Protein News and Research

RSS

Proteins are complex molecules that are made up of amino acids. They can be found in every cell in the body, and carry out vital processes that keep human beings alive. Mutations in proteins can lead to a multitude of diseases, the most common being cancer.

Virus-specific cellular immunity may be essential for long-term protection against SARS-CoV-2

Researchers from China and the US recently synthesized select peptide pools of the structural and functional proteins of SARS-CoV-2, including spike (S), envelope (E), membrane (M), nucleocapsid (N), and protease (P) proteins as target antigens to assess COVID-19-specific immunity.

22 Feb 2021

WVU researchers set to identify SARS-CoV-2 variants, mitigate strain outbreaks

West Virginia University scientists knew it was coming. When health officials confirmed the first three cases of a COVID-19 variant in West Virginia late Friday (Feb. 19), they were not surprised.

22 Feb 2021

Seropositive individuals show similar antibody levels to a second mRNA vaccine dose

Seropositive individuals —people who received antibodies after COVID-19 infection — may be able to safely delay their second mRNA vaccine dose after all, according to the results of a new study.

22 Feb 2021

No evidence of SARS-CoV-2 fusing into the human genome

New data from researchers led by Majid Kazemian from Purdue University refutes claims from recent studies suggesting the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) could create a host-virus chimeric RNA. Their team found SARS-CoV-2 does not combine with the human genome.

22 Feb 2021

Study reveals mechanism for translation of maternally inherited mitochondrial genome

An international collaboration among researchers from Finland, Sweden, UK and the USA has captured ribosomes translating messenger RNA expressed from the maternally inherited mitochondrial genome.

22 Feb 2021

Researchers uncover 'hotspots' on the Spike protein that are critical for SARS-CoV-2 infection

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted considerable investigation into how the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein attaches to a human cell during the infection process, as this knowledge is useful in designing vaccines and therapeutics.

22 Feb 2021

Current monoclonal antibodies less potent against SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine and Biohaven Pharmaceuticals found that the REGN10933 and REGN10987 combination was 9.1-fold less potent on the B.1.351 variant, which emerged in South Africa, and 16.2-fold less potent on mink cluster 5.

22 Feb 2021

Novel vectors reduce the risks associated with ocular gene therapies

Strategies based on the use of gene therapy to mitigate the effects of mutations that cause blindness are undergoing rapid development.

22 Feb 2021

Viral protein delivery system could facilitate COVID-19 research

Researchers in the United States have successfully delivered a critical structural protein found in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to a human cell line and tracked its localization deep within the cells.

22 Feb 2021

An overview of spike protein antigen COVID-19 vaccine candidates

A new paper in the journal Reviews in Medical Virology provides a perspective on current vaccine development strategies and tools, which may allow the production of safe and effective vaccines.

22 Feb 2021

COVID-19 vaccine candidate shows potential against SARS-CoV-2 and potential future zoonotic coronaviruses

A new study sheds light on the threat posed by future zoonotic coronaviruses to make similar leaps across species barriers to infect human beings and cause other pandemics.

22 Feb 2021

Neanderthal gene can confer protection against severe COVID-19, finds study

A new study has detailed how some of the genes in the human genome inherited from Neanderthals appear to confer a protective effect against severe COVID-19.

22 Feb 2021

Researchers explain SARS-CoV-2's replication-transcription complex

The current pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is still spreading rapidly throughout the world. A new preprint on the bioRxiv* server describes the structure of an important viral non-structural protein NSP12-16 and its role in SARS-CoV-2 infection.

22 Feb 2021

Human monoclonal antibodies can act as a substitute for traditional antibiotics

In the course of a new and groundbreaking study, led by Dr, Natalia Freund and the doctoral candidate Avia Waston at the Sackler Medical Faculty, the research group succeeded in isolating monoclonal antibodies, which hindered the growth of tuberculosis germs in laboratory mice. The

22 Feb 2021

Superspreader events trigger emergence of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants in USA

A team of scientists from the USA and Germany has recently studied the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in a representative set of sequences from the USA collected between 2020 and 2021. The findings reveal that the viral genome has accumulated multiple mutations over time with only occasional loss of mutation. The main driving forces behind such genetic variations include widespread infection and superspreader events.

22 Feb 2021

Study profiles the nose to predict immune response during COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2 resides in mucous membranes, making it easy to detect viral load in the nasal cavities. An international group of researchers has characterized the immunological and diagnosis characteristics of patients who may have or are confirmed with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The team found a distinct nasal cytokine profile that could help identify patients at risk for high inflammatory responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

22 Feb 2021

Why can SARS-CoV-2 infection cause neurological and cardiovascular symptoms?

Researchers from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, USA, present results linking oxidative stress and the activation of a biochemical pathway associated with Alzheimer’s disease to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

22 Feb 2021

Some SARS-CoV-2 variants evade mRNA vaccine-induced humoral immune, says study

Understanding how variants escape vaccine-boosted immune function is necessary to neutralizing SARS-CoV-2. An international team of researchers from MIT and Harvard University in the USA analyzed Pfizer and Moderna vaccines' effectiveness in neutralizing spike proteins from 10 different strains of SARS-CoV-2.

22 Feb 2021

Could an intranasal adjuvant to vaccines boost immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants?

A research team from the University of Michigan Medical School, USA, developed a supplementary intranasal treatment to improve COVID-19 vaccine response and its effects on long-lasting immunity from other variants, such as the B.1.351 variant first found in South Africa.

22 Feb 2021

Study identifies immune profile of people with severe COVID-19

A team of researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center, USA, investigated how SARS-CoV-2 affects the immune system’s response during and after infection and contributes to the severity of COVID-19.

22 Feb 2021