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Updated: Aug 13, 2026

A Fluorogenic Peptide Cleavage Assay to Screen for Proteolytic Activity: Applications for coronavirus spike protein activation
Published on: January 9, 2019
Structure and intracellular targeting of the SARS-coronavirus Orf7a accessory protein
Christopher A Nelson1, Andrew Pekosz, Chung A Lee
1Department of Pathology and Immunology, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
Abstract:
The open reading frame (ORF) 7a of the SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) encodes a unique type I transmembrane protein of unknown function. We have determined the 1.8 A resolution crystal structure of the N-terminal ectodomain of orf7a, revealing a compact seven-stranded beta sandwich unexpectedly similar in fold and topology to members of the Ig superfamily. We also demonstrate that, in SARS-CoV- infected cells, the orf7a protein is expressed and retained intracellularly. Confocal microscopy studies using orf7a and orf7a/CD4 chimeras implicate the short cytoplasmic tail and transmembrane domain in trafficking of the protein within the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi network. Taken together, our findings provide a structural and cellular framework in which to explore the role of orf7a in SARS-CoV pathogenesis.
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