Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6142315 | Virus Research | 2014 | 11 Pages |
Abstract
The recent outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection has led to more than 800 laboratory-confirmed MERS cases with a high case fatality rate (â¼35%), posing a serious threat to global public health and calling for the development of effective and safe therapeutic and prophylactic strategies to treat and prevent MERS-CoV infection. Here we discuss the most recent studies on the structure of the MERS-CoV spike protein and its role in virus binding and entry, and the development of MERS-CoV entry/fusion inhibitors targeting the S1 subunit, particularly the receptor-binding domain (RBD), and the S2 subunit, especially the HR1 region, of the MERS-CoV spike protein. We then look ahead to future applications of these viral entry/fusion inhibitors, either alone or in combination with specific and nonspecific MERS-CoV replication inhibitors, for the treatment and prevention of MERS-CoV infection.
Keywords
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Authors
Shuai Xia, Qi Liu, Qian Wang, Zhiwu Sun, Shan Su, Lanying Du, Tianlei Ying, Lu Lu, Shibo Jiang,