Special Issue "Emergence and Evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 and Other Coronaviruses"

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Corinne Ronfort
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Animal Health Dept. UMR IVPC, University of Lyon I, French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment, 69007 Lyon, France
2. AIOVA sas, University of Grenoble, 570 rue de la Chimie, 38300 Saint Martin d’Hèyres, France
Interests: infectiology; molecular and cellular biology; virology; emerging and re-emerging viral infections; vaccines; SARS-CoV; retro- and lentiviruses; influenza; gene therapy; gene transfer vectors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

One year ago, humanity was facing the emergence of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the COVID-19 pandemic. This emergence, from an animal reservoir, is the third in just two decades after SARS-CoV-1 in 2002 and MERS in 2012. Thus, new SARS pandemics are likely to occur in the future.

SARS viruses undergo continuous genetic changes. Thousands of SARS-CoV-2 variants have been detected by laboratory screening. Three of them (from the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil) that may have enhanced transmission and pathogenicity are emerging, and are of great concern. Regarding the four vaccines authorized to date for emergency use, there is also concern about the reduction in vaccine-induced immune protection against emerging variants.

The complex questions to explore are: (i) What makes a SARS virus transmissible from one species to another, and (ii) What factors drive the mutation, evolution, and emergence of SARS? Understanding these questions will provide us with better tools to control COVID.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide data on the viral, cellular, and host factors involved in the emergence and evolution of the SARS viruses. Several factors are in question, such as the viral dynamics, the RNA nature of the virus (ability to mutate, the role of co-infections and recombinations), host and cellular restriction factors, as well as host immunity and immune escape.

Papers focusing on animal coronaviruses that may be relevant to SARS-CoV-2 are welcome.

Dr. Corinne Ronfort
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • SARS-CoV-2, SARS, MERS
  • biology of SARS CoV-2 and other coronaviruses
  • emergence
  • viral evolution, variants
  • host factors
  • innate and adaptive immunity
  • crossing of the species barrier

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

Article
Mutation in a SARS-CoV-2 Haplotype from Sub-Antarctic Chile Reveals New Insights into the Spike’s Dynamics
Viruses 2021, 13(5), 883; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13050883 - 11 May 2021
Viewed by 2902
Abstract
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants, as observed with the D614G spike protein mutant and, more recently, with B.1.1.7 (501Y.V1), B.1.351 (501Y.V2) and B.1.1.28.1 (P.1) lineages, represent a continuous threat and might lead to strains of higher infectivity and/or virulence. We report on the [...] Read more.
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants, as observed with the D614G spike protein mutant and, more recently, with B.1.1.7 (501Y.V1), B.1.351 (501Y.V2) and B.1.1.28.1 (P.1) lineages, represent a continuous threat and might lead to strains of higher infectivity and/or virulence. We report on the occurrence of a SARS-CoV-2 haplotype with nine mutations including D614G/T307I double-mutation of the spike. This variant expanded and completely replaced previous lineages within a short period in the subantarctic Magallanes Region, southern Chile. The rapid lineage shift was accompanied by a significant increase of cases, resulting in one of the highest incidence rates worldwide. Comparative coarse-grained molecular dynamic simulations indicated that T307I and D614G belong to a previously unrecognized dynamic domain, interfering with the mobility of the receptor binding domain of the spike. The T307I mutation showed a synergistic effect with the D614G. Continuous surveillance of new mutations and molecular analyses of such variations are important tools to understand the molecular mechanisms defining infectivity and virulence of current and future SARS-CoV-2 strains. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emergence and Evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 and Other Coronaviruses)
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