A University of Saskatchewan (USask) research team has discovered insights into the structure of the virus that causes COVID-19, possibly leading to new treatment options.
The virus that causes COVID-19, known as SARS-CoV-2, attaches to cells in the human body via spike proteins. These spikes allow the virus to infect cells, following which the virus replicates itself and spreads throughout the body. The spikes contain molecular structures called disulfidespairs of sulphur atoms bound togetherthat may be important for holding the spikes in the correct shape for cell infection to occur….