Predictable fold switching by the SARS-CoV-2 protein ORF9b.

ABSTRACT: Extant fold-switching proteins remodel their secondary structures and change their functions in response to environmental stimuli. These shapeshifting proteins regulate biological processes and are associated with a number of diseases, including tuberculosis, cancer, Alzheimer's, and autoimmune disorders. Thus, predictive methods are needed to identify more fold-switching proteins, especially since all naturally occurring instances have been discovered by chance. In response to this need, two high-throughput predictive methods have recently been developed. Here we test them on ORF9b, a newly discovered fold switcher and potential therapeutic target from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Promisingly, both methods correctly indicate that ORF9b switches folds.

SUBMITTER: Porter LL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8242659 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature