Study maps where SARS-CoV-2 proteins bind viral RNA
A peer-reviewed study in Nature Communications mapped where three SARS-CoV-2 proteins, NSP8, NSP12 and N, bind the virus's RNA during infection. The authors used a method called genome-scale eCLIP.
The authors report regulatory sites on the viral RNA that appear to control how the virus copies itself and makes proteins. They suggest these sites could become targets for antiviral drugs. This is early work: the antiviral potential is speculative, and no drug has been tested against these sites.