Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 viral antigens (SARS-CoV-2 antigens)

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral antigens encompass the structural and non-structural proteins of the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The four primary structural proteins are the Spike (S), Envelope (E), Membrane (M), and Nucleocapsid (N) proteins, which facilitate viral attachment, membrane fusion, assembly, and genome packaging (Source: NIH, 1.1.3, 1.4.1). The Spike protein is the most prominent target, as its receptor-binding domain (RBD) interacts with the host ACE2 receptor to mediate entry, making it the focus of most vaccines and neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (Source: Frontiers, 1.4.2; NIH, 1.2.1). Additionally, the viral genome encodes non-structural proteins (NSPs) such as the main protease (Mpro) and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), which are essential for viral replication and are targeted by small-molecule antivirals (Source: NIH, 1.1.1, 1.1.4). Therapeutic interventions targeting these antigens aim to prevent infection, reduce viral load, or stimulate a protective immune response, though their efficacy is frequently challenged by the emergence of viral variants with mutations that facilitate immune escape (Source: NIH, 1.2.5, 1.3.1).

Other names

SARS-CoV-2 proteinsCOVID-19 antigensSARS-CoV-2 structural proteinsSARS-CoV-2 non-structural proteinsSARS-CoV-2 peptides

Neutralization of viral entry by binding to the Spike protein, inhibition of viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) to stop replication, inhibition of the main protease (Mpro) to prevent polyprotein cleavage, and induction of adaptive B and T cell immune responses through vaccination.