UNDERSTANDING THE VIRAL-HOST INTERACTIONS OF NEWLY EMERGED AND HIGHLY PATHOGENIC HUMAN CORONAVIRUSES

Abstract

NEWLY EMERGED ZOONOTIC CORONAVIRUSES CAUSE SEVERE DISEASES IN HUMANS AND POSE SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC HEALTH THREATS AND CHALLENGES. IN THE PAST 12 YEARS, WE SAW THE EMERGENCES OF TWO HIGHLY PATHOGENIC HUMAN CORONAVIRUSES, THE SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONAVIRUS (SARS-COV) AND THE MIDDLE EAST RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONAVIRUS (MERS-COV), WHICH ARE CHARACTERIZED BY SEVERE LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONS AND HIGH MORTALITY RATES. WITH THE POSSIBLE RE-EMERGENCE OF SARS-COV AND THE ONGOING MERS EPIDEMIC IN MIDDLE EAST, THE AVAILABILITY OF TREATMENTS AND VACCINES FOR THESE HIGHLY PATHOGENIC VIRUSES IS OF GREAT URGENCY. IN THIS THESIS, WE FOCUSED ON THE UNDERSTANDING OF VIRAL-HOST INTERACTIONS IN SARS-COV AND MERS-COV, WHICH IS IMPORTANT FOR IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL DRUG TARGETS AND DEVELOPING ANTIVIRAL STRATEGIES.