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<\/div>Scientists just found out a crucial part of what makes SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, so infectious: It’s capable of sneaking into our cells totally under the radar.<\/p>
It’s a devious biological trick. A team of scientists at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio discovered that the coronavirus contains a particular enzyme, nsp16, that it uses to fool our cells into thinking it’s supposed to be there.<\/p>
“It’s a camouflage,” lead author Yogesh Gupta said in a press release<\/a>.<\/p> The enzyme allows SARS-CoV-2 to modify part of the RNA molecules that make up its genetic code, according to research<\/a> published Friday in the journal Nature Communications<\/em> — a tweak that tricks the host cell into accepting the virus as part of itself rather than triggering an immune system response.<\/p> “Because of the modifications, which fool the cell, the resulting viral messenger RNA is now considered as part of the cell’s own code and not foreign,” Gupta said.<\/p> Thankfully, now that scientists have uncovered the virus’ trick, they may be able to develop antiviral medications<\/a> that block it from happening. That way, the virus would have a much harder time sneaking into our bodies without raising any alarms.<\/p> “This is a fundamental advance in our understanding of the virus,” study co-author Dr. Robert Hromas said in the release.<\/p> The post The Coronavirus Uses a “Camouflage” Enzyme to Merc Your Cells<\/a> appeared first on Futurism<\/a>.<\/p> Continue reading here: Scientists just found out a crucial part of what makes SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, so infectious: It\u2019s capable of sneaking into our cells totally under the radar. It\u2019s a\u00a0devious biological trick Continue reading
The Coronavirus Uses a “Camouflage” Enzyme to Merc Your Cells<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"