Moscow,
12 Nov 2020.
/LIVE24/.
An international team of scientists has identified a hidden gene in SARS-CoV-2. According to the researchers, it is this part of the virus genome that may be responsible for the pandemic spread of the pathogen.
Experts named the discovered gene ORF3d. It elicits a powerful antibody response in infected patients. This suggests that this particle of the virus is able to encode a protein that is produced as a result of infection of healthy human cells. At the same time, immune T cells cannot recognize it, which is why the coronavirus receives certain advantages, which played a role in the spread of the infection.
In total, SARS-CoV-2 RNA contains about 15 genes – these are RNA regions in which the amino acid sequence for a particular protein is encoded. For each of these amino acids, there is a specific combination of three nucleotides, which are called triplets. Their sequence can encode a protein. Scientists call it an open reading frame (ORF).
In some cases, a situation may arise when a shift of one or two nucleotides provokes a new reading frame within the gene. It begins to encode a different amino acid sequence. However, overlapping ORFs are rare. Their main danger lies in the fact that they increase the number of proteins that viruses can synthesize.
At the same time, it is rather difficult to find such “hidden” genes, since in some cases, adjacent nucleotides can form a combination characteristic of such RNA combinations.
The researchers managed to find ORF3d because it encoded a peptide chain that was too long. This is not the case for random reading frames.
Earlier LIVE24 reported about the created 3D models coronavirus. This is the most accurate variation of the infection to date, depicted in volume. By developing such a model, scientists can create drugs against COVID-19.
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