Amino Acid News and Research

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Amino Acid is one of several molecules that join together to form proteins. There are 20 common amino acids found in proteins.

Two-drug combination approach could be effective against bone cancer

An innovative approach to treating bone tumors - starving cancer cells of the energy they need to grow - could one day provide an alternative to a commonly used chemotherapy drug without the risk of severe side effects, suggests a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

27 Jan 2021

Rapid transmission of N501Y variants may be due to favorable effects on host receptor binding

Now, in new research posted to the preprint server bioRxiv*, scientists use an experimental structure of the Spike RBD domain co-crystallized with part of the ACE2 receptor and several in silico methods to analyze the possible impacts of three amino acid replacements (Spike K417N, E484K, N501Y) concerning ACE2 binding.

27 Jan 2021

Mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain analyzed

Using more than 100,000 virus genome sequences uploaded in the GISAID database, researchers found around 9,000 mutations in the virus spike protein RBD.

26 Jan 2021

New approach to mapping viral mutations that escape antibodies used to treat COVID-19

A new approach to mapping viral mutations that "escape" leading clinical antibodies has revealed mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 virus that allow it to evade treatments, including a single amino-acid mutation that fully escapes Regeneron's antibody cocktail.

26 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 rapidly adapts to Vero E6 cell culture propagation

Researchers at the Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the US found that SARS-CoV-2 rapidly adapts to Vero E6 cell culture propagation and that this can be prevented by using cell lines with an active serine protease-mediated entry pathway.

26 Jan 2021

New UK SARS-CoV-2 variant circulating in US since November, says study

A new study by researchers at the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, showed that the new variant has circulated in the US since November.

26 Jan 2021

New drug screening platform identifies inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in the UK and the United States have developed a stem-cell-based screening platform for identifying compounds that inhibit infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the causative agent for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

25 Jan 2021

Novel neutralizing antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2 N-terminal domain discovered

A new study by US-based researchers shows the presence of protective antibodies that target the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the spike instead of the spike receptor-binding domain (RBD).

22 Jan 2021

How have new SARS-CoV-2 strains become more transmissible?

A new study discusses the effect of specific mutations on the sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2's spike protein to elastase, and on the intramolecular conformational changes.

22 Jan 2021

Researchers update automated computation tool for SARS-CoV-2 genome analysis

Researchers updated a previous version of an automated tool to include SARS-CoV-2 genome analysis. Genome analysis using the freely available software could help track the evolution of the virus and promptly identify variants that increase viral transmission or virulence.

22 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2’s nonstructural proteins dysregulate immune responses, study finds

Researchers provide an overview of SARS-CoV-2 and its life cycle pathways, addressing the functional changes in the viral proteins, providing important strategic clues to help that may help in the ongoing development of therapies against COVID-19.

22 Jan 2021

Mitochondrial mutation linked to elevated diabetes risk in Japanese men

A new study of Type 2 diabetes in Japanese populations has uncovered a previously uncharacterized genetic variant that puts male carriers at greater risk for the disease, as well as the mechanism by which it does so.

21 Jan 2021

New data on impact of spike mutations and B117 UK variant on neutralization by mAbs and sera

A recent paper by British and Dutch scientists, currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server, shows that the neutralizing activity of monoclonal antibodies can be dramatically reduced by mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein – unlike polyclonal antibodies generated after natural infection that remain active regardless of any introduced amino acid changes.

21 Jan 2021

Vegan diet has a broad effect on children's metabolism, study reveals

University of Helsinki researchers report a comprehensive pilot study on the metabolic effects of full vegan diet on young children.

21 Jan 2021

South African SARS-CoV-2 variant escapes antibody neutralization

Researchers in South Africa have conducted a study showing that the novel 501Y.V2 variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that has emerged in the country is able to escape the neutralizing antibodies that are elicited by previously circulating strains of the virus.

20 Jan 2021

Ethacrynic acid, a diuretic drug with potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity

A study published recently in the journal Viruses has identified a potent diuretic ethacrynic acid as an efficient inhibitor of the main protease of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This drug can be potentially repurposed to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

20 Jan 2021

Can metabolic biomarkers help clinicians stratify adverse outcome risk in COVID-19 patients?

A recent study describes the alterations in lipids and other parameters that define the state of dysfunctional metabolism in acute COVID-19 illness.

20 Jan 2021

Researchers develop new method for charting SARS-CoV-2 spike protein glycosylation

Researchers develop a novel, simple and affordable method for N-glycan fingerprinting based on enzymatic fluorescent glycan labeling and electrophoresis. This new method may help us understand important changes in glycosylation in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein – something which could inform future therapeutic research.

20 Jan 2021

Mapping antibody reactivity in COVID-19 patients by using multi-coronavirus protein microarray

In an exciting, state-of-the-art study currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server, US researchers created a multi-coronavirus protein microarray containing full-length proteins, peptide libraries, and overlapping protein fragments from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as well as four other human coronaviruses.

19 Jan 2021

Which SARS-CoV-2 mutations can potentially evade antibody recognition?

A team of US-based researchers has systematically identified SARS-CoV-2 mutations that could potentially evade neutralizing antibodies produced by the current vaccine candidates.

19 Jan 2021