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:<br>- Individual RBD FASTA files (222 aa each)<br>- Metadata table with accession and sequence info<br>- Conservation analysis of neutralizing antibody escape hotspots (L506, D510, E513, E536, W553) identified in Tang et al. (PNAS 111:E2018, 2014)<br>- Line plot of RBD conservation profile<br><br>100% 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. <br>This dataset supports therapeutic antibody design, viral fitness modeling, and surveillance of MERS-CoV evolutionary constraints.<br><br>Files:<br>- rbd_fastas.tar.zst: 182 individual RBD FASTA files<br>- and other supporting files<br><br><b>Reference:</b> <b>Identification of human neutralizing antibodies against MERS-CoV and their role in virus adaptive evolution</b> 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 <br>