SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein undergoes liquid–liquid phase separation into stress granules through its N-terminal intrinsically disordered region
Jia Wang, Chengrui Shi, Qun Xu, Hang Yin
Abstract
The novel coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) broke out in late 2019 and has spread worldwide since then, posing a great threat to the world economy and public health. As of December 1, 2020, more than 62.8 million patients have been diagnosed worldwide, causing 1.46 million deaths with a mortality rate of more than 2.3% (source: WHO situation report), possibly making it one of the deadliest pandemics in the entire human history. Unfortunately, the clinical efficacy of a number of potential drugs remains to be vague. Therefore, further in-depth research on the physiological processes of virus transmission, infection, replication, release, and the identification of novel therapeutic targets are of remarkable significance for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.