Coronaviruses pose significant threats to animal and human health, leading to the development of various infectious diseases. It is critical to develop effective vaccines and antiviral medicines to prevent and treat these diseases. The coronavirus genome encodes several types of proteins, including structural, nonstructural, and accessory proteins. Among them, nonstructural protein 13 (NSP13) helicase plays a crucial role in regulating viral replication and the innate immune response of the host. Therefore, it serves as a vital target for the development of anti-coronavirus drugs. This paper presents a comprehensive review of NSP13 research, covering its source, structure, sequence conservation, unwinding mechanism, enzyme inhibitors, protein interaction, and immune regulation. Additionally, the paper analyzes the current challenges in NSP13 research and aims to provide a theoretical foundation for the development of broad-spectrum antiviral drugs targeting NSP13.
Keywords: antiviral drugs; coronavirus; enzyme inhibitors; nonstructural protein 13 (NSP13); unwinding mechanism.