A great discovery was made by British scientists, who identified a protein that “blocks” the Covid-19 infection in the lungs by sticking like a “velcro” tape to the coronavirus.
In particular, it is known that the coronavirus infects humans by using its spike protein to bind to a specific receptor on human cells, the protein (enzyme) ACE2.
Lung cells have high levels of ACE2 receptors, which explains why the coronavirus often causes serious problems in patients’ lungs.
As in the case of the ACE2 receptor, LRRC15 is a receptor for the coronavirus, but it does not support infection. Instead, it “binds” and immobilizes the virus, thereby preventing it from infecting other vulnerable cells.
The LRRC15 protein is present in many parts of the body, such as lungs, skin, tongue, placenta, lymph nodes, etc.
The British study found that people with more severe Covid-19 had lower levels of LRRC15 in their blood than those with milder disease.
Therefore, people with lower levels of this protein are more likely to get sick more seriously from Covid-19, while the opposite is true for those who have high levels of LRRC15 in their body, and thus a better natural defense against the virus.
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