Host E3 ligase HUWE1 attenuates the proapoptotic activity of the MERS-CoV accessory protein ORF3 by promoting its ubiquitin-dependent degradation.

ABSTRACT: With the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), coronaviruses have begun to attract great attention across the world. Of the known human coronaviruses, however, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is the most lethal. Coronavirus proteins can be divided into three groups: nonstructural proteins, structural proteins, and accessory proteins. While the number of each of these proteins varies greatly among different coronaviruses, accessory proteins are most closely related to the pathogenicity of the virus. We found for the first time that the ORF3 accessory protein of MERS-CoV, which closely resembles the ORF3a proteins of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and SARS-CoV-2, has the ability to induce apoptosis in cells in a dose-

SUBMITTER: Zhou Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8755419 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature