Volume 90, Issue 5 pp. 1054-1080
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 proteome in three dimensions (3D) during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic

Joseph H. Lubin

Joseph H. Lubin

Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

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Christine Zardecki

Christine Zardecki

Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

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Elliott M. Dolan

Elliott M. Dolan

Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

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Changpeng Lu

Changpeng Lu

Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

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Zhuofan Shen

Zhuofan Shen

Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

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Shuchismita Dutta

Shuchismita Dutta

Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

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John D. Westbrook

John D. Westbrook

Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

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Brian P. Hudson

Brian P. Hudson

Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

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David S. Goodsell

David S. Goodsell

Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA

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Jonathan K. Williams

Jonathan K. Williams

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

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Maria Voigt

Maria Voigt

Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

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Vidur Sarma

Vidur Sarma

Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

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Lingjun Xie

Lingjun Xie

Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

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Thejasvi Venkatachalam

Thejasvi Venkatachalam

Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

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Steven Arnold

Steven Arnold

Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

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Luz Helena Alfaro Alvarado

Luz Helena Alfaro Alvarado

Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa, USA

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Kevin Catalfano

Kevin Catalfano

University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA

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Aaliyah Khan

Aaliyah Khan

University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

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Erika McCarthy

Erika McCarthy

Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey, USA

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Sophia Staggers

Sophia Staggers

Frostburg State University, Frostburg, Maryland, USA

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Brea Tinsley

Brea Tinsley

Youngstown State University, Youngstown, Ohio, USA

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Alan Trudeau

Alan Trudeau

University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA

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Jitendra Singh

Jitendra Singh

New York City College of Technology, Brooklyn, New York, USA

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Lindsey Whitmore

Lindsey Whitmore

Howard University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

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Helen Zheng

Helen Zheng

Watchung Hills Regional High School, Warren, New Jersey, USA

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Matthew Benedek

Matthew Benedek

Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

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Jenna Currier

Jenna Currier

Hope College, Holland, Michigan, USA

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Mark Dresel

Mark Dresel

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

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Ashish Duvvuru

Ashish Duvvuru

Hope College, Holland, Michigan, USA

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Britney Dyszel

Britney Dyszel

Ursinus College, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, USA

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Emily Fingar

Emily Fingar

SUNY Oswego, Oswego, New York, USA

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Elizabeth M. Hennen

Elizabeth M. Hennen

Roger Williams University, Bristol, Rhode Island, USA

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Michael Kirsch

Michael Kirsch

SUNY Oswego, Oswego, New York, USA

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Ali A. Khan

Ali A. Khan

SUNY Oswego, Oswego, New York, USA

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Charlotte Labrie-Cleary

Charlotte Labrie-Cleary

SUNY Oswego, Oswego, New York, USA

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Stephanie Laporte

Stephanie Laporte

Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA

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Evan Lenkeit

Evan Lenkeit

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

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Kailey Martin

Kailey Martin

Ursinus College, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, USA

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Marilyn Orellana

Marilyn Orellana

Hope College, Holland, Michigan, USA

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Melanie Ortiz-Alvarez de la Campa

Melanie Ortiz-Alvarez de la Campa

University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Isaac Paredes

Isaac Paredes

John Jay College, New York, New York, USA

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Baleigh Wheeler

Baleigh Wheeler

Grand View University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA

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Allison Rupert

Allison Rupert

Grand View University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA

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Andrew Sam

Andrew Sam

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

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Katherine See

Katherine See

Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA

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Santiago Soto Zapata

Santiago Soto Zapata

SUNY Oswego, Oswego, New York, USA

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Paul A. Craig

Paul A. Craig

Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA

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Bonnie L. Hall

Bonnie L. Hall

Grand View University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA

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Jennifer Jiang

Jennifer Jiang

Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

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Julia R. Koeppe

Julia R. Koeppe

SUNY Oswego, Oswego, New York, USA

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Stephen A. Mills

Stephen A. Mills

Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

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Michael J. Pikaart

Michael J. Pikaart

Hope College, Holland, Michigan, USA

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Rebecca Roberts

Rebecca Roberts

Ursinus College, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, USA

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Yana Bromberg

Yana Bromberg

Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

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J. Steen Hoyer

J. Steen Hoyer

Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

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Siobain Duffy

Siobain Duffy

Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

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Jay Tischfield

Jay Tischfield

Department of Genetics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

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Francesc X. Ruiz

Francesc X. Ruiz

Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

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Eddy Arnold

Eddy Arnold

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

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Jean Baum

Jean Baum

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

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Jesse Sandberg

Jesse Sandberg

Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Camden, New Jersey, USA

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Grace Brannigan

Grace Brannigan

Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Camden, New Jersey, USA

Department of Physics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Camden, New Jersey, USA

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Sagar D. Khare

Corresponding Author

Sagar D. Khare

Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

Correspondence

Sagar D. Khare, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.

Email: [email protected]

Stephen K. Burley, Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.

Email: [email protected]

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Stephen K. Burley

Corresponding Author

Stephen K. Burley

Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank, San Diego Supercomputer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

Correspondence

Sagar D. Khare, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.

Email: [email protected]

Stephen K. Burley, Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.

Email: [email protected]

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First published: 27 September 2021
Citations: 12

Funding information: Division of Biological Infrastructure, Grant/Award Number: DBI-1832184; Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems, Grant/Award Number: CBET1923691; National Cancer Institute, Grant/Award Number: R01 GM133198; National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; National Institute of General Medical Sciences, Grant/Award Numbers: GM008339, GM135141, R01 GM132565; National Institutes of Health, Grant/Award Numbers: GM136431, R0137 AI027690; National Science Foundation, Grant/Award Numbers: IUSE 1709170, IUSE 1709278, IUSE 1709355, IUSE 1709805; U.S. Department of Energy, Grant/Award Number: DE-SC0019749; New Jersey Space Grant Consortium; Busch Biomedical Foundation

Abstract

Understanding the molecular evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus as it continues to spread in communities around the globe is important for mitigation and future pandemic preparedness. Three-dimensional structures of SARS-CoV-2 proteins and those of other coronavirusess archived in the Protein Data Bank were used to analyze viral proteome evolution during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyses of spatial locations, chemical properties, and structural and energetic impacts of the observed amino acid changes in >48 000 viral isolates revealed how each one of 29 viral proteins have undergone amino acid changes. Catalytic residues in active sites and binding residues in protein–protein interfaces showed modest, but significant, numbers of substitutions, highlighting the mutational robustness of the viral proteome. Energetics calculations showed that the impact of substitutions on the thermodynamic stability of the proteome follows a universal bi-Gaussian distribution. Detailed results are presented for potential drug discovery targets and the four structural proteins that comprise the virion, highlighting substitutions with the potential to impact protein structure, enzyme activity, and protein–protein and protein–nucleic acid interfaces. Characterizing the evolution of the virus in three dimensions provides testable insights into viral protein function and should aid in structure-based drug discovery efforts as well as the prospective identification of amino acid substitutions with potential for drug resistance.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The computed 3D structural models and energetics results are made freely available under Creative Commons license CC0 for researchers wishing to perform further computational and experimental studies (see https://iqb.rutgers.edu/covid-19_proteome_evolution and https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5521766).

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