Early wake-ups, midnight chats and every means of communication dealt with the same thing, ‘COVID-19’. Yes, mankind is facing the deadliest challenge ever in the world. Nothing so far is detected to wipe out this strange virus from the surface of the earth. Research and studies have become so vital as this is meant to save the Homosapien kind. Virologists and biologists all over the world are trying harder day and night to unwind even the minute characteristics of this tiny monster,as corona spreads.
Studies so far made reveal that COVID-19 doesn’t belong directly to the category of the so-called ‘borne diseases’ which include air, water, food,insect-borne diseases and many more.It is merely a kind of viral infection caused by a little monster in coronavirus group.
The only thing that people were asked to do was to keep themselves sanitised and maintain social distancing. Why is it so?
Is it more important than medication? What if the chain remains linked? We may encounter a bundle of questions when the matter of this is discussed.
But have you ever thought of or just wondered why does the coronavirus spread so easily between people, unlike any other ailment? Corona spreads far and wide, each and every minute even at this moment of discussion.
Here we will discuss some of the scientific explanation.
Coronaviruses are a group of related viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. These mainly affect the respiratory tract, leading to chronic health problems and may even result in death when the stage appears more critical. We may be familiar with the common cold, SARS(Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), MERS(Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, also referred to as the Camel flu) caused by these viruses, the latter being lethal.
The Structural Specialty
Among all these hitherto, the recently discovered COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) appears to be more complicated both in symptoms and in the structural composition of the virus that cause it. This, in fact, is a major reason for its worldwide spread, causing about 100,000 people getting infected. Though we might have seen the round ball-shaped spiky images of the virus in media, taken under an electron microscope, its genetic and structural makeup studied until now may not be familiar to many.
Let’s deal with it a bit. This particular virus is peculiar in having a protein on its surface and special kind of receptor on its cell membrane. These usually offer a good facilitating mechanism for the virus to propagate very fast from one body to another. David Veksler, a Structural Virologist at the University of Washington in Seattle, posted his team’s findings of this virus protein on the biomedical preprint server bioRxiv on February 20. He says that “Understanding transmission of the virus is a key to its containment and future prevention.” This shall be hope to all research in progress, keenly waiting to find out the potential target for drugs to block the pathogen. This virus hence spreads much more readily than those responsible for the SARS and MERS, resulting in drastic conditions all over the World.
Presence of a spiky invader (a spike protein in general) eases the virus to bind the cell membrane. This process is activated by specific enzymes. Latest genomic analysis shows that unlike other coronaviruses, Covid-19 corona virus has a specific site on it which is activated by a host-cell enzyme called furin as it spreads. This need to be considered so significant as furin is a major enzyme present in lots of human tissues including lungs, liver, small intestine etc., indicating that the virus has the potential to attack multiple organs. This study was carried out by Li Hua, a structural biologist at Huazhong university of science and technology in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak originated. This could also explain why some symptoms like liver failure occurred in infected individuals.
Gary Whittaker, a virologist at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York says “Furin activation site sets the virus up very differently to SARS in terms of its entry into the cell, and possibly affects virus stability and hence transmission.”, as his team published another structural analysis of the coronavirus’ spike protein on bioRxiv on 18 February. These ‘activation sites’ have also been identified by several other research groups and is believed to enable the virus to spread efficiently between humans. One should also, note that even the influenza virus and other common viruses posses these activated sites but they occur on a protein called haemagglutinin and not in the spike protein.
The flu virus that caused the deadliest recorded pandemic, in 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, doesn’t have a furin activation site, says Lijun Rong, a virologist at the University of Illinois in Chicago, as other scientists compare the furin site of the flu virus to those on the new coronavirus.
Major Findings
Whittaker comments that ” Coronaviruses are unpredictable, and good hypotheses often turn out to be wrong.” He also opinions that studies in cell/animal models are essential to test the function of activation sites. His team is currently testing how modification or removal of these sites affect the spike protein’s function. In addition to these, Li’s team in China is also looking for molecules that could block furin, which is expected to be a possible therapy. But such a huge outbreak slows down the research progress. In Texas, McLellan’s group observed that the spike protein binds to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE 2) receptor at least ten times more tightly than that in the SARS virus. The same was supported bu Veesler’s team through their observations. This is appreciable to a great extent as ACE 2 receptor is another target for vaccines or therapies so that the drugs made can block these target areas and make it harder for the virus to enter.
All that we have tackled is just a part of the ongoing works proceeding successfully in many corners of the world. Every research analyses the previous one and formulates something more worthy. We shall, therefore, expect more from the hard work of various experimenters and analysts, trying hard to annihilate this catastrophe. As corona spreads,its high time to suggest a cure.
Let us too be a part of it and give our respect to them not in regards or greets, but through our reasonable act. Realise that it’s not just for us but for our kind.
– SREEBALA P S
Ref: https://nature.com
Read more on ‘Initial infection points for Covid-19 coronavirus Identified‘ to know more on this spread.
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