Jutting from the virus particle that causes COVID-19 are spike-shaped proteins, which are coated with sugar molecules called glycans that are key to the infection process. NIST scientists have improved our ability to determine the glycans’ types, quantities and positions on the spikes. The new method could help medical science repel COVID-19 and other viruses from Ebola to HIV.
Credit: N. Hanacek/NIST
To effectively repel an enemy invasion, it helps to have accurate intelligence about that enemy’s weaponry and attack plan. Medical scientists laboring to repel infectious viruses, such as those that cause COVID-19 and HIV, now have a better method for obtaining that intel because of research from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
The chief weapon many viruses use to latch onto and invade a victim’s cell is a spike-shaped protein jutting from the virus surface. Because the spike proteins play an essential role in the infection process, vaccines and treatment methods often target them, but these proteins are not easy marks.
One reason is that each spike protein is draped in a varied bunch of sugar molecules. These sugars help the virus particle both infect the cell and evade the immune system. Until now, our ability to determine the types of sugars at specific spots on the spike proteins has largely depended on educated guesswork.
The NIST team’s new method dramatically improves the ability to identify these sugar molecules accurately. In a paper published in the Journal of Proteome Research, the team details the types, quantities and positions of the sugars branching from the spike proteins on the SARS-CoV-2 viral particle, which causes COVID-19. While the results will assist scientists ..
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