Cryo-electron microscopy in the fight against COVID-19—mechanism of virus entry

Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences

Molecular Biosciences

Christian Biertümpfel¹  Christopher Cyrus Kuhn¹  Satish Bodakuntla¹  Naoko Mizuno² 

[1] Laboratory of Structural Cell Biology, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States;Laboratory of Structural Cell Biology, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States;National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States;

关键词: cryo-EM;    cryo-ET;    SARS-CoV-2;    COVID-19;    spike protein;    ACE2;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmolb.2023.1252529

 received in 2023-07-03, accepted in 2023-09-20,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and electron tomography (cryo-ET) have become a critical tool for studying viral particles. Cryo-EM has enhanced our understanding of viral assembly and replication processes at a molecular resolution. Meanwhile, in situ cryo-ET has been used to investigate how viruses attach to and invade host cells. These advances have significantly contributed to our knowledge of viral biology. Particularly, prompt elucidations of structures of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and its variants have directly impacted the development of vaccines and therapeutic measures. This review discusses the progress made by cryo-EM based technologies in comprehending the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-Cov-2), the virus responsible for the devastating global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 with focus on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and the mechanisms of the virus entry and replication.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Bodakuntla, Kuhn, Biertümpfel and Mizuno.