The molecular virology of coronaviruses

• Published in: The Journal of biological chemistry Vol. 295; no. 37; pp. 12910 - 12934
• Main Authors: Hartenian, Ella, Nandakumar, Divya, Lari, Azra, Ly, Michael, Tucker, Jessica M., Glaunsinger, Britt A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 11.09.2020; American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Subjects: Animals; Antigens, Viral - immunology; cellular immune response; coronavirus; Coronavirus - genetics; Coronavirus - immunology; Coronavirus - physiology; Coronavirus Infections - genetics; Coronavirus Infections - immunology; Coronavirus Infections - virology; endoplasmic reticulum; endoplasmic reticulum (ER); Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; innate immunity; JBC Reviews; pathogenesis; plus-stranded RNA virus; RNA polymerase; SARS-CoV-2; viral replication; virology; virus; virus entry; Virus Physiological Phenomena; cellular immune response; coronavirus; RNA polymerase; virus; viral replication; pathogenesis; SARS-CoV-2; innate immunity; virology; plus-stranded RNA virus; virus entry; endoplasmic reticulum (ER); endoplasmic reticulum
• ISSN: 0021-9258; 1083-351X; 1083-351X
• DOI: 10.1074/jbc.REV120.013930

Few human pathogens have been the focus of as much concentrated worldwide attention as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of COVID-19. Its emergence into the human population and ensuing pandemic came on the heels of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), two other highly pathogenic coronavirus spillovers, which collectively have reshaped our view of a virus family previously associated primarily with the common cold. It has placed intense pressure on the collective scientific community to develop therapeutics and vaccines, whose engineering relies on a detailed understanding of coronavirus biology. Here, we present the molecular virology of coronavirus infection, including its entry into cells, its remarkably sophisticated gene expression and replication mechanisms, its extensive remodeling of the intracellular environment, and its multifaceted immune evasion strategies. We highlight aspects of the viral life cycle that may be amenable to antiviral targeting as well as key features of its biology that await discovery.