Viruses Attack Cells by Changing Their DNA from a Solid to a Liquid

It turns out that viruses have an interesting technique when it comes to injecting their DNA into the cells of their victims. Scientists have discovered that viruses can convert their DNA from a solid to a liquid form, which explains why they're so efficient at infecting host cells.

"Our results explain the mechanism behind herpes infection by showing how the DNA of the virus enters the cell," said Alex Evilevitch, one of the researchers, in a news release.

The findings actually come from two research studies, which examined two different viruses. What was interesting, though, is that both studies found that the viruses could convert their DNA to liquid form at the moment of infection. Thanks to this conversion, the virus can more easily transfer its DNA into the cells of its victim, which then becomes infected.

This finding was actually surprising. Previously, no one was aware of this phase transition from solid to fluid form in virus DNA. For the herpes virus that was studied, the phase transition was temperature-dependent and took place at 37 degrees Celsius, which is a direct adaptation to human body temperature.

The research doesn't just tell scientists about a virus's adaptation, though. It also could be used to create a new type of medicine that targets this phase transition for virus DNA. This, in turn, could potentially reduce the infection capability and limit the spread of the virus.

"A drug of this type affects the physical properties of the virus's DNA, which means that the drug can resist the virus's mutations," said Evilevitch.

The findings reveal a possible new way in order to combat viruses in the future. That said, more research will be needed in order to accomplish this goal.

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.