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On May 16, 2003. the Shanghai
Institute of Life Sciences attached to the Chinese
Academy of Sciences announced that it had successfully
cloned the enzymes of SARS' six major protein genes. These
include S, M, N, E. RNA and 3CL. They have obtained three
expressed products for protein E, N and 3CL in the process
of expression, separation and purification. The expressed
specimens have been screened in a simulation manner for drug
candidates
Researchers found that a circle
— like corona above surrounds the SARS virus particles
and there are dotted proteins in different sizes.
Researchers have further confirmed that there arc
similar major proteins that may have played important roles
in causing the infection. They arc protein E, S. M, N,
polymerase and 3CL.
It is reported that the
Institute is now working on the expression of the M Protein,
the S Protein and polymerase and they are studying their
functions and measuring their crystal structures. This will
obtain the full expression specimens of the six major
proteins that have played important roles in causing SARS
infections.
So far the Institute, has
established three drug— screening models at molecular
level on the basis of analyzing and predicting the
interactive relationship between
SARS proteins and human proteins. In addition,
researchers have applied simulated drug screening processes
to expressed specimens of E Protein, N Protein and 3CL. As a
result, one of the three proteins has been screened under
the real drug selecting process and researchers have
performedin - depth screening on several hundreds of
compounds of SARS resistance potentials out of hundreds and
thousands of compounds.
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