Molecular biology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus.
The worldwide epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 was caused by a novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV. Coronaviruses and their closest relatives possess extremely large plus-strand RNA genomes and employ unique mechanisms and enzymes in RNA synthesis that separate them from all other RNA viruses. The SARS epidemic prompted a variety of studies on multiple aspects of the coronavirus replication cycle, yielding both rapid identification of the entry mechanisms of SARS-CoV into host cells and valuable structural and functional information on SARS-CoV proteins. These recent advances in coronavirus research have important implications for the development of anti-SARS drugs and vaccines.
Ziebuhr
John
J
Institute of Virology and Immunology, University of Würzburg, Versbacher Str. 7, 97078 Würzburg, Germany. j.ziebuhr@mail.uni-wuerzburg.de
D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D016679:Genome, Viral; D006801:Humans; D008967:Molecular Biology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000821:virology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014779:Virus Replication
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins