A molecular sensor determines the ubiquitin substrate specificity of SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease
Summary: The SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease (PLpro) is a target for antiviral drug development.It is essential for processing viral polyproteins for replication and functions in host immune evasion by cleaving ubiquitin (Ub) and ubiquitin-like protein (Ubl) conjugates.While highly conserved, SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV PLpro have contrasting Ub/Ubl su