MERS-CoV Pan-Genomic Consensus and Evolutionary Constraint Analysis (n=1,746): Codon Usage, Saltation, and DPP4 Interface Stability

This dataset supports an upcoming manuscript titled "MERS-CoV is Not Host-Adapted: Evidence of Evolutionary Constraint from Codon-Level Genomic Surveillance (n=1,746)" We present: A de novo pan-genomic consensus sequence of MERS-CoV constructed from 1,746 publicly available genomes (2012 - 2023), trimmed to the canonical length of 30,118 nt. Per-genome saltation metrics (mutation burden relative to both NCBI reference NC_019843.3 and our consensus) for structural genes S, E, M, N. Codon-level evolutionary metrics for all genomes: CAI, ENc, GC3, PR2 bias, CpG/UpA suppression, and Shannon entropy at DPP4 receptor-binding and monoclonal antibody (mAb) epitope residues. A synthetic codon-permissive MERS-CoV genome generated within observed natural constraints (no human optimization, no furin cleavage site). Audit report of critical Spike residues (positions 499 to 556), confirming evolutionary stability of functional domains. This resource enables: Independent validation of MERS-CoV’s lack of host-adaptive codon usage.Assessment of zoonotic risk based on mutational readiness rather than translational efficiency.Benchmarking for vaccine and mAb design against conserved, low-entropy epitopes.All analyses were performed using open, reproducible pipelines (Python/Biopython). The consensus genome and full metric tables are provided to support global genomic surveillance and pandemic preparedness efforts. The related files in this dataset will be public once the journal article is published. Data processed and curation by: [e-mail]