Authors
Ekaterina D Riumina, Evgeniia I Alekseeva, Galya V Klink, Stepan Feigin, Iaroslava Vinogradova, Natalia Ivanova, Dmitry Dianov, Ksenia Zornikova, Vassa Davydova, Apollinariya Bogolyubova, Georgii A Bazykin
Published in
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Volume 123. Issue 35. Pages e2619192123. Epub Aug 24, 2026.
Abstract
The role of escape from the cytotoxic T cell (CTL) response in Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) evolution remains controversial. Here, we study the origin and spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants whose mutations reduce presentation by the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I alleles common in human populations. We find that 35% of mutations that are characteristic of the variants of concern, and 39% of all subsequent viral mutations, facilitate escape of viral epitopes from presentation. Mutations allowing escape from more common HLA alleles reach higher frequencies, particularly in those countries where these HLA alleles are more frequent, indicating that escape is selected by the local genetic composition of the human host population. We also show that viral mutations that accumulated in general-population transmission chains matched population HLA class I allele frequencies as well as, or better than, mutations acquired during persistent infections, suggesting that selection in favor of escape mutations is not limited to immunocompromised individuals. Together, these data reveal CTL escape as a facet of selection, a driver of evolution, and an epidemiological concern for SARS-CoV-2.
PMID:
42636373
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 25 Aug 2026.
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