China’s research team first unveiled the mystery of Zika virus replication in the world.

CCTV News:At present, Zika virus is still spreading in parts of South America and Latin America, and there is no effective drug to inhibit the infection of this virus. Recently, the research team of Tianjin University published a paper in the international authoritative academic journal protein and Cell, saying that the mystery of Zika virus replication was uncovered for the first time, which will provide an important basis for developing anti-Zika virus drugs.

According to experts, the scientific community has not found the means to inhibit Zika virus so far, and the important reason is that it is impossible to understand the replication process and mechanism of this virus. Since February this year, the research team of Tianjin University has started a research project on Zika virus, and has achieved important research results recently.

According to Tian Hongliang, School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University:In the process of virus replication, almost all viruses need a protein called helicase. Our research team’s main work is to analyze the three-dimensional spatial structure of Zika virus helicase and the three-dimensional spatial structure of Zika virus helicase recognizing its genome.

Helicase protein

This protein, called helicase, plays an important role in the first step of Zika virus replication. Because the Zika virus genome exists in a double-stranded state, it is impossible to replicate the gene in this state, so it must be split into two, and the helicase is equivalent to a pair of scissors, which can cut the genome into two pieces and achieve replication, but this pair of scissors has never been exposed before, so the mechanism of virus replication is unknown. The research results of Tianjin University’s research team reveal the three-dimensional image of a single molecule of gyrase, and thus unlock the secret of how Zika virus replicates.

Janet, a professor at the School of Life Sciences, University of Michigan, USA, who has been working on Zika virus research, said that this is crucial to stop the spread of Zika virus from the root and develop drugs against Zika virus.

【 Hazards of Zika virus 】

In 2013 and 2015, during the outbreak of Seca in French Polynesia and Brazil, it was reported that Zika virus disease might cause neurological and autoimmune complications. In the outbreak of Zika in Brazil in 2015, many newborns with microcephaly were found (the ratio of head circumference of newborns to matched children of the same sex and gestational age was lower than the average by more than two standard deviations). From May 2015 to January 2016, it was reported that 4000 pregnant women infected with Zika virus gave birth to microcephaly, which was 20 times higher than that in previous years.

[The Rio Olympics has not been affected by Zika virus so far]

Brazilian Health Minister Castro met with the ambassadors of EU member states here on February 16th, and assured them on behalf of the government that the current outbreak of Zika disease would not affect the Rio Olympic Games this year.

Part of the text comes from: Xinhua News Agency