Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 11, 2026
08:41
Live Imaging and Quantification of Viral Infection in K18 hACE2 Transgenic Mice Using Reporter-Expressing Recombinant SARS-CoV-2
Published on: November 5, 2021
3.2K
SARS-CoV-2 variants: biology, pathogenicity, immunity and control
Ryuta Uraki1,2,3, Bette Korber4,5, Michael S Diamond6,7,8,9,10
1The Research Center for Global Viral Diseases, National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan.
Nature Reviews. Microbiology
|November 10, 2025
Summary
The SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to evolve, necessitating a deep understanding of its characteristics and challenges in prevention and treatment. This review guides future research and vaccine development for combating COVID-19.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Immunology
- Public Health
Background:
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has circulated globally for over five years.
- Continuous viral evolution presents ongoing challenges for effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the origins and evolution of SARS-CoV-2.
- To outline variant and subvariant-specific characteristics.
- To discuss challenges in prevention and treatment, including antigenic drift and immune imprinting.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of scientific publications on SARS-CoV-2.
- Analysis of viral evolution, antigenicity, and pathogenicity data.
- Synthesis of information on current prevention and treatment strategies.
Main Results:
- SARS-CoV-2 origins and evolutionary trajectory detailed.
- Specific characteristics of key variants and subvariants identified.
- Challenges such as antigenic variants and immune imprinting highlighted.
Conclusions:
- Understanding viral evolution is crucial for effective COVID-19 pandemic control.
- Addressing challenges like immune imprinting is vital for future vaccine development.
- This review offers insights for ongoing pandemic management and future research.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:05Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms-SNPs
17.9K
A single nucleotide polymorphism or SNP is a single nucleotide variation at a specific genomic position in a large population. It is the most prevalent type of sequence variation found in the human genome. Point mutations that occur in more than 1% of the population qualify as SNPs. These are present once every 1000 nucleotides on an average in the human genome. Replacement of a purine with another purine (A/G) or a pyrimidine with another pyrimidine (C/T) is known as a transition. In contrast,...
17.9K
01:29Viruses with RNA Genomes
774
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...
774
02:50Conjugated Proteins
27.4K
Simple proteins and protein complexes contain only amino acids. In contrast, many other proteins, called conjugated proteins, covalently bond with non-protein moieties.
Nucleoproteins are protein complexes that contain nucleic acids, categorized as deoxyribonucleoproteins (DNPs) or ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) respectively. The nucleosome is a typical example of a DNP where nuclear DNA is associated with histone proteins. The major antigen for the Covid-19 virus SARS-CoV is an RNP that is critical...
Nucleoproteins are protein complexes that contain nucleic acids, categorized as deoxyribonucleoproteins (DNPs) or ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) respectively. The nucleosome is a typical example of a DNP where nuclear DNA is associated with histone proteins. The major antigen for the Covid-19 virus SARS-CoV is an RNP that is critical...
27.4K
00:36Viral Mutations
39.6K
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...
39.6K
01:03Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer
6.1K
Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
6.1K
00:57Viral Recombination
24.9K
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.
24.9K