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Generation of a SARS-CoV-2 Replicon as a Model System to Dissect Virus Replication and Antiviral Inhibition
Preprint
in En
| PREPRINT-BIORXIV
| ID: ppbiorxiv-422532
ABSTRACT
SARS-CoV-2 research and antiviral discovery are hampered by the lack of a cell-based virus replication system that can be readily adopted without biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) restrictions. Here, the construction of a non-infectious SARS-CoV-2 reporter replicon and its application in deciphering viral replication mechanisms and evaluating SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors are presented. The replicon genome is replication competent but does not produce progeny virions. Its replication can be inhibited by RdRp mutations or by known SARS-CoV-2 antiviral compounds. Using this system, a high-throughput antiviral assay has also been developed. Significant differences in potencies of several SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors in different cell lines were observed, which highlights the challenges of discovering antivirals capable of inhibiting viral replication in vivo and the importance of testing compounds in multiple cell culture models. The generation of a SARS-CoV-2 replicon provides a powerful platform to expand the global research effort to combat COVID-19.
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Full text:
1
Collection:
09-preprints
Database:
PREPRINT-BIORXIV
Type of study:
Experimental_studies
Language:
En
Year:
2020
Document type:
Preprint