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Dutta K, Elmezayen AD, Al-Obaidi A, Zhu W, Morozova OV, Shityakov S, Khalifa I. Seq12, Seq12m, and Seq13m, peptide analogues of the spike glycoprotein shows antiviral properties against SARS-CoV-2: An in silico study through molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, and MM-PB/GBSA calculations. J Mol Struct 2021; 1246:131113. [PMID: 34305174 PMCID: PMC8283670 DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2021.131113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 07/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
At the very beginning of the new decade, the COVID-19 pandemic has badly hit modern human societies. SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19 acquiring mutations and circulating as new variants. Herein, we have found three new antiviral peptides (AVPs) against the SARS-CoV-2. These AVPs are analogous to the spike glycoprotein of the SARS-CoV-2. Antiviral peptides, i.e., Seq12, Seq12m, and Seq13m, can block the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2, which is necessary for communicating with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Also, these AVPs sustain their antiviral properties, even after the insertion of 25 mutations in the RBD (Rosetta and FoldX based). Further, Seq12 and Seq12m showed negligible cytotoxicity. Besides, the binding free energies calculated using MM-PB/GBSA method are also in agreement with the molecular docking studies. The molecular interactions between AVPs and the viral membrane protein (M) also showed a favorable interaction suggesting it could inhibit the viral re-packaging process. In conclusion, this study suggests Seq12, Seq12m, and Seq13m could be helpful to fight against SARS-CoV-2. These AVPs could also aid virus diagnostic tools and nasal spray against SARS-CoV-2 in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunal Dutta
- Department of Human Physiology, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore 721102, West Bengal, India
| | - Ammar D Elmezayen
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Kadir Has University, Cibali 34083, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Anas Al-Obaidi
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Kadir Has University, Cibali 34083, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Wei Zhu
- College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Environment Correlative Food Science, Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Olga V Morozova
- I.N. Blokhina Nizhny Novgorod Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, 71 Malaya Yamskaya Str., Nizhny Novgorod 603950, Russian Federation
| | - Sergey Shityakov
- Laboratory of Chemoinformatics, Infochemistry Scientific Center, ITMO University, 191002 Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation
| | - Ibrahim Khalifa
- Food Technology Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Moshtohor 13736, Benha University, Egypt
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52
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Attia MA, Essa EA, Elebyary TT, Faheem AM, Elkordy AA. Brief on Recent Application of Liposomal Vaccines for Lower Respiratory Tract Viral Infections: From Influenza to COVID-19 Vaccines. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:1173. [PMID: 34832955 PMCID: PMC8619292 DOI: 10.3390/ph14111173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Vaccination is the most effective means of preventing infectious diseases and saving lives. Modern biotechnology largely enabled vaccine development. In the meantime, recent advances in pharmaceutical technology have resulted in the emergence of nanoparticles that are extensively investigated as promising miniaturized drug delivery systems. Scientists are particularly interested in liposomes as an important carrier for vaccine development. Wide acceptability of liposomes lies in their flexibility and versatility. Due to their unique vesicular structure with alternating aqueous and lipid compartments, liposomes can enclose both hydrophilic and lipophilic compounds, including antigens. Liposome composition can be tailored to obtain the desired immune response and adjuvant characteristics. During the current pandemic of COVID-19, many liposome-based vaccines have been developed with great success. This review covers a liposome-based vaccine designed particularly to combat viral infection of the lower respiratory tract (LRT), i.e., infection of the lung, specifically in the lower airways. Viruses such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2) are common causes of LRT infections, hence this review mainly focuses on this category of viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Ahmed Attia
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing, University of Sunderland, Sunderland SR1 3SD, UK; (M.A.A.); (A.M.F.)
| | - Ebtessam Ahmed Essa
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta 31511, Egypt; (E.A.E.); (T.T.E.)
| | - Toka Tarek Elebyary
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta 31511, Egypt; (E.A.E.); (T.T.E.)
| | - Ahmed Mostafa Faheem
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing, University of Sunderland, Sunderland SR1 3SD, UK; (M.A.A.); (A.M.F.)
| | - Amal Ali Elkordy
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing, University of Sunderland, Sunderland SR1 3SD, UK; (M.A.A.); (A.M.F.)
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Chakravarty N, Senthilnathan T, Paiola S, Gyani P, Castillo Cario S, Urena E, Jeysankar A, Jeysankar P, Ignatius Irudayam J, Natesan Subramanian S, Lavretsky H, Joshi S, Garcia G, Ramaiah A, Arumugaswami V. Neurological pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 and pandemic potential RNA viruses: a comparative analysis. FEBS Lett 2021; 595:2854-2871. [PMID: 34757622 PMCID: PMC8652524 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
SARS‐CoV‐2 has infected hundreds of millions of people with over four million dead, resulting in one of the worst global pandemics in recent history. Neurological symptoms associated with COVID‐19 include anosmia, ageusia, headaches, confusion, delirium, and strokes. These may manifest due to viral entry into the central nervous system (CNS) through the blood–brain barrier (BBB) by means of ill‐defined mechanisms. Here, we summarize the abilities of SARS‐CoV‐2 and other neurotropic RNA viruses, including Zika virus and Nipah virus, to cross the BBB into the CNS, highlighting the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in assessing presence and severity of brain structural changes in COVID‐19 patients. We present new insight into key mutations in SARS‐CoV‐2 variants B.1.1.7 (P681H) and B.1.617.2 (P681R), which may impact on neuropilin 1 (NRP1) binding and CNS invasion. We postulate that SARS‐CoV‐2 may infect both peripheral cells capable of crossing the BBB and brain endothelial cells to traverse the BBB and spread into the brain. COVID‐19 patients can be followed up with MRI modalities to better understand the long‐term effects of COVID‐19 on the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikhil Chakravarty
- Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Thrisha Senthilnathan
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sophia Paiola
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Priya Gyani
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sebastian Castillo Cario
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Estrella Urena
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Akash Jeysankar
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Prakash Jeysankar
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Joseph Ignatius Irudayam
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Helen Lavretsky
- Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Shantanu Joshi
- Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Gustavo Garcia
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Arunachalam Ramaiah
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.,Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, Center at inStem, Bangalore, KA, India
| | - Vaithilingaraja Arumugaswami
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Rizza S, Nucera A, Chiocchi M, Bellia A, Mereu D, Ferrazza G, Ballanti M, Davato F, Di Cola G, Buonomo CO, Coppeta L, Vanni G, Gervasi R, Cardellini M, Lauro D, Federici M. Metabolic characteristics in patients with COVID-19 and no-COVID-19 interstitial pneumonia with mild-to-moderate symptoms and similar radiological severity. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 2021; 31:3227-3235. [PMID: 34629249 PMCID: PMC8372447 DOI: 10.1016/j.numecd.2021.08.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS It is known that the highest COVID-19 mortality rates are among patients who develop severe COVID-19 pneumonia. However, despite the high sensitivity of chest CT scans for diagnosing COVID-19 in a screening population, the appearance of a chest CT is thought to have low diagnostic specificity. The aim of this retrospective case-control study is based on evaluation of clinical and radiological characteristics in patients with COVID-19 (n = 41) and no-COVID-19 interstitial pneumonia (n = 48) with mild-to-moderate symptoms. METHODS AND RESULTS To this purpose we compared radiological, clinical, biochemical, inflammatory, and metabolic characteristics, as well as clinical outcomes, between the two groups. Notably, we found similar radiological severity of pneumonia, which we quantified using a disease score based on a high-resolution computed tomography scan (COVID-19 = 18.6 ± 14.5 vs n-COVID-19 = 23.2 ± 15.2, p = 0.289), and comparable biochemical and inflammatory characteristics. However, among patients without diabetes, we observed that COVID-19 patients had significantly higher levels of HbA1c than n-COVID-19 patients (COVID-19 = 41.5 ± 2.6 vs n-COVID-19 = 38.4 ± 5.1, p = 0.012). After adjusting for age, sex, and BMI, we found that HbA1c levels were significantly associated with the risk of COVID-19 pneumonia (odds ratio = 1.234 [95%CI = 1.051-1.449], p = 0.010). CONCLUSIONS In this retrospective case-control study, we found similar radiological and clinical characteristics in patients with COVID-19 and n-COVID-19 pneumonia with mild-to-moderate symptoms. However, among patients without diabetes HbA1c levels were higher in COVID-19 patients than in no-COVID-19 individuals. Future studies should assess whether reducing transient hyperglycemia in individuals without overt diabetes may lower the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Rizza
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy.
