| Background |
N-protein, being one of the predominantly expressed proteins at the early stage of SARS-CoV-2 infection, against which a strong antibody response is initiated by the host; has been proposed to be an attractive diagnostic tool. In serum of SARS-CoV-2 patients, the N-protein has been detected as early as day 1 of infection by ELISA using monoclonal antibodies against it. Furthermore, a comparative study to detect SARS-CoV-2 specific IgG, SARS-CoV RNA, and the N-protein during early stages of infection has demonstrated that detection efficiency of the N-protein is significantly higher than the other markers. N-protein has been one of the top target for development of IgM ELISA for diagnostic purpose. N-protein has also been tested in its use as a protective vaccine against SARS-CoV infection. So it could be a potential vaccine candidate in the effort to develop an efficient vaccine against 2019-nCov/COVID-19. |
