S-Protein Mutation in New CCP Virus Variant May Cause Faster Spread: UK Scientists
The new variant of the CCP virus observed in England includes a mutation in the spike protein, which can potentially make the virus more infectious and spread more easily, Public Health England (PHE) said on Monday.
The mutation is in “a region referred to as the receptor binding motif (RBM) of the Spike protein,” according to the COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium, which randomly sequences about 10 percent of UK’s positive samples of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, and produces weekly report for PHE.
COG-UK said the RBM is responsible for viral entry via its interaction with the receptor (hACE2) on host cells.