| | - Alessandro Nucera
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy
| | - Marcello Chiocchi
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy
| | - Alfonso Bellia
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy
| | - Daniele Mereu
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy
| | | | - Marta Ballanti
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy
| | - Francesca Davato
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy
| | - Giovanni Di Cola
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy
| | - Claudio O Buonomo
- Department of Surgical Science, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy
| | - Luca Coppeta
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy
| | - Gianluca Vanni
- Department of Surgical Science, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy
| | - Romualdo Gervasi
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy
| | - Marina Cardellini
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy
| | - Davide Lauro
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy
| | - Massimo Federici
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy
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Nassar A, Ibrahim IM, Amin FG, Magdy M, Elgharib AM, Azzam EB, Nasser F, Yousry K, Shamkh IM, Mahdy SM, Elfiky AA. A Review of Human Coronaviruses' Receptors: The Host-Cell Targets for the Crown Bearing Viruses. Molecules 2021; 26:6455. [PMID: 34770863 PMCID: PMC8587140 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26216455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A novel human coronavirus prompted considerable worry at the end of the year 2019. Now, it represents a significant global health and economic burden. The newly emerged coronavirus disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the primary reason for the COVID-19 global pandemic. According to recent global figures, COVID-19 has caused approximately 243.3 million illnesses and 4.9 million deaths. Several human cell receptors are involved in the virus identification of the host cells and entering them. Hence, understanding how the virus binds to host-cell receptors is crucial for developing antiviral treatments and vaccines. The current work aimed to determine the multiple host-cell receptors that bind with SARS-CoV-2 and other human coronaviruses for the purpose of cell entry. Extensive research is needed using neutralizing antibodies, natural chemicals, and therapeutic peptides to target those host-cell receptors in extremely susceptible individuals. More research is needed to map SARS-CoV-2 cell entry pathways in order to identify potential viral inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaya Nassar
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza 12511, Egypt; (I.M.I.); (F.G.A.); (M.M.); (A.M.E.)
| | - Ibrahim M. Ibrahim
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza 12511, Egypt; (I.M.I.); (F.G.A.); (M.M.); (A.M.E.)
| | - Fatma G. Amin
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza 12511, Egypt; (I.M.I.); (F.G.A.); (M.M.); (A.M.E.)
- Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21519, Egypt
| | - Merna Magdy
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza 12511, Egypt; (I.M.I.); (F.G.A.); (M.M.); (A.M.E.)
| | - Ahmed M. Elgharib
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza 12511, Egypt; (I.M.I.); (F.G.A.); (M.M.); (A.M.E.)
| | - Eman B. Azzam
- Physics Department, Medical Biophysics Division, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Cairo 11511, Egypt;
| | - Filopateer Nasser
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza 12511, Egypt;
| | - Kirllos Yousry
- Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo 11511, Egypt;
| | | | - Samah M. Mahdy
- National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Ain Elsira-Elfustat, Cairo 11511, Egypt;
| | - Abdo A. Elfiky
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza 12511, Egypt; (I.M.I.); (F.G.A.); (M.M.); (A.M.E.)
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Martí D, Alsina M, Alemán C, Bertran O, Turon P, Torras J. Unravelling the molecular interactions between the SARS-CoV-2 RBD spike protein and various specific monoclonal antibodies. Biochimie 2021; 193:90-102. [PMID: 34710552 PMCID: PMC8545699 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2021.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 just started in most of the countries. However, the development of specific vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 is not the only approach to control the virus and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) start to merit special attention as a therapeutic option to treat COVID-19 disease. Here, the main conformations and interactions between the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 (S protein) with two mAbs (CR3022 and S309) and the ACE2 cell receptor are studied as the main representatives of three different epitopes on the RBD of S protein. The combined approach of 1 μs accelerated molecular dynamics (aMD) and ab-initio hybrid molecular dynamics is used to identify the most predominant interactions under physiological conditions. Results allow to determine the main receptor-binding mapping, hydrogen bonding network and salt bridges in the most populated antigen-antibody interface conformations. The deep knowledge on the protein-protein interactions involving mAbs and ACE2 receptor with the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 increases background knowledge to speed up the development of new vaccines and therapeutic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Didac Martí
- Departament d'Enginyeria Química, EEBE, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/ Eduard Maristany, 10-14, Ed. I2, 08019, Barcelona, Spain; Barcelona Research Center in Multiscale Science and Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/ Eduard Maristany, 10-14, 08019, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marc Alsina
- Departament d'Enginyeria Química, EEBE, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/ Eduard Maristany, 10-14, Ed. I2, 08019, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carlos Alemán
- Departament d'Enginyeria Química, EEBE, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/ Eduard Maristany, 10-14, Ed. I2, 08019, Barcelona, Spain; Barcelona Research Center in Multiscale Science and Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/ Eduard Maristany, 10-14, 08019, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Oscar Bertran
- Departament de Física EETAC, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, c/ Esteve Terrades, 7, 08860, Castelldefels, Spain
| | - Pau Turon
- B. Braun Surgical, S.A.U. Carretera de Terrassa 121, 08191, Rubí (Barcelona), Spain.
| | - Juan Torras
- Departament d'Enginyeria Química, EEBE, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/ Eduard Maristany, 10-14, Ed. I2, 08019, Barcelona, Spain; Barcelona Research Center in Multiscale Science and Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/ Eduard Maristany, 10-14, 08019, Barcelona, Spain.
