Researchers at the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory (NEIDL), the Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM) and the Center for Networked Systems Biology (CNSB) have uncovered a picture of pathogenic processes in human lungs affected by the coronavirus. A scientific paper published in the journal Molecular Cell is reported in a press release at Phys.org.
Researchers studied lung alveolar cells between one and 24 hours after infection to understand what changes occur in lung cells one, three and six hours after infection with SARS-CoV-2, as well as what changes occur after 24 hours after infection. All changes were compared with uninfected cells.
Scientists have found that SARS-CoV-2 causes abnormal changes in protein modification called phosphorylation in infected lung cells within an hour. It plays an important role in regulating the function of proteins within healthy cells of the body, and is a highly regulated process. Changes in phosphorylation help the virus multiply and destroy cells, which ultimately leads to extensive lung damage.
As soon as SARS-CoV-2 enters the lungs, the researchers say, it starts using the resources of infected cells that they need for normal growth and function.