Rescue rafts are a lifesaver, but other types of rafts may put our lives in danger: that is the case with lipid rafts, which are exploited by coronaviruses to attack human cells.
An interdisciplinary research group coordinated by the University of Trento and the University of Napoli - Federico II set out to understand what happens when a virus jumps on this type of raft to invade a cell.
To penetrate the human cell, the virus tricks the cell membrane that surrounds it. The membrane has a crucial role, because it ensures the regular functioning of the cell which is essential for tissue growth and development and organ functionality.
When a virus sneaks into a cell pretending to be something friendly - a ligand, for example, a molecule that binds to a biomolecule and forms a compound that can cause or induce a cellular response - the membrane responds by creating a localized thickening. These thickenings, called 'lipid rafts', are used by viruses to enter the cell.
The researchers adopted a mechanobiological approach to explain how the microstructural properties of the membrane interact with biochemical processes to form lipid rafts.
The study, published in the international “Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids”, may encourage new strategies to limit virus attacks and prevent or combat diseases like Sars and Covid-19 based on biomedical and engineering principles.
The research was conducted by Luca Deseri and Nicola Pugno, professors of the group of Mechanics of solids and structures of the Department of Civil, environmental and mechanical engineering of the University of Trento, and by the team of Massimiliano Fraldi, professor of the Department of Structures for Engineering and Architecture of the University of Napoli- Federico II, in collaboration with researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and at Pittsburgh University, in the USA, and with the universities of Palermo and Ferrara, where experiments were carried out.
More details in the press release