New research suggests that the very spike protein that makes SARS-CoV-2 so infective may also make it more vulnerable to vaccines. The characteristic “crown” of spikes on the virus gives rise to its “coronavirus” name.
A common mutation in the D614G protein makes a flap open in the spike. This spike makes it easier for the virus to latch onto cells, but this same flap opens a pathway directly into the virus’ core. This makes it easier for antibodies, such as those in the vaccines presently undergoing testing, to infiltrate into the virus, and disable it.
Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, explains: “The original spike protein had a ‘D’ at this position, and it was replaced by a ‘G,’ Several papers had already described that this mutation makes the protein more functional and more efficient at getting into cells.”
This mutation, they found, makes the virus replicate 10 times faster and also makes it more infectious.
When hamsters were exposed to the mutated and unmutated coronavirus strains, the ones infected with the mutated strain were found to transmit the virus much faster than those infected with the unmutated strain. Neither strain seemed to make the hamsters sicker, suggesting that the mutation does not make the virus more lethal. Researchers caution that the animal test results may not hold true for humans, and that constant vigilance in observing and documenting mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 virus is necessary.
Source: Medical Xpress
