{"title":"SARS-CoV-2 spike protein: structure, viral entry and variants","authors":"Bing Chen, Michael Farzan, Hyeryun Choe","doi":"10.1038/s41579-025-01185-8","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been a devastating global pandemic for 4 years and is now an endemic disease. With the emergence of new viral variants, COVID-19 is a continuing threat to public health despite the wide availability of vaccines. The virus-encoded trimeric spike protein (S protein) mediates SARS-CoV-2 entry into host cells and also induces strong immune responses, making it an important target for development of therapeutics and vaccines. In this Review, we summarize our latest understanding of the structure and function of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein, the molecular mechanism of viral entry and the emergence of new variants, and we discuss their implications for development of S protein-related intervention strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":18838,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Microbiology","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":69.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Nature Reviews Microbiology","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-025-01185-8","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MICROBIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been a devastating global pandemic for 4 years and is now an endemic disease. With the emergence of new viral variants, COVID-19 is a continuing threat to public health despite the wide availability of vaccines. The virus-encoded trimeric spike protein (S protein) mediates SARS-CoV-2 entry into host cells and also induces strong immune responses, making it an important target for development of therapeutics and vaccines. In this Review, we summarize our latest understanding of the structure and function of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein, the molecular mechanism of viral entry and the emergence of new variants, and we discuss their implications for development of S protein-related intervention strategies.
期刊介绍：
At Nature Reviews Microbiology, our goal is to become the leading source of reviews and commentaries for the scientific community we cater to. We are dedicated to publishing articles that are not only authoritative but also easily accessible, supplementing them with clear and concise figures, tables, and other visual aids. Our objective is to offer an unparalleled service to authors, referees, and readers, and we continuously strive to maximize the usefulness and impact of each article we publish. With a focus on Reviews, Perspectives, and Comments spanning the entire field of microbiology, our wide scope ensures that the work we feature reaches the widest possible audience.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
