Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 proteins (SARS-CoV-2 proteins)

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) proteins comprise the structural, non-structural, and accessory proteins that facilitate the viral life cycle of the agent causing COVID-19 (UniProt UP000464024). The proteome includes the Spike (S) protein, which mediates host cell entry via the ACE2 receptor, and the Nucleocapsid (N) protein, which packages the viral RNA (NCBI, 2020). Key enzymatic targets include the Main Protease (Mpro or 3CLpro), responsible for processing viral polyproteins, and the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), which replicates the viral genome (PubMed PMC7153444). Small-molecule inhibitors such as Nirmatrelvir target Mpro, while Remdesivir and Molnupiravir target the RdRp complex to terminate or mutate viral RNA synthesis (Nature, 2020). Vaccines and monoclonal antibodies primarily target the Spike protein to neutralize the virus and prevent infection. Due to the high mutation rate of the virus, particularly in the Spike protein, therapeutic efficacy is frequently challenged by the emergence of new variants (WHO, 2023).

Other names

SARS-CoV-2 proteomeCOVID-19 proteins2019-nCoV proteinsSARS-CoV-2 viral proteins

Inhibition of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) to prevent viral replication; inhibition of the Main Protease (Mpro) to prevent polyprotein processing; and binding to the Spike protein to block viral entry into host cells.