Scientists from the United States have managed to modify the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus so that it glows in cell cultures and animal tissues.
Thus, it will be possible to track the spread of the coronavirus in real time. This is described in a study published in the journal The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researchers at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute inserted a reporter gene into the coronavirus genome that adds fluorescent or bioluminescent (luciferase) proteins. At first, the experiment was unsuccessful: the gene was insufficiently expressed and it was not possible to make SARS-CoV-2 “glow” in animal tissues at a level sufficient for easy detection.
Later, scientists found a solution by attaching it to the gene encoding the virus nucleocapsid - the most strongly expressed in SARS-CoV-2.
Experts have shown that the "reporter" viruses they created behave in the same way as the "wild" type of coronavirus. This is due to the fact that the researchers did not remove viral genes, as well as the fact that immediately after expression, the reporter protein is separated from the nucleocapsid protein. The brightness of the "glow" of the protein correlates with the viral load - the number of viral particles in the body.
The researchers also managed to modify the reporter genes so that viruses of different variants of concern - in particular, the "beta" variant - were stained in different colors. This approach allowed the researchers to compare how well neutralizing antibodies fight different variants of SARS-CoV-2.
Follow NEWS.am Medicine on Facebook and Twitter