Anticoagulant medicines may provide relief for the evolving COVID-19 variants.
In the ongoing battle against COVID-19, a new study offers a glimmer of hope. Researchers from various institutions, including the University of Queensland, Curtin University, Zucero Pharmaceuticals, QUT, and several universities in the UK, have identified a new binding site on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. This discovery could potentially lead to a new strategy for treating the virus and its emerging variants.
The study, titled "Evidence of a putative glycosaminoglycan binding site on the glycosylated SARS-CoV-2 spike protein N-terminal domain," was published in the Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal (DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.05.002).
The new binding site is located on the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the virus's spike protein, a region that frequently mutates in most SARS-CoV-2 variants. The researchers found that most variants have acquired a positively charged mutation in the spike protein, which could be targeted by negatively charged molecules like heparin and its mimetics.
The team, led by QUT PhD researcher Zachariah Schuurs, used both computational and experimental techniques to confirm the presence of this new binding site. They used the NCI Gadi and QUT Lyra supercomputers to model how heparan sulphate (HS) and its inhibitor, like heparin, would interact with the spike protein.
Collaborators from the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control in the UK and the Istituto di Ricerche Chimiche e Biochimiche "G. Ronzoni" in Italy conducted bioinformatics to support the computational studies. Laboratory experiments conducted by collaborators at the University of Liverpool and Keele University in the UK further confirmed the hypothesis.
The researchers suggest that heparan sulphate could form a bridge between the newly identified binding site and another site on the spike protein important in the virus's infection. Targeting the NTD site with molecules like heparin (or heparin mimetics) is a possible strategy to stop the virus from binding to cells and infecting them.
However, it's important to note that COVID-19 vaccines are still far from being widely accessible. Epidemiologists believe that persistent low-vaccine coverage in many countries will make it more likely for vaccine-resistant mutations to appear. Therefore, strategies like the one proposed in this study could provide an additional layer of protection until vaccines are more widely available.
This multi-national study represents a significant step forward in our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 and could lead to the development of new treatments for the virus and its variants. Further research is needed to confirm the effectiveness of this strategy in vivo and to explore the potential of heparin and its mimetics as therapeutic agents.
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