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Dr. Flavinkins has a point that I can't falsify [see thread]. SARS-Cov-2 passaged through BALB/c mice induced adoption via a mutation: N501K. This same lineage appears in the UK with a stop codon at Q27 in OFR8 a protein designed to defeat MHC which may imply a murine adaptation. https://twitter.com/flavinkins/status/1340819342376620032
![Dr. Flavinkins has a point that I can't falsify [see thread]. SARS-Cov-2 passaged through BALB/c mice induced adoption via a mutation: N501K. This same lineage appears in the UK with a stop codon at Q27 in OFR8 a protein designed to defeat MHC which may imply a murine adaptation. https://twitter.com/flavinkins/status/1340819342376620032](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Epul7bbU8AEUGzi.png "Dr. Flavinkins has a point that I can't falsify [see thread]. SARS-Cov-2 passaged through BALB/c mice induced adoption via a mutation: N501K. This same lineage appears in the UK with a stop codon at Q27 in OFR8 a protein designed to defeat MHC which may imply a murine adaptation. https://twitter.com/flavinkins/status/1340819342376620032")
![Dr. Flavinkins has a point that I can't falsify [see thread]. SARS-Cov-2 passaged through BALB/c mice induced adoption via a mutation: N501K. This same lineage appears in the UK with a stop codon at Q27 in OFR8 a protein designed to defeat MHC which may imply a murine adaptation. https://twitter.com/flavinkins/status/1340819342376620032](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EpumPk9UUAUaRXM.png "Dr. Flavinkins has a point that I can't falsify [see thread]. SARS-Cov-2 passaged through BALB/c mice induced adoption via a mutation: N501K. This same lineage appears in the UK with a stop codon at Q27 in OFR8 a protein designed to defeat MHC which may imply a murine adaptation. https://twitter.com/flavinkins/status/1340819342376620032")
One good bit of news is the UK variant has a stop codon at Q27 in OFR8 that normally down regulates MHC. This stop codon therefore counters the 3 mutations that appear to make this strain more virulent & immuno-evasive. Should Q27's stop codon revert to wild type - bar the doors!
Commonly referred to as BALB/c SCID, these animals carry the severe combined immune deficiency mutation (SCID) on the BALB/c background. If the virus was passaged in a SCID mouse the virus wouldn't need OFR8 and a stop codon would not longer be harmful to its survival.
RESEARCH ARTICLE Science: Adaptation of SARS-CoV-2 in BALB/c mice for testing vaccine efficacy https://science.sciencemag.org/content/369/6511/1603
