Spike protein cleavage-activation mediated by the SARS-CoV-2 P681R mutation: a case-study from its first appearance in variant of interest (VOI) A.23.1 identified in Uganda
B. Lubinski, L. Frazier, M. Phan, D. Bugumbe, J. L. Cunningham, T. Tang, S. Daniel, M. Cotten, J. A. Jaimes, G. Whittaker
The paper analyzes the P681R mutation in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein of variant A.23.1, showing increased furin cleavage and infectivity compared to earlier variants, but only when combined with other spike changes.
bioRxiv · Jun 30, 2021 · PreprintMicrobiology