RNA-dependent RNA Polymerase of SARS-CoV-2 as a Therapeutic Target.

Wang, Yanyan; Anirudhan, Varada; Du, Ruikun; Cui, Qinghua; Rong, Lijun

The global pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has infected more than 8.9 million people worldwide. This calls for urgent effective therapeutic measures. RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) activity in viral transcription and replication has been recognized as an attractive target to design novel antiviral strategies. Although SARS-CoV-2 shares less genetic similarity with SARS-CoV (~79%) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)-CoV (~50%), the respective RdRps of the three coronaviruses are highly conserved, suggesting that RdRp is a good broad-spectrum antiviral target for CoVs. In this review, we discuss the antiviral potential of RdRp inhibitors (mainly nucleoside analogues) with an aim to provide a comprehensive account of drug discovery on SARS-CoV-2. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.