American scientists found a weak spot in coronavirus – Russian newspaper

Studying the structure of the new coronavirus, American scientists found its weak spot. This could be a breakthrough for antiviral drugs. Research results are published in the journal Nature.

How does the virus work, how does it infect the body? The mechanism is known. When infected, a protein spike on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus attaches to a receptor protein on the surface of human cells – in particular, lung cells. Something like this, the key enters the keyhole.

Studying the peculiarities of SARS-CoV-2 spikes and human cell receptors, scientists first discovered that only a few mutations made its spike more compact than the similar structure in the SARS virus, which caused an epidemic of SARS in 2002-2003. Such mutations have helped SARS-CoV-2 to attach to receptors more reliably, to infect human cells more efficiently and to spread faster.

Knowing the structure of the proteins of viruses, their features, allowing you to establish strong bonds with human cells, scientists expect to find ways to block the virus, prevent contact and spread the infection.

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