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Kusi KA, Frimpong A, Partey FD, Lamptey H, Amoah LE, Ofori MF. High infectious disease burden as a basis for the observed high frequency of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections in sub-Saharan Africa. AAS Open Res 2021; 4:2. [PMID: 34729457 PMCID: PMC8524298 DOI: 10.12688/aasopenres.13196.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Following the coronavirus outbreaks described as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in 2012, the world has again been challenged by yet another corona virus, named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 infections were first detected in a Chinese Province in December 2019 and then declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. An infection caused by SARS-CoV-2 may result in asymptomatic, uncomplicated or fatal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Fatal disease has been linked with the uncontrolled "cytokine storm" manifesting with complications mostly in people with underlying cardiovascular and pulmonary disease conditions. The severity of COVID-19 disease and the associated mortality has been disproportionately lower in terms of number of cases and deaths in Africa and also Asia in comparison to Europe and North America. Also, persons of colour residing in Europe and North America have been identified as a highly susceptible population due to a combination of several socioeconomic factors and poor access to quality healthcare. Interestingly, this has not been the case in sub-Saharan Africa where majority of the population are even more deprived of the aforementioned factors. On the contrary, sub-Saharan Africa has recorded the lowest levels of mortality and morbidity associated with the disease, and an overwhelming proportion of infections are asymptomatic. Whilst it can be argued that these lower number of cases in Africa may be due to challenges associated with the diagnosis of the disease such as lack of trained personnel and infrastructure, the number of persons who get infected and develop symptoms is proportionally lower than those who are asymptomatic, including asymptomatic cases that are never diagnosed. This review discusses the most probable reasons for the significantly fewer cases of severe COVID-19 disease and deaths in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwadwo Asamoah Kusi
- Department of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Augustina Frimpong
- Department of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Frederica Dedo Partey
- Department of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Helena Lamptey
- Department of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Linda Eva Amoah
- Department of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Michael Fokuo Ofori
- Department of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
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Bioinformatics analysis of the differences in the binding profile of the wild-type and mutants of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variants with the ACE2 receptor. Comput Biol Med 2021; 138:104936. [PMID: 34655895 PMCID: PMC8501515 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2021.104936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Reports of new variants that potentially increase virulence and viral transmission, as well as reduce the efficacy of available vaccines, have recently emerged. In this study, we computationally analyzed the N439K, S477 N, and T478K variants for their ability to bind Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). We used the protein-protein docking approach to explore whether the three variants displayed a higher binding affinity to the ACE2 receptor than the wild type. We found that these variants alter the hydrogen bonding network and the cluster of interactions. Additional salt bridges, hydrogen bonds, and a high number of non-bonded contacts (i.e., non-bonded interactions between atoms in the same molecule and those in other molecules) were observed only in the mutant complexes, allowing efficient binding to the ACE2 receptor. Furthermore, we used a 2.0-μs all-atoms simulation approach to detect differences in the structural dynamic features of the resulting protein complexes. Our findings revealed that the mutant complexes possessed stable dynamics, consistent with the global trend of mutations yielding variants with improved stability and enhanced affinity. Binding energy calculations based on molecular mechanics/generalized Born surface area (MM/GBSA) further revealed that electrostatic interactions principally increased net binding energies. The stability and binding energies of N439K, S477 N, and T478K variants were enhanced compared to the wild-type-ACE2 complex. The net binding energy of the systems was -31.86 kcal/mol for the wild-type-ACE2 complex, -67.85 kcal/mol for N439K, -69.82 kcal/mol for S477 N, and -69.64 kcal/mol for T478K. The current study provides a basis for exploring the enhanced binding abilities and structural features of SARS-CoV-2 variants to design novel therapeutics against the virus.
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Martí D, Martín-Martínez E, Torras J, Bertran O, Turon P, Alemán C. In silico antibody engineering for SARS-CoV-2 detection. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:5525-5534. [PMID: 34642596 PMCID: PMC8496930 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Engineered immunoglobulin-G molecules (IgGs) are of wide interest for the development of detection elements in protein-based biosensors with clinical applications. The strategy usually employed for the de novo design of such engineered IgGs consists on merging fragments of the three-dimensional structure of a native IgG, which is immobilized on the biosensor surface, and of an antibody with an exquisite target specificity and affinity. In this work conventional and accelerated classical molecular dynamics (cMD and aMD, respectively) simulations have been used to propose two IgG-like antibodies for COVID-19 detection. More specifically, the crystal structure of the IgG1 B12 antibody, which inactivates the human immunodeficiency virus-1, has been merged with the structure of the antibody CR3022 Fab tightly bounded to SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) and the structure of the S309 antibody Fab fragment complexed with SARS-CoV-2 RBD. The two constructed antibodies, named IgG1-CR3022 and IgG1-S309, respectively, have been immobilized on a stable gold surface through a linker. Analyses of the influence of both the merging strategy and the substrate on the stability of the two constructs indicate that the IgG1-S309 antibody better preserves the neutralizing structure than the IgG1-CR3022 one. Overall, results indicate that the IgG1-S309 is appropriated for the generation of antibody based sensors for COVID-19 diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Didac Martí
- Departament d'Enginyeria Química, EEBE, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/ Eduard Maristany, 10-14, Ed. I2, 08019 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Eduard Martín-Martínez
- Departament d'Enginyeria Química, EEBE, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/ Eduard Maristany, 10-14, Ed. I2, 08019 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan Torras
- Departament d'Enginyeria Química, EEBE, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/ Eduard Maristany, 10-14, Ed. I2, 08019 Barcelona, Spain.,Barcelona Research Center in Multiscale Science and Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/ Eduard Maristany, 10-14, 08019 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Oscar Bertran
- Departament de Física EETAC, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, c/ Esteve Terrades, 7, 08860 Castelldefels, Spain
| | - Pau Turon
- B. Braun Surgical, S.A.U. Carretera de Terrassa 121, 08191 Rubí (Barcelona), Spain
| | - Carlos Alemán
- Departament d'Enginyeria Química, EEBE, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/ Eduard Maristany, 10-14, Ed. I2, 08019 Barcelona, Spain.,Barcelona Research Center in Multiscale Science and Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/ Eduard Maristany, 10-14, 08019 Barcelona, Spain.,Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 10-12, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
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Khan A, Khan T, Ali S, Aftab S, Wang Y, Qiankun W, Khan M, Suleman M, Ali S, Heng W, Ali SS, Wei DQ, Mohammad A. SARS-CoV-2 new variants: Characteristic features and impact on the efficacy of different vaccines. Biomed Pharmacother 2021; 143:112176. [PMID: 34562770 PMCID: PMC8433040 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.112176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its new variants reported in different countries have posed a serious threat to human health and social fabrics worldwide. In addition, these new variants hindered the efforts of vaccines and other therapeutic developments. In this review article, we explained the emergence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2, their transmission risk, mortality rate, and, more importantly, the impact of each new variant on the efficacy of the developed vaccines reported in different literature and findings. The literature reported that with the emergence of new variants, the efficacy of different vaccines is declined, hospitalization and the risk of reinfection is increased. The reports concluded that the emergence of a variant that entirely evades the immune response triggered by the vaccine is improbable. The emergence of new variants and reports of re-infections are creating a more distressing situation and therefore demands further investigation to formulate an effective therapeutic strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbas Khan
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, PR China
| | - Taimoor Khan
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, PR China
| | - Shughla Ali
- Department of Zoology, Swat College of Science and Technology (SCST), Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Summiya Aftab
- Department of Zoology, Government Girls Degree College, Thana, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Yanjing Wang
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, PR China
| | - Wang Qiankun
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, PR China
| | - Mazhar Khan
- The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Diseases, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, School of Life Sciences, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, Hefei 230027, Anhui, PR China
| | - Muhammad Suleman
- Center for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Kanju Campus, Swat, Pakistan
| | - Shahid Ali
- Center for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Kanju Campus, Swat, Pakistan
| | - Wang Heng
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, PR China.
