Scientists have discovered that COVID-19 has the ability to block cells from producing new proteins, this is due to nonstructural protein 1. This causes the blocking of cellular proteins, such as, immune molecules which leads to illness in the person infected by the virus. The research team at Yale was able to use advanced genetic screening techniques and cryogenic electron microscopy to show that NsP1 is one of the SARS-Cov-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, most pathogenic viral proteins. The lungs are one of the most affected organs in the human body when infected with COVID-19. These viral proteins alter the host gene expression in the lungs and prevents the ribosomes from reading genetic instructions for new proteins from the mRNA. SARS-Cov-2 is known to have a large single stranded RNA genome. Researchers looking for a cure for COVID-19 are looking into vaccines and drugs that target the proteins of the virus. Since the structure of the RNA is important to its function, looking for drugs that would specifically attack the structure of RNA would stop the virus from replicating.
I think this is a big finding in the COVID-19 pandemic. It should help with finding a solution to this virus.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201105134515.htm
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201105183759.htm
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