Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship, Activity Prediction, and Molecular Dynamics of Non-nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors
Published on: May 9, 2025
Positive-Strand RNA Viral RdRps: From Structure Conservation and Activity Assay to Drug Development
Siyuan Zhao1, Ziyu Lin1, Minglian Wang1
1College of Chemistry and Life Science, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China.
None:
Positive-strand RNA viruses represented by SARS-CoV-2 and DENV spread globally with high infectivity and frequent mutations, posing a severe threat to human health. However, specific and effective antiviral drugs remain limited. RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) plays a critical role in the genome replication of RNA viruses and shows high structural conservation. No homologous protein exists in human cells, making RdRp an effective, safe, and broad-spectrum antiviral target. Therefore, establishing an RdRp activity assay for drug development based on its mechanism is of great significance. This paper summarizes the structural characteristics of RdRp and the methods for constructing RdRp activity assay, especially for cell-free activity assay. In addition, several reported RdRp inhibitors and their pharmaceutical progress are also reviewed, aiming to provide a reference for the development of novel antiviral drugs targeting RdRp.
Related Concept Videos
Viruses with RNA Genomes
Leaky Scanning
Structure-Activity Relationships and Drug Design
SAR studies the intricate relationship between a drug's chemical structure and biological activity. It focuses on understanding how modifications to a drug's structure can influence its...
Antiviral Nucleoside Inhibitors
Size and Structure of Viral Genomes
Types of RNA
Three main types of RNA are involved in protein synthesis: messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). These RNAs perform diverse functions and can be broadly classified as protein-coding or non-coding RNA. Non-coding RNAs play important roles in the regulation of gene expression in response to developmental and environmental changes. Non-coding RNAs in prokaryotes can be manipulated to develop more effective antibacterial drugs for human or animal use.
RNA...

