Mutational heterogeneity in spike glycoproteins of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) has led to a global crisis by infecting millions of people across the globe eventually causing multiple deaths. The prominent player of the virus has been known as the spike protein which enters the host system and leads to the infection. The S2 subunit is the most essential in this process of infection as it helps the SARS-CoV-2 to infect the host by binding to the human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (hACE2), with the help of the receptor binding domain found at the S2 subunit of the virus. Studies also hypothesize that the S glycoproteins present in the virus interacts with different hosts in different ways which might be due to the mutations taking place in the genome of the virus over time. This work aims to decipher the similarities and differences in the sequences of spike proteins from samples of SARS-CoV-2 acquired from different infected individuals in different countries with the help of in silico methods such as multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis. It also aims to understand the differential infection rates among the infected countries by studying the amino acid composition and interactions of the virus with the host.