MERS-CoV Spike Receptor-Binding Domain Sequences from 182 Human Clinical Isolates with Antibody Escape Hotspot Annotation

This dataset comprises 182 receptor-binding domain (RBD; Spike residues 367-588) sequences of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) derived from human clinical specimens (lung and nasopharyngeal). It includes:- Individual RBD FASTA files (222 aa each)- Metadata table with accession and sequence info- Conservation analysis of neutralizing antibody escape hotspots (L506, D510, E513, E536, W553) identified in Tang et al. (PNAS 111:E2018, 2014)- Line plot of RBD conservation profile100% conservation at W553 and L506, and ≥97% at D510/E513/E536 reflects strong purifying selection due to fitness costs of immune escape, as demonstrated in vitro by Tang et al. This dataset supports therapeutic antibody design, viral fitness modeling, and surveillance of MERS-CoV evolutionary constraints.Files:- rbd_fastas.tar.zst: 182 individual RBD FASTA files- and other supporting filesReference: Identification of human neutralizing antibodies against MERS-CoV and their role in virus adaptive evolution Xian-Chun Tanga,1, Sudhakar S. Agnihothramb,1, Yongjun Jiaoa , Jeremy Stanhopea , Rachel L. Grahamb , Eric C. Petersona , Yuval Avnira , Aimee St. Clair Tallaricoa , Jared Sheehana , Quan Zhua , Ralph S. Baricb,c,2, and Wayne A. Marascoa,2 a Department of Cancer Immunology and AIDS, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215; and Departments of b Microbiology and Immunology and c Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1402074111