Modeling study sheds light on SARS-CoV-2 genome packaging
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have conducted a study exploring how the spatial patterning of certain genomic RNA regions in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) promotes compaction, packaging, and cyclization of the viral genome.
The novel SARS-CoV-2 virus is the agent responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that continues to sweep the globe posing an unprecedented threat to global health and the worldwide economy.
A significant challenge for viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 is the specific and efficient packaging of a large genome into a relatively small capsid while excluding viral subgenomic fragments and cellular nucleic acids.