Been chatting with my whizkid brother studying biotech on the Coronavirus. A layman’s guide to how the coronavirus works in the human body below1/n

Coronavirus, or “Crown” virus is known medically as SARS-COV-2. The virus is basically RNA with a layer of lipids (fats), that have spike, envelope and membrane proteins attached. The spike gives it the “crown” shape. Soap dissolves the fat membrane - wash your hands! 2/n

A virus can get into your body through your nose / mouth. Typically, the path of the virus is through a respiratory droplet from an infected person. People could have the viral load to infect a droplet, but show no symptoms (“asymptomatic carriers”). Wear masks! 3/n

Once the virus is in the body, it attacks respiratory cells. Why not others? Respiratory cells have a receptor called ACE-2, which COV-2 latches on. The spike protein is the “key”, the ACE-2 receptor is the “lock”. The hijacker begins to fuse its membrane with cell’s membrane 4/n

While the fusion is being done, a vesicle is created at the site of fusion. Vesicles are like internal cars of the cell. The virus contains RNA, or its instructional manual inside its membrane. Once the membranes fuse, the viral RNA is moved to the vesicle. Hijack begins. 5/n

DNA/ RNA are the instruction manuals for cells. Reading these is called translation, which results in proteins. Proteins are life's building blocks. Viral RNA is translated into proteins. The human cell’s protease, or an enzyme to break down proteins, breaks the viral protein 6/n

The viral protein is broken down into 16 “non-structural” proteins. Some of these come together to form a replication complex. This complex will be needed to churn out viral RNA like a factory. Human beings don’t have this so the instructions create them. Tools of a killer. 7/n

Recall that RNA is an instructional manual. Subgenomic RNAs are created. Subgenomic RNAs are densely packed with genetic info, and contain the code for the spike, envelope and membrane proteins. These subgeneric RNA’s translate to proteins that provide virus components 8/n

The proteins meet at the endoplasmic reticulum. The ER is the protein factory, which is what the virus is looking to hijack. The ER is where the virus is assembled, looking exactly like the infiltrator that stuck itself to the cell. The ER is spoofed to do the virus’ bidding 9/n

Once the virus is assembled, it is sent into the the Golgi apparatus. The apparatus helps in encasing the virus in a vesicle (the car, recall?). Vesicle obediently carries the newly minted virus to the cell membrane. It is ejected like it enters. Exocytosis of the hijacker. 10/n

Here comes the scary part. Viruses are of two kinds - lytic and lysogenic. Lytic viruses kills the cell post production of one copy. Lysogenic viruses integrate their genome into the cell, spoofing the cell to believe they are one. COV-2 could be lysogenic. 11/n

The viral RNA has now hijacked the cell to continue to churn out more viruses. All cell functions come to a standstill while it becomes a virus production factory. The cell is worked to death while producing millions of viruses. 12/n

Treatments that are being considered that inhibit parts of the virus’ hijack. Most treatments attack the replication complex that human beings don’t have (ref: 7/n). The suddenly popular Hydroxychloroquinine could inhibit the replication complex. 13/n

None of this should be treated as medical or scientific advice. Stay home, wash your hands, wear masks and stay safe. Human beings coordinating at scale has been our evolutionary trump card. We will beat this too.

Creds to my brother! ( https://bit.ly/3b4vZIA ) /fin