TWiV explains how remdesivir inhibits the SARS-CoV-2 RNA polymerase: the drug is incorporated into the growing RNA chain and causes synthesis to stall when the drug clashes with an amino acid in the active site.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler
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Download TWiV 819 (60 MB .mp3, 101 min)
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Links for this episode
- How remdesivir stalls the SARS-CoV-2 polymerase (Nat Comm) 7:17
- Movie of polymerase stalling (Nat Comm) 10:58, 42:00
- Second mechanism of remdesivir inhibition (J Biol Chem) 46:58
- Watson Crick molecular model (Science Museum Group) 1:37:59
- Letters read on TWiV 819 50:01, 1:38:21
- Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!
Weekly Picks 1:27:02
Kathy – Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland
Rich – How to Temporarily Disable Your Keyboard with a Keyboard Shortcut in Windows
Alan – How to Make a Slave and Other Essays by Jerald Walker
Vincent – A structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid
Listener Picks
Steve – How the immune system actually works
Lise – Lise Meitner: A Life in Physics
Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees
Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv
Thanks for explaining in simple words how to remdesivir inhibits the SARS-CoV-2 RNA polymerase.
Thanks for the pick on the physicist Lise Meitner. I had never heard of her and now I am researching her and am glad you brought her to my attention.
I also learned about Lise Meitner., someone unknown to me.
Thanks!
Loved hearing the letter from Lise regarding the history of her namesake, the physicist, Lise.
Unrelatedly, I read in today’s Columbia Spectator that Columbia is designated as NYC Pandemic Response institute. Will Vincent be part of that?
Wow! The best shout out from my favorite scientists! Yes, chest wall reconstruction is a serious business, and I love doing it—it’s “Pectacular”!
David Bruce and I hope you enjoy all the Chattanooga “swag” in the box, and hope you’ll all come and do a TWiV from the “Scenic City” one day soon. Many thanks for continuing to be the engaged, enthusiastic science communicators that we have grown to count on in this pandemic.
Thanks twiv! Enjoy the show should the copyright dare be changed to 2021?