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Peplomer facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
SARS-CoV-2 without background
The red and orange parts of this coronavirus are peplomers

A peplomer is a glycoprotein spike on the outside layer (or capsid) of a virus. When a virus attaches to a cell, these peplomers can only attach to certain receptors on the cell. They are very important for choosing which cell it attaches to and how infectious a virus is.

Related pages

  • Viral entry

Images for kids

  • Coronavirus. SARS-CoV-2

    Coronavirus spike proteins (turquoise) projecting from the surface of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The protein is glycosylated and its glycans are shown in orange.

  • Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein (49583626473)

    3D print of one of the trimeric spikes of SARS-CoV-2

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Espícula viral para niños

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Peplomer Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.