Genetic Variations in Spike Protein: Linking SARS-CoV-2 Variants to Clinical Outcomes

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has witnessed the emergence of diverse variants of SARS-CoV-2, with spike proteins playing a pivotal role in mutation due to their extracellular projection and exposure to immune system pressures. Clinical manifestations of COVID-19 have shown significant variation, ranging from severe symptoms requiring ICU admission or resulting in fatality to asymptomatic cases. This study aims to investigate genetic variations in the spike protein among two distinct groups of SARS-CoV-2 sequences: asymptomatic and ICU/deceased patients. The objective is to explore the viral genetic factors associated with these two clinical outcomes. Our analysis reveals that four spike protein mutations (P26S, D253G, K417N, and D614G) may be partially linked to the ICU/deceased outcome. Additionally, the Omicron and Delta variants exhibit the highest proportions of overall asymptomatic and ICU/deceased patients, respectively. Further evaluation of the ratio of asymptomatic cases to ICU/deceased within a singular variant demonstrates that the Beta and Gamma variants elicit the greatest proportion of asymptomatic and ICU/deceased cases, respectively. In conclusion, our findings suggest a possible association between four spike protein mutations and the outcome of ICU admission or death. The Gamma variants demonstrate greater lethality, while the Delta variants are associated with higher mortality rates.