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. 2022 Nov 5:10.1111/febs.16662. Online ahead of print. doi: 10.1111/febs.16662

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© 2022 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

This article is being made freely available through PubMed Central as part of the COVID-19 public health emergency response. It can be used for unrestricted research re-use and analysis in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source, for the duration of the public health emergency.

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Fig. 1 — Summarized pathway of the entry into host cell, replication, maturation, and release of the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus. (1) Entry and binding of S protein to the ACE2 receptor. (2) Shedding of the virus's outer endosome coat and fusion with the cellular membrane releases viral materials. Host factors allow for fusion of the endosomal and cellular membranes. (3) Translation of viral mRNA into polypeptides and viral proteases by host cell occurs. The polyproteins are post‐translationally processed to form non‐structural proteins (NSPs). (4) Autoproteolysis of the virus's translated proteins and assembly of the replication‐transcription complex (RdRp complex). NSPs form the replication‐transcription complex after processing. (5) Subgenomic transcription of host cell DNA into RNA and RNA replication occurs. The integrated viral genetic material is also processed at this step. (6) Translation of host cell mRNA and the integrated viral cell mRNA into structural and accessory proteins occurs on the ribosomes of the RER. Translocation of proteins occurs here as well. (7) Viral proteins are assembled and processed post‐translation. This helps form secretory vesicles for exocytosis out of the host cell. (8) Viral RNA instructions cause the formation of exocytic vesicles. (9) Virus is released via exocytosis from the host cell [5]. Figure created with BioRender.com and adapted from ‘Life Cycle of Coronavirus’, by BioRender.com [6].