Chat message

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.1000 [SLACK_001214] · slack_pm:msg:10437

Date: 2021-09-21 08:34
Type: chat message · slack
recipient: Kristian G. Andersen, Robert F. Garry, Edward C. Holmes
speaker: Andrew Rambaut
Topics: Furin cleavage site and molecular features

Recipients on this medium are inferred from channel membership, not per-message addressing.

They would have selected it from candidates by genome sequencing it. I guess they would have seen an ACE-2 binding RBD and thought that is the one to try an FCS in?

Extracted statements

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Statement	Grade	Attribution	Stance
I guess they would have seen an ACE-2 binding RBD and thought that is the one to try an FCS in?	quoted / not their view	hypothetical conditional framing	questions

Statement

Grade

Attribution

Stance

I guess they would have seen an ACE-2 binding RBD and thought that is the one to try an FCS in?

quoted / not their view

hypothetical conditional framing

questions

In context

A single line often inverts meaning once you see what it answers, so neighbouring messages are always shown.

2021-09-21 08:26 Andrew Rambaut open

Yup.
2021-09-21 08:27 Kristian G. Andersen open

I'll get some of this started later today - it's important to get the insights irrespective of what it's going to end upshowing.
2021-09-21 08:28 Andrew Rambaut open

Would there be any reason to pick the SARS2 backbone for doing these? Assuming they had the genome sequence way back at the start?
2021-09-21 08:30 Kristian G. Andersen open

Well, in the grant they specifically talk about *new* viruses - so a SC2 precursor could have been one of those "low risk" viruses they talk about and then they started fiddling with it.
2021-09-21 08:34 Andrew Rambaut

They would have selected it from candidates by genome sequencing it. I guess they would have seen an ACE-2 binding RBD and thought that is the one to try an FCS in?
2021-09-21 08:37 Andrew Rambaut open

Or they just were selecting viruses by seeing if they could get any to culture and then worry about genome sequencing?
2021-09-21 08:48 Kristian G. Andersen open

The former - which is the approach they describe in the grant.
2021-09-21 08:49 Kristian G. Andersen open

Culture is very challenging so I don't think that approach makes sense.
2021-09-21 09:00 Kristian G. Andersen open

Here's what I suggest we do: • Make (spike) alignments with SC1, SARSr-CoVs, RaTG13(+close friends), Pangos, BANAL, SHC014, rs4237, SC2 • Mark 'key' sites based on what's in the grant - @Robert Garry, can you please help highlight the N-linked glycans based on Wuhan Hu-1 coordinates• Check to see if there's anything odd between SC2, basal viruses, and SC1• Look at e.g., codon usage at those sites if anything stands out• Cross-check with how those sites have evolved during the pandemic

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