Indian origin scientist leads team of researchers on way to anti-COVID drugs

Times Now Digital
Updated Jul 28, 2020 | 15:54 IST

A team of researchers led by Indian origin scientist has discovered a mechanism by which the novel coronavirus enters cells without experiencing immune system resistance.

Indian origin scientist leads team of researchers on way to anti-COVID drugs
Indian origin scientist leads team of researchers on way to anti-COVID drugs  |  Photo Credit: iStock Images

New Delhi: A team of scientists, including those of Indian origin, has resolved the structure of an enzyme called nsp16, which the novel coronavirus produces and then uses to fool the body’s cells, a significant discovery that may lead to the development of new antiviral drugs for COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The study done by the researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio reported that the coronavirus has a ‘camouflage’ that causes the host’s cells not to recognise it.

According to Yogesh Gupta, PhD, the study lead author from the Joe R and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine at University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, decoding the 3D structure of nsp16 paves the way for rational design of antiviral drugs for COVID-19 and other emerging coronavirus infections. The findings have been published in the journal Nature Communications.

In SARS coronaviruses, the non-structural protein 16 (nsp16), in conjunction with nsp10, methylates the 5′-end of virally encoded mRNAs to mimic cellular mRNAs, thus protecting the virus from host innate immune restriction, said the study authors. The scientists resolved the structure of nsp16, which the virus produces and then uses to modify its messenger RNA cap, reported SciTechDaily.

“It’s a camouflage,” Dr Gupta said. “Because of the modifications, which fool the cell, the resulting viral messenger RNA is now considered as part of the cell’s own code and not foreign.”

According to Dr Gupta, these drugs, new small molecules, can be designed to inhibit nsp16 from making the modifications. The host’s immune system would then pounce on the invading virus, recognizing it as a foreign body.

“Yogesh’s work discovered the 3D structure of a key enzyme of the COVID-19 virus required for its replication and found a pocket in it that can be targeted to inhibit that enzyme. This is a fundamental advance in our understanding of the virus,” added study co-author Robert Hromas, MD, professor and dean of the Long School of Medicine.

In addition to RNA cap and SAM pockets, the researchers discovered a distant ligand-binding site unique to SARS-CoV-2, which they said can alternatively be targeted for antiviral development.

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