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upstart writes in with an IRC submission for Runaway1956:

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)

Original Submission