Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Viral Mutations00:36

Viral Mutations

32.8K
A mutation is a change in the sequence of bases of DNA or RNA in a genome. Some mutations occur during replication of the genome due to errors made by the polymerase enzymes that replicate DNA or RNA. Unlike DNA polymerase, RNA polymerase is prone to errors because it is not capable of “proofreading” its work. Viruses with RNA-based genomes, like HIV, therefore accrue mutations faster than viruses with DNA-based genomes. Because mutation and recombination provide the raw material...
32.8K
Viral Recombination00:57

Viral Recombination

23.7K
Cells are sometimes infected by more than one virus at once. When two viruses disassemble to expose their genomes for replication in the same cell, similar regions of their genomes can pair together and exchange sequences in a process called recombination. Alternatively, viruses with segmented genomes can swap segments in a process called reassortment.
23.7K
Infection01:20

Infection

8.6K
When a pathogen enters the body and reproduces, it can cause an infection, damage body cells, and cause illness symptoms that eventually lead to disease. Therefore, its prevention requires breaking the chain of infection.
The chain begins with pathogens: bacteria, viruses, fungi, prions, or parasites such as protozoa helminths. These can be present on the skin as transient or resident flora, or they can be acquired from the environment. Identifying and treating the type of infection and...
8.6K
Size and Structure of Viral Genomes01:26

Size and Structure of Viral Genomes

119
Viral genomes exhibit remarkable diversity in size, structure, and composition, influencing their replication strategies and interactions with host cells. These genomes consist of either DNA or RNA and may be linear or circular. Additionally, they can be single-stranded or double-stranded, with each configuration affecting how the virus propagates within a host. RNA viruses, for instance, generally have smaller genomes than DNA viruses, a factor that contributes to their high mutation rates and...
119
Viruses with RNA Genomes01:29

Viruses with RNA Genomes

99
RNA viruses are categorized into positive-strand, negative-strand, or double-stranded groups based on their genomic structure and replication mechanisms. This classification dictates how they exploit host cellular machinery for protein synthesis and replication. Some RNA viruses also utilize reverse transcription as part of their life cycle, further diversifying their replication strategies.Positive-Strand RNA VirusesPositive-strand RNA viruses have genomes that function directly as messenger...
99
Pneumonia II: Pathophysiology01:29

Pneumonia II: Pathophysiology

457
The pathophysiology of pneumonia involves the following steps:
457

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Racial Disparities in Survival Outcomes of Patients With Serous Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis.

Cureus·2023
Same author

Effects of autophagy modulators tamoxifen and chloroquine on the expression profiles of long non-coding RNAs in MIAMI cells exposed to IFNγ.

PloS one·2022
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 2, 2025

Production of a SARS-CoV-2 Virus-Like-Particle System to Investigate Viral Life Cycles In Vitro
09:26

Production of a SARS-CoV-2 Virus-Like-Particle System to Investigate Viral Life Cycles In Vitro

Published on: June 6, 2025

607

COVID-19 Pathogen Viral Evolution Leading to Increased Infectivity.

Sonam Parag1, Katelyn Carnevale1

  • 1Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, USA.

Cureus
|August 11, 2022
PubMed
Summary

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has evolved a larger and more "sticky" receptor-binding domain (RBD), enhancing its binding to ACE2 receptors. This structural evolution likely contributes to the increased infectivity and transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 compared to other betacoronaviruses.

Keywords:
corona viruscorona virus disease 2019covid-19middle east respiratory syndrome (mers-cov)sars-covsars-cov-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2)spike protein

More Related Videos

Visualization of SARS-CoV-2 using Immuno RNA-Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization
05:23

Visualization of SARS-CoV-2 using Immuno RNA-Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization

Published on: December 23, 2020

6.2K
Production of Pseudotyped Particles to Study Highly Pathogenic Coronaviruses in a Biosafety Level 2 Setting
08:40

Production of Pseudotyped Particles to Study Highly Pathogenic Coronaviruses in a Biosafety Level 2 Setting

Published on: March 1, 2019

59.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 2, 2025

Production of a SARS-CoV-2 Virus-Like-Particle System to Investigate Viral Life Cycles In Vitro
09:26

Production of a SARS-CoV-2 Virus-Like-Particle System to Investigate Viral Life Cycles In Vitro

Published on: June 6, 2025

607
Visualization of SARS-CoV-2 using Immuno RNA-Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization
05:23

Visualization of SARS-CoV-2 using Immuno RNA-Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization

Published on: December 23, 2020

6.2K
Production of Pseudotyped Particles to Study Highly Pathogenic Coronaviruses in a Biosafety Level 2 Setting
08:40

Production of Pseudotyped Particles to Study Highly Pathogenic Coronaviruses in a Biosafety Level 2 Setting

Published on: March 1, 2019

59.2K

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Structural Biology
  • Molecular Evolution

Background:

  • Pathogenic betacoronaviruses like SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 exhibit increasing infectivity and host range.
  • Coronavirus spike proteins are critical for host cell entry via receptor binding.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate structural changes in the receptor-binding domains (RBDs) of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins.
  • To understand how these structural changes may explain the increased infectivity of SARS-CoV-2.

Main Methods:

  • Analyzed amino acid sequences of spike proteins and their receptors from the NCBI Virus Database.
  • Utilized crystal structures from the Protein Database and visualized them with PyMOL software.
  • Assessed sequence changes and peptide properties to characterize virus-receptor binding.

Main Results:

  • SARS-CoV-2 exhibited a greater net charge difference (+32.4) with its receptor, ACE2, indicating stronger electrostatic binding.
  • SARS-CoV-2 possessed the largest RBD surface area (7140.29 Ų), suggesting increased interaction potential with ACE2.
  • Structural analysis revealed significant differences in RBD characteristics among the studied betacoronaviruses.

Conclusions:

  • The evolution of a larger, more electrostatically "sticky" RBD in SARS-CoV-2 likely enhances its binding to ACE2.
  • This enhanced binding may contribute to the heightened transmissibility and infectivity observed for SARS-CoV-2.
  • Further research into conserved genomic regions could aid in developing vaccines and treatments.