Potential treatment approach to new COVID-19 variant
Researchers in the United States have demonstrated a potential new approach to treating infection with the new variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The team used all-atom molecular dynamics to explore the mechanisms underlying the increased infectivity and spread of the recently emerged B.1.1.7 lineage that has been designated a variant of concern by Public Health England.
The researchers showed that a mutation within B.1.1.7 increases the virus’s ability to bind to host cells through hydrophobic interactions with the host cell receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).
Now, an intriguing recent study appeared on the bioRxiv preprint server describes the use of in vitro evolution to elicit affinity maturation of the viral receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein to bind the host cell angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) with greater affinity.
Scientists decipher the structure of protein found in parasites that cause neglected tropical diseases
Brazilian researchers have managed to decipher the structure of a protein found in parasites that cause neglected tropical diseases, paving the way to the development of novel medications. Thanks to the discovery it will be possible to seek more potent molecules capable of destroying the pathogens directly, with fewer adverse side-effects for patients.
The study detailed the structural characteristics of the protein deoxyhypusine synthase (DHS), found in
Brugia malayi, one of the mosquito-borne parasites that cause elephantiasis, and in
Leishmania major, the protozoan that causes cutaneous leishmaniasis.
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is thought to have a zoonotic origin, perhaps originating in a bat coronavirus with an unknown intermediate host. It is not only very infectious but has been found to infect a wide range of mammals, including dogs, cats, ferrets, hamsters, and minks, besides non-human primates. This range may be still higher, claims a recent preprint that appeared in January 2021 on the bioRxiv server.