2021

Marjomäki, Varpu; Kalander, Kerttu; Hellman, Maarit; Permi, Perttu

Introduction: Enteroviruses are one of the most common viruses; they cause a huge number of acute and chronic infections and produce towering economic costs. Similarly, coronaviruses cause seasonal mild infections, epidemics and even pandemics and can lead to severe respiratory symptoms. It is important to develop broadly acting antiviral molecules to efficiently tackle the infections caused by these viruses. Coronaviruses and enteroviruses share similarities, so there is hope for the discovery of molecules that target both virus groups. It is crucial to unearth new drug targets that could present avenues to new drugs. Areas covered: This review illuminates the differences and similarities between enteroviruses and coronaviruses and examines the most appealing therapeutic targets that could provide tools to combat these virus groups. Publications of both virus groups and deposited structures discovered through PubMed to March 2021 for viral proteases have been evaluated. Expert opinion: The main protease of coronaviruses and enteroviruses share similarities in their structure and function. These proteases process their viral polyproteins and thus drugs that bind to the active site have potential to tackle infection caused by both virus groups. It is important to develop drugs that target more evolutionarily conserved processes and proteins. Moreover, it is a wise strategy to concentrate on processes that are similar between several virus families.