Determining COVID19 variants using NCBI

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scienceincanada123
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Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2022 8:33 pm
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Determining COVID19 variants using NCBI

Post by scienceincanada123 »

I am a grade 10 student who is exploring this subject for the first time with little background knowledge. I am looking for the protein sequences of Covid-19. Despite watching the videos, and reading the information, I am having a hard time determining which samples are the Delta variants and, perhaps the Omicron variant. I think once I am able to identify how to tell the difference on the NCBI website, I will be able to continue with the research and analyzing portion of my project. Thank you in advance for any help.
Last edited by MadelineB on Tue Jan 18, 2022 4:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Make title reflect the student's question
koneill18
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Re: Determining COVID19 variants using NCBI

Post by koneill18 »

Hello!

Unless I'm mistaken, I don't think NCBI tells you which variant each isolate corresponds to. When scientists sequence the isolates and upload them to the database, I think they do that before they've figured out whether or not it's a new variant. Once the sequences are uploaded in public databases, other scientists can align the sequences to see how the virus is mutating over time in different parts of the world. For example, you can align an isolate from China with an isolate from Pakistan to see how the two strains differ. This helps scientists notice when the virus has mutated so they can identify new variants as they emerge. There might be a database somewhere else where you can see the exact protein sequences of the Omicron and Delta variants, but I'm not sure where that would be or if it's even public. I'm sorry I couldn't be more help in that regard!
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