Natural isolate and recombinant SARS-CoV-2 rapidly evolve in vitro to higher infectivity through more efficient binding to heparan sulfate and reduced S1/S2 cleavage
N. Shiliaev, T. Lukash, O. Palchevska, D. K. Crossman, T. J. Green, M. Crowley, E. I. Frolova, I. Frolov
This study shows that SARS-CoV-2 rapidly evolves in vitro to bind heparan sulfate more efficiently and reduce S1/S2 cleavage, increasing infectivity and decreasing GE:PFU ratios.
bioRxiv · Jun 28, 2021Microbiology