Designing shRNA Targeting ۲۰۱۹-novel Coronavirus RdRPs Gene as a Potential Gene Therapy Tool Using Computational Pattern

Background and Aim: Recently identified ۲۰۱۹-novel Coronavirus (COVID-۱۹) that has approximately ۷۰% similarity in sequence to SARS-CoV is also called SARS-CoV۲. This betacoronavirus manifests itself with fever, dry cough, and dyspnea. Often transmits from human to human among close contacts via respiratory droplets. Presently there is no antiviral treatment available for ۲۰۱۹-nCoV. RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRPs) encoded in positive-strand RNA genome of Coronavirus is essential for replication, transcription, recombination, evolution, and genomic variations. So it will be a good target for RNAi gene therapy and shRNA is a promising approach of RNAi technique that allows tissue-specific gene knockdown.Methods: First, RdRPs gene sequence of COVID-۱۹, other strains of human Coronavirus, and bat Coronavirus were obtained from NCBI. Second, conserved regions recognized through Clustal Omega. Subsequently, RdRPs gene sequence of COVID-۱۹ was given to online websites for designing shRNA, such as: BLOCK-iT™ RNAi Designer, WI siRNA selection program, and www.invivogen.com/sirnawizard/. After throwing off-targets away, the best ones chose based on overlapping with conserved regions and locating at RNA loop.Results: These shRNAs aligned with human genome and ۳ of them picked with other priorities like CG%.Conclusion: Computational patterns confirm this new system is effective at gene silencing. Thus it is suggested that shRNAs designed in this study might provide treatment for human Coronaviruses.