PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Findings challenge standard understanding of COVID-19 infection

UC Riverside research can help scientists develop methods to prevent COVID-19 in mink and other species

Findings challenge standard understanding of COVID-19 infection
2023-11-29
(Press-News.org) RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Some viruses move between species. For example, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can spill over from humans to mink, an agricultural species, and then spill back from mink to humans. Spill back is a concern because SARS-CoV-2 can mutate in the mink and come back to humans in a more virulent form. Both spill over and spill back of SARS-CoV-2 have been reported on mink farms in the United States and Europe. 

To address these issues, a research team at the University of California, Riverside, has now studied zoonosis — the interspecies transmission of pathogens — in mink and found that TMPRSS2, an enzyme critical for viral fusion entry of SARS-CoV-2 in humans, is not functional in mink. 

“We found mink lung cells are infected by the ‘endocytosis pathway,’ not the TMPRSS2 fusion pathway commonly observed in human cells,” said doctoral student Ann Song, first author of the research paper that appears in Frontiers in Microbiology. “Our findings show that SARS-CoV-2 entry is not the same in all mammals and emphasize the need for thorough investigations into viral entry mechanisms across different species.” 

Song explained that viral fusion occurs when the membrane of the virus fuses with the plasma membrane of the host cell during infection. She said endocytosis is an essential process in which cells engulf external materials in small vesicles formed from their plasma membranes. SARS-CoV-2 can be taken up by host cells via endocytosis, she said.

“Our results show that the functional — or enzymatic — domain is missing in mink TMPRSS2,” she said. “We do not know why. We think the enzyme may have multiple functions. It can do something else in mink, but it does not play a role in SARS-CoV-2 fusion to host cells. As a result, targeting TMPRSS2 would not be helpful in preventing infection in mink. What is clear is that SARS-CoV-2 entry varies among different species and tissue types.”

Song said zoonosis is a public health concern as dangerous mutated forms of the virus could be introduced into the human population through spillback. During the pandemic, hundreds of papers were published on COVID-19 in humans. Now that COVID-19 in humans is under better control, scientific attention is turning to zoonosis.

Lead author Prue Talbot, a professor of the graduate division in the Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology in whose lab Song works, said researchers should not underestimate the possibility of spillover and spillback of SARS-CoV-2 in other mammalian species. 

“Deadly mutants can emerge from spillover/spillback events,” Talbot said. “As another example, many herds of deer, which are hunted by humans, are infected with SARS-CoV-2 and are thus potential sources of spillback.”

Talbot and Song were joined in the research by postdoctoral researcher Rattapol Phandthong. Next, the research team will work on the infectability of human embryos in pregnant women who have COVID-19.

To achieve their results, the researchers conducted their experiments using lung epithelial cells from mink.

The research was supported by the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program of the University of California, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and UCR.

The title of the paper is “Endocytosis inhibitors block SARS-CoV-2 pseudoparticle infection of mink lung epithelium.”

The University of California, Riverside is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California's diverse culture, UCR's enrollment is more than 26,000 students. The campus opened a medical school in 2013 and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Center. The campus has an annual impact of more than $2.7 billion on the U.S. economy. To learn more, visit www.ucr.edu.

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Findings challenge standard understanding of COVID-19 infection

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Building the digital replica of our seas: an open call for crucial biodiversity data to restore ocean ecosystems

Building the digital replica of our seas: an open call for crucial biodiversity data to restore ocean ecosystems
2023-11-29
The Horizon Europe DTO-BioFlow project (https://dto-bioflow.eu) has launched an Open Call offering up to 60,000€ for institutions that manage marine biodiversity data, to invite them to contribute to the European Digital Twin of the Ocean (EU DTO) by making these data available to the public domain through EMODnet Biology, the portal that provides open and free access to interoperable data and data products on temporal and spatial distribution of marine species (angiosperms, benthos, birds, fish, macroalgae, mammals, reptiles, phyto- and zooplankton) from European regional seas. Published officially on Tuesday, October 31st, this single-stage call is open to a wide ...

New research sheds light on Bantu-speaking populations' expansion in Africa

New research sheds light on Bantu-speaking populations expansion in Africa
2023-11-29
About 350 million people across Africa speak one or more of the 500 Bantu languages. New genetic analysis of modern and ancient individuals suggests that these populations probably originated in western Africa and then moved south and east in several waves. The study has been published in the scientific journal Nature. The expansion of people speaking Bantu languages is considered one of the most dramatic demographic events in Late Holocene Africa, which began 6,000 to 4,000 years ago in western Africa. This new study generated and analysed a comprehensive dataset, including genomic data of modern-day populations from 1,763 participants ...

Popularity matters more than compatibility on dating apps

2023-11-29
A new study has found that algorithms used by online dating platforms have popularity bias - meaning that they recommend more popular, attractive users over less popular, less attractive users. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Washington published their findings in Manufacturing & Service Operations Management. They evaluated data from over 240,000 users of a major online dating platform in Asia over three months. They found that a user's chance of being recommended by the platform's algorithm ...

Markey Cancer Center research highlights need for education to combat cancer in Appalachia

Markey Cancer Center research highlights need for education to combat cancer in Appalachia
2023-11-29
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 29, 2023) — University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center research underscores the need for interventions to increase educational attainment and knowledge of cancer in Appalachian Kentucky.   Kentucky has the highest rate of cancer incidence and mortality in the country, with the Eastern Appalachian region bearing the highest burden due to health, socioeconomic and education disparities including decreased education attainment levels that cause lower health ...

