ArticleThe FEBS journal2021
The structural basis of accelerated host cell entry by SARS-CoV-2†.
Article in The FEBS journal, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 109 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
109 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 174 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review on vaccine developmental approaches: Evaluating efficacy, and addressing challenges of infectious diseases in the post-COVID-19 era.Virus research · 2026Pooled it
- A systematic review of pregnant women with COVID-19 and their neonates.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2021Pooled it
- High-speed 3D single-virus tracking reveals actin-aided viral trafficking of SARS-CoV-2 on the plasma membrane.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Design and immunogenicity evaluation of pan-recombinant vaccines based on the consensus sequence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 spike protein.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Synthetic Integration of an FCS into Coronaviruses-Hype or an Unresolved Biorisk? An Integrative Analysis of DNA Repair, Cancer Research, Drug Development, and Escape Mutant Traits.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- The Enigmatic Conserved Q134-F135-N137 Triad in SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein: A Conformational Transducer?Biomolecules · 2026Review
- Association Between ABO Blood Groups and SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia, Spike Protein Mutations, and Thrombotic Events in COVID-19 Patients.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Comparative Analysis of Virology and Pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 and HIV Infections: Implications for Public Health and Treatment Strategies.Infection and drug resistance · 2025Review
- Synthesis, function, and therapeutic potential of glycosphingolipids.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- Advancing COVID-19 Treatment: The Role of Non-covalent Inhibitors Unveiled by Integrated Machine Learning and Network Pharmacology.Current pharmaceutical design · 2025Article
- Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 spike trimers towards optimized heparan sulfate cross-linking and inter-chain mobility.Scientific reports · 2024Article
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- Current development of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 neutralizing antibodies (Review).Molecular medicine reports · 2024Review
- Multifaceted role of SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins in lung injury.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Review
- Mental Healthcare in Pediatrics During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Call for International Public Health Action.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2024Review
- Mental Healthcare in Pediatrics During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Call for International Public Health Action.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2024Review
- Characteristics and Functions of Infection-enhancing Antibodies to the N-terminal Domain of SARS-CoV-2.Pathogens & immunity · 2024Article
- Article
- Immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines and their effect on HIV reservoir in older people with HIV.iScience · 2023Article
49 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
24 authors at 20 institutions in 14 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that exhibits an overwhelming contagious capacity over other human coronaviruses (HCoVs). This structural snapshot describes the structural bases underlying the pandemic capacity of SARS-CoV-2 and explains its fast motion over respiratory epithelia that allow its rapid cellular entry. Based on notable viral spike (S) protein features, we propose that the flat sialic acid-binding domain at the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the S1 subunit leads to more effective first contact and interaction with the sialic acid layer over the epithelium, and this, in turn, allows faster viral 'surfing' of the epithelium and receptor scanning by SARS-CoV-2. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) protein on the epithelial surface is the primary entry receptor for SARS-CoV-2, and protein-protein interaction assays demonstrate high-affinity binding of the spike protein (S protein) to ACE-2. To date, no high-frequency mutations were detected at the C-terminal domain of the S1 subunit in the S protein, where the receptor-binding domain (RBD) is located. Tight binding to ACE-2 by a conserved viral RBD suggests the ACE2-RBD interaction is likely optimal. Moreover, the viral S subunit contains a cleavage site for furin and other proteases, which accelerates cell entry by SARS-CoV-2. The model proposed here describes a structural basis for the accelerated host cell entry by SARS-CoV-2 relative to other HCoVs and also discusses emerging hypotheses that are likely to contribute to the development of antiviral strategies to combat the pandemic capacity of SARS-CoV-2.
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Registered trials
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.