Understanding an abundant, highly transmissible coronavirus mutation

News: D614G mutation of SARS- CoV-2 has been found more transmissible than most others.

Facts:

  • Mutation: A mutation is a change in the sequence of bases of DNA or RNA in a genome. All viruses mutate to adapt to the barriers that humans put up. RNA viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 mutate slowly as they require a host (human cell) to replicate.
  • ‘D614G’ Mutation: In this mutation, glycine (G) replaces aspartic acid (D) in the 614th position in the amino acid.