But one mutation, P681R, may play an outsized role in boosting delta. The coronavirus requires two steps to get into the cell, akin to putting a key into a lock and turning it to open the door. Most of the mutations identified in the other “variants of concern” seem to improve the key’s fit to the lock, said Vineet D. Menachery, a scientist who studies coronaviruses at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. The P681R mutation seems to improve how the key is turned, making it better at getting into cells.

Source: Washington Post August 08, 2021 20:48 UTC