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Quantification of hydrophobic interactions encoded by FP1 sequences of SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV by single-molecule force measurements

Researchers quantified hydrophobic interactions encoded by fusion peptide 1 sequences of SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV using single-molecule force measurements.

10 Mar 2022

SARS-CoV-2 spike protein characteristics responsible for viral evolution in human hosts

Researchers directly compared the pre-fusion spikes of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha and Beta variants with the original Wuhan strain and the D614G-only variant.

8 Mar 2022

Epistatic shifts rationalize mutational constraints of SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain

Researchers used deep mutational scans to measure the effect of each amino-acid mutation in the receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan-Hu-1, Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Eta variants.

1 Mar 2022

Impact of several ACE2 coding missense variants and their effect on ACE2 protein subcellular localization and trafficking

Researchers investigated the connecting link between viral genetic variability and clinical heterogeneity of COVID-19 by analyzing the effect of several missense mutations on the ACE2 receptor coding sequence.

18 Feb 2022

Prion-like domains in SARS-CoV-2 RBD and ACE2 play important functional roles in viral adhesion and entry

Scientists have recently detected and analyzed viral PrDs in the S protein of SARS-CoV-2, which are the novel regulators of virion assembly.

31 Jan 2022

The emergence and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and its VOCs

A review article discusses the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and the emergence of variants of concern.

5 Dec 2021

SARS-CoV-2 Delta spike increases viral virulence and inflammatory cytokine production

In a new study published on the bioRxiv* preprint server, scientists investigated several virological features of the Delta spike protein.

29 Nov 2021

Study explains how SARS-CoV-2 variants differ in binding to ACE2 receptor

The current study explored ACE2-RBD interactions with four VoCs including the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants.

29 Jul 2021

Researchers identify common epitopes across SARS-CoV-2 viral variants

While several COVID-19 vaccine candidates have been developed and deployed to arrest the spread of SARS-CoV-2, concern among scientists and public health authorities is mounting over the immunity escape potential of emerging viral variants. To address this problem, a group of scientists in Germany has undertaken research to identify molecular targets across viral variants to aid in the development of second and third-generation vaccines and novel therapeutics.

1 Jun 2021

New insights into how South African SARS-CoV-2 variant sacrifices tight binding for antibody evasion

The highly infectious SARS-CoV-2 variant that recently emerged in South Africa, known as B.1.351, has scientists wondering how existing COVID-19 vaccines and therapies can be improved to ensure strong protection.

29 Apr 2021

Cleavage site recognition by SARS-CoV-2 main protease as new antiviral drug target

Many research groups have and are investigating main protease inhibitors as antiviral drugs, and in a paper recently uploaded to the bioRxiv* preprint server, a team of researchers examine the crystal structure of the protein while bound to various viral substrate peptides (P1-4). In doing so, they reveal the way in which the bound peptide sequence can direct and modulate enzyme activity, providing new templates towards antiviral drug design.

26 Apr 2021

Can a single BNT162b2 vaccine dose confer protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants?

A team of researchers in Germany aimed to determine if the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine mRNA vaccine (also known as the BNT162b2 vaccine) induces robust antibody responses against emergent SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the United Kingdom (or B1.1.7) variant; the South African (or B.1.351) variant; and the Brazilian (or P.1) variant.

21 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-2 spike E484K mutation reduces antibody neutralization

Researchers at the Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, USA, showed that the SARS-CoV-2 spike E484K mutation reduces antibody neutralization.

12 Apr 2021

Glycans influence SARS-CoV-2 spike–ACE2 binding affinity, finds study

A study conducted at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA, and Concordia University, Canada, has explored the impact of different types of glycans on the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and human ACE2 receptor.

1 Apr 2021

Blocking folate metabolism could reduce SARS-CoV-2 viral replication in infected cells

The novel beta-coronavirus virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and coronaviruses, in general, alter the host's cellular metabolism to support massive production of ~30 kB viral genomes and subgenomic viral RNAs. However, how this is achieved is largely unknown.

21 Mar 2021

N501Y mutation in SARS-CoV-2 responsible for increased viral transmission

Researchers at the University of Texas, USA, have confirmed the specific mutation in the B.1.1.7 variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has allowed for it to be more transmissible than the ancestral strain. The N501Y substitution is one of 8 spike protein substitutions present in the UK variant and has also appeared convergently in the Brazil (P.1) and South Africa (B.1.351) variants.

11 Mar 2021

Researchers study prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 UK variant at University of Texas

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and Santa Fe Institute in the US used quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) data from a surveillance testing program on a large university campus to estimate how fast the new variant spreads. The team used the data to provide local situational information on the COVID-19 pandemic.

10 Mar 2021

Researchers explore how N501Y mutation in SARS-CoV-2 increases viral transmissibility

Researchers at Erasmus University Medical Center in The Netherlands have explored how and why new variants of SARS-CoV-2 have exhibited heightened infectivity.

24 Feb 2021

O-glycosylation of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in insect and human cell lines

The mapping of O-glycosites requires instruments that can support electron transfer dissociation (ETD) fragmentation. In a new study published on the bioRxiv preprint server, researchers report their results on whether O-glycosylation patterns affect immunogens for vaccine development.

18 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 N501Y mutation adversely affects cellular immune response

Among these is the B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 variant, with its characteristic N501Y mutation. A new preprint on the bioRxiv server reports the impact of this mutation on CD4 T cell responses, including antigen presentation on cells expressing Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class II molecules.

4 Feb 2021