How does the virus hijack and damage the alveoli?Posted by Ellen Burns on December 25th, 2020 How exactly does the coronavirus hijack and rapidly cause damage to human lung cells? By combining bioengineered human alveolar cells with high-precision mass spectrometry technology, researchers at Boston University School of Medicine have mapped the first molecular response of human lung cells infected with coronavirus, thus providing a pathological basis and new therapeutic targets for blocking coronavirus. The researchers examined alveolar cells within 1 hour to 24 hours after infection with coronavirus to understand the immediate (1, 3, and 6 hours after infection with new corona virus) changes that occur in pneumocytes and changes that occur after 24 hours of infection and then compared them with uninfected cells. All proteins from infected and uninfected alveolar cells (corresponding to different time points) were extracted and labeled with unique barcode tags for reliable quantification of protein and phosphorylation abundance in cells. The results indicate that lung cells infected with the coronavirus show dramatic changes in the abundance and phosphorylation events of thousands of proteins compared to normal uninfected lung cells. In addition, the coronavirus caused a large number of such changes as early as 1 h after infection and laid the foundation for complete hijacking of host lung cells. To determine the potential opportunities for coronavirus therapy, the researchers also analyzed the data and found that at least 18 existing clinically approved drugs, originally developed for other medical conditions, may prevent the proliferation of coronavirus in lung cells and are expected to be used for coronavirus therapy. About the Author Collected by Profacgen, a state-of-the-art protein service provider located in Long Island, NY, USA. We provide custom protein services in the biological sciences, enabling access to the latest tools, techniques, and expertise with competitive pricing and rapid turnaround time. We serve a broad spectrum of industrial and academic clients with a commitment to delivering high-quality data and customer services. Protein expression and purification is where we started our business. We have unparalleled capacity in delivering custom proteins for both research needs and industrial scale. Like it? Share it!More by this author |