In a recent study conducted at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, India, a team of scientists screened specific genes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to identify factors that may contribute to viral infectivity.
Their findings suggest that SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein significantly increases the infectivity of spike-pseudotyped lentiviral particles, making the particles less susceptible to soluble angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)-mediated neutralization. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.
