A single line often inverts meaning once you see what it
answers, so neighbouring messages are always shown.
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Would there be any reason to pick the SARS2 backbone for doing these? Assuming they had the genome sequence way back at the start?
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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.
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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?
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Or they just were selecting viruses by seeing if they could get any to culture and then worry about genome sequencing?
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2021-09-21 08:48
Kristian G. Andersen
The former - which is the approach they describe in the grant.
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Culture is very challenging so I don't think that approach makes sense.
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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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And stay off email
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Or carefully curate some emails for the FOI records