Structural characterization of the fusion-active complex of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus.

ABSTRACT: The causative agent of a recent outbreak of an atypical pneumonia, known as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), has been identified as a coronavirus (CoV) not belonging to any of the previously identified groups. Fusion of coronaviruses with the host cell is mediated by the envelope spike protein. Two regions within the spike protein of SARS-CoV have been identified, showing a high degree of sequence conservation with the other CoV, which are characterized by the presence of heptad repeats (HR1 and HR2). By using synthetic and recombinant peptides corresponding to the HR1 and HR2 regions, we were able to characterize the fusion-active complex formed by this novel CoV by CD, native PAGE, proteolysis protection analysis, and size-exclusion chromatography. HR1 and HR2 of SARS-CoV associ

SUBMITTER: Ingallinella P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC423260 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature