Elsevier

Life Sciences

Volume 282, 1 October 2021, 118754
Life Sciences

Review article
The nucleocapsid protein of zoonotic betacoronaviruses is an attractive target for antiviral drug discovery

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lfs.2020.118754Get rights and content

Abstract

Betacoronaviruses are in one genera of coronaviruses including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV), etc. These viruses threaten public health and cause dramatic economic losses. The nucleocapsid (N) protein is a structural protein of betacoronaviruses with multiple functions such as forming viral capsids with viral RNA, interacting with viral membrane protein to form the virus core with RNA, binding to several cellular kinases for signal transductions, etc. In this review, we highlighted the potential of the N protein as a suitable antiviral target from different perspectives, including structure, functions, and antiviral strategies for combatting betacoronaviruses.

Keywords

Nucleocapsid protein
Betacoronavirus
Coronavirus N
Antiviral
Protein-protein interaction

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