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. 2014 Jun 27:505–518. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-253055-5.50032-3

TABLE 28-2.

Properties of Coronaviruses

  • Pleomorphic spherical virion, 100 (75–160) nm in diameter

  • Envelope with large, widely spaced, club-shaped peplomers

  • Helical nucleocapsid 10–20 nm in diameter

  • Genome: linear (+) sense ssRNA, 17–24 kb, capped and polyadenylated, infectious

  • Three structural proteins: peplomeric glycoprotein E2 (180–200K), transmembrane glycoprotein El (50–60K), nucleocapsid phosphoprotein N (50–60K)

  • Replicates in cytoplasm, budding into endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi cisternae