A Chinese research team obtained biological samples from clinical Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) pneumonia cases. For the first time, the true morphology of Covid-19 after inactivation was observed using a cryo-electron microscope, providing an important ultra-microscopic imaging basis for the identification, identification and clinical research of Covid-19.
This team consists of members from Shenzhen Third People ’s Hospital and Southern University of Science and Technology. The results were published on BioRxiv, the largest preprint distribution service in the biological field, on March 5th local time.
You can view the full paper in PDF format here: Link.
(The real appearance of Covid-19 after inactivation as seen under a cryo-electron microscope)
Cryo-electron microscope is an electron microscope that can observe biological samples such as proteins and viruses that are rapidly frozen to minus 196 degrees "live".
In recent years, the technology has been rapidly applied to many disciplines such as virus identification and disease diagnosis, drug development, precision medicine, brain science research, new materials, new agriculture, and marine biology.
According to Nanfang Plus, the team relied on the conditions of the Biosafety Class III laboratory of Shenzhen Third People's Hospital to isolate a virus strain from the alveolar lavage fluid of a Covid-19 patient on January 27, 2020 to complete genome sequencing and identification .
They registered shared information with the global influenza information sharing platform (GISAID registration number: EPI_ISL_406594) and named it Covid-19 strain "BetaCoV/Shenzhen/SZTH-003/2020".
Subsequently, the laboratory virus amplification, purification, and inactivation technologies were further improved, and a combination of indirect immunofluorescence (IFA), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and genomic sequence and lineage analysis were used to verify and confirm inactivation. Covid-19.
Experts from the Center for Cryogenic Electron Microscopy of Southern University of Science and Technology, using cryo-electron microscopy analysis technology, not only observed the morphology of real Covid-19 after inactivation for the first time, but also captured an important intermediate state in the host cells infected by the virus.
At this point, the virus is in the stage of preparing to fuse with the cells after it recognizes and attaches to the host cells. This is the first time that researchers have observed the true morphology of the Covid-19 whole virus under a frozen electron microscope since the outbreak of Covid-19 pneumonia through a literature search at home and abroad.
Frozen electron microscope can avoid the destructive effects of normal temperature electron microscope on the dehydration and staining of biological samples and maintain the true morphology of biological samples to the maximum extent.
The team is now further revealing the ultrastructure of Covid-19, the characteristics of the virus infecting human host cells, and the clinical prognosis of Covid-19 pneumonia.
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