Private channel session 1048

18 messages over 2h 1m, 2021-03-02 – 2021-03-02.

A “conversation” here is an activity session — a run of messages with under 60 minutes of silence inside it. The channel had no native conversation boundaries.

2021-03-02 16:49 Edward C. Holmes open PDF p.561

Am I right in thinking that there has been a marked lack of Twitter activity about Nature piece? I wonder if the authors were just embarrassed by it? There were some good replies to your tweet Kristian.
2021-03-02 17:06 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.561

I think it's fair to say the authors are embarrassed - I know I would be. Emma hasn't really been much on Twitter asof late though.
2021-03-02 17:26 Edward C. Holmes open PDF p.561

What a bloody waste of time.
2021-03-02 17:26 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.561

This :point_down: [shared file(s): Screen Shot 2021-03-02 at 5.26.20 PM.png]
2021-03-02 17:27 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.561

Why in the WORLD they put that in, I don't understand.
2021-03-02 17:41 Edward C. Holmes open PDF p.561

I know, I know. I told them. It's just nauseating. Putrid. It will do her more harm than good.
2021-03-02 17:44 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.561

Yes, unfortunately - I like her and she's awesome, but there have been several similar instances lately. A lot ofscientists have let SARS-CoV-2 fame go to their head. Too bad, really.We need to get back to the days where Nick was the King of Twitter.
2021-03-02 17:55 Edward C. Holmes open PDF p.561

I don't know her at all, but clearly the fame has gone to her head. She did nothing to change that text. She's learnt all this from Trevor.
2021-03-02 17:57 Edward C. Holmes open PDF p.561

Richard Neher should have done some mentoring as well.
2021-03-02 17:59 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.561

Hah - you'd imagine him beating the Trevor out of her and replace it with physics smugness :wink:
2021-03-02 18:01 Edward C. Holmes open PDF p.562

Oh, don't get me started...
2021-03-02 18:04 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.562

Back to science - we just picked up two _very_ interesting "CA" lineage viruses carrying the d144 deletion and a few other mutations, including N501Y and (more intriguingly) L455F - two out of six of the contact residues hit in a single lineage. L455F is rare - mostly seen in a few genomes from Australia. Eddie, do you have any idea if that mutation was looked into? @Robert Garry your eyes on L455F? Remember, the "CA" lineage has the L452R mutation too, so I wonder if those two together might do something funky. [shared file(s): Screen Shot 2021-03-02 at 6.01.56 PM.png, Protein alignment.geneious]
2021-03-02 18:05 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.562

The screenshot - two bottom sequences = new genomes. Above that, "Type" B.1.429 and above that, Wuhan Hu-1.
2021-03-02 18:13 Edward C. Holmes open PDF p.562

Can you tell me what the Australian sequences are? I'll look into it. No way that L455F will have been studied here.
2021-03-02 18:33 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.562

I can't... We're unfortunately not allowed to pull GISAID IDs... I can see UK has a few of the double mutants too. https://outbreak.info/situation-reports?pango&muts=S%3AN501Y&muts=S%3AL455F
2021-03-02 18:45 Edward C. Holmes open PDF p.562

Ok, I'll ask about it.
2021-03-02 18:47 Robert F. Garry open PDF p.562

I'll look - any change to an aromatic amino acid could potentially set up a stronger binding.
2021-03-02 18:50 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.562

Yeah, interesting model here: http://biosig.unimelb.edu.au/covid3d/mutation/QHD43416/ACE2_BOAT/L455F/A. But I feel that L452R mutation must mess around with this whole interface, so lord knows what L455F does on top. Probably all just random, but pretty interesting to see 2/6 key binding residues hit in a single virus (and acharacteristic deletion - so probably some funky infection).