COVID-19 demonstrates supernatural cunning by infiltrating cells.
A and B sat on the pipe
Researchers from Cambridge University, led by Peter Forster, traced the genetic history of the COVID-19 pandemic from December last year to March this year and came to the conclusion that three types of coronaviruses are now "walking" around the world - A, B and C, as this new Chinese infection was conventionally called.
Coronaevolution: from A-virus to B-virus, from it to C-virus.
Genetically analysis revealed oddities: the A-virus - the original one, which, according to the latest scientific data, jumped from Chinese bats to Chinese pangolins, and from them to Chinese, did not become the most widespread in China. For some reason, the B-virus was already there by Christmas.
The A virus has been found in two-thirds of Americans who have contracted COVID-19. They were mostly from the West Coast. At the same time, the B-virus was malignant in New York.
The B virus was found in three quarters of infected Europeans. Most likely, he came to the United States from there - from Europe. The C-virus, which "entered" from the side of Singapore, also "walks" there.
Promotional video:
A diagram of the evolution of the virus from one country to another.
From the results pointed out by the Daily Mail, citing a scientific publication in PNAS, the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 was simple: the A virus mutated into the B virus, and that into the C virus.
Migration of different strains of coronaviruses.
“The virus mutates to overcome the resistance of the immune system in different populations,” scientists say. In other words, he finds ways to bypass the “defenses” that differ from each other, which are present in the organisms of different groups of people. And sometimes overcomes them without encountering resistance. The cunning is amazing.
Hidden creatures
It is known that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus enters our cells through its "pins" - the so-called S-proteins of the very corona that gave it such a sonorous name. These proteins “stick” to the cell membrane by binding to its ACE2 protein. In theory, the immune system should recognize SARS-CoV-2 and destroy it by "setting" antibodies on the malicious virus so that they block its proteins - corona proteins. But he coated them with small carbohydrate molecules called glycans. In fact, he hid it from antibodies.
Scientists at the University of Southampton, having discovered the supernatural cunning of the virus, called it a wolf in sheep's clothing.
However, according to the Daily Mail, citing the results of a study published in the preprint library, there are gaps in the protective carbohydrate envelope of viral proteins. What can be used to create vaccines. And that leaves hope that antibodies will still distinguish wolves from sheep.
Watch the virus climb into the cell
The moment the coronavirus entered the cell was captured by Brazilian researchers from the local research institute Fiocruz. Images taken with an electron microscope, published by the Daily Mail
The coronavirus enters the cell membrane. - the first part of the infection process.
The virus gets to the cell nucleus - where the genetic material is stored.
The viral particles infected the cytoplasm of the cell. The infected cell itself will now produce viruses.
VLADIMIR LAGOVSKY
