| Autor: |
Alsuwairi FA; Department of Infection and Immunity, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia.; Botany and Microbiology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia., Alsaleh AN; Botany and Microbiology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia., Obeid DA; Department of Infection and Immunity, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia.; Organ Transplant Center of Excellence, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11564, Saudi Arabia., Al-Qahtani AA; Department of Infection and Immunity, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia.; College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh 11533, Saudi Arabia., Almaghrabi RS; Organ Transplant Center of Excellence, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11564, Saudi Arabia., Alahideb BM; Department of Infection and Immunity, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia., AlAbdulkareem MA; Department of Infection and Immunity, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia., Alsanea MS; Department of Infection and Immunity, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia., Alharbi LA; Department of Infection and Immunity, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia., Althawadi SI; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia., Altamimi SA; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia., Alshukairi AN; College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh 11533, Saudi Arabia.; Department of Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Jeddah 23433, Saudi Arabia., Alhamlan FS; Department of Infection and Immunity, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia.; College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh 11533, Saudi Arabia.; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia. |
| Abstrakt: |
The genome of severe acute respiratory coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has undergone a rapid evolution, resulting in the emergence of multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants with amino acid changes. This study aimed to sequence the whole genome of SARS-CoV-2 and detect the variants present in specimens from Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, we sought to analyze and characterize the amino acid changes in the various proteins of the identified SARS-CoV-2 variants. A total of 1161 samples from patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia, between 1 April 2021 and 31 July 2023, were analyzed. Whole genome sequencing was employed for variant identification and mutation analysis. The statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Analytical Software SAS, version 9.4, and GraphPad, version 9.0. This study identified twenty-three variants and subvariants of SARS-CoV-2 within the population, with the Omicron BA.1 (21K) variant (37.0%) and the Delta (21J) variant (12%) being the most frequently detected. Notably, the Omicron subvariants exhibited a higher mean mutation rate. Amino acid mutations were observed in twelve proteins. Among these, the spike (S), ORF1a, nucleocapsid (N), and ORF1b proteins showed a higher frequency of amino acid mutations compared to other the viral proteins. The S protein exhibited the highest incidence of amino acid mutations (47.6%). Conversely, the ORF3a, ORF8, ORF7a, ORF6, and ORF7b proteins appeared more conserved, demonstrating the lowest percentage and frequency of amino acid mutations. The investigation of structural protein regions revealed the N-terminal S1 subunit of the S protein to frequently harbor mutations, while the N-terminal domain of the envelope (E) protein displayed the lowest mutation frequency. This study provides insights into the variants and genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2, underscoring the need for further research to comprehend its genome evolution and the occurrence of mutations. These findings are pertinent to the development of testing approaches, therapeutics, and vaccine strategies. |
