Molecular evolutionary characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and the relatedness of epidemiological and socio-environmental factors
Kyuyoung Shim,
Eun-Ha Hwang,
Green Kim,
Young Min Woo,
You Jung An,
Seung Ho Baek,
Taehwan Oh,
Yujin Kim,
Kiwon Jang,
Jung Joo Hong,
Bon-Sang Koo
Affiliations
Kyuyoung Shim
National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomolecular Science, KRIBB School of Bioscience, Korea University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
Eun-Ha Hwang
National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
Green Kim
National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
Young Min Woo
National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomolecular Science, KRIBB School of Bioscience, Korea University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
You Jung An
National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
Seung Ho Baek
National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
Taehwan Oh
National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
Yujin Kim
National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
Kiwon Jang
Korea Bioinformation Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
Jung Joo Hong
National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomolecular Science, KRIBB School of Bioscience, Korea University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
Bon-Sang Koo
National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomolecular Science, KRIBB School of Bioscience, Korea University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea; Corresponding author. 30, Yeongudanji-ro, Ochang-eup, Cheongwon-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, 28116, Republic of Korea
After the first outbreak, SARS-CoV-2 infection continues to occur due to the emergence of new variants. There is limited information available on the comparative evaluation of evolutionary characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 among different countries over time, and its relatedness to epidemiological and socio-environmental factors within those countries. We assessed comparative Bayesian evolutionary characteristics for SARS-CoV-2 in eight countries from 2020 to 2022 using BEAST version 2.6.7. Additionally, the relatedness between virus evolution factors and both epidemiological and socio-environmental factors was analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. The estimated substitution rates in the gene encoding S protein of SARS-CoV-2 exhibited a continuous increase from 2020 to 2022 and were divided into two distinct groups in 2022 (p value < 0.05). Effective population size (Ne) generally showed decreased patterns by time. Notably, the change rates of the substitution rates were negatively correlated with the cumulative vaccination rates in 2021. A strict and rapid vaccination policy in the United Arab Emirates dramatically reduced the evolution of the virus, compared to other countries. Also, the average yearly temperature in countries were negatively correlated with the substitution rates. The changes of six epitopes in SARS-CoV-2 were related to various socio-environmental factors. We figured out comparative virus evolutionary traits and the association of epidemiological and socio-environmental factors especially cumulative vaccination rates and average temperature.
