Scientists look at animals and find that will make some people more susceptible to COVID-19

What makes certain groups more susceptible to COVID-19? Researchers look to animals to find links to proteins involved in infections.

Researchers look to animals to find links to proteins involved in infections.

What makes the elderly and people with underlying conditions more susceptible COVID-19? In a new study led by researchers at McGill University, the proteins involved in initiating infections can be traced, as the virus hosts different animal cells. Large cellular oxidation with old age and illness, which is why the elderly and people with chronic illness feel more and more acute infections.

Kovid-19 has infected 60 million people and killed 1.5 million. The virus disrupts the economy and food supply chains around the world. Understanding why some animals become infected and others are not the key to unlocking new treatments and therapies. In a study published in Journal of Computational and Structural Biotechnology, The researchers analyzed the available protein sequences of the virus and the host cell receptors in various spices.

Analyzing the inhibition of protein and amino acid production, the researchers found that some things are common in animals susceptible to the virus. They have two cysteine ​​amino acids that form a special disulfide bond held together by a disaccharizing cellular atmosphere. This disulfide bond forms an anchor for the virus. Credit: Jaswinder Singh

“We know that the virus can infect humans, cats, dogs and ferrets, but not snails and swine. Also, COVID-19 is more serious in older people and younger and healthier people due to underlying conditions. So far the reasons for this were unclear, ”says Professor Jaswinder Singh of McGill.

The research was carried out by a multidisciplinary team of scientists led by Professor Singh. The team consists of Professor Rajinder Hindsa (McGill University), Professor Baljit Singh (University of Calgary) and Professor Vikram Mishra (University of Saskatchewan).

How Kovid-19 infects cells

Once inside the host cell, the virus hijacks the cell’s metabolic machinery to replicate and spread. The protein spikes of the virus attach to the protein receptor on the surface of the host cell called ACE2, infecting the membranes surrounding the cell and binding together with the virus. This process allows the virus to enter the cell and assists its protein-making machinery in making new copies of itself. Copies then infect other healthy cells.

In analyzing proteins and their amino Acid Building blocks, researchers found that some things are common in animals susceptible to the virus. Animals such as humans, cats and dogs have two cysteines

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In the case of animals resistant to the virus, like pigs and cows, one of these two cysteine ​​amino acids is missing, and a disulfide barrier cannot be formed. As a result, the virus cannot anchor on the cell.

According to researchers, preventing anchors from forming is the key to unlocking a new treatment for COVID-19. They suggest that a strategy could disrupt the oxidizing environment that keeps disulfide bonds intact. “Antioxidants can reduce the severity of COVID-19 by interfering with the entry of the virus into host cells and subsequently establishing further infection,” says Professor Singh.

In view of the next steps, the researchers say that the CRISPR technique can be used to edit protein sequences and verify their theory. Researchers are also looking for other proteins close to the ACE2 receptor that facilitate the entry of viruses to see if they behave this way.

Reference: Jaswinder Singh, Rajinder S. 20 November 2020 by Dhindsa, Vikram Mishra and Baljit Singh, “Presumably SARS-CoV2 Infectivity is modulated by Host Red X status. Journal of Computational and Structural Biotechnology.
DOI: 10.1016 / j.csbj.2020.11.016