Phylogeny News and Research

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Phylogenetic analysis explores the evolutionary relationships between organisms and is a vital foundation for microbial studies. The development of reliable phylogenetic trees is an important step in developing new treatments and discovering the origins of eukaryotes, prokaryotes and archaea.

Gene surfing caused the SARS-CoV-2 D614G variant to rise to dominance in the US

A recent preprint that appeared on the bioRxiv* server applies a new approach to conventional birth-death lineage modeling.

17 Dec 2020

SARS-CoV-2 in Brazil shows gross genetic diversity

A new study discusses the presence of genetic diversity in SARS-CoV-2 circulating in Brazil, with reference to the susceptibility of the population to the virus.

7 Dec 2020

N-Glycosylation sites may contribute to spike-mediated invasion by SARS-CoV-2

The sugar residues decorating the spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 are essential to the viral-receptor binding.

3 Dec 2020

Spanish-originated SARS-CoV-2 variant A222V shows rapid spread in Lazio, Italy

A startling new study reports the rapid rise to dominance of a new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strain in Italy. This strain, termed the GV clade, is characterized by a single point mutation.

2 Dec 2020

Researchers discover close SARS-CoV-2-relative in animal hosts outside China

In a major new discovery that might deepen our understanding of SARS-CoV-2’s animal origins and its genetic evolution, coronaviruses very closely related to SARS-CoV-2 have been discovered in two horseshoe bats outside of China.

25 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 versus Zika: Comparing and contrasting the flow of research

An interesting study published on the preprint server medRxiv in November 2020, dealing not with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that is the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, but with the publications that have appeared as a consequence of the outbreak, comparing them with the similar trove of publications that followed the Zika virus outbreak in 2016.

25 Nov 2020

Ancient East Asian peoples may have adapted to coronavirus-like epidemic up to 25,000 years ago

A new study by researchers at the University of Adelaide and Australian National University in Australia and the University of Arizona in the US shows that an ancient coronavirus-like epidemic drove the adaptation of East Asian peoples from 25,000 to 5,000 years ago.

18 Nov 2020

New rapid algorithm could help trace hospital-derived SARS-CoV-2 infections

A new study reports a rapid method that uses two different routes to swiftly trace the onset of infection to a putative hospital source. This could be immensely helpful for preventing and controlling infection, once validated.

17 Nov 2020

Genomic sequence of the White House "superspreader" event

Now, a new study revealed the genetic signature of the SARS-CoV-2 that spread in the White House and most likely infected President Trump. The team applied genomic epidemiology to shed light on the origins of the outbreak

2 Nov 2020

Concerti algorithm identifies intra-patient heteroplasmies in SARS-CoV-2 patients

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus that emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019 has caused the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has affected more than 39.8 million lives globally and claimed over 1.11 million deaths to date.

18 Oct 2020

Higher prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 with D614G mutation in Washington State

The study findings also indicate that the 614G viral variant is associated with higher viral load, but not with disease severity. The study is currently available on the medRxiv preprint server.

4 Oct 2020

Mapping the evolutionary profile of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 using mutation order approach

Several months into the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), we still do not know much about the early evolutionary history and order of mutational events of the virus during this pandemic.

28 Sep 2020

D614G mutation now the dominant variant in the global COVID-19 pandemic

Now, a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020 shows that a significant variant characterized by the D614G mutation has higher infectivity, which may account for its rapid rise to the dominant position in all regions where it has emerged.

25 Sep 2020

Susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection varies across bat species

A recent study by researchers at Wuhan University, China, reveals that many bat species are not potential carriers of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) because of genetic mutations in angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) that prevent the entry of viruses inside bat cells. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

9 Sep 2020

SARS-CoV-2 ORF9c responsible for immune evasion and efficient infection of host

A recent study by researchers at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute and the University of California San Francisco and published on the preprint server bioRxiv in August 2020 shows that a protein encoded by the subgenomic sequence ORF9c of SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the low antiviral response in infected humans, enabling the successful replication of the virus in the host.

21 Aug 2020

Could the high rate of mutations bring about SARS-CoV-2's extinction in India?

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in August 2020 shows the importance of uncovering the dynamics of the virus with particular attention to geographic variation.

19 Aug 2020

Study shows recombination among SARS-CoV-2 strains is already occurring, but remains rare

A recent study by U.S. researchers, currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server, indicates that the recombination events among the viral strains of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are already occurring – however, considering current levels of viral genetic diversity, they are neither widespread nor readily detectable.

6 Aug 2020

Study reveals changes in transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 due to D614G spike mutation

A recent research endeavor from the UK, currently available on the medRxiv preprint server, indicates that spike 614G variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) increases in frequency relative to 614D variant in a selective advantage manner – but without higher coronavirus disease (COVID-19) mortality rates.

5 Aug 2020

Genome comparisons between SARS-CoV-2 and other betacoronaviruses yield applicable insights

Researchers from the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research and the Australian National University untangle the mutational and recombinational history of the SARS-2 lineage of betacoronaviruses and their metagenomes with the use of published genomic sequences. Their findings are currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server.

14 Jul 2020

No unique viral sequences found in pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2

In contrast to previous hypotheses, researchers from the University College London and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust found no evidence of unique viral sequences from patients with pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS). Their study is published on the medRxiv* preprint server.

12 Jul 2020