How Viruses Make Us Ill

From Lab to Life

Ever wonder how those sneaky viruses penetrate our cell walls, use the cell’s own DNA factory to reproduce – and make us ill?

During the Corona COVID virus pandemic, we became aware that viruses penetrate our cells (in order to use the cells’ own little internal factory to reproduce, and create more viruses) with a “spike.”  They puncture the cell wall, like a nail causing a flat tire.

Now, comes new lab research that shows graphically, with clever microscopy, exactly how and why this works with viruses in general. And it is surprising.  Turns out – cells actually invite the viruses to “come in and sit down, welcome!”

According to Science Daily, December 4, our cells actually reach out and grab the virus, as it searches for the perfect entry point, surfing along the membrane!

The scientists, from the famous ETH Zurich, led by Yohei Yamauchi, used advanced microscopy to observe how the viruses “surf” along the cell wall, and how the cell detects them and invites them in.

Wait.  Why do our cells invite the harmful viruses to enter?  It is simple.  Our cells need to capture external molecules all the time. For instance, hormones.  They have evolved to do this, as a structural protein named clathrin helps make a deep pocket that the viruses can easily penetrate.

Through evolution, viruses have evolved to take advantage of the body’s strategic weak spots in cells.  Keep in mind, viruses are not “alive” (they cannot themselves reproduce, alone).  So, this is another example of the magic that evolution can create, simply by trial and error.

This discovery is crucial, because it can pave the way for test-tube testing of anti-viral drugs, which inhibit the virus’s cell penetration.