Figure 1.

Components of the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus and the host‐cell binding target ACE‐2 receptor. The envelope (E) protein, membrane (M) protein, nucleocapsid (N) protein, and Spike (S) protein are the key structural proteins of SARS‐CoV‐2. The structural proteins (N, E, M, and S) are highly conserved within the family Coronaviridae. The single positive strand nature of SARS‐CoV‐2 and its family members allows for rapid transcription of its RNA and infection of neighboring cells. The receptor binding domain (RBD) of the S protein is made of the S1 and S2 subunits. S2 is further divided into two heptad repeat regions, HR1 and HR2. S2 is essential for viral fusion and entry into the host cell.