Genomic characterization and molecular evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil

The SARS-CoV-2 is the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic and is plaguing the world since the end of 2019. Different lineages have been discovered ever since and the Gamma lineage, which started the second wave of infections, was first described in Brazil, one of the most affected countries by pandemic. Describing the viral genome and how the virus behaves is essential to contain its propagation and to the development of medications and vaccines. Therefore, this study analyzed SARS-CoV-2 sequenced genomes from Esteio city in Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil. We also comparatively analyzed genomes of the two first years of the pandemic from Rio Grande do Sul state for understanding their genomic and evolutionary patterns. The phylogenomic analysis showed monophyletic groups for Alpha, Gamma, Delta and Omicron, as well as for other circulating lineages in the state. Molecular evolutionary analysis identified several sites under adaptive selection in membrane and nucleocapsid proteins which could be related to a prevalent stabilizing effect on membrane protein structure, as well as majoritarily destabilizing effects on C-terminal nucleocapsid domain.