Two new variants of COVID-19 have been found in Ohio, and appear to have originated in the United States, the researchers announced on Wednesday (January 13).
One of these variants, dubbed the “Columbus strain”, has three gene mutations that have not been seen together in SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to a statement of the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. These mutations occur in the so-called peak protein of the virus, which it uses to attach itself to cells.
This strain quickly became the dominant coronavirus variant in Columbus, Ohio, over a three-week period from late December 2020 to early January, according to the researchers, who hope to publish their findings soon in the pre-printed bioRxiv database.
Related: United Kingdom variant of rapid dissemination: all your questions answered
“This new Columbus strain has the same genetic structure as previous cases that we studied, but these three mutations represent a significant evolution,” said study leader Dr. Dan Jones, vice president of the molecular pathology division at Wexner Medical Center in the declaration. “We know that this change did not come from the United Kingdom or the South African branches of the virus.”
Ohio researchers have been regularly sequencing the SARS-CoV-2 genome from patient samples since March 2020 to monitor the evolution of the virus.
Like other variants of the coronavirus found worldwide, including the United Kingdom variant, mutations in the Columbus strain occur in the “peak protein” of the virus, which allows the virus to enter cells. These mutations are likely to make the virus more transmissible, the researchers said.
But so far, there is no evidence that these mutations would affect the effectiveness of Vaccines for covid-19, according to the researchers.
“It is important not to overreact to this new variant until we get additional data,” said Peter Mohler, co-author of the study and scientific director at Wexner Medical Center
The second variant found by Ohio researchers has a mutation called 501Y, which is identical to that seen in the UK variant. This mutation affects the receptor-binding domain, or part of the virus spike protein that binds to the ACE2 receptor in human cells; in laboratory experiments, the mutated receptor-binding domain binds more strongly to the ACE2 receptor, previous research found.
But the researchers believe that the Ohio variant independently evolved this mutation from an existing strain in the United States. It was found in an Ohio patient, so researchers still don’t know how prevalent it is in the general population.
A spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told CNBC that the agency is reviewing the new research.
Originally published on Live Science.