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SARS-CoV-2 needs cholesterol to invade cells and form mega cells:
People taking cholesterol-lowering drugs may fare better than others if they catch the novel coronavirus. A new study hints at why: the virus relies on the fatty molecule to get past the cell's protective membrane.
To cause COVID-19, the SARS-CoV-2 virus must force its way into people's cells—and it needs an accomplice. Cholesterol, the waxy compound better known for clogging arteries, helps the virus open cells up and slip inside, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator Clifford Brangwynne's lab reports.
Without cholesterol, the virus cannot sneak past a cell's protective barrier and cause infection, the team writes in a preprint posted to bioRxiv.org on December 14, 2020. The work, which recreated the early stage of infection in lab-grown cells, has not yet undergone the scientific vetting process of peer review.
"Cholesterol is an integral part of the membranes that surround cells and some viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. It makes sense that it should be so important for infection," says Brangwynne, a biophysical engineer at Princeton University.
The finding might underlie the better health outcomes seen in COVID-19 patients taking cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins, he adds. Although scientists haven't yet established the mechanism responsible, this study and another published last fall suggest the drugs prevent SARS-CoV-2 from getting into cells by denying it cholesterol.
[...] Brangwynne says it's not clear yet whether or not syncytia play a major role in the progression of COVID-19. But, his team writes, the discovery of cholesterol's contribution could help scientists fight the disease. "Our findings underscore the potential utility of statins and other [similar] treatments."
Journal Reference:
David W. Sanders, Chanelle C. Jumper, Paul J. Ackerman, et al. SARS-CoV-2 Requires Cholesterol for Viral Entry and Pathological Syncytia Formation [$], bioRxiv (DOI: 10.1101/2020.12.14.422737)
(Score: 4, Funny) by c0lo on Tuesday January 26 2021, @07:25AM (5 children)
Oh, fuck off. I'll wear a mask alright, but don't you touch my steaks, chips and beer, you heathen. (grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 4, Funny) by ledow on Tuesday January 26 2021, @01:06PM
The way I see it, if my arteries are choked up, then my heart gets more exercise...
(Score: 2) by dwilson on Tuesday January 26 2021, @04:20PM
I'll wear a mask, keep my steaks, beer and cookies (Not a chip fellow), -and- stay fit, a healthy weight and low-fat.
Because I'm That Damned Awesome.
- D
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 26 2021, @05:15PM (2 children)
Fat is good for your arteries--makes them hard as rocks!
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday January 26 2021, @06:21PM
Take fish oil over a long period (20+ years)
If you think a fertilized egg is a child but an immigrant child is not, please don't pretend your concerns are religious
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 27 2021, @12:16AM
So does death! It'll make ya immune to all diseases!