THE WORLD WITHIN US

The SARS-CoV-2 virus or the COVID-19 virus is an enveloped virus (refer to my previous blog). It consists 4 main functional proteins – The S protein, The M protein, The E protein and the N protein.  S – Spike protein  E – Envelope protein  M – Membrane protein  N – Nucleocapsid protein  Basic diagram of SARS-CoV-2 structure The S, E and M proteins are surface proteins, which mean that they can be found on the outer surface of the virus particle. On the other hand, the N protein is an inner protein that is found inside the viral capsid.  S – proteins:  The S proteins have two parts – the top crown part called as S1 and the bottom tail structure called S2. Its main function is to allow the virus to attach to the host’s cells. Every virus has its own unique S protein which attaches itself to its own compatible receptor which lies on the surface of the cell membrane in the organism's body.  In the case of the SARS-Cov-2 virus, the S protein of the virus attaches itself to a recepto

 TYPES OF VIRUS STRUCTURES:  The structure of a virus varies greatly depending on its function. From a simple outer covering made up of proteins, to a complex formation consisting of a head and tail, there are four different types of viruses. Each one, though extremely microscopic, has its own unique features, which help in its functioning.  The Different Types of Virus Structures are: 1. Helical Virus 2. Envelope Virus 3. Icosahedral Virus 4. Complex Virus HELICAL VIRUS:   This type of virus has a capsid made up of a single type of protein sample stacked around an axis to form a type of helix structure. This structure may have a hollow center, making it look like a tube.  This arrangement leads to this type of virion having a rod-like structure. The nucleic acid is arranged in the central cavity. They are usually 15-19 nm wide and range in length from 300-500 nm long, depending on the nucleic acid. An example for such virus is the Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV).  Helical Structure of a vi

An entire virus structure is known as a virion. A virion is divided into two basic parts, a nucleic acid (RNA or DNA) which is the inner genome and an outer protective protein covering. The protein coat is also known as capsid. It functions as a shell to protect the inner genome (RNA or DNA) from different nucleases.   The genome's main function is to be injected into the host's cells and so that the cell can express it. Its similar to the crow and cuckoo story. The virus injects it's genome into the cell, so that the cell reproduces more of the genome, thus helping it to infect the host. During infection, the outer shell or capsid attaches itself to unique receptors in the host’s body i.e the cells. The capsids are entirely designed and coded by the virus genome. They are formed with protein coats that contain only few protein specimens. Therefore multiple protein structures must assemble to form the three-dimensional structure of the capsid. Formation of Viral Capsid. Som

  What is a protein? A middle schooler would say that proteins are what help to build muscles, that they are the building blocks to developing tissues or that they help in tissue repairing. But there is so much more to them and they are not as simple as they seem. A protein is what you would call, a complex molecule. It is composed of a series of compounds known as amino acids. These amino acids, join together in a unique sequence to form a protein molecule. The different sequence that these compounds join together in, determines the type of protein molecule formed. For example, Immunoglobulin A ( a type of protein used to fight invading diseases) has a unique sequence or combination of amino acids while histones ( a type of protein found in the DNA) has a different amino acid sequence. Amino Acids  FORMATION OF PROTEIN: The amino acids join together, end to end, to form short strings known as peptides. Multiple peptide subunits join together to form protein molecules. This is why p