Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid (N) (Clone NP2-F6)

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the Coronaviridae family, and its single-stranded, positive-sense RNA genome shares 79.6% identity with SARS-CoV1. The spike (S), envelope (E), membrane (M), and nucleocapsid proteins (N) are four essential structural proteins of SARS-CoV-22. The 46 kDa N protein is highly conserved and shares 90% homology with SARS-CoV3. Similar to SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 has an N-terminal (NTD) and C-terminal domain (CTD), linked by a linker region. The NTD binds to RNA, while the CTD self-oligomerizes4,5, aiding viral genome packaging into a helical ribonucleoprotein complex6. The N protein also participates in viral transcription, replication, and modulation of cell signaling pathways7,8. Some vaccine and diagnostic assays9 have focused on the N protein as it is highly expressed during infection and activates antibodies3,10 and memory T cells11,12, found in convalescent sera. The N-protein also evades the innate immune system by inhibiting RNAi13, identifying it as a potential therapeutic target.