Result: An F at residue S/18 is also observed in 10% of other known Sarbecoviruses and the
L18F mutation was the 28th most common in sampled SARS-CoV-2 genomes on June 4, 2021.
Result: In addition to the 29 convergent mutations that displayed frequency increases between March 15 and June 1, 2021, the meta-signature includes deletion mutations at
ORF1a/3675-3677, S/69-70, S/144, and S/241-243 (which, while displaying convergence between the different 501Y lineages, were not amenable to selection analyses) and the convergent signature substitutions
L18F,
K417N/K, and
N501Y (which were already at high frequencies in multiple 501Y lineages by March 15, 2021).
Result: S/18 falls within multiple different predicted CTL epitopes and the
L18F mutation is known to reduce viral