A lesser-known SARS-CoV-2 protein may offer clues to long COVID symptoms
A UCLA study has identified a specific SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein that triggers an overactive immune response. This discovery provides new insights into how the virus suppresses antiviral defenses and may contribute to long COVID symptoms.
Why it matters
Understanding the mechanisms behind long COVID is critical for developing targeted treatments for patients suffering from persistent post-viral symptoms.
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Add as preferred source Transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, isolated from a patient. Image captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID Six years after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists are still uncovering surprising ways the virus can wreak havoc on the body. A new UCLA study published in Science Advances describes a previously unrecognized way the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein—a structural protein less familiar than the spike protein that has dominated public attention and much vaccine research—can push the immune system into dangerous overdrive.
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