Substrate recognition and cleavage mechanism of the monkeypox protease, Core protease

Substrate recognition and cleavage mechanism of the monkeypox protease, Core protease

Poxviruses cause severe diseases including smallpox and mpox, which pose major threats to human health. The poxvirus core protease (CorePro) is essential for viral maturation and highly conserved in poxviruses, making it an attractive antiviral target1. However, the structure of CorePro remains unknown, hampering antiviral development. Here, we determined the structures of mpox virus (MPXV) apo-CorePro and its complex with an inhibitor aloxistat…