[Breakthrough] Scientists discovered missing fragments in the genome of the new coronavirus mutant, which is expected to bring hope to more effective treatment of patients with new coronavirus!

This article is original by Translational Medicine Network.
Please indicate the source for reprinting.
Author: Tiffany Guide: The current foreign epidemic situation continues to spread, and sporadic cases and clusters of epidemic cases have occurred in many places in China, involving more than a dozen provinces and cities
.

At 04:00 on October 26, 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps reported 50 newly confirmed local cases: 32 in Inner Mongolia, 5 in Guizhou, 4 in Shandong, 4 in Gansu, and 3 in Beijing , 2 cases in Ningxia
.

The current round of the epidemic was mainly caused by a new source of overseas imports, which currently involves 12 provinces
.

The current risk of spreading the epidemic is extremely high, which poses a major challenge to the prevention and control of the epidemic
.

While mutated viruses have become worse, scientists have also stepped up research on multiple mutated viruses to discover their characteristics, and then formulate more effective countermeasures
.

Recently, a group of scientists have made new discoveries.
This is expected to be an important breakthrough in the process of dealing with mutated viruses in the scientific and medical communities! Recently, researchers from the Bielefeld University Biotechnology Center and Bethel Gospel Hospital found in their new study: If there are gene fragments in the genome of the new coronavirus that are missing due to mutations, then the new coronavirus sample Automatic gene analysis will always miss these missing gene fragments
.

The research team found through their experiments: In the new coronavirus samples they analyzed, most of the ORF8 gene fragments were missing
.

Many scientists believe that this gene region can help delay (reduce) the body's defense response to invading pathogens.
If this gene region disappears, the pathogenicity of the virus is likely to be reduced, and the final result is The damage and illness caused by the virus to the human body will not be so serious
.

They published the results of this research in an article titled "Multiple Occurrences of a 168-Nucleotide Deletion in SARS-CoV-2 ORF8, Unnoticed by Standard Amplicon Sequencing and Variant Calling Pipelines" in "Viruses" magazine: Biller Fee Dr.
Jörn Kalinowski, a geneticist and lead researcher at the Biotechnology Center of the University of Erde, said: “In our lives, when hospitals and schools conduct routine tests on people for the new coronavirus to determine whether people are infected, their main purpose is It is to curb the further infection of the new coronavirus and prevent the spread of infected people; in the laboratory, when researchers use the widely used PCR method to test and analyze samples, our purpose is not only to determine whether there are people around Infected people, another purpose of our doing this is: if we find a case, we have to analyze and investigate the infection route of this patient to determine which kind of mutant virus caused it
.

To do this, It is enough to determine the gene fragments that have typical characteristics for common mutant viruses in individuals
.

At present, this analysis method generally yields the same results in new coronavirus tests conducted throughout Europe: Delta mutant viruses are better than other new coronaviruses.
Mutated viruses are more contagious! More powerful!" Kalinowski explained: "If a common virus variant is to be identified, only a few gene fragments are enough; it is precisely because of this factor that laboratories usually Can readily accept the fact that they cannot identify other gene fragments
.

"One reason why the genome cannot be completely determined is that the sample is not adequately prepared; however, in addition to this, there is another situation that the analysis software often fails to identify the individual nucleotides optimally.
These nucleotides are The gene building blocks of the viral genome
.

Then, the software writes the letter N into the gene sequence instead of the letters A, T, G and C used to represent the gene building blocks of the viral genome
.
The
picture shows the Bielefeld University Biotechnology Center The geneticist Professor Jörn Kalinowski and his team are using the latest nanopore sequencing technology to sequence the longest possible gene fragments and identify deletions in the genome of the new coronavirus variant
.
The
 existing software is misleading Ways to record missing gene fragments The research team at Bielefeld University found through their research that this temporary method can easily lead to a problem with far-reaching impact
.

Co-author of the study, Bielefeld University Dr.
Alexander Sczyrba, a professor of bioinformatics at the Center for Biotechnology, said: "The genetic mutation of the new coronavirus will cause the virus to mutate, in which the longer gene fragments are deleted
.

We have also noticed that even if the entire gene fragment does not exist at all, commonly used standard software will enter the placeholder in the gene sequence, and then the letter N is written in a row in the gene sequence
.

"Jörn Kalinowski said: "This is a systematic error, because this deletion in the genome is an important clue to our understanding of the coronavirus in the future
.

When there is a deletion in a gene fragment, the attributes stored in the affected gene will also disappear
.

As the virus replicates, these characteristics will no longer be passed on
.

In addition, the mutations that cause the virus to threaten humans with greater power can no longer develop in this deletion of the genome
.

I think this missing gene segment may be one of the reasons why the new coronavirus adapts to humans as a host; this will make the virus more contagious, but it also reduces its risk
.

Then this virus will become an endemic epidemic
.

In other words, it will regularly appear in different regions, just like other well-known and long-lived coronaviruses.
These coronaviruses will only bring us colds now, and these colds generally do not bring them.
It's life threatening
.

"Understanding the mutation of the virus can help rebuild the chain of infection.
Researchers found the virus's genetic deletion when analyzing EvKB virus samples
.

