Omicron variant added to our collection of SARS-CoV-2 records
Yet another variant of the notorious SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, called omicron, have been added to our records. It is available in Persephone at https://web.persephonesoft.com/?data=genomes/OL672836.1.
Using the “instant BLAST” feature (push that green button), it is easy to align the genomic sequences and reveal structural differences. You can compare the original Wuhan-1, delta and omicron accessions and see that the mutations in delta and omicron have nothing in common:
The 50 mutations collected by omicron are clearly visible. As expected for the “Variant of Concern”, majority of mutations pile up in the region around the spike protein gene. See what exactly was changed in the nucleotide and the corresponding protein sequences by zooming in deep enough:
