Know your COVID-19 vaccines before the jab-by Harold Gunatillake

Transcript:

“In the race to build the world’s first round.

of coronavirus vaccines, the spike protein—

the thorny knobs that adorn each of the

pathogen’s particles—was our most valuable.

 player. Spike is a key ingredient in virtually.

every one of our current pandemic-fighting

shots: it has been repeatedly billed as

essential for tickling out any immune response.

 worth its salt. “People put all their eggs in the

spike basket,” Juliet Morrison, a virologist at

UC Riverside told me. And it undoubtedly paid off.

Vaccine makers are looking beyond the

spike protein”.

As you are aware, Covid-19 is a respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Rhinovirus, adenovirus, and human coronavirus infections usually affect your upper respiratory tract, while both SARS and COVID-19 infections affect the lower respiratory tract. So, these latter viruses can cause more symptoms and worse outcomes.

The COVID-19 vaccines approved so far are the Pfizer BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Sinopharm-BBIBP, Johnson & Johnson, being used as jabs in many countries.

AstraZeneca vaccine is also sold under the brand names Vaxzevria and Covshield.

Many people who have had COVID-19, the infections were thankfully mild and relatively brief without much side effects.

The coronavirus has spikes on the surface. They are formed of a glycoprotein.

There are three important protein spike sites in these viruses. No 1. The Receptor binding domain or RBD- the first attacking site of the body cells. The analogy here is think.

of a lock and key. The key in the spike protein is made to open a specific lock in your body cell. The antibodies formed in the body is referred to as the RBD antibodies.

N0 2. N-terminal domain (NTD)- the site the variants are developed. The antibodies formed for this site are called NTD antibodies.

N0 3. S2 subunit- all antibodies seem to cover this site. This site is not mutable for variants like the NTD site which creates the mutants. Antibodies are formed for all these.

three positions mentioned.

Now let us talk about antibodies formed in the body against the coronavirus protein spikes.

These antibodies formed in our bodies against coronavirus is a tiny, Y shaped protein that is one of the body’s premier weapons against pathogens including viruses.

On the surface of the complex structure of the antibody is a spot on the tips of each of its floppy, Y shaped arms. These arms can stretch across a spot on the coronavirus spike, like a gripping hook onto a docking site on human cells. The antibodies are produced to a single spike glycoprotein found on coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2 the virus that causes.

COVID-19. The portion of the spike protein that attaches to the cells of our body is called the receptor-binding domain (RBD).

This is the key and lock that was mentioned earlier. The antibodies are formed specifically to the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein.

So, the RBD is a critical component of the viral glycoprotein, and an important target to make the antibodies ineffective.

Antibody formation is part of the immune response from infection of the past. They are proteins produced by the immune system in response to an infection.

The first type of antibody the body produces is called IgM in response to the infection, and these are detected 4-7 days after infection. They signal the body that there is a new infection in the body.

Then, IgG antibodies are formed 7-14 after the infection. These antibodies can last for years in your body depending upon the antigen. These are the key to lasting immunity.

We do not know how long the immunity last in the case of SARS-CoV-2 as it is a new virus.

So far, the antibodies formed for the COVID vaccines targeted the specific portion of the single spike protein, the RBD as mentioned before.

Researchers found that about 84 percent of the antibodies targeted the other sites of the spike proteins and not only the receptor binding domain, in patients who have had the COVID-19 infection.

It also means that antibodies are formed covering these other protein spikes and not restricted to one protein spike.

This is how the antibodies formed after the vaccinations against the corona virus can neutralize the variants that follow the original virus which attacks the body through its receptor binding domain or RBD.

This is an important feature that gives protection against the variants.

The researchers liken the spike protein to an umbrella, with the RBD at the tip of the “canopy.” While some antibodies do bind RBD at the tip, many others apparently target the protein’s canopy, known as the N-terminal domain (NTD).

Researchers have found that many of the antibodies -about 84% targeted other portions of the spike protein, that is the N-terminal domains rather than targeting only one spike protein, and they are referred to as the NTD antibodies.

It is the NTD antibodies that attacks the variants, fortunately, to control the infection from the variants.

Emerging mutants from SARS-CoV-2 Variants and NTD antibodies

It is the NTD spike proteins that creates the variants, and it is so in several emerging variants, including the B117 “UK variant” and B.1. 531 “South African variant”

40% of the circulating antibodies target yet another portion of the spike called the vS2 subunit.

This segment of the virus does not seem as mutable as the NTD segment, and the S2 subunit may make an ideal target for possible pan-coronavirus vaccine since this portion of the spike is widely conserved in SARS-Cov-2 and related coronaviruses.

So, the new vaccines against coronavirus produced target all parts of the spike protein rather than targeting RBD portion of the vaccine.

These variants seem to evade the antibodies formed in our bodies for the single spike protein formed at the Receptor-binding domain (RBD).

I have briefly described the antibodies formed for the COv2 SARS virus, and how the specific antibodies work against the virus, for better understanding of the jab you are waiting for.

Hope, this video talk was useful. Stay safe and goodbye for now.

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