Post by Nadica (She/Her) on Aug 26, 2024 21:11:35 GMT
Spike mutations help SARS-CoV-2 infect the brain - Published Aug 23, 2024
‘This could help us understand neurological symptoms of COVID-19’
Key Points:
-Still unknown what causes neurological complications of COVID-19 including ‘long COVID,’ ‘brain fog’ and loss of taste and smell
-Viruses with a deletion in the spike protein are better able to infect the brains of mice
-‘These findings suggest there might be treatments that could work better to clear the virus from the brain’
CHICAGO --- Scientists have discovered a mutation in SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, that plays a key role in its ability to infect the central nervous system. The findings may help scientists understand its neurological symptoms and the mystery of “long COVID,” and they could one day even lead to specific treatments to protect and clear the virus from the brain.
The new collaborative study between scientists at Northwestern University and the University of Illinois-Chicago uncovered a series of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (the outer part of the virus that helps it penetrate cells) that enhanced the virus’ ability to infect the brains of mice.
“Looking at the genomes of viruses found in the brain compared to the lung, we found that viruses with a specific deletion in spike were much better at infecting the brains of these animals,” said co-corresponding author Judd Hultquist, assistant professor of medicine (infectious diseases) and microbiology-immunology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “This was completely unexpected, but very exciting.”
Study: www.nature.com/articles/s41564-024-01786-8
‘This could help us understand neurological symptoms of COVID-19’
Key Points:
-Still unknown what causes neurological complications of COVID-19 including ‘long COVID,’ ‘brain fog’ and loss of taste and smell
-Viruses with a deletion in the spike protein are better able to infect the brains of mice
-‘These findings suggest there might be treatments that could work better to clear the virus from the brain’
CHICAGO --- Scientists have discovered a mutation in SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, that plays a key role in its ability to infect the central nervous system. The findings may help scientists understand its neurological symptoms and the mystery of “long COVID,” and they could one day even lead to specific treatments to protect and clear the virus from the brain.
The new collaborative study between scientists at Northwestern University and the University of Illinois-Chicago uncovered a series of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (the outer part of the virus that helps it penetrate cells) that enhanced the virus’ ability to infect the brains of mice.
“Looking at the genomes of viruses found in the brain compared to the lung, we found that viruses with a specific deletion in spike were much better at infecting the brains of these animals,” said co-corresponding author Judd Hultquist, assistant professor of medicine (infectious diseases) and microbiology-immunology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “This was completely unexpected, but very exciting.”
Study: www.nature.com/articles/s41564-024-01786-8