Lu Yun, Chen Yinghua
Laboratory of Immunology, Department of Biology, Tsinghua University, Protein Science Laboratory of Ministry of Education, 100084 Beijing, China.
Chin Sci Bull. 2003;48(11):1115-1117. doi: 10.1007/BF03185764.
Coronavirus has been determined to be the cause of the recent outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Human coronavirus 229E had been studied well and its receptor-binding domain was restricted to aa417-547 of S protein. However, this region has no homology with the newly separated SARS-associated virus (Hong Kong isolate CUHK-W1). Then we analyzed the phylogenesis of S1 subunit of the coronavirus spike protein (SARS-associated virus, Hong Kong isolate CUHK-W1). Interestingly, the highest homology between murine hepatitis virus (MHV) and SARS-associated coronavirus was found. And the important sites (aa62-65 and aa214-216) on the spike protein of MHV with receptor-binding capacity were highly conservative in comparison with the newly separated SARS-associated virus (the corresponding sites are aa51-54 and aal95-197). These results from bioinformatics analysis might help us to study the receptor-binding sites of SARS-associated virus and the mechanism of the virus entry into the target cell, and design antiviral drugs and potent vaccines.
冠状病毒已被确定为近期严重急性呼吸综合征(SARS)爆发的病因。人冠状病毒229E已得到充分研究,其受体结合域局限于S蛋白的417-547氨基酸区域。然而,该区域与新分离出的SARS相关病毒(香港分离株CUHK-W1)没有同源性。然后我们分析了冠状病毒刺突蛋白S1亚基(SARS相关病毒,香港分离株CUHK-W1)的系统发生。有趣的是,发现鼠肝炎病毒(MHV)与SARS相关冠状病毒之间具有最高同源性。与新分离出的SARS相关病毒相比,MHV刺突蛋白上具有受体结合能力的重要位点(62-65氨基酸和214-216氨基酸)高度保守(相应位点为51-54氨基酸和195-197氨基酸)。这些生物信息学分析结果可能有助于我们研究SARS相关病毒的受体结合位点以及病毒进入靶细胞的机制,并设计抗病毒药物和有效的疫苗。