How SARS-CoV-2 evolved to counter its own weaknesses

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine say their new studies suggest that the first pandemic-accelerating mutation in the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, evolved as a way to correct vulnerabilities caused by the mutation that started the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. In early 2020, soon after the pandemic began, researchers from the University of Toronto discovered a subsequent SARS-CoV-2 mutation, called D614G; however, its precise function was not known. Gould, first author and graduate student Chenxu Guo, and the research team set out to understand the D614G mutation and its effect. Then, they used these antibodies to track the location of spike proteins in human cells genetically engineered to produce the spiky surface molecules. In addition, the D614G mutation caused a three-fold drop in the abundance of spike proteins at the cell surface.