Delta & Alpha mutation on Covid Spike Protein

Molecular structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein trimer in a closed conformation. The mutations present in the Alpha (B.1.1.7 or UK) variant are highlighted in dark blue and the deletion in light blue. The mutations present in the Delta (B.1.617.2 or India) variant are highlighted in dark green and the deletion in light green. The Alpha and Delta variants both have mutation at proline 681 and this is highlighted in red. The Delta variant appeared in India in December 2020, modeling estimates that it is 50% more transmissible than Alpha variant. The model was built using ChimeraX from electron microscopy data in the Protein Data Bank (PDB ID 7BNM). https://www.rcsb.org/structure/7BNM & https://www.cgl.ucsf.edu/chimerax/ 'The effect of the D614G substitution on the structure of the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2.' Benton et al. (2021) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 118. PubMed: 33579792. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2022586118.