Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34685386›Full record

ArticleLife (Basel, Switzerland)2021

A Novel Real-Time RT-PCR-Based Methodology for the Preliminary Typing of SARS-CoV-2 Variants, Employing Non-Extendable LNA Oligonucleotides and Three Signature Mutations at the Spike Protein Receptor-Binding Domain.

Serafeim C Chaintoutis, Taxiarchis Chassalevris, Sofia Balaska, Evangelia Mouchtaropoulou, George Tsiolas, Ioannis Vlatakis, Areti Tychala, Dimitris Koutsioulis, Anagnostis Argiriou, Lemonia Skoura and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Life (Basel, Switzerland), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Virology Applications to the COVID-19 Pandemic.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Serafeim C ChaintoutisDiagnostic Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 11 S. Voutyra Str., 54627 Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID 0000-0003-1539-8237
Taxiarchis ChassalevrisDiagnostic Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 11 S. Voutyra Str., 54627 Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-3212-7458
Sofia BalaskaDepartment of Microbiology, AHEPA University Hospital, Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, S. Kyriakidi Str., 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Evangelia MouchtaropoulouInstitute of Applied Biosciences, Centre of Research and Technology Hellas, Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID 0000-0003-1913-1695
George TsiolasInstitute of Applied Biosciences, Centre of Research and Technology Hellas, Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID 0000-0003-4945-2422
Ioannis VlatakisEnzyQuest PC, Science and Technology Park of Crete, 100 N. Plastira Str., Vassilika Vouton, 70013 Heraklion, Greece.
Areti TychalaDepartment of Microbiology, AHEPA University Hospital, Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, S. Kyriakidi Str., 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Dimitris KoutsioulisEnzyQuest PC, Science and Technology Park of Crete, 100 N. Plastira Str., Vassilika Vouton, 70013 Heraklion, Greece.
Anagnostis ArgiriouInstitute of Applied Biosciences, Centre of Research and Technology Hellas, Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-9164-632X
Lemonia SkouraDepartment of Microbiology, AHEPA University Hospital, Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, S. Kyriakidi Str., 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Chrysostomos I DovasDiagnostic Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 11 S. Voutyra Str., 54627 Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID 0000-0003-2947-1765

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Mutations resulting in amino-acid substitutions of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) have been associated with enhanced transmissibility and immune escape of the respective variants, namely Alpha, Beta, Gamma or Delta. Rapid identification of the aforementioned variants of concern and their discrimination of other variants is thus of importance for public health interventions. For this reason, a one-step real-time RT-PCR assay employing four locked nucleic acid (LNA) modified TaqMan probes was developed, to target signature mutations associated with amino-acid substitutions at positions 478, 484 and 501 present in the receptor-binding motif (RBM) of the spike protein RBD. This region contains most contacting residues of SARS-CoV-2 that bind to ACE2. A novel strategy employing the use of non-extendable LNA oligonucleotide blockers that can reduce non-specific hybridization of probes increased the number of different mutated sites examined in a multiplex PCR. The combinatory analysis of the different fluorescence signals obtained enabled the preliminary differentiation of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. The assay is sensitive with a LOD of 263 copies/reaction for the Delta variant, 170 copies/reaction for the Beta variant, amplification efficiencies > 91% and a linear range of >5 log

Indexed as

LNA oligonucleotide blockersmutationreal-time RT-PCRreceptor-binding domainSARS-CoV-2spike proteintypingvariant of concern

Identifiers

PMID34685386
PMCPMC8540511

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.