The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus causing the global pandemic has been revealed in fresh detail in a bid to learn more about its structure and he...
The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus causing the global pandemic has been revealed in fresh detail in a bid to learn more about its structure and help develop a vaccine.
A 3D model created at the University of Southampton unmasks the virus's disguise which it uses to hide from the human immune system.
It is the first model to show the protein spikes on the virus surface which are prime targets for antibodies and vaccine research.
Sugars on the surface allow it to sneak into the body undetected and behave 'like a wolf in sheep's clothing', the researchers say.
The researchers found that the novel coronavirus is not as heavily protected or disguised as some viruses, such as HIV.
The team, led by Professor Max Crispin, say the model will provide 'crucial and encouraging' information for scientists creating a vaccine.
Professor Crispin says Sars-CoV-2 has a large number of spikes sticking out of its surface which it uses to attach to and enter cells in the human body.
These spikes are coated in sugars, known as glycans, which disguise their viral proteins and help them evade the body's immune system.
The research has been published online on pre-print sire bioRxiv and not a journal yet as it has not been peer-reviewed, the process in which research is scrutinised by other academics.
Professor Crispin said: 'By coating themselves in sugars, viruses are like a wolf in sheep's clothing.
The researchers found that the novel coronavirus (pictured) is not as heavily protected or disguised as some viruses, such as HIV. The team, led by Professor Max Crispin, say the model will provide 'crucial and encouraging' information for scientists creating a vaccine
'But one of the key findings of our study is that despite how many sugars there are, this coronavirus is not as highly shielded as some other viruses.
'Viruses like HIV, which hang around in one host, have to evade the immune system constantly and they have a really dense coat of glycans as a shield to the immune system.
'But in the case of the coronavirus the lower shielding by sugars attached to it may reflect that it is a "hit and run" virus, moving from one person to the next.
'However, the lower glycan density means there are fewer obstacles for the immune system to neutralise the virus with antibodies. So this is a very encouraging message for vaccine development.'
The research was carried out using equipment previously provided by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through the Collaboration for AIDS Vaccine Discovery.
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