» This coronavirus mutation has taken over the world. Scientists are trying to understand why. »

erinthebrave:

closet-keys:

“When the first coronavirus cases in Chicago appeared in January, they bore the same genetic signatures as a germ that emerged in China weeks before.But as Egon Ozer, an infectious-disease specialist at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, examined the genetic structure of virus samples from local patients, he noticed something different.

A change in the virus was appearing again and again. This mutation, associated with outbreaks in Europe and New York, eventually took over the city. By May, it was found in 95 percent of all the genomes Ozer sequenced.

[…]

Like all coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 has a series of characteristic spikes surrounding its core. These spikes are what allow the virus to attach to human cells. A mutation affecting the virus’s spike protein changed amino acid 614 from “D” (aspartic acid) to “G” (glycine). Research suggests that this small change — which affects three identical amino acid chains — might make the spike protein more effective, enhancing the virus’s infectiousness.

[…]

Solving the mystery of the D614G mutation won’t make much of a difference in the short term, Andersen said. “We were unable to deal with D,” he said. “If G transmits even better, we’re going to be unable to deal with that one.””

Biomedical nerd here

The REASON changing from aspartate to glycine makes it easier to transmit is because glycine is physically more flexible. It, and alanine, are the most flexible of amino acids. Which means it can “dock” or bind to more locations. This is bad news but not horrid news. Learning that covid can mutate in this way allows us to prepare for a worst case scenario. And allows us to create targeted drugs (for each mutation potentially) to bind to these mutate points.