SARS-CoV-2 particle with its spike proteins (IMAGE)
Caption
Electron micrograph of a single SARS-CoV-2 particle with its spike proteins (blue) clearly visible. The inset is a 3D model of the spike protein — the portion of the COVID-19 virus that currently available mRNA vaccines recognize. A recent Johns Hopkins Medicine study suggests that T lymphocytes — immune system cells that target the spike protein and direct antibodies against the COVID-19 virus — persist six months after vaccination and help protect against the delta variant of the virus.
Credit
Graphic created by M.E. Newman, Johns Hopkins Medicine, using public domain images. Micrograph courtesy of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and SARS-CoV-2 spike protein 3D model courtesy of the National Institutes of Health
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