Study confirms that COVID-19 virus affects the structural proteins of human DNA

A recent study has found that the coronavirus interferes with DNA packaging, which prevents the human cell from providing the necessary immune genes.

It should be noted that infections are battles between viruses and the attacked cells, so they must be dealt with quickly to prevent viruses from spreading in the body.

However, over time viruses evolve in order to ensure their survival. Thus, the COVID-19 virus is no exception, and a chemical change in the structural proteins of DNA was discovered.

These were the conclusions of the team led by Erica Korb of the Department of Genetics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States.

These findings are based on the investigation of the ORF8 protein of the virus, as it contains a segment that corresponds to part of another histone H3 protein bound to DNA.

Upon entering the human body, it intercepts a chemical change that is supposed to be occurring in H3. If you miss the change, the DNA changes its structure so that important immune genes are no longer read.

What are histones?

They are protein complexes in which the DNA chain is wound and they play an important role in epigenetics, as they ensure that the long strand of genetic material is ordered in the cell and does not become entangled.

In addition, they determine which sections of the DNA can be read, and for a segment to be accessible, a specific group must be attached to H3, this is done by the KAT2A protein. This is where Korb’s team suspected the similarity of ORF8 and H3.

Therefore, when ORF8 appears in a cell, the concentration of KAT2A drops significantly. It is that the viral protein not only interferes with the chemical reaction, but also with the required protein being broken down.

The result is that the DNA is tightly packaged and important antiviral genes are transcribed less frequently. Thus reducing the defenses of any infected person.