Wednesday, September 27, 2023
SCIENMAG: Latest Science and Health News
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag - Latest science news from science magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home SCIENCE NEWS Infectious Emerging Diseases

Interaction identified between SARS-CoV-2 and unusual RNA structures in human cells

July 22, 2021
in Infectious Emerging Diseases
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Replication of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, depends on a series of interactions between viral proteins and different cellular partners such as nucleic acids (DNA or RNA). Characterizing these interactions is crucial to elucidate the process of viral replication and identify new drugs for treating COVID-19.

An interdisciplinary consortium of scientists from the Institut Pasteur, the Ecole Polytechnique, the Institut Curie, Inserm, the CNRS and the universities of Paris, Paris-Saclay, Bordeaux and Toulouse have demonstrated a specific interaction between a domain of a SARS-CoV-2 protein (Nsp3) and unusual DNA or RNA structures known as G-quadruplexes or G4s. “Using a broad range of experimental approaches, we characterized this interaction and revealed that this Nsp3 protein domain has a clear G4 propensity. We also showed that G4 ligands [chemical compounds that bind with G4s] prevent this interaction,” explains Marc Lavigne, a scientist in the Department of Virology at the Institut Pasteur and coordinator of the G4-Covid19 project. These results were recently published in Nucleic Acids Research.

Potential therapeutic application patented

Alongside this study, some G4 ligands were developed by the co-authors* of the article. In a cellular system reproducing SARS-CoV-2 infection, the Institut Pasteur (Marc Lavigne, Hélène Munier-Lehmann, Jeanne Chiavarelli and Björn Meyer) demonstrated that these ligands, which prevent interaction between the SARS-CoV-2 protein and the G4 structure, exhibit antiviral activity.

These results pave the way for the use of G4-binding molecules as potent antiviral compounds (European patent 20 306 606.3 and Institut Pasteur DI 2020-59) and confirm the choice to target host-virus interactions in antiviral strategies.

The project received financial support from the Institut Pasteur (via the exceptional COVID-19 program, funded in part by donations), the French National Research Agency (ANR-Flash-Covid) and own funding from the various laboratories involved. It also involved the participation of several of the Institut Pasteur’s technological platforms (PF-BMI, PF-3PR and PF-CCB).

###

Media Contact
Héloïse RAKOVSKY
presse@pasteur.fr

Related Journal Article

https://www.pasteur.fr/en/research-journal/news/covid-19-interaction-identified-between-sars-cov-2-and-unusual-rna-structures-human-cells
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkab571

Tags: BiologyCell BiologyInfectious/Emerging DiseasesMicrobiologyMolecular BiologyVirology
Share26Tweet16Share4ShareSendShare
  • Null results research now published by major behavioral medicine journal

    1052 shares
    Share 421 Tweet 263
  • New findings on hair loss in men

    78 shares
    Share 31 Tweet 20
  • A novel role discovered for vagus nerve

    65 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
  • Archaeologists discover world’s oldest wooden structure

    68 shares
    Share 27 Tweet 17
  • Grant awarded to University of Louisville law professor will fund climate adaptation project

    71 shares
    Share 28 Tweet 18
  • Unleashing the power of AI to track animal behavior

    64 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
ADVERTISEMENT

About us

We bring you the latest science news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Latest NEWS

Null results research now published by major behavioral medicine journal

New findings on hair loss in men

Archaeologists discover world’s oldest wooden structure

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 208 other subscribers

© 2023 Scienmag- Science Magazine: Latest Science News.

No Result
View All Result
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US

© 2023 Scienmag- Science Magazine: Latest Science News.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In