AUTHOR=Xing Yue , Li Xiao , Gao Xiang , Dong Qunfeng 

TITLE=Natural Polymorphisms Are Present in the Furin Cleavage Site of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2020.00783

DOI=10.3389/fgene.2020.00783

ISSN=1664-8021

ABSTRACT=<p>The furin cleavage site in the spike glycoprotein of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is considered important for the virus to enter the host cells. By analyzing 45828 SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences, we identified 103 strains of SARS-CoV-2 with various DNA mutations including 18 unique non-synonymous point mutations, one deletion, and six gains of premature stop codon that may affect the furin cleavage site. Our results revealed that the furin cleavage site might not be required for SARS-CoV-2 to enter human cells <italic>in vivo</italic>. The identified mutants may represent a new subgroup of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus with reduced tropism and transmissibility as potential live-attenuated vaccine candidates.</p>