As viruses in the same lineage, SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 are very similar (Table 1), sharing 82% nucleotide sequence homology [48]. Known interferon antagonists encoded by SARS-CoV include nsp1, nsp3, nsp16, ORF3b, ORF6, M and N proteins [49]. They, respectively, share 84, 76, 93, 32, 69, 91, and 94% amino acid sequence identity with their counterparts in SARS-CoV-2. Known activators of NLRP3 inflammasome encoded by SARS-CoV include E, ORF3a, and ORF8b [50]. They, respectively, share 95, 72, and 40% amino acid identity with their counterparts in SARS-CoV-2. It is noteworthy that some accessory proteins that modulate interferon response and inflammasome activation in the two viruses varied substantially. It will be of interest to see whether the divergence might have affected the virulence and pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2.