Contribution to pathogenesis of accessory proteins of deadly human coronaviruses.
Front Cell Infect Microbiol
; 13: 1166839, 2023.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2323707
ABSTRACT
Coronaviruses (CoVs) are enveloped and positive-stranded RNA viruses with a large genome (â¼ 30kb). CoVs include essential genes, such as the replicase and four genes coding for structural proteins (S, M, N and E), and genes encoding accessory proteins, which are variable in number, sequence and function among different CoVs. Accessory proteins are non-essential for virus replication, but are frequently involved in virus-host interactions associated with virulence. The scientific literature on CoV accessory proteins includes information analyzing the effect of deleting or mutating accessory genes in the context of viral infection, which requires the engineering of CoV genomes using reverse genetics systems. However, a considerable number of publications analyze gene function by overexpressing the protein in the absence of other viral proteins. This ectopic expression provides relevant information, although does not acknowledge the complex interplay of proteins during virus infection. A critical review of the literature may be helpful to interpret apparent discrepancies in the conclusions obtained by different experimental approaches. This review summarizes the current knowledge on human CoV accessory proteins, with an emphasis on their contribution to virus-host interactions and pathogenesis. This knowledge may help the search for antiviral drugs and vaccine development, still needed for some highly pathogenic human CoVs.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Coronavirus Infections
/
Coronavirus
Type of study:
Reviews
Topics:
Vaccines
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Front Cell Infect Microbiol
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Fcimb.2023.1166839
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS