Comparative studies of E, M and N structural proteins of SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, pangolin CoV and bat CoV

Research article: Comparative studies of E, M and N structural proteins of SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, pangolin CoV and bat CoV

Authors: K.G. Gasimov1, T.A. Samadova1, F.K. Abasova 2, I.A. Shahmuradov1,3*

1 Institute of Biophysics, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, 117 academician Zahid Khalilov Str., Baku AZ1141, Azerbaijan

2 Academician Zarifa Aliyeva Lyceum, H.Javid Ave, 253rd block, Baku AZ 1141, Azerbaijan

3 Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnologies, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences,11 Izzat Nabiyev Str., Baku AZ 1073, Azerbaijan

*For correspondence: ilhambaku@gmail.com

Received 26 October 2020; Received in revised form 25 November 2020; Accepted 30 November 2020

Abstract: 

During the last two decades, humanity has been plagued by 3 coronavirus diseases, although the human coronaviruses were discovered over 50 years ago. The latest coronavirus disease discovered in 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by human Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A question arises: what could be the reason for such activation of coronaviruses in recent years? To answer this question, at least, it is necessary to clarify (1) the history and origin of these viruses, and (2) molecular mechanisms how they very easily and rapidly enter into host cells and cause multifaceted serious disorders. In this study, we compared the structural proteins E, M and N from SARS-CoV-2, SARS, bat and pangolin CoVs. The most striking fact firstly discovered in this study is that the relative proportion of the synonymous substitution rates in M and N pro- teins of the SARS-CoV-2 and pangolin CoV are significantly higher than the corresponding charac- teristics for other CoVs studied. This finding puts several intriguing questions on the emergence and the duration of divergence of the SARS-CoV-2.

Keywords: Coronavirus, COVID-19, E protein, M protein, N protein, pangolin, bat, origin of the SARS- CoV-2, synonymous mutations, non-synonymous mutations

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