Researchers determine how the SARS-CoV-2 virus hijacks and rapidly causes damage to human lung cells.

[2greys]

In a multi-group collaborative involving the National Emerging Infectious Disease Laboratories (NEIDL), the Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM), and the Center for Network Systems Biology (CNSB), scientists have reported the first map of the molecular responses of human lung cells to infection by SARS-CoV-2. By combining bioengineered human alveolar cells with sophisticated, highly precise mass spectrometry technology, BUSM researchers have identified host proteins and pathways in lung cells whose levels change upon infection by the SARS-CoV-2, providing insights into disease pathology and new therapeutic targets to block COVID-19.

They found a crucial type of protein modification called “phosphorylation” becomes aberrant in these infected lung cells. Phosphorylation of proteins play a major role in regulating protein function inside the cells of an organism and both protein abundance and protein phosphorylation are typically highly controlled processes in the case of normal/healthy cells. However, they discovered that SARS-CoV-2 throws the lung cells into disarray, causing abnormal changes in protein amounts and frequency of protein phosphorylation inside these cells. These abnormal changes help the virus to multiply eventually destroy the cells. The destruction of infected cells may result in widespread lung injury.

bumc.bu.edu/busm/2020/12/02...

Molecular Cell. The Research:

sciencedirect.com/science/a...

[Tugun]

Scary but at least in the end they commented that there are drugs already available that may combat this.

[Hometeam2016]

I don’t understand with the vaccine etc it’s scary but would you advise others to have it if they suffer with asthma/copd etc

[2greys in reply to Hometeam2016]

Yes I most certainly would.