Cao Yipeng, Yang Rui, Lee Imshik, Zhang Wenwen, Sun Jiana, Wang Wei, Meng Xiangfei
Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
National Supercomputer Center in Tianjin, TEDA-Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
Protein Sci. 2021 Jun;30(6):1114-1130. doi: 10.1002/pro.4075. Epub 2021 Apr 13.
The COVID-19 epidemic is one of the most influential epidemics in history. Understanding the impact of coronaviruses (CoVs) on host cells is very important for disease treatment. The SARS-CoV-2 envelope (E) protein is a small structural protein involved in many aspects of the viral life cycle. The E protein promotes the packaging and reproduction of the virus, and deletion of this protein weakens or even abolishes the virulence. This review aims to establish new knowledge by combining recent advances in the study of the SARS-CoV-2 E protein and by comparing it with the SARS-CoV E protein. The E protein amino acid sequence, structure, self-assembly characteristics, viroporin mechanisms and inhibitors are summarized and analyzed herein. Although the mechanisms of the SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV E proteins are similar in many respects, specific studies on the SARS-CoV-2 E protein, for both monomers and oligomers, are still lacking. A comprehensive understanding of this protein should prompt further studies on the design and characterization of effective targeted therapeutic measures.
新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情是历史上最具影响力的疫情之一。了解冠状病毒(CoV)对宿主细胞的影响对于疾病治疗非常重要。严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2(SARS-CoV-2)包膜(E)蛋白是一种小结构蛋白,参与病毒生命周期的许多方面。E蛋白促进病毒的包装和繁殖,缺失该蛋白会减弱甚至消除病毒毒力。本综述旨在通过结合SARS-CoV-2 E蛋白研究的最新进展并将其与SARS-CoV E蛋白进行比较来建立新知识。本文总结并分析了E蛋白的氨基酸序列、结构、自组装特性、病毒孔蛋白机制及抑制剂。尽管SARS-CoV-2和SARS-CoV E蛋白的机制在许多方面相似,但仍缺乏对SARS-CoV-2 E蛋白单体和寡聚体的具体研究。对该蛋白的全面了解应促使人们进一步研究有效靶向治疗措施的设计和特性。