The Emergence of the Spike Furin Cleavage Site in SARS-CoV-2 |
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| Authors: | Yujia Alina Chan Shing Hei Zhan |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA;2. Department of Zoology & Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada |
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| Abstract: | Compared with other SARS-related coronaviruses (SARSr-CoVs), SARS-CoV-2 possesses a unique furin cleavage site (FCS) in its spike. This has stimulated discussion pertaining to the origin of SARS-CoV-2 because the FCS has been observed to be under strong selective pressure in humans and confers the enhanced ability to infect some cell types and induce cell–cell fusion. Furthermore, scientists have demonstrated interest in studying novel cleavage sites by introducing them into SARSr-CoVs. We review what is known about the SARS-CoV-2 FCS in the context of its pathogenesis, origin, and how future wildlife coronavirus sampling may alter the interpretation of existing data. |
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| Keywords: | COVID-19 furin cleavage site virology coronavirus |
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