Abstract
Transmission electron microscopy has historically been indispensable for virology research, as it offers unique insight into virus function. In the past decade, as cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has matured and become more accessible, we have been able to peer into the structure of viruses at the atomic level and understand how they interact with the host cell, with drugs or with antibodies. Perhaps, there was no time in recent history where cryo-EM was more needed, as SARS-CoV-2 has spread around the globe, causing millions of deaths and almost unquantifiable economic devastation. In this concise review, we aim to mark the most important contributions of cryo-EM to understanding the structure and function of SARS-CoV-2 proteins, from surface spikes to the virus core and from virus-receptor interactions to antibody binding.
Keywords:
COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; cryo-electron microscopy; cryo-electron tomography; single-particle analysis; structural biology.
© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Publication types
-
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
-
Review
MeSH terms
-
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 / chemistry*
-
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 / immunology
-
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 / metabolism
-
Antibodies, Viral / biosynthesis
-
Antibodies, Viral / chemistry*
-
COVID-19 / immunology
-
COVID-19 / prevention & control*
-
COVID-19 / virology
-
COVID-19 Vaccines / administration & dosage
-
COVID-19 Vaccines / biosynthesis
-
COVID-19 Vaccines / chemistry*
-
Cryoelectron Microscopy
-
Epitopes / chemistry
-
Epitopes / immunology
-
Epitopes / metabolism
-
Humans
-
Models, Molecular
-
Protein Binding
-
Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs
-
Protein Structure, Secondary
-
Receptors, Virus / chemistry*
-
Receptors, Virus / immunology
-
Receptors, Virus / metabolism
-
SARS-CoV-2 / drug effects
-
SARS-CoV-2 / pathogenicity
-
SARS-CoV-2 / ultrastructure
-
Serine Endopeptidases / chemistry
-
Serine Endopeptidases / immunology
-
Serine Endopeptidases / metabolism
-
Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus / chemistry*
-
Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus / immunology
-
Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus / metabolism
-
Virion / drug effects
-
Virion / pathogenicity
-
Virion / ultrastructure
Substances
-
Antibodies, Viral
-
COVID-19 Vaccines
-
Epitopes
-
Receptors, Virus
-
Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
-
spike protein, SARS-CoV-2
-
ACE2 protein, human
-
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2
-
Serine Endopeptidases
-
TMPRSS2 protein, human