Velusamy Palaniyandi, Kiruba Kannan, Su Chia-Hung, Arun Viswanathan, Anbu Periasamy, Gopinath Subash C B, Vaseeharan Baskaralingam
Research and Development Wing, Central Research Laboratory, Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital, Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research (BIHER), Chennai- 600 044, TN, India.
Department of Biotechnology, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai 600 025, TN, India.
J King Saud Univ Sci. 2021 Dec;33(8):101648. doi: 10.1016/j.jksus.2021.101648. Epub 2021 Oct 19.
SARS-CoV2 is a member of human coronaviruses and is the causative agent of the present pandemic COVID-19 virus. In order to control COVID-19, studies on viral structure and mechanism of infectivity and pathogenicity are sorely needed. The spike (S) protein is comprised of S1 & S2 subunits. These spike protein subunits enable viral attachment by binding to the host cell ACE-2 (angiotensin converting enzyme-2) receptor, thus facilitating the infection. During viral entry, one of the key steps is the cleavage of the S1-S2 spike protein subunits surface TMPRSS2 (transmembrane protease serine 2) and results in viral infection. Hence, the S-protein is critical for the viral attachment and penetration into the host. The rapid advancement of our knowledge on the structural and functional aspects of the spike protein could lead to development of numerous candidate vaccines against SARS-CoV2. Here the authors discuss about the structure of spike protein and explore its related functions. Our aim is to provide a better understanding that may aid in fighting against CoVID-19 and its treatment.
严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV2）是人类冠状病毒的一种，是当前大流行的新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）病毒的病原体。为了控制COVID-19，迫切需要对病毒结构以及感染性和致病性机制进行研究。刺突（S）蛋白由S1和S2亚基组成。这些刺突蛋白亚基通过与宿主细胞血管紧张素转换酶2（ACE-2）受体结合实现病毒附着，从而促进感染。在病毒进入过程中，关键步骤之一是S1-S2刺突蛋白亚基被跨膜丝氨酸蛋白酶2（TMPRSS2）切割，进而导致病毒感染。因此，S蛋白对于病毒附着和进入宿主至关重要。我们对刺突蛋白结构和功能方面的认识迅速进步，这可能会促使研发出多种针对SARS-CoV2的候选疫苗。在此，作者们讨论了刺突蛋白的结构并探究了其相关功能。我们的目的是提供更深入的理解，以助力抗击COVID-19及其治疗。