| | - Syed Shujait Ali
- Center for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Kanju Campus, Swat, Pakistan
| | - Dong-Qing Wei
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, PR China; Peng Cheng Laboratory, Vanke Cloud City Phase I Building 8, Xili Street, Nashan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Shanghai-Islamabad-Belgrade Joint Innovation Center on Antibacterial Resistances, Joint Laboratory of International Cooperation in Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, Ministry of Education and School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, PR China.
| | - Anwar Mohammad
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dasman Diabetes Institute, Kuwait
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Choudhary V, Gupta A, Sharma R, Parmar HS. Therapeutically effective covalent spike protein inhibitors in treatment of SARS-CoV-2. JOURNAL OF PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2021; 12:257-270. [PMID: 34539131 PMCID: PMC8440732 DOI: 10.1007/s42485-021-00074-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] has resulted in over 204,644,849 confirmed cases and over 4,323,139 deaths throughout the world as of 12 August 2021, a total of 4,428,168,759 vaccine doses have been administered. The lack of potentially effective drugs against the virus is making the situation worse and dangerous. Numerous forces are working on finding an effective treatment against the virus but it is believed that a de novo drug would take several months even if huge financial support is provided. The only solution left with is drug repurposing that would not only provide effective therapy with the already used clinical drugs, but also save time and cost of the de novo drug discovery. The initiation of the COVID-19 infection starts with the attachment of spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 to the host receptor. Hence, the inhibition of the binding of the virus to the host membrane and the entry of the viral particle into the host cell are one of the main therapeutic targets. This paper not only summarizes the structure and the mechanism of spike protein, but the main focus is on the potential covalent spike protein inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikram Choudhary
- School of Pharmacy, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Takshila Campus, Khandwa Road (Ring Road), Indore, 452001 Madhya Pradesh India
| | - Amisha Gupta
- School of Pharmacy, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Takshila Campus, Khandwa Road (Ring Road), Indore, 452001 Madhya Pradesh India
| | - Rajesh Sharma
- School of Pharmacy, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Takshila Campus, Khandwa Road (Ring Road), Indore, 452001 Madhya Pradesh India
| | - Hamendra Singh Parmar
- School of Biotechnology, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Takshila Campus, Khandwa Road, Indore, 452001 Madhya Pradesh India
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Rasmi Y, Babaei G, Nisar MF, Noreen H, Gholizadeh-Ghaleh Aziz S. Revealed pathophysiological mechanisms of crosslinking interaction of affected vital organs in COVID-19. COMPARATIVE CLINICAL PATHOLOGY 2021; 30:1005-1021. [PMID: 34539310 PMCID: PMC8432959 DOI: 10.1007/s00580-021-03269-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 is one of the main serious challenges of human societies, which emerged in December 2019 from China and quickly extends to all parts of the world. The virus was previously believed to only affect the lungs and respiratory system, but subsequent research has revealed that it affects a variety of organs. For this reason, this disease is known as a multiorgan disease. Current article aimed to highlight latest information and updates about molecular studies regarding pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 in kidney, liver, and cardiovascular and respiratory systems, as well as the mechanisms of interaction of these organs with each other to cause clinical manifestations in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yousef Rasmi
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Urmia Medical Sciences University (UMSU), Urmia, Iran
| | - Ghader Babaei
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Urmia Medical Sciences University (UMSU), Urmia, Iran
| | - Muhammad Farrukh Nisar
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (CUVAS), Bahawalpur, 63100 Pakistan
| | - Hina Noreen
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (CUVAS), Bahawalpur, 63100 Pakistan
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Geng Q, Tai W, Baxter VK, Shi J, Wan Y, Zhang X, Montgomery SA, Taft-Benz SA, Anderson EJ, Knight AC, Dinnon KH, Leist SR, Baric RS, Shang J, Hong SW, Drelich A, Tseng CTK, Jenkins M, Heise M, Du L, Li F. Novel virus-like nanoparticle vaccine effectively protects animal model from SARS-CoV-2 infection. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009897. [PMID: 34492082 PMCID: PMC8448314 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The key to battling the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential aftermath is to develop a variety of vaccines that are efficacious and safe, elicit lasting immunity, and cover a range of SARS-CoV-2 variants. Recombinant viral receptor-binding domains (RBDs) are safe vaccine candidates but often have limited efficacy due to the lack of virus-like immunogen display pattern. Here we have developed a novel virus-like nanoparticle (VLP) vaccine that displays 120 copies of SARS-CoV-2 RBD on its surface. This VLP-RBD vaccine mimics virus-based vaccines in immunogen display, which boosts its efficacy, while maintaining the safety of protein-based subunit vaccines. Compared to the RBD vaccine, the VLP-RBD vaccine induced five times more neutralizing antibodies in mice that efficiently blocked SARS-CoV-2 from attaching to its host receptor and potently neutralized the cell entry of variant SARS-CoV-2 strains, SARS-CoV-1, and SARS-CoV-1-related bat coronavirus. These neutralizing immune responses induced by the VLP-RBD vaccine did not wane during the two-month study period. Furthermore, the VLP-RBD vaccine effectively protected mice from SARS-CoV-2 challenge, dramatically reducing the development of clinical signs and pathological changes in immunized mice. The VLP-RBD vaccine provides one potentially effective solution to controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qibin Geng
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
- Center for Coronavirus Research, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Wanbo Tai
- Laboratory of Viral Immunology, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Victoria K. Baxter
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- Division of Comparative Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Juan Shi
- Laboratory of Viral Immunology, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Yushun Wan
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
- Center for Coronavirus Research, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Xiujuan Zhang
- Laboratory of Viral Immunology, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Stephanie A. Montgomery
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Sharon A. Taft-Benz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth J. Anderson
- Division of Comparative Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Audrey C. Knight
- Division of Comparative Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Kenneth H. Dinnon
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Sarah R. Leist
- Rapidly Emerging Antiviral Drug Development Initiative, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Ralph S. Baric
- Division of Comparative Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- Rapidly Emerging Antiviral Drug Development Initiative, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Jian Shang
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
- Center for Coronavirus Research, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Sung-Wook Hong
- Center for Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Aleksandra Drelich
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Chien-Te K. Tseng
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Marc Jenkins
- Center for Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Mark Heise
- Division of Comparative Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- Rapidly Emerging Antiviral Drug Development Initiative, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Lanying Du
- Laboratory of Viral Immunology, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Fang Li
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
- Center for Coronavirus Research, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
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64
