Structural Protein News and Research

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Novel “multitope” vaccine shows promise in the fight against COVID-19

Researchers have demonstrated the potential of a protein-peptide vaccine to protect against infection with SARS-CoV-2, the agent that causes COVID-19.

3 Dec 2020

New insight into role of autophagy in controlling SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of researchers at the University of Manitoba in Canada said that nanoparticle targeting of autophagy at the sites could be a potent tool to effectively overcome COVID-19 while preventing the common adverse effects of the drug.

2 Dec 2020

Researchers develop synthetic defective SARS-CoV-2 genome that inhibits viral replication

A shorter genome comprising only a part of the SARS-CoV-2's RNA genome competes with the normal virus for growth and can potentially prevent viral replication.

26 Nov 2020

Specific SARS-CoV-2 genomic variations are associated with higher COVID-19 deaths

A team of scientists from South Korea and the United States has conducted an interesting study to investigate whether mutations in the genome of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can affect the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The study findings reveal that mutations in the viral spike protein and RNA polymerase complex can increase the risk of COVID-19 mortality.

25 Nov 2020

D614G mutation enhances stability of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

A new study, published on the preprint server bioRxiv in November 2020 by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science, has explored this issue further. The researchers have found that this mutation is associated with structural and energetic changes that cause this spike variant to become more available during infection, thus rendering the associated strain more infective.

4 Nov 2020

5-amino levulinic acid inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro

Researchers tested 5-amino levulinic acid in vitro in human-derived cells and found it prevents severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Because it is safe and ubiquitous in plants and animals, it could be a potential drug against SARS-CoV-2.

1 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 mutations dictate severity of COVID-19 disease

A recent study by researchers from Semmelweis University and Pazmany Peter Catholic University in Budapest, Hungary, published on the preprint server medRxiv in October 2020, shows the relationship of specific mutations on the disease's outcome.

22 Oct 2020

Scientists discover a novel antiviral strategy for treating COVID-19

A research team led by Professor Hongzhe SUN, Norman & Cecilia Yip Professor in Bioinorganic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, and Professor Kwok Yung YUEN, Henry Fok Professor in Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), has discovered a novel antiviral strategy for treatment of COVID-19.

16 Oct 2020

Suramin shows promise as COVID-19 treatment

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv reports the elucidation of the mechanism of inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 by a non-nucleotide inhibitor called suramin. This is the first such compound to be shown to have such activity and shows promise for use as a repurposed drug against COVID-19.

12 Oct 2020

Newly identified coronavirus epitopes induce robust antibody responses

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have conducted a study showing that infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-C0V-2) triggers robust immune responses to epitopes across the full viral proteome.

12 Oct 2020

Exciting findings on CD8 T cell response in recovered COVID patients

An international team of scientists has identified novel T cell-recognized epitopes spanning different proteins of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in COVID-19 recovered patients. The scientists have also revealed phenotypical characteristics of the T cell population.

11 Oct 2020

Using virus-like particles to study SARS-CoV-2 assembly, budding, and entry

In a recent preprint paper published on the bioRxiv server, researchers from the Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology, and Infectious Disease, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, discuss their efforts to assess the 4 SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins for their ability to produce VLPs from human cells to create a competent system for BSL-2 studies of SARS-CoV-2.

6 Oct 2020

Research underlines SARS-CoV-2 N-terminal domain of Nsp1 as a potential drug target

A recent study reveals how the non-structural protein 1 (NSP1) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) plays a crucial role in inhibiting the host cell protein synthesis but simultaneously facilitating the viral protein synthesis.

21 Sep 2020

New insights into human genetics

Who are we? Where did we come from? How did we get here? Throughout the ages, humans have sought answers to these questions, pursuing wisdom through religion, philosophy, and eventually science.

19 Sep 2020

SARS-CoV-2 with D614G mutation is prevalent in central India

A team of scientists at the Defence Research and Development Establishment, India, reveals that there are multiple viral introduction events in central India, and SARS-CoV-2 with D614G mutation is the prevalently circulating strain.

16 Sep 2020

Host gene editing main driving force of SARS-CoV-2 mutations

A new study published on the aRxiv preprint server in September 2020 shows that the host immune response, mediated by two RNA editors, causes the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to adapt and change strain characteristics.

9 Sep 2020

Potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 identified

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in August 2020 reports the discovery of two inhibitors of the helicase enzyme, which is essential for viral replication and the most highly conserved non-structural coronavirus (CoV) protein.

16 Aug 2020

Analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 proteome via visual tools

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in July 2020 shows how this can be advanced at a greater speed by combining experimental results with homology models obtained by high-throughput pipelines. This will help produce new hypotheses that will show novel druggable targets for effective drug development.

21 Jul 2020

Pioneering method reveals the dynamics of HIV Gag lattice structure

Viruses are scary. They invade our cells like invisible armies, and each type brings its own strategy of attack. While viruses devastate communities of humans and animals, scientists scramble to fight back.

16 Jul 2020

Blood cell damage in COVID-19 may compromise oxygen transport

Researchers in the U.S. have shown that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may alter key protein structures on red blood cells and compromise the transport and delivery of oxygen in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

1 Jul 2020