Whole-Genome Analysis and mutation pattern of SARS-CoV-2 during first and second wave outbreak in Gwangju, Republic of Korea

Abstract
Objective
To investigate the specific genomic features and
mutation pattern, whole and near-complete SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences were
analyzed.
Methods
Clinical samples were collected from 18
COVID-19–positive patients and subjected to nucleic acid purification. Cell culture
analysis was performed to extract various SARS-CoV-2 isolates. Whole-genome
analysis was performed using next-generation sequencing, and phylogenetic
analyses were conducted to determine genetic diversity of the various
SARS-CoV-2 isolates.
Results
The next-generation sequencing data identified 8
protein-coding regions with 17 mutated proteins. We identified 51 missense
point mutations and deletions in 5¢ and 3¢ untranslated regions. The phylogenetic analysis
revealed that V and GH are the dominant clades of SARS-CoV-2 circulating in the
Gwangju region of South Korea. Moreover, statistical analysis confirmed a
significant difference between viral load (P < 0.001) and number of mutations
(P < 0.0001) in 2 mutually exclusive SARS-CoV-2 clades which indicates
frequent genomic alterations in SARS-CoV-2 in patients with high viral load.
Conclusion

Our results provide an in-depth analysis of
SARS-COV-2 whole genome which we believe, can shed light in the understanding
of SARS-COV-2 pathogenesis and mutation pattern which can aid in the
development of prevention methods as well as future research into the
pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 and therapeutic development.