Question

What are two regions that would be good targets for a test that would detect BOTH SARS-CoV and SARSCoV-2 ?

Answer 1

Answer) SARS-CoV-2 is detected by Real-time RT PCR using one of four assays. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the disease known as COVID-19, is now a global pandemic. The SARS-CoV-2 RNA transcript encodes multiple genes. These regions can be leveraged by making them the targets for real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) testing. The regions code for the replicase complex ORF1ab, the spike protein (S), viral envelope (E), membrane (M), and the nucleocapsid proteins (N). When considering which targets are best to use for a test for SARS-Co-V-2 testing, the uniqueness of the region must be considered. While SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV are wide-known due to their pathogenicity, there are four other HCoVs: HCoV-OC43, HCoV-HKU1, HCoV-NL63, and HCoV-229E. These other coronaviruses contribute to the global instances of respiratory diseases, like the common cold. Due to these potential overlapping symptoms of mild COVID-19, any test for SARS-CoV-2 should also be specific enough to not catch these genetic relatives
The ORF1ab codes for the replicase complex and is integral in viral replication. This replicase complex involves the non-structural proteins (nsp) that are essential to replication. There are 16 different nsp regions in the ORF1ab region.

The S protein of SARS-CoV-2 works by binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) on certain cells in human hosts This is the same cellular receptor used during the prior epidemic of SARS-CoV contributing to the similarity of disease symptoms via infection of the same cell types. The S region’s protein forms a transmembrane glycoprotein spike specific to ACE2. The E region encodes the enveloping protein encapsulating the viral RNA and houses these embedded spike proteins. This rounded encapsulation with a studded surface gives this virus type its crown-like appearance, or corona, from which the name of this viral genus was derived. The M region is responsible for the membrane of the virus. The N protein is a structural protein important for packaging the viral RNA into a helical nucleocapsid.