A detailed look at coronavirus spikes (IMAGE)
Caption
This image shows the detailed structure of a "spike" from a coronavirus that causes cold symptoms - a milder relative of the virus that causes COVID-19. Spikes bind to receptors on the cells of their victims to start infections. They consist of three protein molecules, shown in blue, green and orange, studded with sugar molecules (yellow) that play an important role in the virus's life cycle and in its ability to evade the immune system. Scientists at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University made the image with a new method that shows spikes in their natural state, yielding quicker and more realistic snapshots of the infection apparatus.
Credit
K. Zhang et al., Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics Discovery, 2020
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