Synthetic peptides: Scientists develop novel mechanism to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 by blocking their entry to cells & reducing infection ability

Source: The post is based on the article “Scientists develop novel mechanism to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 by blocking their entry to cells & reducing infection ability” published in PIB on 13th July 2022

What is the News?

Researchers have reported the design of a new class of synthetic peptides that can not only block the entry of the SARS-CoV-2 virus entry into cells but also clump the virions (virus particles) together reducing their ability to infect. 

What have the scientists designed to block the entry of the SARS-CoV-2 virus entry into cells?

The rapid emergence of new strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has diminished the protection offered by COVID-19 vaccines calling for new approaches to prevent infection by the virus.

It is known that protein-protein interaction is often like that of a lock and a key. This interaction can be hampered by synthetic peptides that mimic, compete with and prevent the ‘key’ from binding to the ‘lock’, or vice versa. 

Scientists have exploited this approach to design peptides that can bind to and block the spike protein on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

What are Peptides and Synthetic peptides?

A peptide is a short chain of amino acids. The amino acids in a peptide are connected to one another in a sequence by bonds called peptide bonds. 

Synthetic peptides are chemically synthesized small polymers of amino acids. One can think of synthetic peptides as being to proteins what oligos are to DNA.

How are Peptides different from Proteins?

The basic distinguishing factors are size and structure. Peptides are smaller than proteins. Traditionally, peptides are defined as molecules that consist of between 2 and 50 amino acids, whereas proteins are made up of 50 or more amino acids. 

In addition, peptides tend to be less well-defined in structure than proteins which can adopt complex conformations known as secondary, tertiary and quaternary structures.