Covid today, last minute live | The mutation that gave rise to the original strain is very similar to the one that created ómicron

• Health X-ray of four months of the wave: almost 40% of the infections of the entire pandemic are concentrated in the sixth

New research on the

from the laboratory of Gary Whittaker, professor of virology in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Cornell University School of Veterinary Medicine (United States), has revealed key information about the sister variant of the

oldest

from

,

, which emerged in late 2020. Scientists observed a major

in a key region of the alpha spike protein, called the furin cleavage site.

Alpha

and

share the same mutation at

, and on a different genetic background this may explain why

spreads rapidly but seems to cause less severe disease.

update narration

07.00.

A study explains the differences between omicron and its 'older sister', the alpha variant

New research from the lab of Gary Whittaker, professor of virology in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Cornell University School of Veterinary Medicine, has revealed key information about

's oldest sister variant ,

, which emerged at the end of 2020.

The mutation that gave rise to

in the first place is very similar to the one that created

, but with very different results in terms of the severity of each, according to this research, which has been published in the journal iScience.

The scientists observed a major mutation in a key region of the alpha spike protein, called the furin cleavage site.

This site is thought to be where much of the virus' virulence comes from.

However, "it actually turned out to be relatively inconsequential," says Whittaker.

Although alpha had a notable mutation at the furin cleavage site, it had little effect on alpha's ability to infect cells and cause disease.

However, alpha and

share the same mutation at the furin cleavage site, and in a different genetic background this may explain why

spreads rapidly but appears to cause less severe disease.

has a lot of the same characteristics as alpha. "

So what we've learned about alpha helps us understand

and possible future variants," says Whittaker.

Although alpha went unnoticed in many countries, its arrival was important from a scientific point of view.

It was the first major mutation of the

virus , occurring at the furin cleavage site.

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