Contraception: hormonal and copper coil only show minor differences

2023-11-29
In the “ThemenCheck Medizin” procedure offered by the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG), interested members of the public can submit proposals for the assessment of medical procedures and technologies. On behalf of IQWiG, an interdisciplinary team of researchers led by Share to Care GmbH in Cologne investigated the advantages and disadvantages of two types of contraceptive coils (also known as intrauterine devices, IUDs) for preventing unwanted pregnancies, the copper IUD and the hormonal IUD. Their conclusion: both types of IUDs are very safe and, compared to condoms or the pill, cost-effective contraceptive ...

The chip that makes calculations with light

The chip that makes calculations with light
2023-11-29
Optical wireless may no longer have any obstacles. A study by Politecnico di Milano, conducted together with Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa, the University of Glasgow and Stanford University, and published in the prestigious journal Nature Photonics, has made it possible to create photonic chips that mathematically calculate the optimal shape of light to best pass through any environment, even one that is unknown or changing over time.   The problem is well known: light is sensitive to any form of obstacle, even very small ones. Think, for example, of how we see objects when looking through a frosted window ...

Severe weather disproportionately impacts Oklahoma’s native communities, study shows

2023-11-29
As the climate, demographics and land usage continue to change, tribal communities in Oklahoma are increasingly at risk of severe weather. A recent study led by Yang Hong with the University of Oklahoma examines these changes and the risks they pose. “Indigenous communities are grappling with an imminent climate crisis compounded by systemic injustices. Recognizing their unique connections to their homelands as sovereign peoples is crucial in addressing these pressing issues,” Hong said. Hong is the corresponding author of the paper, “Future ...

JMIR Publications announces a partnership with leading career center provider Naylor Association Solutions to power a brand-new online career development hub for digital health professionals

2023-11-29
We are thrilled to announce the official launch of the JMIR Career Center on the JMIR Publications website. This pioneering platform is set to revolutionize the way healthcare professionals access career development resources and opportunities within the digital health field. The JMIR Career Center, in collaboration with Naylor Association Solutions, aims to bridge the gap between digital health professionals and their career advancement. As the digital health sector continues to evolve, so too does the demand for skilled and motivated professionals. By providing a dedicated hub for digital health career resources, job ...

Fighting fruit flies help researchers understand why we stay angry

Fighting fruit flies help researchers understand why we stay angry
2023-11-29
It’s one of those days. On the drive home from work, the car in the next lane cuts you off. You slam on the brakes, lay on the horn, and yell choice words at the offending driver. When you walk into your house half an hour later, you’re still angry, and snap at your partner when they ask about your day. Fruit flies may not have to worry about the lingering effects of road rage, but they also experience states of persistent aggression. In the case of female fruit flies, this behavior is a survival mechanism, causing the flies to headbutt, shove, and fence other female fruit flies to guard prime egg-laying territory on a ...

Surgeon supply by county-level rurality and social vulnerability

2023-11-29
About The Study: Between 2010 and 2020, surgeon supply per 100,000 population decreased in rural counties and increased in urban counties, and decreased in socially vulnerable counties and remained unchanged in other counties. Thus, over the past decade, disparities in surgeon supply between rural and urban counties and between socially vulnerable and other counties have widened in the U.S. The largest widening was observed among general surgeons.  Authors: Vishal R. Patel, B.S., of the Dell Medical School in Austin, Texas, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2023.5632) Editor’s ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

What’s behind the enormous increase in early-onset gastrointestinal cancers?

Pharmacogenomics expert advances precision medicine for bipolar disorder

Brazilian researcher explores centenarian stem cells for aging insights

Dr. Xuyu Qian's breakthrough analysis of 18 million brain cells advances understanding of human brain development

Gene networks decode human brain architecture from health to glioma

How artificial light at night damages brain health and metabolism

For ultrasound, ultra-strength not always a good thing

Matching your workouts to your personality could make exercising more enjoyable and give you better results

Study shows people perceive biodiversity

Personality type can predict which forms of exercise people enjoy

People can accurately judge biodiversity through sight and sound

People diagnosed with dementia are living longer, global study shows

When domesticated rabbits go feral, new morphologies emerge

Rain events could cause major failure of Waikīkī storm drainage by 2050

Breakthrough in upconversion luminescence research: Uncovering the energy back transfer mechanism

Hidden role of 'cell protector' opens cancer treatment possibilities

How plants build the microbiome they need to survive in a tough environment

Depression due to politics and its quiet danger to democracy addressed in new book 'The Sad Citizen'

International experts and patients unite to help ensure all patients are fully informed before consenting to new surgical procedures

Melting glaciers could trigger more explosive eruptions globally, finds research

Nearly half of U.S. grandchildren live within 10 miles of a grandparent

Study demonstrates low-cost method to remove CO₂ from air using cold temperatures, common materials

Masonic Medical Research Institute (MMRI) welcomes 13 students to prestigious Summer Fellowship program

Mass timber could elevate hospital construction

A nuanced model of soil moisture illuminates plant behavior and climate patterns

$2.6 million NIH grant backs search for genetic cure in deadly heart disease

Pennsylvania’s medical cannabis program changed drastically when anxiety was added as a qualifying condition

1 in 5 overweight adults could be reclassified with obesity according to new framework

Findings of study on how illegally manufactured fentanyl enters U.S. contradict common assumptions, undermining efforts to control supply

Satellite observations provide insight into post-wildfire forest recovery

[Press-News.org] Findings challenge standard understanding of COVID-19 infection
UC Riverside research can help scientists develop methods to prevent COVID-19 in mink and other species