INTERMEMBRANE OLIGOMERIZATION OF SARS-COV-2 M-PROTEIN: POSSIBLE ROLE IN VIRAL BUDDING

ABSTRACT

Despite the extensive research spurred by the catastrophic effects of COVID-19 pandemic. precise molecular mechanisms of some stages in SARS-CoV-2 life cycle remain elusive. One of such stages is the detachment of viral particles during budding. Using confocal fluorescence microscopy, we observed formation of specific structures by endoplasmic reticulum in human cells expressing SARS-CoV-2 M-protein, implicating oligomerization of M-protein across parallel membranes. In our opinion, such intermembrane oligomerization may provide a driving forts for pinching off the viral particles during SARS-CoV-2 budding.