Structures and functions of coronavirus replication-transcription complexes and their relevance for SARS-CoV-2 drug design.

ABSTRACT: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has killed millions of people and continues to cause massive global upheaval. Coronaviruses are positive-strand RNA viruses with an unusually large genome of ~30 kb. They express an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and a cohort of other replication enzymes and supporting factors to transcribe and replicate their genomes. The proteins performing these essential processes are prime antiviral drug targets, but drug discovery is hindered by our incomplete understanding of coronavirus RNA synthesis and processing. In infected cells, the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase must coordinate with other viral and host factors to produce both viral mRNAs and new genomes. Recent research aiming to decipher and contextualize the structures, functions an

SUBMITTER: Malone B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8613731 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature