New Delhi, October 22 (IANS). Japanese researchers have discovered that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), which causes COVID-19, contains an enzyme that can work against the cell's innate defense mechanism against the virus.
Researchers at Kobe University said that this research may reveal why Covid-19 is more infectious than SARS and MERS viruses.
The team focused their study on the role of a molecular tag called “ISG15” in the Covid virus that prevents nucleocapsid proteins from binding to each other – a key process for the virus to assemble.
As university virologist Shoji Ikuo explained in a paper in the Journal of Virology, the enzyme can remove the tag from its nucleocapsid, thereby regaining its ability to assemble new enzymes.
“The results show that novel coronaviruses are adept at evading this aspect of the immune system and are therefore more infectious,” Shoji said.
The innate immune system limits the entry, replication, and attachment of viruses. It also detects infected cells and removes them.
Unlike the SARS and MERS viruses, Covid spread rapidly to almost all continents, including sparsely populated Antarctica. The Covid virus continues to mutate and infect with new forms. However, with mass vaccination its effect became limited.
The new findings could pave the way for the development of more effective drugs against COVID-19 and possibly similar future diseases.
“If we can inhibit the function of the viral enzyme that removes the ISG15 tag, we may be able to develop new antiviral drugs,” the researchers said. “Future therapeutic strategies may also include antiviral agents that directly interact with the nucleocapsid protein.” Or it can target a combination of the two.”
–IANS
MKS/KR
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