Evolutionary and structural analysis of nsp10, nsp14 and nsp16 proteins for the design of a pancoronaviral antiviral therapy

During this century, there have been three global health alerts caused by the emergence of new zoonotic coronaviruses that can cause acute respiratory infections: SARS-CoV (2002), MERS-CoV (2012) and SARS-CoV-2 (2019). In response to the possible emergence of future pandemic coronaviruses, the development of multiple antiviral therapies that target conserved viral characteristics which can be used in combination is highlighted as the most effective first line of therapeutic defence. In this context, this Final Degree Project analyses the evolution and structure of two key proteins in the replication and transcription complex of coronaviruses, nsp14 and nsp16, as well as the cofactor they share, nsp10. The conserved regions of the latter could be key to the design of pseudoligands that help to stop the infectious cycle of coronaviruses in humans.