Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jun 17;27(1):50.
doi: 10.1186/s11658-022-00352-6.

SARS-CoV-2: phenotype, genotype, and characterization of different variants

Mohammadreza Saberiyan  1 , Elham Karimi  2 , Zahra Khademi  3 , Parvaneh Movahhed  4 , Amir Safi  5 , Ameneh Mehri-Ghahfarrokhi  6
Affiliations

SARS-CoV-2: phenotype, genotype, and characterization of different variants

Mohammadreza Saberiyan et al. Cell Mol Biol Lett. .

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a major international public health concern. Because of very similar amino acid sequences of the seven domain names, SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the Coronavirinae subfamily of the family Coronaviridae, order Nidovirales, and realm Riboviria, placed in exceptional clusters, but categorized as a SARS-like species. As the RNA virus family with the longest genome, the Coronaviridae genome consists of a single strand of positive RNA (25-32 kb in length). Four major structural proteins of this genome include the spike (S), membrane (M), envelope (E), and the nucleocapsid (N) protein, all of which are encoded within the 3' end of the genome. By engaging with its receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), SARS-CoV-2 infects host cells. According to the most recent epidemiological data, as the illness spread globally, several genetic variations of SARS-CoV-2 appeared quickly, with the World Health Organization (WHO) naming 11 of them. Among these, seven SARS-CoV-2 subtypes have received the most attention. Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1), Delta (B.1.617.2), and Omicron (B.1.617.2) are now designated as variations of concern (VOC) (B.1.1.529). Lambda (C.37) and Mu are variations of interest (VOI) (B.1.621). The remaining six are either being monitored or are no longer considered a threat. On the basis of studies done so far, antiviral drugs, antibiotics, glucocorticoids, recombinant intravenous immunoglobulin, plasma therapy, and IFN-α2b have been used to treat patients. Moreover, full vaccination is associated with lower infection and helps prevent transmission, but the risk of infection cannot be eliminated completely in vaccinated people.

Keywords: COVID-19; Omicron; SARS-CoV-2 variants; Vaccine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known conflict of interests/competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Phylogenetic form: phylogenetic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 and Betacoronavirus genomes of other viruses in the Orthocoronavirinae subfamily [1]
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Coronavirinae subfamily structure. Coronavirinae subfamily contains surface viral proteins, namely spike glycoprotein (S), which mediates interaction with the ACE2 cell surface receptor. Viral membrane glycoproteins (M) and envelope (E) of SARS-CoV-2 embedded in the lipid bilayer of viral membranes coat the viral RNA helical nucleocapsid [16] (created with BioRender.com)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
SARS-CoV-2 genome organization. SARS-CoV-2 genome contains 6–12 open reading frames (ORFs) with 5′ and 3′ flanking untranslated regions (UTRs) [17]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Zhu N, Zhang D, Wang W, Li X, Yang B, Song J, et al. A novel coronavirus from patients with pneumonia in China, 2019. N Engl J Med. 2020;382(8):727–733. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rajnik M, Cascella M, Cuomo A, Dulebohn SC, Di Napoli R. Features, evaluation, and treatment of coronavirus (COVID-19). Uniformed Services University Of The Health Sciences; 2021. - PubMed
    1. Chen Y, Liu Q, Guo D. Emerging coronaviruses: genome structure, replication, and pathogenesis. J Med Virol. 2020;92(4):418–423. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cui J, Li F, Shi Z-L. Origin and evolution of pathogenic coronaviruses. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2019;17(3):181–192. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zhong N, Zheng B, Li Y, Poon L, Xie Z, Chan K, et al. Epidemiology and cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Guangdong, People's Republic of China, in February, 2003. Lancet. 2003;362(9393):1353–1358. - PMC - PubMed

Substances

Supplementary concepts

  NODES
INTERN 1
twitter 2