Hosted by the School of Biochemistry
The b-coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 needs little introduction as the causative agent of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst we have learnt much about the biology of this disease, our mechanistic understanding of the viral replication cycle, and of how viral proteins influence and exploit host-cell biology, remains limited. Here, we have examined the SARS-CoV-2 protein Envelope (E). E is a short, single pass transmembrane protein that assembles into a pentameric viroporin and is necessary for viral replication. We use a combination of microscopy, proteomics and cell biological assays to understand cellular functions for E. We uncover new roles for an ARF1-related GTPase in controlling AP1-dependent Golgi-to-endosome trafficking of E and explore requirements for this pathway in SARS-CoV-2 replication.