 The N-protein of three highly pathogenic coronaviruses, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, has been identified as a factor that contributes to the development of severe inflammation and lung damage during infection. The N-protein interacts with a key serine protease called MASB-2, which leads to increased complement activation and the accumulation of C4B, C3 and C5B, nine molecules on the surface of cells. This results in aggravated lung injury in mice and humans infected with the virus. Blocking the N-protein's interaction with MASB-2, depleting MASB-2 from the body or using drugs to reduce complement activity can all reduce the severity of lung damage caused by the virus. These findings suggest that targeting the N-protein, MASB-2 interaction could be a potential therapeutic strategy for treating severe coronavirus infections. This article was authored by Ting GAO, Lin Su, Hainan Liu and others. We are article.tv, links in the description below.