Figure 1.

Structure of SARS-CoV-2 virus. RNA of the viral genome is constituted by two genes—ORF1a and ORF1b—encoding for the nonstructural proteins NSP, while small genomic region includes S (spike protein), M (membrane protein), E (envelope protein), and N (nucleocapsid protein) genes. The S protein interacts with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors of the host cell membrane through a receptor-binding domain (RBD) positioned on the spike protein. Once the ACE2/RBD interaction has been established, the virus can be endocytosed into the cell.