ArticlePLoS biology2020
A unifying structural and functional model of the coronavirus replication organelle: Tracking down RNA synthesis.
Article in PLoS biology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 338 papers.
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Who cites it
338 citing papers in PubMed, 469 citations in OpenAlex.
- RNA Polymerase Inhibitor Enisamium for Treatment of Moderate COVID-19 Patients: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter, Double-Blind Phase 3 Clinical Trial.Advances in respiratory medicine · 2024Trial
- Hitting Coronaviruses Where It Hurts: Antiviral Strategies Targeting Viral Proteins.ChemMedChem · 2026Review
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- Conserved structural features of RNA export pores spanning the double membrane of arterivirus and coronavirus replication organelles.Journal of virology · 2026Article
- The accessory protein ORF3a hijacks the CLCC1 chloride channel to disrupt ER homeostasis in betacoronavirus pathogenesis.Cell discovery · 2026Article
- Host soluble inositol phosphate signaling promotes coronavirus replication.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Circulating cholesterol fuels SARS-CoV-2 replication via ORF3a.EMBO reports · 2026Article
- Stress granules formed during infections with RNA viruses have significant virus-specific differences in generation and composition.PLoS biology · 2026Article
- Super-resolution atlas of SARS-CoV-2 infection reveals protease-dependent organelle maturation, dsRNA landscapes, and intracellular structural proteins.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Distinct RNA engagements define genome import and replication elongation in alphaviruses.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Temporal Dynamics of Innate Immune Activation and Viral Interference During Sequential Co-Infection with Influenza A Virus and SARS-CoV-2: Molecular Mechanisms, Clinical Evidence, and Therapeutic Implications.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Insights into SARS-CoV-2 replication controlActa pharmaceutica Sinica. B · 2026Article
- Review
- PKR condensation at viral replication complexes initiates its activation.Cell reports · 2026Article
- Behind the membranous curtain-lipid dynamics and functions in coronaviral replication.Journal of virology · 2026Review
- Coronavirus M protein disperses the trans-Golgi network and inhibits anterograde protein trafficking in the secretory pathway.PLoS pathogens · 2026Article
- Leveraging ADMET Profiling, Network Pharmacology, and Molecular Docking to Evaluate the Repurposing of Product Nkabinde for COVID-19 Treatment.Biomedicines · 2026Article
- Sichuan pepper, Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim., suppresses human coronavirus OC43 infection by inhibiting viral entry and impairing autolysosome accumulation.Chinese medicine · 2026Article
- Coronavirus Nsp3 Hijacks CLTC to Modulate Autophagosome Nucleation for Promoting DMV Formation and Viral Replication.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Modern RNA Quantification Methods: From RT-qPCR to Advanced Microscopy.The journal of physical chemistry. B · 2026Review
278 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Zoonotic coronavirus (CoV) infections, such as those responsible for the current severe acute respiratory syndrome-CoV 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, cause grave international public health concern. In infected cells, the CoV RNA-synthesizing machinery associates with modified endoplasmic reticulum membranes that are transformed into the viral replication organelle (RO). Although double-membrane vesicles (DMVs) appear to be a pan-CoV RO element, studies to date describe an assortment of additional CoV-induced membrane structures. Despite much speculation, it remains unclear which RO element(s) accommodate viral RNA synthesis. Here we provide detailed 2D and 3D analyses of CoV ROs and show that diverse CoVs essentially induce the same membrane modifications, including the small open double-membrane spherules (DMSs) previously thought to be restricted to gamma- and delta-CoV infections and proposed as sites of replication. Metabolic labeling of newly synthesized viral RNA followed by quantitative electron microscopy (EM) autoradiography revealed abundant viral RNA synthesis associated with DMVs in cells infected with the beta-CoVs Middle East respiratory syndrome-CoV (MERS-CoV) and SARS-CoV and the gamma-CoV infectious bronchitis virus. RNA synthesis could not be linked to DMSs or any other cellular or virus-induced structure. Our results provide a unifying model of the CoV RO and clearly establish DMVs as the central hub for viral RNA synthesis and a potential drug target in CoV infection.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.