Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41831199›Full record

ArticleVirus genes2026

APOBEC cellular enzymes as 'court jesters' in SARS-CoV-2 evolution.

Philippe Colson, Pierre Pontarotti, Jacques Fantini, Anthony Levasseur, Christian Devaux, Didier Raoult

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Virus genes, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

6 authors.

Philippe ColsonIHU Méditerranée Infection, 19-21 boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France. philippe.colson@univ-amu.fr.
Pierre PontarottiIHU Méditerranée Infection, 19-21 boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France.
Jacques FantiniINSERM UMR UA 16, Aix-Marseille Université, 27 boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France.
Anthony LevasseurIHU Méditerranée Infection, 19-21 boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France.
Christian DevauxIHU Méditerranée Infection, 19-21 boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France.
Didier RaoultAix-Marseille Univ., 27 boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France. didier.raoult@gmail.com.

Funding

Agence Nationale de la Recherche Méditerranée-Infection 10-IAHU-03
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Human cellular APOBEC enzymes were largely reported as involved in innate antiviral defenses. We previously highlighted that in SARS-CoV-2 genomes obtained in our center, nearly half of 'hyperfertile' or 'fertile' mutations while 23% of neutral/weakly deleterious mutations had APOBEC signatures. Here we determined that 29% of mutations we named 'lethal' as detected in quasispecies but not in consensus genomes have APOBEC signatures. Overall, these results do not suggest that human APOBEC acts as defense agents against SARS-CoV-2 but as 'Court Jesters', being neither friends nor foes but only enzymes whose activity can either favor or hamper viral fitness according to the Kimura theory of neutral evolution.

Indexed as

APOBEC DeaminasesEvolution, MolecularSARS-CoV-2COVID-19Genome, ViralHumansMutationQuasispeciesAPOBEC DeaminasesAPOBECEvolutionGenomeMutationQuasispeciesSARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID41831199

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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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.