A recent study conducted by the University of Glasgow and researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine has shown that viruses produce new proteins by stealing genetic signals from their host. These new proteins, called UFOs, can be used to further develop vaccines. “To understand how a pathogen antagonizes the host and establishes infection, we need to have a clear understanding of what proteins a pathogen encodes.”
These proteins are produced through “cap-snatching”, in which the virus extends the cell’s mRNA with a copy of their own gene, creating a hybrid message. Because of these hybrids, viruses can produce messages with extra start codons (corresponding DNA sequences) Further study is to be conducted to discover the roles of these genes.
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