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Faster spread of some Covid variants could be due to sturdier protein: Scientists
BOSTON : The spike protein of the novel coronavirus, which enables it to infect human cells, is more stable in faster spreading versions of the virus, such as the ones first reported in the UK and South Africa, compared to the original form of the pathogen from Wuhan, China, says a new study.Researchers, including those from the Boston Children's Hospital in the US assessed the structure of the coronavirus spike protein down to the atomic level, and found how it changed with the D614G mutation which is carried by the Brazil, South Africa and UK variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.The results, published in the journal Science, showed that the mutation makes the spike more stable as compared with the original SARS-CoV-2 virus from Wuhan,