New SARS-CoV-2 lineage has spread across many Brazilian states
Researchers in Brazil have identified the emergence of a new lineage of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Brazil that has spread across multiple states in the country.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus is the agent responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that continues to pose a threat to global public health and the worldwide economy.
Marilda Siqueira from the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (Fiocruz) in Rio de Janeiro and colleagues say this new variant of interest (VOI) probably emerged in August 2020 and is already widely distributed in Brazil.
Designated as N.9, the variant emerged in the B.1.1.33 lineage and comprised 35% of all B.1.1.33 sequences detected between November 2020 and February 2021.
Chromatin-regulating enzyme found to be a key driver of common lung cancer
A chromatin-regulating enzyme has been shown by in-depth interdisciplinary investigations to be a key driver of a common type of lung cancer. Drugs that target the enzyme could improve treatment and survival rates for this particular cancer. Squamous cell carcinoma represents nearly one third of all lung cancers in humans, says KAUST structural biologist Lukasz Jaremko, who led the research along with colleagues at Stanford University and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, U.S. Our joint structural and dynamics investigations, including enzymatic activity studies, genetic analyses, and mouse model and human cell results, all point to the enzyme histone-lysine N-methyltransferase (NSD3) as a main driver of cancer, he says.
An interesting new study deals with the effects of the natural mutations in the spike antigen of the SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen that is responsible for the ongoing coronavirus disease pandemic.
A team of scientists from Brazil recently explored the abilities of the UK, South African, and Brazilian variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to evade host CD8+ T cell responses induced by natural infection or vaccination. The findings reveal reduced antigenic coverage for the P.2 Brazilian lineage, indicating its ability to evade SARS-CoV-2-induced T cell responses.
The SARS-CoV-2 pathogen successfully uses multiple immune evasion mechanisms to achieve infection within its host. An intriguing new study describes one such process, which may help develop drugs to counteract the virus more effectively.