Overlapping X-ray data of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease shows structural differences between the protein at room temperature (orange) and the cryogenically frozen structure (white).
SARS-CoV-2 protease crystals, grown in ORNL’s Protein Crystallization and Characterization laboratory and pictured in microscopic view, will be used in X-ray scattering experiments.
The protease protein is both shaped like a heart and functions as one, allowing the virus to replicate and spread. Inhibiting the protease would block virus reproduction.