SARS-CoV-2 main protease, molecular model. The main protease of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the cause of covid-19, plays an important role in processing the proteins needed to replicate the virus. The enzyme is made of two identical subunits; both are required for catalytic activity. As shown with ball-and-stick structures, the active site includes catalytic dyad of cysteine and histidine. The covid drug Nirmatrelvir (not shown) is an inhibitor of the main protease., by GREG WILLIAMS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Details
License type
Rights Managed