In this hospital, medical staff and patients have been continuously tested for the new coronavirus
.

Kalinowski's research team since 2020 since April has been analyzing a sample of the hospital
.

in the analysis of these scientists, they collect the extract contains viral genetic material, such extracts from test results were swab positive new crown patients
.

EvKB microbiology Leader Dr.
Christiane Scherer, a senior physician and co-author of the study, said: "The detailed analysis of the sample allows us to reconstruct the chain of infection when the case is discovered
.

"At the peak of the second wave of the epidemic in January and February 2021, Scherer and her team discovered a group of patients infected with the new crown.
They immediately controlled the spread of the virus through extensive screening and tracking.
The results of this suppression method are effective, because the transmission route of the new coronavirus mutant virus B.
1.
1.
294 has been cut off, and this mutant virus will eventually be unable to spread further in the ward or spread to others
.

Bielefeld This analysis and experiment of the University Biotechnology Center proved that the isolation measures they took to the infected wards were successful
.

Jörn Kalinowski reports: "The reason why we can express this so precisely is because we have discovered a particularly special feature of this new coronavirus mutant: in the genetic code of this mutant virus, there are 168 nucleotides.
Deletion
.
The
gene building block is missing in the ORF8 gene region.
This genetic information may be the reason why the virus successfully delayed the immune response of the infected individual
.
The
added function of the analysis software is very different from the standard PCR method detection.
Scientists We were able to detect missing nucleotides because they also used nanopore sequencing instruments
.

Compared with the usual sequencers, these special instruments make it possible to measure longer gene fragments
.
The
researchers also The genetic analysis software has added a new feature that can correctly detect and mark missing nucleotides in the gene sequence
.

According to Kalinowski, this is the only way their research team can determine whether some ORF8 gene regions have been missing.
Method
.

Christiane Scherer said: "This analysis not only allows us to determine the infected population in our hospital, but also ensures that the virus mutation has entered a'dead end', after the virus is suppressed, no one will be infected with it again
.

"The evolutionary tree diagram shows the related mutations of the investigated virus mutants.
Researchers at the Bielefeld University Biotechnology Center want to know the origin of those mutant viruses that have missing gene segments
.

For this reason, they learned from the center of the mutation of the new coronavirus .
Obtain the original data from the database and use the software specially developed by myself for evaluation
.

Alexander Sczyrba explained: "Using this method, we can determine where the other ancestors of the new coronavirus mutant we are studying originated from, and where they can be.
Find similar mutant viruses
.

"Scientists used the SARS-CoV-2 tree diagram to illustrate the results
.

For example, this shows that the precursor of the mutant virus was previously discovered in Denmark
.

Researchers at the Bielefeld University Biotechnology Center also hope that other scientists can be precise To identify the missing gene fragments in the new coronavirus mutant
.

To this end, they are further developing analysis software, including source code, so that they can be downloaded on relevant platforms
.

Jörn Kalinowski said: “For us, if we want to figure out the single virus The function of a gene and how it evolved, it is important to search for further mutations that contain deleted gene fragments
.

But this requires obtaining all the raw data of coronavirus samples analyzed nationwide
.

Unfortunately, the current strict data protection regulations prevent this
.

"Reference: https://medicalxpress.
com/news/2021-10-sars-cov-variant-deletion-genome.
html Note: This article is intended to introduce the progress of medical research and cannot be used as a reference for treatment plans
.

If you need health guidance , Please go to a regular hospital for treatment
.

The 3rd Shanghai International Cancer Conference Hot Articles Cancer Conference [Full schedule announced] The 3rd Shanghai International Cancer Conference, we sincerely invite you to participate! Cancer Conference [Guest Announcement] More than 160 celebrities gathered at the 3rd Shanghai International Cancer Conference.
Welcome to participate! Cancer Research【Nature Sub-Journal】Breakthrough! Stem cell technology and next-generation DNA sequencing have discovered the most common and difficult-to-treat brain tumor-a new therapeutic target for glioblastoma multiforme.
Gene editing [Cell blockbuster] New research on DNA repair promotes CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing Technology, as well as the scientific research on the development of the leading editing technology developed by the team of gene editing giant Liu Ruqian [JAHA] The side effect of "space travel" that astronauts must bear-the loss of DNA in the mitochondria of the "energy factory of the cell", which will circumvent the burden.
Human aerospace risks lay the research foundation! Gene Sequencing [Heavyweight] 9 preprints in a row: Whole-genome sequencing found 13 kinds of genomic mutations in drug-resistant tuberculosis, drawing the most comprehensive map of drug-resistant gene changes in tuberculosis so far! Immunotherapy [Science Sub-Journal] The team of Academician Tian Zhigang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences discovered that natural immune cells and a new checkpoint molecule for anti-tumor immunity, the new coronavirus [NEJM], are both COVID-19 vaccines.
What is the difference? Scientists use data to tell you the truth! New Coronavirus [Cell Sub-Journal] Under COVID-19, are the stem cell therapies that are competing to develop really effective? May still lack certain clinical trials and scientific proofs