Vascular damaging SARS-CoV-2 proteins identified
October 2021
Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
COVID patients have a very high incidence of vascular disease and blood clots, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke. In the present study, researchers succeeded in identifying proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that cause vascular damage. The researchers used viral RNA extracted from blood samples from patients. To analyze viral protein expression in human tissue, the researchers used an in vitro vascular endothelial model cultured from human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Five of the 29 SARS-CoV-2 proteins induced significant mechanical and functional damage to blood vessel cells. Furthermore, an increased tendency to clotting blood was observed. Using a newly developed computer-aided method, the researchers were able to predict the effect of the viral proteins on other tissue types based on the newly obtained data. The identification of endothelial-damaging proteins and the AI-based forecasts represent a promising basis for further biomedical research to investigate the exact enzyme-induced pathomechanisms of the coronavirus and to develop suitable drugs more quickly.
Effect of SARS-CoV-2 proteins on vascular permeability
Ben Meir Maoz
Added on: 08-08-2022
[1] https://elifesciences.org/articles/69314[2] https://www.bionity.com/en/news/1173412/researchers-have-succeeded-in-identifying-the-proteins-in-the-coronavirus-that-can-damage-blood-vessels.html
