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, emergence, Site, the Spike,