Glycan molecules are vital to SARS-CoV-2 function
Published November 2, 2022
Futurity reported on research by UB Distinguished Professor Sriram Neelamegham on molecules called glycans, which are complex carbohydrates and which decorate the surfaces of viruses.
Neelamegham's team studied a subset of glycans calls N-glycans and found that several of them, in particular those attached to the spike protein at sites known as N61 and N801—are likely critical for SARS-CoV-2 function.
“We discovered that specific N-glycans seem to regulate the development and functional maturation of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein,” Neelamegham says. “This is important because the spike protein is very important for viral entry into host cells.”
