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Two new variants of COVID-19 have been discovered in Ohio and appear to be from the United States, researchers said on Wednesday (January 13).
One of these variants, dubbed the ‘Columbus strain’, has three genetic mutations that were not previously seen together in SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to a statement from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. These mutations occur in the virus’s so-called spike protein, which it uses to attach itself to cells.
This strain quickly became the dominant coronavirus variant in Columbus, Ohio, over a three-week period from late December 2020 to early January, according to the researchers, who hope to publish their results soon on the preprinted bioRxiv database.
Related: British quick release variant: all your questions answered
“This new strain of Columbus has the same genetic backbone as the previous cases we studied, but these three mutations represent a significant evolution,” said Dr Dan Jones, vice president of the molecular pathology division at Wexner Medical Center. . in the statement. “We know this change did not come from the British or South African branches of the virus.”
Ohio researchers have been regularly sequencing the SARS-CoV-2 genome from patient samples since March 2020 to follow the evolution of the virus.
Like other variants of coronavirus found around the world, including the British variant, mutations in the Columbus strain occur in the virus’ “spike protein”, which allows the virus to enter cells. It is possible that these mutations make the virus more transmissible, the researchers said.
But so far, there is no evidence that these mutations would have an impact on the effectiveness of Vaccines against covid-19, according to the researchers.
“It is important that we do not overreact to this new variant until we have additional data,” said Peter Mohler, study co-author and scientific director of Wexner Medical Center.
The second variant found by researchers in Ohio has a mutation called 501Y which is identical to that seen in the British variant. This mutation affects the receptor binding domain, or part of the virus spike protein that locks to the ACE2 receptor in human cells; in laboratory dish experiments, the mutated receptor binding domain binds more tightly to the ACE2 receptor, according to previous research.
But researchers believe the Ohio variant independently evolved this mutation from a strain already in the U.S. It was found in an Ohio patient, so researchers don’t yet know how to how widespread it is in the general population.
A spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told CNBC that the agency review the new research.
Originally posted on Live Science.
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