Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Adaptation to Available Cellular Proteases
M. Z. Chaudhry, K. Eschke, M. Hoffmann, M. Grashoff, L. Abassi, Y. Kim, L. Brunotte, S. Ludwig, A. Kroeger, F. Klawonn, S. Pöhlmann, L. Cicin-Sain
This study shows SARS-CoV-2 adapts to Vero E6 cells by losing the furin cleavage motif in spike protein, but retains wildtype sequences, enabling reverse adaptation when passaged on human lung cells.
bioRxiv · Aug 10, 2020Microbiology