Page 43 - Hormel Report 2023

| 43
Bacterial transcription cycle.
PUBLICATION HIGHLIGHTS:
• Bu, F., Kompaniiets, D., & Liu, B. (2023). How to compile different types of structural visualizations in one panel. Trends in Biochemical Sciences, 48(3), 303-304.
• Wang, D., Kompaniiets, D., Hu, Y. B., & Liu, B. (2023).
Editorial: Transcription and its regulation in bacteria. Frontiers in Microbiology, 14, 1200443.
Structural and Mechanistic Study of Macromolecular Complexes in SARS-CoV-2 and Other Viruses with Public Health Concern
The structures of COVID-19 virus RNA polymerase in complex with duplex RNA and antiviral drugs are sig- nificant for us to understand the specific replication/ transcription mechanism of this coronavirus (2019- nCoV or SARS-CoV-2), to characterize how antiviral drugs bind to RNA polymerase to inhibit its transcrip- tion and therefore inhibit virus replication, and to dis- cover novel effective drugs and therapeutic strategies against COVID-19 virus infection. In the meantime, we are also characterizing the molecular mechanisms
of how SARS-CoV-2 functions and identifying effec-
tive nanobodies or small molecules to inhibit virus
by obtaining and characterizing structures of critical complexes, especially the ones with the spike protein that mediates viral entry, induces human’s neutralizing immune response, and is the basis of current mRNA vaccines, using cryo-Electron Microscopy and relevant biochemical experiments. The potential information gained from the proposed projects will benefit to public health, greatly advance the field of coronavirus, and facilitate the design of novel antiviral agents and understanding of related diseases.
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6581-780X