Study shows how D614G variant gains upper hand over original SARS-CoV-2 virus
Prior to the emergence of new mutants of the coronavirus, such as the British variant B.1.1.7, the SARS-CoV-2 variant named D614G had already mutated from the original SARS-CoV-2 pathogen that triggered the pandemic.
D614G has rapidly spread to become the most abundant variant worldwide and this D614G mutation remains in all the new emerging variants. An international team including researchers from Bern has now been able to demonstrate in both the laboratory and in animal models why the D614G variant was able to gain the upper hand over the original SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Covid-19 mutated variant trumps older version in series of experiments
February 27, 2021
Representative image - REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol× A new examination, carried out by an international team of researchers, demonstrated in both the laboratory and in animal models why the D614G variant was able to gain the upper hand over the wild-type SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The researchers claimed that their approach allowed them to characterize emerging mutations such as the British variant B.1.1.7 smoothly and swiftly.
The study, published in the journal Nature, stated that the D614G variant of coronavirus carries a mutation in the spike protein that makes it easier for the virus to cling onto human cells.