Phase separation by the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein: Consensus and open questions.
J Biol Chem
; 298(3): 101677, 2022 03.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1665144
ABSTRACT
In response to the recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a number of labs across the world have reallocated their time and resources to better our understanding of the virus. For some viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, viral proteins can undergo phase separation a biophysical process often related to the partitioning of protein and RNA into membraneless organelles in vivo. In this review, we discuss emerging observations of phase separation by the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein-an essential viral protein required for viral replication-and the possible in vivo functions that have been proposed for N-protein phase separation, including viral replication, viral genomic RNA packaging, and modulation of host-cell response to infection. Additionally, since a relatively large number of studies examining SARS-CoV-2 N-protein phase separation have been published in a short span of time, we take advantage of this situation to compare results from similar experiments across studies. Our evaluation highlights potential strengths and pitfalls of drawing conclusions from a single set of experiments, as well as the value of publishing overlapping scientific observations performed simultaneously by multiple labs.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Nucleocapsid Proteins
/
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
J Biol Chem
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
J.jbc.2022.101677
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