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Know your enemy and know yourself - the case of SARS-CoV-2 host factors

Wai Suet Lee1, Meisam Yousefi1, Biaoguo Yan1

  • 1Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore.

Current Opinion in Virology
|September 6, 2021
PubMed

Insights

This review details the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection cycle and host factors. Understanding these mechanisms aids in developing host-directed therapeutics for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Cell Biology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
  • This novel RNA virus exhibits high transmissibility and pathogenicity.
  • Extensive research is underway to control the pandemic.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the critical stages of the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle within host cells.
  • To highlight the essential host factors involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection.
  • To underscore the role of cell biology insights in therapeutic development.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of SARS-CoV-2 infection mechanisms.
  • Analysis of host-pathogen interactions at the cellular level.
  • Examination of current therapeutic strategies targeting host factors.

Main Results:

  • The review elucidates the step-by-step process of viral entry, replication, and assembly.
  • Key host cell proteins and pathways essential for viral propagation are identified.
  • The study highlights the potential of targeting host factors for antiviral therapies.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding the SARS-CoV-2 cell biology is crucial for combating COVID-19.
  • Host-directed therapies offer a promising avenue for treatment development.
  • Continued research into host-pathogen interactions will accelerate the end of the pandemic.

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