Coronavirus infection activates the MKK3-p38-MK2-ZFP36 axis:a novel strategy for efficient suppression of proinflammatory response

ABSTRACT

Coronavirus (CoV) is a single-stranded, positive-stranded RNA enveloped virus that infects humans and animals. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) occurred in 2003 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS) occurred in 2012. The new coronavirus that occurred in 2019 up to the present (Coronavirus disease-19, COVID-19) is caused by a new zoonotic coronavirus infection that negatively affects human life and social and economic development. Severely ill patients with SARS, MERS and COVID-19 are often complicated by the so-called "cytokine release syndrome", which produces a large amount of uncontrollable pro-inflammatory factors, leading to life-threatening multiple organ failure.