Initial reports claimed that both P.1 and P.2 were two separate and different descendants of the Brazilian lineage B.1.1.248. However, B.1.1.248 later lost its status as a distinct lineage and was reclassified to B.1.1.28. P.1 has also been called B.1.1.28.1, while P.2 has been B.1.1.28.2 or VUI-202101/01. Since only three sublevels are permitted in the
PANGO Lineage system of nomenclature, hence the designation of B.1.1.28.1 to P.1 and B.1.1.28.2 to P.2. Following its detection, genome data for four samples of the new variant were shared to
GISAID having been assigned the ID range: EPI_ISL_792680 to EPI_ISL_792683.
Mutations Variants of SARS-CoV-2 As well as having eight mutations (four of these
synonymous genetic mutations) in its
open reading frames (ORF1a and ORF1b) – one of which is a set of deletions – Gamma has 10 defining mutations in its
spike protein, including N501Y and E484K. It also has two mutations – one an insertion – in its
ORF8 gene and one in its
N gene.
Descendant and sublineages Coronavirus lineage B.1.1.28 has originated four known lineages classified as variant of interest (VOI) or variant of concern (VOC): lineages P.1, P.2,
P.3 and P.4. Lineage P.2 (B.1.1.28.2, Zeta variant), first detected in October 2020 in the
state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, only shares one mutation of concern with P.1, which is the E484K. The other P.2 mutations are without concern and rarely found for other variants. The five P.2-specific mutations are:
E484K in S-gene, A119S in N-gene, 5’UTR C100U, plus L3468V and synC11824U in ORF1ab-gene. Other mutations commonly found in P.2 are:
3’UTR C29754U, F120F (synC28253U) in ORF8, M234I in the N-gene, plus L3930F and synA12964G in ORF1ab. The remaining B.1.1.28 derivative virus is lineage P.4. Although researchers have not identified its precise origin, it was first sequenced in
Itirapina, Brazil, and was already circulating in various municipalities in the
state of São Paulo of the same country. It carries a mutation of concern in the spike protein called L452R which is also present in lineage B.1.617 (
Delta and
Kappa variants) detected in India, Epsilon variant (lineages B.1.427 and B.1.429) from
California, United States. The branch of this lineage is P.4.1 (VUI-NP13L)—suspected to have arisen in
Goiás, Brazil, around June–July 2020— also rapidly spread to the southeast of the country, where for example
Taquara had its first genome sequence, and to the northeast of the nation. It was detected internationally, with reported cases in Japan, Netherlands and England. The P.4.1 has V1176F and D614G mutations in spike protein. == Prevention ==