IntroductionThe global outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS) in 2003 resulted in more than 8000cases and 774 deaths [1]. It has been demonstratedthat SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is theprimary causative pathogen of SARS [2–6] and mayoriginate from some wild animals, such as Himalayanpalm civets [7]. Farzan’s group has shown thatangiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a functionalreceptor for SARS-CoV [8]. The ACE2 bindingsite is located in the S1 domain of SARS-CoVspike (S) protein [9–11]. Jiang and colleagues havedemonstrated that the heptad repeat 1 and 2 regionsin the S2 domain of S protein associate to form afusion-active oligomeric core structure and a peptidederived from the HR2 region inhibits SARS-CoVinfection [12].The entire genome of SARS-CoV has been sequencedand it encodes RNA polymerase, spike (S) glycoprotein,membrane (M) glycoprotein, envelope (E)glycoprotein and nucleocapsid (N) protein [2–6,13].The N protein in most coronaviruses is highly conserved,immunogenic and abundantly expressed duringinfection [14]. Therefore, it has been widely usedas an important viral antigen in immunological andimmunohistochemical assays for clinical diagnosis andlaboratory detection of coronavirus infection.
Introduction<br>The global outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome<br>(SARS) in 2003 resulted in more than 8000<br>cases and 774 deaths [1]. It has been demonstrated<br>that SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is the<br>primary causative pathogen of SARS [2–6] and may<br>originate from some wild animals, such as Himalayan<br>palm civets [7]. Farzan’s group has shown that<br>angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a functional<br>receptor for SARS-CoV [8]. The ACE2 binding<br>site is located in the S1 domain of SARS-CoV<br>spike (S) protein [9–11]. Jiang and colleagues have<br>demonstrated that the heptad repeat 1 and 2 regions<br>in the S2 domain of S protein associate to form a<br>fusion-active oligomeric core structure and a peptide<br>derived from the HR2 region inhibits SARS-CoV<br>infection [12].<br>The entire genome of SARS-CoV has been sequenced<br>and it encodes RNA polymerase, spike (S) glycoprotein,<br>membrane (M) glycoprotein, envelope (E)<br>glycoprotein and nucleocapsid (N) protein [2–6,13].<br>The N protein in most coronaviruses is highly conserved,<br>immunogenic and abundantly expressed during<br>infection [14]. Therefore, it has been widely used<br>as an important viral antigen in immunological and<br>immunohistochemical assays for clinical diagnosis and<br>laboratory detection of coronavirus infection.
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