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Han X, Xu P, Ye Q. Analysis of COVID-19 vaccines: Types, thoughts, and application. J Clin Lab Anal 2021; 35:e23937. [PMID: 34396586 PMCID: PMC8418485 DOI: 10.1002/jcla.23937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To deal with COVID-19, various countries have made many efforts, including the research and development of vaccines. The purpose of this manuscript was to summarize the development, application, and problems of COVID-19 vaccines. METHODS This article reviewed the existing literature to see the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. RESULTS We found that different types of vaccines had their own advantages and disadvantages. At the same time, the side effects of the vaccine, the dose of vaccination, the evaluation of the efficacy, and the application of the vaccine were all things worth studying. CONCLUSION The successful development of the COVID-19 vaccine concerns almost all countries and people in the world. We must do an excellent job of researching the immunogenicity and immune reactivity of the vaccines. We hope this review can help colleagues at home and abroad.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiucui Han
- Department of Clinical LaboratoryThe Children’s HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineNational Clinical Research Center for Child HealthHangzhouChina
| | - Pengfei Xu
- Clinical LaboratoryZhejiang HospitalHangzhouChina
| | - Qing Ye
- Department of Clinical LaboratoryThe Children’s HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineNational Clinical Research Center for Child HealthHangzhouChina
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Kayode AJ, Banji-Onisile FO, Olaniran AO, Okoh AI. An Overview of the Pathogenesis, Transmission, Diagnosis, and Management of Endemic Human Coronaviruses: A Reflection on the Past and Present Episodes and Possible Future Outbreaks. Pathogens 2021; 10:1108. [PMID: 34578140 PMCID: PMC8470645 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10091108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The outbreak of the 2019 coronavirus pandemic caught the world by surprise in late 2019 and has held it hostage for months with an increasing number of infections and deaths. Although coronavirus was first discovered in the 1960s and was known to cause respiratory infection in humans, no information was available about the epidemic pattern of the virus until the past two decades. This review addresses the pathogenesis, transmission dynamics, diagnosis, management strategies, the pattern of the past and present events, and the possibility of future outbreaks of the endemic human coronaviruses. Several studies have described bats as presumptive natural reservoirs of coronaviruses. In essence, the identification of a diverse group of similar SARS coronaviruses in bats suggests the possibility of a future epidemic due to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-like) coronaviruses originating from different reservoir hosts. The study also identified a lack of vaccines to prevent human coronavirus infections in humans in the past, however, the recent breakthrough in vaccine discovery and approval for emergency use for the treatment of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 is commendable. The high rates of genomic substitution and recombination due to errors in RNA replication and the potential for independent species crossing suggest the chances of an entirely new strain evolving. Therefore, rapid research efforts should be deployed for vaccination to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent a possible future outbreak. More sensitization and enlightenment on the need to adopt good personal hygiene practices, social distancing, and scientific evaluation of existing medications with promising antiviral effects against SARS-CoV-2 is required. In addition, intensive investigations to unravel and validate the possible reservoirs, the intermediate host, as well as insight into the ability of the virus to break the species barrier are needed to prevent future viral spillover and possible outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adeoye J. Kayode
- Applied and Environmental Microbiology Research Group (AEMREG), Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1314, Alice 5700, South Africa; or
- Wastewater Coronavirus Surveillance Laboratory, SAMRC Microbial Water Quality Monitoring Center, University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1314, Alice 5700, South Africa
| | - Folasade O. Banji-Onisile
- Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4000, South Africa; (F.O.B.-O.); (A.O.O.)
| | - Ademola O. Olaniran
- Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4000, South Africa; (F.O.B.-O.); (A.O.O.)
| | - Anthony I. Okoh
- Applied and Environmental Microbiology Research Group (AEMREG), Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1314, Alice 5700, South Africa; or
- Wastewater Coronavirus Surveillance Laboratory, SAMRC Microbial Water Quality Monitoring Center, University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1314, Alice 5700, South Africa
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, College Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 555588, United Arab Emirates
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Shin HJ, Ku KB, Kim HS, Moon HW, Jeong GU, Hwang I, Yoon GY, Lee S, Lee S, Ahn DG, Kim KD, Kwon YC, Kim BT, Kim SJ, Kim C. Receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein efficiently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection and attachment to mouse lung. Int J Biol Sci 2021; 17:3786-3794. [PMID: 34671199 PMCID: PMC8495392 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.61320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
COVID-19, caused by a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, poses a serious global threat. It was first reported in 2019 in China and has now dramatically spread across the world. It is crucial to develop therapeutics to mitigate severe disease and viral spread. The receptor-binding domains (RBDs) in the spike protein of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV have shown anti-viral activity in previous reports suggesting that this domain has high potential for development as therapeutics. To evaluate the potential antiviral activity of recombinant SARS-CoV-2 RBD proteins, we determined the RBD residues of SARS-CoV-2 using a homology search with RBD of SARS-CoV. For efficient expression and purification, the signal peptide of spike protein was identified and used to generate constructs expressing recombinant RBD proteins. Highly purified RBD protein fused with the Fc domain of human IgG showed potent anti-viral efficacy, which was better than that of a protein fused with a histidine tag. Intranasally pre-administrated RBD protein also inhibited the attachment of SARS-COV-2 to mouse lungs. These findings indicate that RBD protein could be used for the prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Seong-Jun Kim
- Center for Convergent Research of Emerging Virus Infection, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, South Korea
| | - Chonsaeng Kim
- Center for Convergent Research of Emerging Virus Infection, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, South Korea
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67
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Pharmacophore-Based Virtual Screening, Quantum Mechanics Calculations, and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Approaches Identified Potential Natural Antiviral Drug Candidates against MERS-CoV S1-NTD. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26164961. [PMID: 34443556 PMCID: PMC8401589 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26164961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a highly infectious zoonotic virus first reported into the human population in September 2012 on the Arabian Peninsula. The virus causes severe and often lethal respiratory illness in humans with an unusually high fatality rate. The N-terminal domain (NTD) of receptor-binding S1 subunit of coronavirus spike (S) proteins can recognize a variety of host protein and mediates entry into human host cells. Blocking the entry by targeting the S1-NTD of the virus can facilitate the development of effective antiviral drug candidates against the pathogen. Therefore, the study has been designed to identify effective antiviral drug candidates against the MERS-CoV by targeting S1-NTD. Initially, a structure-based pharmacophore model (SBPM) to the active site (AS) cavity of the S1-NTD has been generated, followed by pharmacophore-based virtual screening of 11,295 natural compounds. Hits generated through the pharmacophore-based virtual screening have re-ranked by molecular docking and further evaluated through the ADMET properties. The compounds with the best ADME and toxicity properties have been retrieved, and a quantum mechanical (QM) based density-functional theory (DFT) has been performed to optimize the geometry of the selected compounds. Three optimized natural compounds, namely Taiwanhomoflavone B (Amb23604132), 2,3-Dihydrohinokiflavone (Amb23604659), and Sophoricoside (Amb1153724), have exhibited substantial docking energy >-9.00 kcal/mol, where analysis of frontier molecular orbital (FMO) theory found the low chemical reactivity correspondence to the bioactivity of the compounds. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation confirmed the stability of the selected natural compound to the binding site of the protein. Additionally, molecular mechanics generalized born surface area (MM/GBSA) predicted the good value of binding free energies (ΔG bind) of the compounds to the desired protein. Convincingly, all the results support the potentiality of the selected compounds as natural antiviral candidates against the MERS-CoV S1-NTD.
