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In a recent study published on the bioRxiv preprint server, researchers evaluated the impact of gene amplification on cross-species adaptation. The researchers demonstrated that the impact of RhTRS1 gene amplification could effectively rescue viral replication in fibroblasts from partially resistant African green monkeys (AGMs). The team infected A549 cells with vaccinia virus (VACV) + RhTRS1 or the VACV strain named Copenhagen, expressing a beta-galactosidase (bg) reporter gene. The team explored whether amplification of rhtrs1 could increase the extent of viral replication in the absence of PKR. The team also infected RNase L competent A549 cells or regularly spaced short palindromic repeats with CRISPR in clusters of RNase L deletion present in existing A549 cells with VACV-RhTRS1, VACV-bg or AGM-A. The results of the study showed that A549 cells restricted VACV + RhTRS1 replication by nearly 10,000-fold compared to VACV-bg replication. The team noted that deletion of A549 PKR cells enhanced VACV + RhTRS1 replication by up to 1000-fold compared to PKR-competent cells. The team observed that RNAase L had no impact on VACV-bg replication. 

AstraZeneca shares turned negative Wednesday after a Brazilian health authority said a volunteer in its coronavirus vaccine study died.

The Federal University of Sao Paulo, which is helping coordinate late-stage trials in Brazil, separately said that the volunteer was Brazilian, according to Reuters.