Coronavirus structure reveals targets for vaccines and treatments Novel
In late 2019, the primary reports of an unknown respiratory infection—in some cases fatal—emerged from Wuhan, China. East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012. By early March 2020, the novel coronavirus—now named SARS-CoV-2—had infected quite 90,000 people worldwide and killed a minimum of 3,100. These spikes latch onto human cells, then undergo a structural change that permits the viral membrane to fuse with the cell wall .
The viral genes can then enter the host cell to be copied, producing more viruses. Recent work shows that, just like the virus that caused the 2002 SARS outbreak, SARS-CoV-2 spikes bind to receptors on the human cell surface called angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). To help support rapid research advances, the genome sequence of the new coronavirus was released to the general public by scientists in China. A collaborative team including scientists from Dr. Jason McLellan’s lab at the University of Texas at Austin and therefore the NIAID Vaccine research facility (VRC) isolated a bit of the genome predicted to encode for its spike protein supported sequences of related coronaviruses.
The team then used cultured cells
The team then used cultured cells to supply large quantities of the protein for analysis. The study was funded partially by NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Results were published on February 19, 2020, in Science. The researchers used a way called cryo-electron microscopy to require detailed pictures of the structure of the spike protein. This involves freezing virus particles and firing a stream of high-energy electrons through the sample to make tens of thousands of images.
These images are then combined to yield an in depth 3D view of the virus. The researchers found that the SARS-CoV-2 spike was 10 to twenty times more likely to bind ACE2 on human cells than the spike from the SARS virus from 2002. This may enable SARS-CoV-2 to spread more easily from person to person than the sooner virus.
This suggests that potential vaccine and antibody-based treatment strategies will got to be unique to the new virus. “We hope these findings will aid within the design of candidate vaccines and therefore the development of treatments for COVID-19,” says Dr. Barney Graham, VRC Deputy Director. The researchers are currently performing on vaccine candidates targeting the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. They also hope to use the spike protein to isolate antibodies from people that have recovered from infection by the new coronavirus. If produced in large quantities, such antibodies could potentially be wont to treat new infections before a vaccine is out there
The viral genes can then enter the host cell to be copied, producing more viruses. Recent work shows that, just like the virus that caused the 2002 SARS outbreak, SARS-CoV-2 spikes bind to receptors on the human cell surface called angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). To help support rapid research advances, the genome sequence of the new coronavirus was released to the general public by scientists in China. A collaborative team including scientists from Dr. Jason McLellan’s lab at the University of Texas at Austin and therefore the NIAID Vaccine research facility (VRC) isolated a bit of the genome predicted to encode for its spike protein supported sequences of related coronaviruses.
The team then used cultured cells
The team then used cultured cells to supply large quantities of the protein for analysis. The study was funded partially by NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Results were published on February 19, 2020, in Science. The researchers used a way called cryo-electron microscopy to require detailed pictures of the structure of the spike protein. This involves freezing virus particles and firing a stream of high-energy electrons through the sample to make tens of thousands of images.
These images are then combined to yield an in depth 3D view of the virus. The researchers found that the SARS-CoV-2 spike was 10 to twenty times more likely to bind ACE2 on human cells than the spike from the SARS virus from 2002. This may enable SARS-CoV-2 to spread more easily from person to person than the sooner virus.
This suggests that potential vaccine and antibody-based treatment strategies will got to be unique to the new virus. “We hope these findings will aid within the design of candidate vaccines and therefore the development of treatments for COVID-19,” says Dr. Barney Graham, VRC Deputy Director. The researchers are currently performing on vaccine candidates targeting the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. They also hope to use the spike protein to isolate antibodies from people that have recovered from infection by the new coronavirus. If produced in large quantities, such antibodies could potentially be wont to treat new infections before a vaccine is out there
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