Genetic and Structural Analyses of SARS-CoV-2 and Its Variants

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants has posed unprecedented challenges to global health. This threat has necessitated rigorous genomic surveillance that has produced, in a relatively short amount of time, a wealth of molecular information never seen previously. This knowledge base provides the means to study and understand the molecular complexities of this virus and its evolving variants. Moreover, the implications of this finding may have more general significance for the study of molecular evolution of other human viruses and for the structure–function relationship of proteins in general. We invite researchers to contribute to a Special Issue that delves into the molecular genetics and structural analyses of SARS-CoV-2 using theoretical and/or experimental approaches. This Special Issue aims to bring together cutting-edge, high-quality research that elucidates the molecular basis of the virus, its transmission dynamics, and implications for public health and treatments. Topics of interest can be summarized, not exclusively, as follows:

• The genomic characterization of SARS-CoV-2 and variants.
• Structural analyses of variant viral proteins and their functional implications also serve as targets for drugs.
• Evolutionary dynamics and mutation hotspots.
• Molecular host–virus interactions, pathogenesis, and immune responses.
• Implications for molecular diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccine development.

Prof. Dr. Stefano Pascarella
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomolecules is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• SARS-CoV-2 variants
• protein variants
• protein structure
• virus evolution
• mutations
• structural bioinformatics
• molecular phylogenesis
• host–pathogen molecular interactions
• molecular immunology
• drug discovery