Oxford scientists reveal the secret of the increased infection of Corona variants and the speed of its spread

Researchers from the University of Oxford, British, have made a discovery that helps explain why virus variants cause the spread of corona so quickly, and according to a statement by the university on its official website, corona viruses were named by this name because of the protrusions on their surface that make them look like a crown, and the Latin word that means corona.

The virus uses these protrusions to attach to and enter cells, where they then multiply. All common variants of corona have mutations in part of the barbed proteins that bind to cells.

found a team Oxford Most but not all of the common spike mutations enhance their association with ACE2 , a protein found on the surface of our cells, moreover, it turns out that . variants ACE2 Naturally present in humans enhances the association between it and the virus, suggesting that individuals with variants ACE2 Common people can be more susceptible to infection with Corona.

Professor Anton van der Merwe at Oxford University said: “The purpose of our study was to measure the exact effect of mutations and an enzyme ACE2 It is a protein found on the surface of cells, this is important because it helps us understand why some variants of corona spread more quickly and should also help us predict whether individuals with mutations in ACE2 They will be more vulnerable to corona.

“Knowing the exact effect of spike mutations on enzyme binding helps us,” he added ACE2 To understand why corona variants spread more quickly. This may aid our response to these new variables and help us identify new and potentially dangerous variables before they become widespread..

Even as the world recovers from the pandemic, more infectious variants of the coronavirus have emerged. The alpha variant has quickly replaced all others in the UK and in other countries, while the delta variant, which has largely replaced it, continues to spread across the world. Beta and gamma variants also appeared in populations that had previously been infected with the original coronavirus.

This prompted scientists around the world to study these new variants to try to understand the properties that make them more contagious. ACE2 Common to increased correlation, this is not the case for all corona variants.

Professor Jeff Barton from the School of Life Sciences at Dundee said: “These findings are a great example of how collaboration between experts in computational biology working with leading experimentalists can lead to exciting new results..