Abstract

The disease outbreak caused by Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is still ongoing in the Middle East. Over 1700 people have been infected since it was first reported in September 2012. Despite great efforts, licensed vaccines or therapeutics against MERS-CoV remain unavailable. The MERS-CoV spike (S) protein is an important viral antigen known to mediate host-receptor binding and virus entry, as well as induce robust humoral and cell-mediated responses in humans during infection. In this review, we highlight the importance of the S protein in the MERS-CoV life cycle, summarize recent advances in the development of vaccines and therapeutics based on the S protein, and discuss strategies that can be explored to develop new medical countermeasures against MERS-CoV.

Keywords

Coronavirus, MERS-CoV, Spike protein, Vaccines, Therapeutics, Animal models

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Abstract

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), a novel human coronavirus that caused outbreaks of a SARS-like illness in the Middle East, is now considered a threat to global public health. This review discusses the challenges in identifying the source of this fatal virus and developing effective and safe anti-MERS-CoV vaccines and therapeutics in order to control its spread and to combat any future pandemic.

MERS-CoV spike protein: Targets for vaccines and therapeutics

Qihui Wang, Gary Wong, Guangwen Lu, Jinghua Yan, George F. Gao

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Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV): challenges in identifying its source and controlling its spread

Lu Lu, Qi Liu, Lanying Du, Shibo Jiang

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