ORF6
| Betacoronavirus NS6 protein | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identifiers | |||||||||
| Symbol | bCoV_NS6 | ||||||||
| Pfam | PF12133 | ||||||||
| InterPro | IPR022736 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
ORF6 is a
MERS-CoV. It is thought to reduce the immune system response to viral infection through interferon antagonism.[1][2][3]
Structure
The ORF6 protein is fairly small at 63
Expression and localization
Like the genes for other accessory proteins, the ORF6 gene is located near those encoding the
5' end of the coronavirus RNA genome. Along with ORF7a, ORF7b, and ORF8, ORF6 is located between the membrane (M) and nucleocapsid (N) genes.[1][2][3] It is localized to the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus,[1][2][3] with studies in SARS-CoV-2 also indicating association with vesicles such as autophagosomes and lysosomes.[3]
Function
The primary function of the ORF6 protein is thought to be immunomodulation and interferon antagonism. It is not essential for viral replication, though its absence appears to reduce replication efficiency.[1][2]
Viral protein interactions
Studies in
Immune effects
The ORF6 protein from both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 is an
nuclear import of the STAT transcription factor, inhibiting interferon activation.[1][3] Studies of SARS-CoV report this may be mediated by binding of ORF6 protein to karyopherins.[1][4] In SARS-CoV-2, the ORF6 protein reportedly interacts with RAE1 and NUP98, blocking karyopherin interactions.[3][6]
