ArticleMicrobes and infection
Improved binding of SARS-CoV-2 Envelope protein to tight junction-associated PALS1 could play a key role in COVID-19 pathogenesis.
Article in Microbes and infection. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 51 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
51 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 78 citations in OpenAlex.
- Hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke in patients with coronavirus disease 2019: incidence, risk factors, and pathogenesis - a systematic review and meta-analysis.F1000Research · 2021Pooled it
- A nasal vaccine candidate based on S2 and N proteins from SARS-CoV-2 generates a broad antibody response systemically and in the lower respiratory tract.Immunologic research · 2025Article
- Advances in Viroporin Function and Structure: A Comparative Analysis of Alphavirus 6K with Well-Characterized Viroporins.Viruses · 2025Review
- SARS-CoV-2 Is an Electricity-Driven Virus.Reviews of physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology · 2025Review
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- Genetic Conservation and Diversity of SARS-CoV-2 Envelope Gene Across Variants of Concern.Journal of medical virology · 2025Article
- Coronavirus envelope protein activates TMED10-mediated unconventional secretion of inflammatory factors.Nature communications · 2024Article
- PDZ2-conjugated-PLGA nanoparticles are tiny heroes in the battle against SARS-CoV-2.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein impairs airway epithelial barrier function and exacerbates airway inflammation via increased intracellular ClSignal transduction and targeted therapy · 2024Article
- SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein induces necroptosis and mediates inflammatory response in lung and colon cells through receptor interacting protein kinase 1.Apoptosis : an international journal on programmed cell death · 2023Article
- Chronic alcohol use primes bronchial cells for altered inflammatory response and barrier dysfunction during SARS-CoV-2 infection.American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology · 2023Article
- Intestinal barrier dysfunction as a key driver of severe COVID-19.World journal of virology · 2023Review
- In Silico Screening of Drugs That Target Different Forms of E Protein for Potential Treatment of COVID-19.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Monomeric and dimeric states of human ZO1-PDZ2 are functional partners of the SARS-CoV-2 E protein.Computational and structural biotechnology journal · 2023Article
- Mutations in SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins: a global analysis.Virology journal · 2022Article
- Airway Epithelial Cell Junctions as Targets for Pathogens and Antimicrobial Therapy.Pharmaceutics · 2022Review
- Gut Microbiota and COVID-19: Potential Implications for Disease Severity.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- SARS-CoV-2 Spike mutations modify the interaction between virus Spike and human ACE2 receptors.Biochemical and biophysical research communications · 2022Article
- Respiratory syncytial virus disrupts the airway epithelial barrier by decreasing cortactin and destabilizing F-actin.Journal of cell science · 2022Article
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The Envelope (E) protein of SARS-CoV-2 is the most enigmatic protein among the four structural ones. Most of its current knowledge is based on the direct comparison to the SARS E protein, initially mistakenly undervalued and subsequently proved to be a key factor in the ER-Golgi localization and in tight junction disruption. We compared the genomic sequences of E protein of SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV and the closely related genomes of bats and pangolins obtained from the GISAID and GenBank databases. When compared to the known SARS E protein, we observed a significant difference in amino acid sequence in the C-terminal end of SARS-CoV-2 E protein. Subsequently, in silico modelling analyses of E proteins conformation and docking provide evidences of a strengthened binding of SARS-CoV-2 E protein with the tight junction-associated PALS1 protein. Based on our computational evidences and on data related to SARS-CoV, we believe that SARS-CoV-2 E protein interferes more stably with PALS1 leading to an enhanced epithelial barrier disruption, amplifying the inflammatory processes, and promoting tissue remodelling. These findings raise a warning on the underestimated role of the E protein in the pathogenic mechanism and open the route to detailed experimental investigations.
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