AUTHOR=Bittar Cíntia , Possebon Fábio Sossai , Ullmann Leila Sabrina , Geraldini Dayla Bott , da Costa Vivaldo G. , de Almeida Luiz G. P. , da S. Sanches Paulo Ricardo , Nascimento-Júnior Nailton M. , Cilli Eduardo M. , Artico Banho Cecília , Campos Guilherme R. F. , Ferreira Helena Lage , Sacchetto Lívia , da Silva Gislaine C. D. , Parra Maisa C. P. , Moraes Marília M. , da Costa Paulo Inácio , Vasconcelos Ana Tereza R. , Spilki Fernando Rosado , Nogueira Maurício L. , Rahal Paula , Araujo Jr João Pessoa 

TITLE=The Emergence of the New P.4 Lineage of SARS-CoV-2 With Spike L452R Mutation in Brazil

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.745310

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2021.745310

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=The emergence of several SARS-CoV-2 lineages presenting adaptive mutations is a matter of concern worldwide due to their potential ability to increase transmission and/or evade the immune response. While performing epidemiological and genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in samples from Porto Ferreira – São Paulo – Brazil, we have identified sequences classified by pangolin as B.1.1.28 harboring Spike L452R mutation, in the RBD region. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these sequences grouped into a monophyletic branch, with others from Brazil, mainly from the state of São Paulo. The sequences present a set of 15 clade defining amino acid mutations, of which six are located in the Spike protein. It has been proposed to Pango for this to be considered a new lineage and it was designated P.4. In the city of Porto Ferreira, P.4 lineage has been increasing in frequency since it was first detected in March 2021, corresponding to 36.8 % of the samples sequenced in June, the second in prevalence after P.1. Also, it is circulating in 29 cities from the state of São Paulo, and it was recently detected in one sample from the state of Sergipe. Further studies are needed to understand whether P.4 should be considered a Variant of Concern (VOC).