Raman Molecular Fingerprints of SARS‐CoV‐2 British Variant and the Concept of Raman Barcode. Issue 3 (7th December 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pezzotti, Giuseppe; Boschetto, Francesco; Ohgitani, Eriko; Fujita, Yuki; Shin‐Ya, Masaharu; Adachi, Tetsuya; Yamamoto, Toshiro; Kanamura, Narisato; Marin, Elia; Zhu, Wenliang; Nishimura, Ichiro; Mazda, Osam
• Is Part Of: Advanced science. Volume 9:Issue 3(2022)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2021-12-07
• Subjects: Raman -- barcode -- SARS‐CoV‐2 -- variants -- fingerprints; Science -- Periodicals; 505
• DOI: 10.1002/advs.202103287
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2198-3844

Abstract

Abstract: The multiple mutations of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) virus have created variants with structural differences in both their spike and nucleocapsid proteins. While the functional relevance of these mutations is under continuous scrutiny, current findings have documented their detrimental impact in terms of affinity with host receptors, antibody resistance, and diagnostic sensitivity. Raman spectra collected on two British variant sub‐types found in Japan (QK002 and QHN001) are compared with that of the original Japanese isolate (JPN/TY/WK‐521), and found bold vibrational differences. These included: i) fractions of sulfur‐containing amino acid rotamers, ii) hydrophobic interactions of tyrosine phenol ring, iii) apparent fractions of RNA purines and pyrimidines, and iv) protein secondary structures. Building upon molecular scale results and their statistical validations, the authors propose to represent virus variants with a barcode specially tailored on Raman spectrum. Raman spectroscopy enables fast identification of virus variants, while the Raman barcode facilitates electronic recordkeeping and translates molecular characteristics into information rapidly accessible by users. Abstract : Raman measurements clearly discriminate between SARS‐CoV‐2 variants and original isolate by resolving in times of tens of seconds conclusive differences in conformational isomerism of spike proteins. Key molecular information encrypted in the Raman spectrum is represented with a barcode locating the variant and decryptable into readable information through appropriate apps. The Raman barcode can support on‐site Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) virology diagnostics.