The SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein: its role in the viral life cycle, structure and functions, and use as a potential target in the development of vaccines and diagnostics

Virology Journal

Review

Hong Zhou¹  Wenbing Wu¹  Shujun Zhang¹  Ying Cheng¹  Changzhen Sun² 

[1] Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southwest Medical University, 646000, Luzhou, China;Drug Research Center of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, 646000, Luzhou, China;

关键词: SARS-CoV-2;    COVID-19;    Nucleocapsid protein;    Post-translational modifications;    Liquid–liquid phase separation;    Diagnostics;    Vaccines;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12985-023-01968-6

 received in 2022-07-15, accepted in 2023-01-04,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to take a heavy toll on personal health, healthcare systems, and economies around the globe. Scientists are expending tremendous effort to develop diagnostic technologies for detecting positive infections within the shortest possible time, and vaccines and drugs specifically for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 disease. At the same time, emerging novel variants have raised serious concerns about vaccine efficacy. The SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein plays an important role in the coronavirus life cycle, and participates in various vital activities after virus invasion. It has attracted a large amount of attention for vaccine and drug development. Here, we summarize the latest research of the N protein, including its role in the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle, structure and function, and post-translational modifications in addition to its involvement in liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) and use as a basis for the development of vaccines and diagnostic techniques.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

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