IIT Delhi study decodes evolution of SARS-CoV-2

NEW DELHI: Researchers at the IIT Delhi have revealed the mechanisms driving the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in humans which can help in better understanding of COVID-19’s pathogenesis, immune evasion and emergence of variants of concern. According to the seven-member research team, CpG (a cytosine followed by a guanine) numbers in virus genomes have been linked to host-switching, the efficiency of virus replication, immune evasion and the ability of a virus to cause disease.

The IIT researchers found that the rate of CpG depletion from SARS-CoV-2 genomes rapidly decreases after the first few months of evolution in humans. “The research team analysed over 1.4 million full-length SARS-CoV-2 sequences from across the world. The research has been published in a journal, Molecular Biology and Evolution, and is titled “The Slowing Rate of CpG Depletion in SARS-CoV-2 Genomes is Consistent with Adaptations to the Human Host”.“Our results lay the necessary groundwork for future studies on understanding the intricacies of virus-host interactions leading to CpG depletion,” IIT Delhi professor Manoj Menon said.