The SARS-CoV-2 ORF10 is not essential in vitro or in vivo in humans.

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 genome annotation revealed the presence of 10 open reading frames (ORFs), of which the last one (ORF10) is positioned downstream of the N gene. It is a hypothetical gene, which was speculated to encode a 38 aa protein. This hypothetical protein does not share sequence similarity with any other known protein and cannot be associated with a function. While the role of this ORF10 was proposed, there is growing evidence showing that the ORF10 is not a coding region. Here, we identified SARS-CoV-2 variants in which the ORF10 gene was prematurely terminated. The disease was not attenuated, and the transmissibility between humans was maintained. Also, in vitro, the strains replicated similarly to the related viruses with the intact ORF10. Altogether, based on clinical observation and laboratory analyses, it appears that the ORF10 protein is not essential in humans. This observation further proves that the ORF10 should not be treated as the protein-coding gene, and the genome annotations should be amended.