Semi Kim

Aug 20, 2024 | science.org | Hyunjoon Kim |Amy Baek |Semi Kim |Yeonglim Kang

Editor’s summaryFor a coronavirus to enter and infect cells, its spike protein must be sequentially processed at priming and activating sites by host proteases. Kim et al. found that the secreted protease KLK5 cleaved both sites in betacoronavirus spike proteins. KLK5 abundance increased in human airway cells infected with betacoronaviruses, and knockdown or inhibition of KLK5 reduced betacoronavirus replication in cells.