In the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak over the past 3 years, there have been many cases of infection that have puzzled doctors and scientists. Because even if some people are infected with COVID-19 but not sick at all while some people are very sick So they try to find the answer that What is the difference between these 2 infections?
Recently, a team of researchers from Australia has found the answer. that some people are addicted to COVID-19 but not sick at all It’s because they have a “protein” type of island in the lungs. which has the ability to catch the COVID-19 virus and render it incompetent
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The work was led by Greg Neely, a functional genomics expert at the Charles Perkins Center at the University of Sydney, in collaboration with researcher Dr Lipin Loo and Matthew Waller. PhD student
They used cultured human cell membranes to study the entire human genome. To find proteins that can bind to the COVID-19 virus, they use a genetic engineering tool called Crispr that activates all the genes in the human genome.
The research team then looked at Which gene gives human cells the ability to bind COVID-19 spike proteins? until they found a new receptor protein called “LRRC15”
“We then studied the lungs of patients who died from COVID-19 or other diseases, Neely said. with severe symptoms had large amounts of LRRC15 in their lungs.”
The research team found that LRRC15 is absent in the human body. until COVID-19 will enter the body It appears to be part of the immune defense that protects humans from severe COVID-19 infections while triggering the body’s antiviral response.
Although LRRC15 was found in the lungs of patients who died from COVID-19 But researchers believe The patient’s body does not produce enough of this protein to prevent it. or produced too late
“When we look at the lungs of patients who have died from COVID-19, There will be a lot of this protein … but we can’t look at the lungs of patients who survived COVID-19 because lung biopsies are not easy to do in living people. But we initially speculated that this protein was present in COVID-19 survivors. more than those who died,” Neely said.
He cited a separate study in the UK that examined blood samples of COVID-19 patients for LRRC15 and found that people with severe COVID-19 had lower levels of the protein in their blood than those with COVID-19. 19 with mild symptoms
“This data suggests that higher LRRC15 levels will result in people infected with COVID-19. There are less severe symptoms,” Neely said.
He added, “The fact that There’s this unknown natural immune protein that sticks to our lungs. Block and control viruses It is very interesting.”
The team also found LRRC15 in fibroblasts, the cells that control lung fibrosis. It is a disease that causes lung tissue damage and scarring. COVID-19 can lead to pulmonary fibrosis. Therefore, these findings may have implications for COVID-19. in the long term too
“Now we can use this new protein to design drugs that act against COVID-19 virus infection. or even inhibiting pulmonary fibrosis,” Neely said.
Dr. Lipin Lu, one of the researchers, said, “LRRC15 acts similarly to ‘Gecko molecule’, it will stick to the spikes of the COVID-19 virus. and pull it out of the target cell.”
Prof Stuart Turville, a virologist from the Kirby Institute He said that while the findings may take years to translate into drugs that can prevent viruses and other diseases, the research adds to our understanding of innate immunity. This is a human response that can act as soon as the virus appears in the body.
“Understanding these pathways is important as it allows us to stop the virus. So other parts of our immune system can catch up and respond,” Terville said.
He added, “This could be one of many factors that may increase people’s ability to protect against viruses early.”
compiled from The Guardian
Image from AFP
