SARS-CoV-2 S protein is cleaved by cellular furin protease at the site of polybasic insertion (PRRAR) located between S1 and S2 regions. SARS-CoV-2 lacking the polybasic insertion spontaneously emerges during infection in Vero E6 cells. This mutant virus shows relatively weak replication in the inoculated ferret, and remarkably reduction of ferret-ferret transmission is observed. Thus, it is demonstrated that the cleavage site of S protein plays an important role for viral transmission.
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