Tools to Investigate SARS-CoV-2 Infection
GENTLE PEOPLE:
It has been over a year now since the covid-19 virus created an international pandemic of sickness and death. As of this date, Sunday, October 10, we continue to live in fear of the deadly virus but thanks to new and quickly developed and distributed vaccines, millions of us have survived the pandemic.
THE BIG QUESTION NOW IS, ARE WE FINALLY SAFE?
SADLY, THE ANSWER IS NO! THE VIRUS HAS MUTATED AND WE NEED TO CONTINUE DEVELOPING NEW AND BETTER METHODS TO BLOCK COVID AND OTHER DANGEROUS VIRUS FROM PROLIFERATING...
COVID-19 is caused by the coronavirus SARS CoV-2, previously called 2019-nCoV. It belongs to the Coronaviridae family and is broadly distributed in humans and other mammals. hCoV-229E, OC43, NL63 and HKU1 are some of the known coronaviruses that cause mild respiratory diseases unlike SAR-CoV and MERS that cause severe to fatal respiratory diseases [1].
Why is SARS-CoV-2 spreading faster than its two ancestors? Why is SARS-CoV-2 lethal? Recent publications have shown that there are differences in their genome structure and immunological response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. The key markers involved in these interactions include Spike protein (S), Nucleocapsid (N), ACE-2 receptor, FURIN protease in addition to the cytokines.
Spike Protein (S): SARS-CoV2 enters the cells through the Spike mediated interaction with the ECD domain of the ACE2 cell receptor. (A recombinant fusion protein (RBD of Spike protein and ECD of membrane protein) can be a great tool to investigate this interaction.
Learn more about the purified recombinant Spike Protein (S).
Transmembrane Serine Protease 2 (TMPRSS2): This is a serine protease that cleaves and activates the viral spike glycoproteins which facilitates virus-cell membrane fusions. A recent study showed that SARS-CoV-2 needs both ACE2 receptor and serine protease TMPRSS2 for protein priming to enter the cell.[2]
Tools for analyzing TMPRSS2
Nucleocapsid: The nucleocapsid phosphoprotein packages the viral genome into a helical ribonucelocapsid, thus playing a crucial role in viral self-assembly.
Tools for analyzing the Nucleocapsid
ACE-2 receptor: ACE-2 is the host cell receptor responsible for mediating infection by SARS-CoV-2.
Tools for analyzing ACE-2 protein
- Human Recombinant Protein Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE2)
- ACE-2 specific Mouse Monoclonal Antibody
- ACE-2 Human ORF clones
Find out more about the additional ACE-2 specific tools here
Furin: It is a protease present in many human organs that recognizes and activates a specific site on the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, thus facilitating a tighter binding to the ACE-2 receptor and might play a role in the higher infection rate [3].
How can you analyze Furin? Learn about the tools for analyzing Furin.
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