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Naikoo GA, Awan T, Hassan IU, Salim H, Arshad F, Ahmed W, Asiri AM, Qurashi A. Nanomaterials-Based Sensors for Respiratory Viral Detection: A Review. IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL 2021; 21:17643-17656. [PMID: 35790098 PMCID: PMC8769020 DOI: 10.1109/jsen.2021.3085084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Contagious diseases are the principal cause of mortality, particularly respiratory viruses, a real menace for public health and economic development worldwide. Therefore, timely diagnosis and treatments are the only life-saving strategy to overcome any epidemic and particularly the ongoing prevailing pandemic COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2. A rapid identification, point of care, portable, highly sensitive, stable, and inexpensive device is needed which is exceptionally satisfied by sensor technology. Consequently, the researchers have directed their attention to employing sensors targeting multiple analyses of pathogenic detections across the world. Nanostructured materials (nanoparticles, nanowires, nanobundles, etc.), owing to their unique characteristics such as large surface-to-volume ratio and nanoscale interactions, are widely employed to fabricate facile sensors to meet all the immediate emerging challenges and threats. This review is anticipated to foster researchers in developing advanced nanomaterials-based sensors for the increasing number of COVID-19 cases across the globe. The mechanism of respiratory viral detection by nanomaterials-based sensors has been reported. Moreover, the advantages, disadvantages, and their comparison with conventional sensors are summarized. Furthermore, we have highlighted the challenges and future potential of these sensors for achieving efficient and rapid detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gowhar A. Naikoo
- Department of Mathematics and SciencesCollege of Arts and Applied SciencesDhofar UniversitySalalahPC 211Oman
| | - Tasbiha Awan
- Department of Mathematics and SciencesCollege of Arts and Applied SciencesDhofar UniversitySalalahPC 211Oman
| | | | - Hiba Salim
- Department of Mathematics and SciencesCollege of Arts and Applied SciencesDhofar UniversitySalalahPC 211Oman
| | - Fareeha Arshad
- Department of BiochemistryAligarh Muslim UniversityUttar Pradesh202002India
| | - Waqar Ahmed
- School of Mathematics and Physics, College of ScienceUniversity of LincolnLincolnLN6 7TSU.K.
| | - Abdullah M. Asiri
- Department of ChemistryFaculty of ScienceKing Abdulaziz UniversityJeddahPC 21589Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahsanulhaq Qurashi
- Department of ChemistryKhalifa UniversityAbu DhabiPC 127788United Arab Emirates
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Identification of potent human neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 implications for development of therapeutics and prophylactics. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4887. [PMID: 34373446 PMCID: PMC8352940 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25153-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel coronavirus that is spreading rapidly, which seriously impacts global public health and economy. Thus, developing effective drugs remains urgent. We identify two potent antibodies, nCoVmab1 and nCoVmab2, targeting the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) with high affinities from a naïve human phage-displayed Fab library. nCoVmab1 and nCoVmab2 neutralize authentic SARS-CoV-2 with picomolar and nanomolar IC50 values, respectively. No detectable defects of nCoVmab1 and nCoVmab2 are found during the preliminary druggability evaluation. nCoVmab1 could reduce viral titer and lung injury when administered prophylactically and therapeutically in human angiotensin-converting enzyme II (hACE2)-transgenic mice. Therefore, phage display platform could be efficiently used for rapid development of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (nmabs) with clinical potential against emerging infectious diseases. In addition, we determinate epitopes in RBD of these antibodies to elucidate the neutralizing mechanism. We also convert nCoVmab1 and nCoVmab2 to their germline formats for further analysis, which reveals the contribution of somatic hypermutation (SHM) during nCoVmab1 and nCoVmab2 maturation. Our findings not only provide two highly potent nmabs against SARS-CoV-2 as prophylactic and therapeutic candidates, but also give some clues for development of anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents (e.g., drugs and vaccines) targeting the RBD.
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Junaid M, Akter Y, Siddika A, Nayeem SMA, Nahrin A, Afrose SS, Ezaj MMA, Alam MS. Nature-derived hit, lead, and drug-like small molecules: Current status and future aspects against key target proteins of Coronaviruses. Mini Rev Med Chem 2021; 22:498-549. [PMID: 34353257 DOI: 10.2174/1389557521666210805113231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND COVID-19 pandemic, the most unprecedented event of the year 2020, has brought millions of scientists worldwide in a single platform to fight against it. Though several drugs are now in the clinical trial, few vaccines available on the market already but the lack of an effect of those is making the situation worse. AIM OF THE STUDY In this review, we demonstrated comprehensive data of natural antiviral products showing activities against different proteins of Human Coronaviruses (HCoV) that are responsible for its pathogenesis. Furthermore, we categorized the compounds into the hit, lead, and drug based on the IC50/EC50 value, drug-likeness, and lead-likeness test to portray their potentiality to be a drug. We also demonstrated the present status of our screened antiviral compounds with respect to clinical trials and reported the lead compounds that can be promoted to clinical trial against COVID-19. METHODS A systematic search strategy was employed focusing on Natural Products (NPs) with proven activity (in vitro, in vivo, or in silico) against human coronaviruses, in general, and data were gathered from databases like PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, SciVerse, and Scopus. Information regarding clinical trials retrieved from the Clinical Trial database. RESULTS Total "245" natural compounds were identified initially from the literature study. Among them, Glycyrrhizin, Caffeic acid, Curcumin is in phase 3, and Tetrandrine, Cyclosporine, Tacrolimus, Everolimus are in phase 4 clinical trial. Except for Glycyrrhizin, all compounds showed activity against COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS In summary, our demonstrated specific small molecules with lead and drug-like capabilities clarified their position in the drug discovery pipeline and proposed their future research against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Junaid
- Natural Products Research Division, Advanced Bioinformatics, Computational Biology and Data Science Laboratory. Bangladesh
| | - Yeasmin Akter
- Natural Products Research Division, Advanced Bioinformatics, Computational Biology and Data Science Laboratory. Bangladesh
| | - Aysha Siddika
- Natural Products Research Division, Advanced Bioinformatics, Computational Biology and Data Science Laboratory. Bangladesh
| | - S M Abdul Nayeem
- Natural Products Research Division, Advanced Bioinformatics, Computational Biology and Data Science Laboratory. Bangladesh
| | - Afsana Nahrin
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Science and Technology Chittagong. Bangladesh
| | - Syeda Samira Afrose
- Natural Products Research Division, Advanced Bioinformatics, Computational Biology and Data Science Laboratory. Bangladesh
| | - Md Muzahid Ahmed Ezaj
- Natural Products Research Division, Advanced Bioinformatics, Computational Biology and Data Science Laboratory. Bangladesh
