Medical research

New findings on enzymes with important role in SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers at Uppsala University have described the presence, throughout the human body, of the enzyme ACE2. This is thought to be the key protein used by the SARS-CoV-2 virus for host cell entry and development of the disease ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Study suggests embryos could be susceptible to coronavirus

Genes that are thought to play a role in how the SARS-CoV-2 virus infects our cells have been found to be active in embryos as early as during the second week of pregnancy, say scientists at the University of Cambridge and ...

Immunology

The wrong track: How papillomaviruses trick the immune system

Specific antibodies protect us against viral infections—or do they? Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) studied the immune response to papillomaviruses in mice and discovered a hitherto unknown mechanism ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

COVID-19: Anti-viral strategy with double effect

When the SARS-CoV-2 virus penetrates human cells, it lets the human host cell produce proteins for it. One of these viral proteins, called PLpro, is essential for the replication and rapid spread of the virus. An international ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Cellular antiviral defenses

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is a quality control mechanism that regulates levels of both aberrant and wild-type cellular RNAs. It also contributes to antiviral immunity against select plant and human RNA viruses. However, ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Freeze-framing the shape-shifting SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

The rod-like spike proteins on the surface of SARS CoV-2 are the tip of the spear of the COVID-19 pandemic. The spikes bind to human cells via the ACE2 receptor and then dramatically change shape, jack-knifing to fuse the ...

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