MapLab: The Topology of a Virus
Tyler Starr’s research includes “heatmaps” that show how mutations in the protein sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 “key” structure change its expression and how it binds with receptors in human cells.
Graphic: Cell, June 2020
To the untrained ear, “protein space” sounds like a cheeky name for a bodybuilding gym. For the evolutionary biologist, however, it’s a place to spend a career. Coined by the pioneering theoretical biologist John Maynard Smith in 1970, the term is a metaphor for the computational landscape where scientists can survey every possible sequence of a particular protein, trace its historic path of evolution, and even predict where natural selection might locate its next biophysically viable mutation — in other words, how the protein will adapt and express itself in real life.
Right now, this protein “mapping” is playing a crucial role in the quest to understand SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. Researchers around the planet are studying the protein spaces of the deadly virus so that vaccines and therapies can effectively fight it.