Pandemic-scale phylogenomics reveals the SARS-CoV-2 recombination landscape

Yatish Turakhia (), Bryan Thornlow, Angie Hinrichs, Jakob McBroome, Nicolas Ayala, Cheng Ye, Kyle Smith, Nicola De Maio, David Haussler, Robert Lanfear and Russell Corbett-Detig ()
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Yatish Turakhia: University of California, Santa Cruz
Bryan Thornlow: University of California, Santa Cruz
Angie Hinrichs: University of California, Santa Cruz
Jakob McBroome: University of California, Santa Cruz
Nicolas Ayala: University of California, Santa Cruz
Cheng Ye: University of California, San Diego
Kyle Smith: University of California, San Diego
Nicola De Maio: Wellcome Genome Campus
David Haussler: University of California, Santa Cruz
Robert Lanfear: Australian National University
Russell Corbett-Detig: University of California, Santa Cruz

Nature, 2022, vol. 609, issue 7929, 994-997

Abstract: Abstract Accurate and timely detection of recombinant lineages is crucial for interpreting genetic variation, reconstructing epidemic spread, identifying selection and variants of interest, and accurately performing phylogenetic analyses1–4. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, genomic data generation has exceeded the capacities of existing analysis platforms, thereby crippling real-time analysis of viral evolution5. Here, we use a new phylogenomic method to search a nearly comprehensive SARS-CoV-2 phylogeny for recombinant lineages. In a 1.6 million sample tree from May 2021, we identify 589 recombination events, which indicate that around 2.7% of sequenced SARS-CoV-2 genomes have detectable recombinant ancestry. Recombination breakpoints are inferred to occur disproportionately in the 3' portion of the genome that contains the spike protein. Our results highlight the need for timely analyses of recombination for pinpointing the emergence of recombinant lineages with the potential to increase transmissibility or virulence of the virus. We anticipate that this approach will empower comprehensive real-time tracking of viral recombination during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and beyond.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05189-9

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