The cell adhesion capacity of SARS-CoV-2 virus is 1,000 times stronger than SARS

Recent studies have shown that the new strain of corona virus, SARS-CoV-2, is able to attach to cells 1,000 times stronger than SARS.

The finding helps find out how SARS-CoV-2 spreads as well as the source and how to deal with this new strain.

According to Chinese researchers, when entering the human body, SARS virus seeks to bind to a protein called ACE2 on the cell membrane. SARS-CoV-2 carries 80% of the same SARS gene structure, so the way of penetration is similar.

Picture 1 of The cell adhesion capacity of SARS-CoV-2 virus is 1,000 times stronger than SARS
New research shows that SARS-CoV-2 is 1,000 times easier to attach to cells than SARS virus.(Photo: Flickr).

However, the ACE2 protein does not exist in large numbers in healthy individuals, which caused the SARS pandemic to spread only as far as 8,000 cases before it was controlled.

With highly contagious viruses like HIV and Ebola, they target an enzyme called furin. Furin acts as a protein activator in humans.

When analyzing the gene sequences of SARS-CoV-2, Professor Ruan Jishou from Nankai University (Tianjin, China) found that a mutant gene segment does not exist in SARS but resembles the search variants. seen in HIV and Ebola.

Mr. Ruan believes that this suggests that the mechanism of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is different from the SARS virus.

Specifically, mutant gene fragments create the split structure in the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. The virus then makes use of the protein's thorn to attach to the cells. However, since these proteins are in an inactive state, the split structure will attempt to trick the furin into activating the prickly protein, creating a connection between the virus and the cell membrane.

This way of binding is thought to be 100-1,000 times more effective than the way SARS enters the body.

Professor Li Hua and colleagues from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan concurred with Ruan's conclusion about the bizarre gene mutation on SARS-CoV-2.

According to Li, the variant could not find SARS, this MERS is the reason why SARS-CoV-2 is more infectious than other corona viruses.

Research by French scientist Etiene Decroly at the University of Aix-Marseille also showed a split structure in the protein on SARS-CoV-2 but not in other corona viruses.

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