3 ms·
They talk about a "cleavage site", meaning a 3D shape with the chemical properties necessary to cut something. And apparently, that ability to cut molecules sim
by fxtentacle 7y ago
They talk about a "cleavage site", meaning a 3D shape with the chemical properties necessary to cut something. And apparently, that ability to cut molecules similar to furin enables this virus to more efficiently enter cells, i.e. successfully infecting someone with a lower dose of live viruses.
Where this new shape came from, they do not know. But since viruses tend to mutate a lot and integrate RNA snippets floating around in their host's blood stream, it is likely that they picked it up from some other virus simultaneously infecting the same individual.
In short, the new nCoV seems to be so contagious because it merged in a new feature from a different virus species.
The implication is that by specifically blocking this thing that nCov has but older Cov do not have, one might be able to drastically reduce its contagiousness.
- fabian2k 7y agoThe cleavage site is the target that gets cleaved, not the part that does the cutting. So in this case the virus has a site that can be cleaved by certain enzymes like Furin.
- gazsp 7y agoIndeed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furin
- webdevatlurk 7y agoFrom the Wiki page for Furin > ...must be cleaved by furin or furin-like proteases to become fully functional. Anthrax toxin, pseudomonas exotoxin, and papillomaviruses must be processed by furin during their initial entry into host cells. From the sound of this: - the site on the virus gets cleaved - Furin enables the cleaving - Furin exists in hosts cells What I think I understand is, the cleaving makes it easier for the virus to reproduce inside the cell? edit: turns out I have no idea how to format things on HN
- rolph 7y agothe cleaving prepares the virus to be able to enter the cell
- scrozier 7y agoSmall elaboration: it didn’t “merge in” this feature, it independently evolved it (“convergent evolutionary pathway”), which implies it’s a particularly handy feature for this virus to have. (For the virus, not so much for us.)
- otherme123 7y agoThe analysis they present doesn't require the integration of foreign RNA. 2019nCov has a SPRR motif, where other viruses has similar motifs (SRRK, KNRR, TPRS...). It can be explained with mutations, and in fact they talk about convergent evolution.