4. Conclusions
In summary, the mapping of mutations in the mAb binding sites in
SARS-CoV-2 spike protein shows the conserved non-mutated epitope sites
and the mutated epitope regions in different variants. The study will
help better understand the chances of antibody evasion and will aid in
designing novel vaccine candidates which target broad range of variants.
The analysis is fundamental as new variants of concern with a
combination of mutations from different lineages may evolve in the
future, thereby affecting the efficacy of available vaccines. Generation
of a broadly reactive vaccine candidate which can elicit both humoral
and cellular immune responses might help in targeting multiple current
or future SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Author Contributions: V.S.R. designed and coordinated the
study. J.J., S.D., and G.K conducted the analysis. S.D and G.K wrote the
custom python scripts and J.J, S.D, and G.K performed the epitope
mapping and variant annotations. All authors contributed to the
interpretations and conclusions presented. J.J, and V.S.R. wrote the
manuscript.
Funding: The study was supported by Department of Science and
Technology, Science and Engineering Research Board (DST-SERB), New
Delhi, India (Grant No: IPA/2020/000070) and In-tramural support from
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram
(IISER TVM). J.J, S.D and G.K acknowledges DST-INSPIRE PhD and
undergraduate fellowships respectively.
Data Availability Statement: Data available upon request.
Acknowledgments: We thank the laboratories that have deposited
the real time COVID19 data in GISAID and acknowledge the GISAID
initiative for proper reporting of SARS-CoV-2 genomes. The database
provides an efficient platform for genome analysis of SARS-CoV-2. We
acknowledge the authors who mapped the epitopes of individual monoclonal
antibodies. We thank Dr. Sabari Sankar Thirupathy, Mutations Lab, IISER
Thiruvananthapuram for helping with the statistical analysis.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflicts of
interests.