Key result
Analysis of 4,521 SARS-CoV-2 lines revealed that nearly 50% of point mutations are C-T mismatches and 20% are A-G mismatches, likely caused by host cytosine-to-uridine deamination.
Why the study?
Inference of coronavirus evolution relies on SARS-CoV-2 genome mutations, and misinterpreting these mutations would mislead understanding of viral evolution.
Observational (n=4,521)
Excessive C-T mismatches in SARS-CoV-2 genomes suggest host cytosine-to-uridine deamination rather than random mutation.
Informs SARS-CoV-2 evolution models; leaves open therapeutic targeting of host deamination pathways.
Aim: The inference of coronavirus evolution is largely based on mutations in SARS-CoV-2 genome. Misinterpretation of these mutations would mislead people about the evolution of SARS-CoV-2. Materials & methods: With 4521 lines of SARS-CoV-2, we obtained 3169 unique point mutation sites. We counted the numbers and calculated the minor allele frequency (MAF) of each mutation type. Results: Nearly half of the point mutations are C–T mismatches and 20% are A–G mismatches. The MAF of C–T and A–G mismatches is significantly higher than MAF of other mutation types. Conclusion: The excessive C–T mismatches do not resemble the random mutation profile. They are likely to be caused by the cytosine-to-uridine deamination system in hosts.
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Li et al. (2020) conducted an observational in SARS-CoV-2 (n=4,521). SARS-CoV-2 mutations was evaluated on Point mutation types and minor allele frequency (MAF). Analysis of 4,521 SARS-CoV-2 lines revealed that nearly 50% of point mutations are C-T mismatches and 20% are A-G mismatches, likely caused by host cytosine-to-uridine deamination.
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