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Mahmud S, Rafi MO, Paul GK, Promi MM, Shimu MSS, Biswas S, Emran TB, Dhama K, Alyami SA, Moni MA, Saleh MA. Designing a multi-epitope vaccine candidate to combat MERS-CoV by employing an immunoinformatics approach. Sci Rep 2021; 11:15431. [PMID: 34326355 PMCID: PMC8322212 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92176-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Currently, no approved vaccine is available against the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which causes severe respiratory disease. The spike glycoprotein is typically considered a suitable target for MERS-CoV vaccine candidates. A computational strategy can be used to design an antigenic vaccine against a pathogen. Therefore, we used immunoinformatics and computational approaches to design a multi-epitope vaccine that targets the spike glycoprotein of MERS-CoV. After using numerous immunoinformatics tools and applying several immune filters, a poly-epitope vaccine was constructed comprising cytotoxic T-cell lymphocyte (CTL)-, helper T-cell lymphocyte (HTL)-, and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ)-inducing epitopes. In addition, various physicochemical, allergenic, and antigenic profiles were evaluated to confirm the immunogenicity and safety of the vaccine. Molecular interactions, binding affinities, and the thermodynamic stability of the vaccine were examined through molecular docking and dynamic simulation approaches, during which we identified a stable and strong interaction with Toll-like receptors (TLRs). In silico immune simulations were performed to assess the immune-response triggering capabilities of the vaccine. This computational analysis suggested that the proposed vaccine candidate would be structurally stable and capable of generating an effective immune response to combat viral infections; however, experimental evaluations remain necessary to verify the exact safety and immunogenicity profile of this vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shafi Mahmud
- Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, 6505, Bangladesh
| | - Md Oliullah Rafi
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, 7408, Bangladesh
| | - Gobindo Kumar Paul
- Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, 6505, Bangladesh
| | - Maria Meha Promi
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, 6505, Bangladesh
| | - Mst Sharmin Sultana Shimu
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, 6505, Bangladesh
| | - Suvro Biswas
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, 6505, Bangladesh
| | - Talha Bin Emran
- Department of Pharmacy, BGC Trust University Bangladesh, Chittagong, 4381, Bangladesh
| | - Kuldeep Dhama
- Division of Pathology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, 243122, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Salem A Alyami
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, 11432, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammad Ali Moni
- Faculty of Medicine, WHO Collaborating Centre on eHealth, UNSW Digital Health, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
| | - Md Abu Saleh
- Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, 6505, Bangladesh.
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Taborska P, Lastovicka J, Stakheev D, Strizova Z, Bartunkova J, Smrz D. SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein-reactive T cells can be readily expanded from COVID-19 vaccinated donors. IMMUNITY INFLAMMATION AND DISEASE 2021; 9:1452-1467. [PMID: 34314576 PMCID: PMC8427053 DOI: 10.1002/iid3.496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Introduction The COVID‐19 vaccine was designed to provide protection against infection by the severe respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). However, the vaccine's efficacy can be compromised in patients with immunodeficiencies or the vaccine‐induced immunoprotection suppressed by other comorbidity treatments, such as chemotherapy or immunotherapy. To enhance the protective role of the COVID‐19 vaccine, we have investigated a combination of the COVID‐19 vaccination with ex vivo enrichment and large‐scale expansion of SARS‐CoV‐2 spike glycoprotein‐reactive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Methods SARS‐CoV‐2‐unexposed donors were vaccinated with two doses of the BNT162b2 SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine. The peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the vaccinated donors were cell culture‐enriched with T cells reactive to peptides derived from SARS‐CoV‐2 spike glycoprotein. The enriched cell cultures were large‐scale expanded using the rapid expansion protocol (REP) and the peptide‐reactive T cells were evaluated. Results We show that vaccination with the SARS‐CoV‐2 spike glycoprotein‐based mRNA COVID‐19 vaccine‐induced humoral response against SARS‐CoV‐2 spike glycoprotein in all tested healthy SARS‐CoV‐2‐unexposed donors. This humoral response was found to correlate with the ability of the donors' PBMCs to become enriched with SARS‐CoV‐2 spike glycoprotein‐reactive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Using an 11‐day REP, the enriched cell cultures were expanded nearly 1000‐fold, and the proportions of the SARS‐CoV‐2 spike glycoprotein‐reactive T cells increased. Conclusion These findings show for the first time that the combination of the COVID‐19 vaccination and ex vivo T cell large‐scale expansion of SARS‐CoV‐2‐reactive T cells could be a powerful tool for developing T cell‐based adoptive cellular immunotherapy of COVID‐19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavla Taborska
- Department of Immunology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Hospital Motol, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Lastovicka
- Department of Immunology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Hospital Motol, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Dmitry Stakheev
- Department of Immunology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Hospital Motol, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Zuzana Strizova
- Department of Immunology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Hospital Motol, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jirina Bartunkova
- Department of Immunology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Hospital Motol, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Daniel Smrz
- Department of Immunology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Hospital Motol, Prague, Czech Republic
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Bansal R, Mohagaonkar S, Sen A, Khanam U, Rathi B. In-silico study of peptide-protein interaction of antimicrobial peptides potentially targeting SARS and SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein. In Silico Pharmacol 2021; 9:46. [PMID: 34336545 PMCID: PMC8315091 DOI: 10.1007/s40203-021-00103-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
This study is an attempt to find a suitable therapy using antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) by identifying peptide-protein interaction of AMPs and nucleocapsid protein of SARS and SARS-CoV- 2. The AMPs were shortlisted from the APD3 database (Antimicrobial peptide database) based on various physicochemical parameters. The binding efficacy of AMPs was measured using the lowest energy score of the docked complexes with 10 selected AMPs. For SARS-CoV, AP00180 showed the best pose with a binding affinity value of - 6.4 kcal/mol. Prominent hydrogen bonding interactions were observed between Lys85 (nucleocapsid receptor) and Arg13 (antimicrobial peptide ligand) having the least intermolecular distance of 1.759 Å. For SARS-CoV-2, AP00549 was docked with a binding affinity value of - 3.4 kcal/mol and Arg119 and Glu14 of receptor nucleocapsid protein and ligand AMP having the least intermolecular distance of 2.104 The dynamic simulation was performed at 50 ns to check the stability of the final docked complexes, one with each protein. The two best AMPs were AP00180 (Human Defensin-5) for SARS and AP00549 (Plectasin) for SARS-CoV-2. From positive results of dynamic simulation and previously known knowledge that some AMPs interact with the nucleocapsid of coronaviruses, these AMPs might be used as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment regime of SARS-CoV-2 and SARS infection. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40203-021-00103-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ritu Bansal
- National Institute of Technology, Warangal, Telangana India
| | | | | | - Uzma Khanam
- Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh India
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Abstract
Thus far, in 2021, 219 countries with over 175 million people have been infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 is a positive sense, single-stranded RNA virus, and is the causal agent for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Due to the urgency of the situation, virtual screening as a computational modeling method offers a fast and effective modality of identifying drugs that may be effective against SARS-CoV-2. There has been an overwhelming abundance of molecular docking against SARS-CoV-2 in the last year. Due to the massive volume of computational studies, this systematic review has been created to evaluate and summarize the findings of existing studies. Herein, we report on computational articles of drugs which target, (1) viral protease, (2) Spike protein-ACE 2 interaction, (3) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and (4) other proteins and nonstructural proteins of SARS-CoV-2. Based on the studies presented, there are 55 identified natural or drug compounds with potential anti-viral activity. The next step is to show anti-viral activity in vitro and translation to determine effectiveness into human clinical trials.
