Emergence of a putative novel SARS-CoV-2 P.X lineage harboring N234P and E471Q spike protein mutations in Southern Brazil

Abstract Novel SARS-CoV-2 lineages are constantly reported worldwide, raising concerns about transmissibility, virulence, immune response and vaccine/antigenic escape. Variants of concern (VOCs), as B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), P.1 (Gamma) and B.1.617.2 (Delta), caused epidemic outbreaks due their higher potential of transmissibility when compared with earlier waves of SARS-CoV-2 in 2019. B.1.1.28 lineage has been evolving in Brazil since February 2020 and originated P.1 (VOC), P.2 (VOI) and other P.Xs proposed as new variants. This lineage harbors specific defining mutations including two non-synonymous substitutions in the Spike (S) protein (D614G and V1176F). In this study, employing variant calling analysis on FASTQ reads and phylogenetic inference, we report a potentially new SARS-CoV-2 P.X variant. Variant calling mutational profile was investigated and presented additionally non-synonymous mutations when compared to B.1.1.28, including N234P and E471Q in S protein. Further studies are required to understand the spread of P.X variant and its potential effects on transmissibility and immune escape.