The Molecular Biology of Coronaviruses

Abstract

Coronaviruses are large, enveloped RNA viruses of both medical and veterinary importance. Interest in this viral family has intensified in the past few years as a result of the identification of a newly emerged coronavirus as the causative agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). At the molecular level, coronaviruses employ a variety of unusual strategies to accomplish a complex program of gene expression. Coronavirus replication entails ribosome frameshifting during genome translation, the synthesis of both genomic and multiple subgenomic RNA species, and the assembly of progeny virions by a pathway that is unique among enveloped RNA viruses. Progress in the investigation of these processes has been enhanced by the development of reverse genetic systems, an advance that was heretofore obstructed by the enormous size of the coronavirus genome. This review summarizes both classical and contemporary discoveries in the study of the molecular biology of these infectious agents, with particular emphasis on the nature and recognition of viral receptors, viral RNA synthesis, and the molecular interactions governing virion assembly.

Oligomerization of the carboxyl terminal domain of the human coronavirus 229E nucleocapsid protein

“…The C-terminal tail has been found to participate in the oligomerization of the SARS-CoV N protein since the removal of 40 aa from the C-terminus apparently decreased the ability of the protein to oligomerize [32]. The extreme C-terminal tail of the HCoV N protein was labeled as a separate functional domain [42]. We speculate that the C-terminal tail might constitute an important molecular determinant of oligomerization for HCoV-229E NP.…”

Reação de hemi-nested RT-PCR dirigida ao gene da hemaglutinina-esterase do Coronavírus Bovino

“…Diversidade genética. acids 1,3 .The viral envelope of BCoV is formed by a lipidic double layer with four structural proteins (HE, S, E and M) that project from it, resulting in a spiked structure 3 .…”

“…Adult cattle, mainly cows, present an enteric disease known as winter dysentery, first described in the USA, and also caused by a bovine coronavirus similar to that found in neonatal diarrhea 12,13,14 . As HE is a polymorphic protein that functions as a secondary receptor binder 3 , surveys on the diversity of HE gene might allow insights on BCoV evolution and host-parasite interactions.…”

Engineering Infectious cDNAs of Coronavirus as Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes

“…Coronaviruses (CoV) are enveloped, single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses relevant in animal and human health (1,2). Historically, CoV infection in humans has been associated with mild upper respiratory tract diseases (1).…”

“…Historically, CoV infection in humans has been associated with mild upper respiratory tract diseases (1). However, the identification of the severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV (SARS-CoV) in 2003 (3) and the recently emerged (April 2012) Middle East respiratory syndrome CoV (MERS-CoV) (4), which has been associated with acute pneumonia, redefined historic perceptions and potentiated the relevance of CoVs as important human pathogens.…”