The Enzyme that Makes SARS-CoV-2 a Star Player
Welcome, dear readers! Today, we’re diving into a fascinating article that might just make you appreciate the world of virology—and, if we’re honest, give you a bit of a fright too. I mean, if you thought social media was contagious, wait till you hear how SARS-CoV-2 has taken ‘viral’ to a whole new level! (And no, I don’t mean TikTok dances.)
Let’s Get to the Essentials
- This all boils down to the brilliant work of an enzyme that really knows how to ghost the ISG15 marker—essentially making it harder for our innate immune system to spot the virus and kick it to the curb.
- We’ve got three notorious troublemakers in the viral world: SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and the ever-so-popular SARS-CoV-2.
- And why is SARS-CoV-2 the life of the viral party? Because it neutralizes our immune response like a professional magician. Voilà! Gone!
Infectious Trio
As we skim the 21st century’s list of top viral hits, we find three emerging coronaviruses causing serious human respiratory diseases and deadly epidemics, according to Inserm. You’ve got SARS-CoV making its grand entrance in 2003, MERS-CoV strutting onto the scene in 2012, and of course, our headlining act, SARS-CoV-2, crashing the party in 2020.
Why Is SARS-CoV-2 So Popular?
Researchers from Kobe University took on the Herculean task of figuring out why SARS-CoV-2 is more contagious than its predecessors. Spoiler alert: it all comes down to an enzyme that evidently holds a PhD in evading our innate immune defense. Who knew enzymes were such sneaky little blighters?
Immune System Scuffle
Folks, our immune system is like a two-part defense mechanism—think of it as an internal security team that specializes in scrappy brawls with pathogens. Innate immunity is your first line of defense, while adaptive immunity is the long game, getting stronger with experience—much like me trying to make jokes land at a dinner party.
According to SHOJI Ikuo, one of the study’s authors, “The [SARS-CoV-2] is so infectious that we wondered what mechanisms the virus used to evade the innate immune system so effectively.” And folks, that’s not just a sum of a missed gym session; that’s a major viral tactical triumph!
The Immune Hijacking Enzyme
Our scientists did some heavy lifting and discovered a sneaky little molecular marker called ISG15. This marker is the innate immune system’s way of identifying viruses and actually putting up a fight. However, in a magnificent twist that even M. Night Shyamalan would envy, SARS-CoV-2 has an enzyme that can remove ISG15 from the game!
Let’s be real: while SARS and MERS have similar moves in the “let’s neutralize the ISG15” department, they’re like the kindergarten versions compared to SARS-CoV-2’s PhD-level expertise in evasion. No wonder it’s the most infectious of the three!
SHOJI Ikuo further elaborated, “These results suggest that the new coronavirus is simply more effective at evading this aspect of the innate immune system’s defense mechanism, which explains why it is so infectious.” And if that wasn’t enough, we could potentially develop new antiviral drugs by shutting down this sneaky enzyme. Imagine that—a viral villain that could lead to heroic actions in the medical world!
Conclusion
All of this showcases that while we’re making strides in understanding coronaviruses and their tricky tactics, there’s still a lot of work to do. And in case you were wondering, no, hiding behind your sofa won’t suffice against a virus that knows how to play peek-a-boo with the immune system!
So stay informed, stay safe, and remember: knowledge is power—even if it does come wrapped in a terrifying virus narrative.
THE ESSENTIAL
- This is due to the effectiveness of an enzyme which allows it to eliminate the ISG15 marker which allows the innate immune system to identify the virus and fight it.
- SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 are three coronaviruses causing deadly epidemics.
- Researchers have discovered why SARS-CoV-2 is more contagious than the other two: the virus neutralizes the innate immune response more effectively.
In the 21st century, three emerging coronaviruses are causing serious human respiratory diseases and deadly epidemics according to the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm): SARS-CoV in 2003, MERS-CoV in 2012 and SARS-CoV-2 in 2020.
SARS-CoV-2 more contagious
Researchers from Kobe Universityin Japan, wanted to understand why SARS-CoV-2 was more contagious than its predecessors. In their research, they discovered that SARS-CoV-2 has an enzyme capable of defeating the innate immune system response.
In humans, there are two types of defense mechanisms: innate immunity and adaptive immunity. The first is constituted, according to the Quebec Ministry of Healthan external line of defense (anything that prevents pathogens from entering the body) and an internal line of defense (cells and proteins that fight against the proliferation of infectious agents once they are in the organism). On the other hand, adaptive immunity strengthens little by little, with exposure to pathogens. This is what vaccination is based on.
“The [SARS-CoV-2] is so infectious that we wondered what mechanisms the virus used to evade the innate immune system so effectively”, indicates SHOJI Ikuo, one of the authors of the study, in a communiqué.
An enzyme that hijacks the immune system
In previous work, scientists discovered a molecular marker called ISG15 that allows the innate immune system to identify the virus and fight it. But, in this new study published in the journal Journal of Virologyresearchers discovered that SARS-CoV-2 had an enzyme that removed the ISG15 marker.
SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV also have an enzyme that eliminates the ISG15 marker, but this enzyme is much less effective than that of SARS-CoV-2. It is therefore for this reason, the effectiveness of the enzyme, that SARS-CoV-2 is more contagious.
“These results suggest that the new coronavirus is simply more effective at evading this aspect of the innate immune system’s defense mechanism, which explains why it is so infectious.souligne SHOJI Ikuo. We may be able to develop new antiviral drugs if we can inhibit the function of the enzyme”.
