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.