Activation mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 Nsp16
The Nsp16 protein from the SARS-CoV-2 virus plays an essential role in the virus' ability to evade an immune response. Folding@home simulations have revealed how the Nsp10 protein of the virus binds to and activates Nsp16. In the absence of Nsp10, the pockets of Nsp16 that bind RNA and another molecule called SAM (pockets are in yellow and cyan, respectively) close up on themselves. Binding of Nsp10 opens these pockets up, enabling Nsp16 to bind RNA and SAM and, ultimately, to perform its function.
This video was made by Neha Vithani and Michael Ward at Washington University in St. Louis.
Read more about this work at: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.11...
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