Scientists have discovered the vulnerability of the coronavirus

Scientists have discovered the vulnerability of three related coronaviruses – the cause of COVID-19, SARS, and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) – to which new drugs against these diseases can be targeted. This is the mechanism by which virus proteins bind to receptor proteins in healthy cells, writes the scientific journal Science.

“By studying these three coronaviruses, we can predict a drug that will be effective against both the current pandemic and the coronaviruses that may arise in the future,” said Pedro Beltrau, one of the authors of the article, an employee of the European Institute of Bioinformatics. , Reported Dariknews.

In their study, more than 200 scientists from 6 countries analyzed genetic, biochemical, virological, and other data about virus particles and the cells they infect. During the study, the researchers identified several key cellular processes that are common to all three coronaviruses.

In particular, scientists have paid attention to the human protein Tom70. It is usually involved in activating the immune system and in signaling that the virus has entered the body. The researchers’ data showed that the viral protein Orf9b binds to Tom70 and inhibits its activity. Orf9b is found in two coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, and SARS-CoV-1, which causes SARS.

Using cryoelectron microscopy, the researchers studied the structure of the Tom70 with very high resolution (up to 3 angstroms). As a result, they hypothesized how the viral protein inhibits Tom70 activity. However, these conclusions, according to the authors of the work, should be tested in experiments.

Another part of the study focused on the search for key proteins for the reproduction of coronavirus. Scientists have found 73 of these proteins, some of which have already appeared in previous studies of this type.

Based on the data, the researchers conducted a retrospective case history study of more than 740,000 American patients with coronavirus infection. Researchers are monitoring the extent to which a particular drug that acts on the proteins found affects the course of the coronavirus infection.

Severe cases of COVID-19 have been reported to be less common in patients taking the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug indomethacin than in those taking celecoxib. Compared with conventional antipsychotics (eg Haloperidol) with atypical antipsychotics, the former obtained better results: among patients taking the first group of drugs, the incidence of mechanical ventilation was two times lower than among those taking antipsychotics atypical. .

“Our work shows how the results of molecular analysis can be used in practice to treat coronavirus infection and other viral diseases,” concluded Beltrau.