Molecular Mechanisms and Potential Antiviral Strategies of Liquid–Liquid Phase Separation during Coronavirus Infection

Abstract

Highly pathogenic coronaviruses have caused significant outbreaks in humans and animals, posing a serious threat to public health. The rapid global spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in millions of infections and deaths. However, the mechanisms through which coronaviruses evade a host’s antiviral immune system are not well understood. Liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) is a recently discovered mechanism that can selectively isolate cellular components to regulate biological processes, including host antiviral innate immune signal transduction pathways. This review focuses on the mechanism of coronavirus-induced LLPS and strategies for utilizing LLPS to evade the host antiviral innate immune response, along with potential antiviral therapeutic drugs and methods. It aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding and novel insights for researchers studying LLPS induced by pandemic viruses.

Keywords

• SARS-CoV-2
• nucleocapsid protein
• liquid–liquid phase separation
• innate immunity