Mutation News and Research

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Host-virus interaction drives adaptive mutation in bat CoV related to SARS-CoVs

Virus and receptor diversity is shaped by the need to evolve advanced weaponry to facilitate virus entry and infection, on the one hand, and host resistance, on the other. A new paper published on the preprint server bioRxiv* shows how this mechanism operates in a bat coronavirus, which is related to the earlier SARS coronavirus.

17 May 2020

New algorithm could help investigate the genetic clues behind immunity

Scientists with UC San Diego's Jacobs School of Engineering and the Qualcomm Institute have developed a new gene prediction algorithm, called MINING-D, that could help researchers investigate the genetic clues behind the variation of symptoms shown in COVID-19 patients - information that is key to creating a versatile and effective vaccine.

15 May 2020

Activity of malaria-causing parasite is driven by the parasite's own inherent clocks

The activity of the parasite that causes malaria is driven by the parasite's own inherent clock, new research led by UT Southwestern scientists suggests. The findings, published this week in Science, could lead to new ways to fight this pervasive and deadly disease.

15 May 2020

New insights into SARS-CoV-2 viral diversity

The first comprehensive, large-scale analysis available on the preprint server bioRxiv attempted to identify specific genomic signatures of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strains within and across individual hosts – revealing recombination events, specific geographic profiles, as well as multi-strain and/or superinfections characteristic for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

14 May 2020

Rotavirus infection mainly affects children under 5 years of age

A research team from the University of Valencia has carried out a study of infection and immunity markers by detecting antibodies in the blood of 7 different genotypes of the rotavirus VP8 protein, the virus that causes infectious diarrhoea, and concludes that more frequent types mainly affect the child population.

14 May 2020

Researchers identify CoV Mac1 proteins as a potential SARS-CoV-2 drug target

A recent study by researchers at the University of Kansas and published on the preprint server bioRxiv* reveals that Mac1 protein implicated in the infection process of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has a strikingly similar structure and activity in all coronaviruses – suggesting that possible future treatments targeting this protein may exert broad antiviral activity.

13 May 2020

New study investigates the effect of asymptomatic COVID-19 transmission

COVID-19's rapid spread throughout the world has been fueled in part by the virus' ability to be transmitted by people who are not showing symptoms of infection.

13 May 2020

Fasting-mimicking diet plus vitamin C could be effective at treating some cancer types

Scientists from USC and the IFOM Cancer Institute in Milan have found that a fasting-mimicking diet could be more effective at treating some types of cancer when combined with vitamin C.

12 May 2020

Neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 via S protein

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in May 2020 reports on a method to block severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by destroying its main spike protein, which is responsible for attachment to the host cell membrane.

10 May 2020

Reproduction number and herd immunity in COVID-19

A new modeling study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in May 2020 hypothesizes that the asymptomatic cases in the ongoing pandemic in Japan may far outnumber the symptomatic infections by several orders of magnitude. This has implications for future predictions and public health policies.

10 May 2020

Texas A&M study offers hope for young children diagnosed with Menkes disease

A Texas A&M AgriLife Research team has good news for patients with copper-deficiency disorders, especially young children diagnosed with Menkes disease.

9 May 2020

Research reinforces the idea of embracing nonantibiotic approaches to treat bacterial infections

As interest in the application of plasma medicine -- the use of low-temperature plasma created by an electrical discharge to address medical problems -- continues to grow, so does the need for research advancements proving its capabilities and potential impacts on the health care industry.

9 May 2020

Foxg1 gene works like a molecular knob to control neocortical activity

It works like a very fine "molecular knob" able to modulate the electrical activity of the neurons of our cerebral cortex, crucial to the functioning of our brain.

8 May 2020

Researchers identify transcription factor that preserves the genomic integrity of germline

The germline is the cell lineage of an organism that passes on its genetic material to its progeny. Genetic damage to the germline can cause developmental defects and even death of that same progeny.

7 May 2020

The Role of Microphysiological Systems for Oncology and Stem Cell Research

In this interview, Dr. Nancy Allbritton from The Allbritton Lab talks to News-Medical and Life Sciences about the revolutionary technology and techniques for the application of new technologies for oncology and stem cell research.

From Pittcon 6 May 2020

Scientists gain new insight into the pathological mechanisms behind two neurodegenerative diseases

An international team led by Emory scientists has gained insight into the pathological mechanisms behind two devastating neurodegenerative diseases.

6 May 2020

SARS-CoV-2 genome shows mutation hotspots and type-specific distribution

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv reports on a large scale analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genomes and reveals a clonal geo-distribution and rich genetic variations.

5 May 2020

Human endemic coronavirus reinfection possible after recovery

The novel coronavirus started spreading in December 2019, and since then, it has rippled across the globe, affecting 187 countries and territories, and infecting more than 3.18 million people. However, the behavior and mechanism of the virus, including whether it provides adaptive immunity, is still unclear. There have been reports of reinfection out of South Korea and Japan

4 May 2020

ASU team identifies new, unique SARS-CoV-2 mutation

As the coronavirus pandemic has swept across the U.S., in addition to tracking the number of COVID daily cases, there is a worldwide scientific community engaged in tracking the SARS-CoV-2 virus itself.

4 May 2020

SARS-CoV-2 receptor ‘mimic' could prevent COVID-19

Researchers from Italy have developed an exciting new peptide drug that could potentially prevent the coronavirus from infecting people’s cells. The paper, published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in April 2020, describes a small molecule that can bind to and block the attachment site on the virus spike protein, preventing its entry into the host cell.

4 May 2020