With a modified protein that originally comes from bananas, you could in the future have a kind of universal active ingredient against coronaviruses, such as the pathogen SARS-CoV-2. A protein called H84T-BanLec has the ability to attach to special structures that are also common in flu viruses, but not in healthy body cells. A research team with Austrian participation recently presented promising data from animal models.
Corona viruses carry complex carbohydrate compounds – so-called high-mannose glycans – on their surface. This is also the case with the so-called spike protein of the Covid pathogen SARS-CoV-2. Lectins are proteins that preferentially bind to carbohydrates. A team of researchers from the US and Hong Kong (China), including Yoo Jin Oh and Peter Hinterdorfer from the Institute of Biophysics at the University of Linz, have now taken a closer look at the lectin H84T-BanLec.
Protein specifically modified by researchers
H84T-BanLec comes from bananas and has been specially modified for the researchers’ purposes. One of the reasons why such compounds have hardly been used therapeutically until now is that they can stimulate the body’s immune system in an unfavorable way: by untargeted alarming the T cells, which triggers an overreaction of the immune system and thus unwanted inflammation. can cause, as the researchers explained to the APA. They have now ruled that out by precisely adjusting the molecular structure of the compound.
This should primarily yield the desired property, namely that the modified lectins primarily attach to the glycans on the virus surface. They glue them together, as it were, and thus prevent, for example, SARS-CoV-2 with its spike protein from attaching to human cells and subsequently penetrating them.
Administration against Covid with nasal sprays
The Linz researchers tracked this process using detailed analyzes with high-resolution atomic force microscopes. On the one hand it was possible to identify the spots on the spike protein where H84T-BanLec docks could be identified, on the other hand it could be shown that these connections are very strong and diverse. Against Covid-19, this lectin could be “administered with a nasal spray,” says Peter Hinterdorfer.
This makes it difficult for the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen to protect itself against the accumulation of lectins, for example through mutations. Accordingly, numerous changes in the spike protein would be required for H84T-BanLec to no longer fulfill its function. But that is “unlikely”, according to the Linz researchers. Even when the team tried to specifically create resistant viruses, they couldn’t create a variant that was immune to them.
Protein can attach to many pathogens
It is precisely this broad applicability that makes the research team positive. Because H84T-BanLec can attach to all pathogens that form high-mannose glycans. The researchers showed that the lectin can also be used against other seasonal and epidemic coronaviruses, such as SARS or MERS, and against flu viruses. It can also be linked to hepatitis C, HIV, Ebola and herpes viruses. This makes it “an excellent opportunity for use in future seasonal epidemics and global pandemics,” the team said.
Funding options are currently being sought to achieve the desired clinical quality. Then, in clinical trials, the active ingredient is administered through the nose via a spray or drops and used to treat and prevent various diseases. The researchers also want to investigate whether the approach to combating cancer cells is promising, since they too carry such glycans on their surface.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
