Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 57 ›› Issue (1): 96-107.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2026.01.009

• REVIEW • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Research Progress on the Functions of Coronavirus Accessory Proteins

ZHAO Xiumei1(), ZHAO Haina4, HUA Shu4, CHENG Xu2, CHEN Xiang3, JIANG Yi2()   

  1. 1.Jiangsu Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry,Zhenjiang 212400,China
    2.Jiangsu Institute of Poultry Science,Yangzhou 225125,China
    3.Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis,Yangzhou University,Yangzhou 225009,China
    4.Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital,Yangzhou 225001,China
  • Received:2025-04-09 Online:2026-01-23 Published:2026-01-26
  • Contact: JIANG Yi E-mail:zhao_xiumei@126.com;yijiang620@126.com

Abstract:

The RNA genome of coronavirus contains multiple open reading frames, coding for structural proteins, non-structural proteins, as well as accessory proteins. The accessory proteins of coronavirus are species specific, and the amounts of accessory proteins differ between the species. Coronavirus accessory proteins are not necessary for viral replication, but some of them are involved in the host immune response, viral pathogenesis and virus virulence. Research on coronavirus accessory proteins will provide new potential targets for the development of therapeutic drugs and theoretical guidance for disease prevention and treatment. In this paper, the functions of several representative accessory proteins of coronaviruses are reviewed. It focuses on the relationship between accessory proteins and virus-host interactions, including the role of accessory proteins in promoting host cell apoptosis, host innate immune regulation, and pathogenicity in the host. This will help to investigate the infection and pathogenesis of coronavirus, and provide reference for developing new vaccines and antiviral drugs.

Key words: coronavirus, accessory protein, cell apoptosis, innate immunity, pathogenicity, vaccine

CLC Number: