Heat Treatment Promotes Ubiquitin-Mediated Proteolysis of SARS-CoV-2 RNA Polymerase and Decreases Viral Load.

ABSTRACT: Despite extensive efforts, COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus is still at large. Vaccination is an effective approach to curb virus spread, but several variants (e.g., delta, delta plus, omicron, and IHU) appear to weaken or possibly escape immune protection. Thus, novel and quickly scalable approaches to restrain SARS-CoV-2 are urgently needed. Multiple evidences showed thermal sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 and negative correlation between environmental temperature and COVID-19 transmission with unknown mechanism. Here, we reveal a potential mechanism by which mild heat treatment destabilizes the wild-type RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (also known as nonstructural protein 12 (NSP12)) of SARS-CoV-2 as well as the P323L mutant commonly found in SARS-CoV-2 variants, including omicro

SUBMITTER: Maimaitiyiming Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8918953 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature