Martin, Darren PWeaver, StevenTegally, Houriiyah2021-11-152021-11-152021-09D.P Martin et al. (2021) . The emergence and ongoing convergent evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 N501Y lineages. Cell, 184(20), 5189–5200.e7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.09.003https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.09.003http://hdl.handle.net/10566/7011The independent emergence late in 2020 of the B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1 lineages of SARS-CoV-2 prompted renewed concerns about the evolutionary capacity of this virus to overcome public health interventions and rising population immunity. Here, by examining patterns of synonymous and non-synonymous mutations that have accumulated in SARS-CoV-2 genomes since the pandemic began, we find that the emergence of these three ‘‘501Y lineages’’ coincided with a major global shift in the selective forces acting on various SARS-CoV-2 genes. Following their emergence, the adaptive evolution of 501Y lineage viruses has involved repeated selectively favored convergent mutations at 35 genome sites, mutations we refer to as the 501Y meta-signature. The ongoing convergence of viruses in many other lineages on this meta-signature suggests that it includes multiple mutation combinations capable of promoting the persistence of diverse SARS-CoV-2 lineages in the face of mounting host immune recognition.enSARS-CoV-2N501Y lineagesVirusesPublic healthArticle