Lysosomes are the key to the new coronavirus "escape" cells
Science and Technology Daily (intern reporter Zhang Jiaxin) According to the latest news on the official website of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on October 28, researchers have discovered for the first time the biological pathway for the new coronavirus to exit cells, that is, the virus can pass from the infected cell Separated from the cells.
A better understanding of this approach may provide important research perspectives for preventing the spread of the new coronavirus.
Related research results were published in the October 28th issue of "Cell".
Previously, scientists have known that viruses enter and infect cells, using the cell's proteins to replicate themselves before escaping.
However, researchers have limited understanding of how the virus leaves the cell.
The research team of Dr. Altan Bonnett, director of the NIH Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Laboratory of Host Pathogen Dynamics, designed an experiment using microscope imaging and virus-specific markers involving human cells.
They found that the new coronavirus somehow targeted highly acidic lysosomes and gathered there.
This discovery raised the question for the research team: If the new coronavirus accumulates in the lysosome, and the lysosome is acidic, why is the new coronavirus still intact before it leaves?
A series of experiments have shown that when the new coronavirus infects cells, lysosomes will be deacidified, which will significantly weaken the activity of this destructive enzyme, thereby damaging the cell's immune mechanism.
Viruses use lysosomes to escape from cells, and at the same time replicate themselves before "extracting", causing more cells to be infected and affecting the normal function of lysosomes.
After understanding this mechanism, researchers may find a way to disrupt this pathway and prevent lysosomes from transporting the virus outside the cell; or re-acidify lysosomes to restore their normal functions when the new coronavirus infects cells .
At present, scientists have developed an experimental enzyme inhibitor that can effectively prevent the new coronavirus from exiting cells.
Altan Bonnett said: "We believe that this very basic cell biology discovery can help explain clinically observed abnormalities in the immune system of patients with new coronary pneumonia." At the same time, this discovery may help researchers develop New and more effective antiviral therapies, such as targeted therapies to combat new coronary pneumonia.