Title: Comparative analysis and identification of spike’s novel mutations in three major waves of Iranian COVID -19 samples

Abstract:

Spike, the glycosylated surface protein of coronavirus, is the critical player in receptor binding, membrane fusion, and virus entry into the host cells. Spike contains neutralizing antibodies epitope and is the primary target for immune recognition; therefore, it is the main target of most designed vaccines and drugs in SARS-CoV-2. Mutations in this region are one of the virus's highlighted immune escape mechanisms, requiring deeper insight. Hence, in this study, we investigated the variability and mutations of the spike protein isolated from 72 COVID-19 patients from three waves of disease in Iran. The extracted RNAs from nasopharyngeal samples of patients with COVID-19 infection were subjected to cDNA synthesis and PCR in three overlapping fragments. The PCR products f each patient were assembled and sequenced. Analysis of 72 assembled sequences identified 46 SNPs, including 23 that produce amino acid changes. Among the amino acid changes, D614G mutation has the highest frequency in the disease's second and third wave samples

Biography:

Ahangarzed who was appointed as Director SKIMS during the year 2016 has in the past times served as Professor & Head, Department of Cardiac Surgery. Chief Executive Officer, North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute Of Health & Medical Sciences, Shillong, Meghalaya.