ArticleJournal of virology2025
The furin cleavage site is required for pathogenesis, but not transmission, of SARS-CoV-2.
Article in Journal of virology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- The conserved QTQTX motif in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is dispensable for cleavage and lung cell entry of the emerging variant BA.3.2.Journal of virology · 2026Article
- A divergent betacoronavirus with a functional furin cleavage site in South American bats.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Loss-of-function mutation in Omicron variants reduces spike protein expression and attenuates SARS-CoV-2 infection.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Functional and structural basis of Omicron BA.3.2.1 spike.Cell reports · 2026Article
- Reverse genetics strategies for coronaviruses: platform construction and applications in vaccine development.Virus genes · 2026Review
- Antagonism of stress granules key for SARS-CoV-2 infection and pathogenesis.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
- Update of
Authors and funding
14 authors.
Funding
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 spike, key to viral entry, has two features that differentiate it from other sarbecoviruses: the presence of a furin cleavage site (FCS; PRRAR sequence) and an extended S1/S2 loop characterized by an upstream QTQTN amino acid motif. Our prior works show that shortening the S1/S2 loop by deleting either the FCS (ΔPRRA) or an upstream sequence (ΔQTQTN) ablates spike processing, alters host protease usage, and attenuates infection IMPORTANCE: The presence of the furin cleavage site (FCS) within the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 distinguishes it from other sarbecoviruses found in nature. While prior works have deleted the FCS, these mutant viruses also shortened the S1/S2 loop, which is known to be important for pathogenesis. This study defines the importance of the FCS in the context of the extended SARS-CoV-2 S1/S2 loop. The study finds that the FCS disruption mutant is attenuated
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.