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Kumavath R, Barh D, Andrade BS, Imchen M, Aburjaile FF, Ch A, Rodrigues DLN, Tiwari S, Alzahrani KJ, Góes-Neto A, Weener ME, Ghosh P, Azevedo V. The Spike of SARS-CoV-2: Uniqueness and Applications. Front Immunol 2021; 12:663912. [PMID: 34305894 PMCID: PMC8297464 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.663912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Spike (S) protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is critical for its ability to attach and fuse into the host cells, leading to infection, and transmission. In this review, we have initially performed a meta-analysis of keywords associated with the S protein to frame the outline of important research findings and directions related to it. Based on this outline, we have reviewed the structure, uniqueness, and origin of the S protein of SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, the interactions of the Spike protein with host and its implications in COVID-19 pathogenesis, as well as drug and vaccine development, are discussed. We have also summarized the recent advances in detection methods using S protein-based RT-PCR, ELISA, point-of-care lateral flow immunoassay, and graphene-based field-effect transistor (FET) biosensors. Finally, we have also discussed the emerging Spike mutants and the efficacy of the Spike-based vaccines against those strains. Overall, we have covered most of the recent advances on the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein and its possible implications in countering this virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranjith Kumavath
- Department of Genomic Science, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, India
| | - Debmalya Barh
- Centre for Genomics and Applied Gene Technology, Institute of Integrative Omics and Applied Biotechnology (IIOAB), Nonakuri, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India
- Laboratório de Genética Celular e Molecular, Departamento de Genetica, Ecologia e Evolucao, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Bruno Silva Andrade
- Laboratório de Bioinformática e Química Computacional, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia (UESB), Jequié, Brazil
| | - Madangchanok Imchen
- Department of Genomic Science, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, India
| | - Flavia Figueira Aburjaile
- Laboratório de Genética Celular e Molecular, Departamento de Genetica, Ecologia e Evolucao, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Athira Ch
- Department of Genomic Science, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, India
| | - Diego Lucas Neres Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Genética Celular e Molecular, Departamento de Genetica, Ecologia e Evolucao, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Sandeep Tiwari
- Laboratório de Genética Celular e Molecular, Departamento de Genetica, Ecologia e Evolucao, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Khalid J Alzahrani
- Department of Clinical Laboratories Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
| | - Aristóteles Góes-Neto
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Computacional de Fungos, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | - Preetam Ghosh
- Department of Computer Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Vasco Azevedo
- Laboratório de Genética Celular e Molecular, Departamento de Genetica, Ecologia e Evolucao, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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Marchi S, Viviani S, Remarque EJ, Ruello A, Bombardieri E, Bollati V, Milani GP, Manenti A, Lapini G, Rebuffat A, Montomoli E, Trombetta CM. Characterization of antibody response in asymptomatic and symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0253977. [PMID: 34214116 PMCID: PMC8253392 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is causing high morbidity and mortality burden worldwide with unprecedented strain on health care systems. To investigate the time course of the antibody response in relation to the outcome we performed a study in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. As comparison we also investigated the time course of the antibody response in SARS-CoV-2 asymptomatic subjects. Study results show that patients produce a strong antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 with high correlation between different viral antigens (spike protein and nucleoprotein) and among antibody classes (IgA, IgG, and IgM and neutralizing antibodies). The antibody peak is reached by 3 weeks from hospital admission followed by a sharp decrease. No difference was observed in any parameter of the antibody classes, including neutralizing antibodies, between subjects who recovered or with fatal outcome. Only few asymptomatic subjects developed antibodies at detectable levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Marchi
- Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Simonetta Viviani
- Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Edmond J. Remarque
- Department of Virology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Valentina Bollati
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Gregorio P. Milani
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Pediatric Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | | | | | - Annunziata Rebuffat
- Presidio Ospedaliero di Campostaggia, Località Campostaggia, Poggibonsi, Italy
| | - Emanuele Montomoli
- Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
- VisMederi srl, Siena, Italy
- VisMederi Research srl, Siena, Italy
| | - Claudia M. Trombetta
- Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
- * E-mail:
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Srivastava V, Ahmad A. New perspective towards therapeutic regimen against SARS-CoV-2 infection. J Infect Public Health 2021; 14:852-862. [PMID: 34118735 PMCID: PMC8152204 DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2021.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The ongoing enormous loss of human life owing to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has led to a global crisis ranging from the collapse of health - care systems to socio-economic instability. As SARS-CoV-2 is a novel virus, very little information is available from researchers and therefore, a rigorous effort is required to decode its pathogenicity. There are no licenced treatment options available for treating SARS-CoV-2 infections and the development of a new antiviral drug targeting coronavirus cannot happen soon. Consequently, drug repurposing is a promising solution for combating the present pandemic. In this review, we have thoroughly discussed all the proteins encoded by the SARS-CoV-2 genome; their importance in pathogenicity and their potential role in drug discovery. Also, the budding threat of co-infections by other pathogenic microbes has been highlighted. Furthermore, the advances made in the medicinal field for the treatment and prevention of this viral infection is explained. Altogether, this review will provide some insightful discussions about this infectious disease and will meet certain of the knowledge gaps which exist by presenting an exhaustive and extensive scientific report on the ongoing mission for COVID-19 drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vartika Srivastava
- Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa
| | - Aijaz Ahmad
- Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa; Infection Control, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa.
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78
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Mahmoudi S, Balmeh N, Mohammadi N, Sadeghian-Rizi T. The Novel Drug Discovery to Combat COVID-19 by Repressing Important Virus Proteins Involved in Pathogenesis Using Medicinal Herbal Compounds. Avicenna J Med Biotechnol 2021; 13:107-115. [PMID: 34484639 PMCID: PMC8377408 DOI: 10.18502/ajmb.v13i3.6370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The cause of COVID-19 global pandemic is SARS-CoV-2. Given the outbreak of this disease, it is so important to find a treatment. One strategy to cope with COVID-19 is to use the active ingredients of medicinal plants. In this study, the effect of active substances was surveyed in inhibiting four important druggable targets, including S protein, 3CLpro, RdRp, and N protein. RdRp controls the replication of SARS-CoV-2 and is crucial for its life cycle. 3CLpro is the main protease of the virus and could be another therapeutic target. Moreover, N protein and S protein are responsible for SARS-CoV-2 assembly and attaching, respectively. Methods: The 3D structures of herbal active ingredients were prepared and docked with the mentioned SARS-CoV-2 proteins to obtain their affinity. Then, available antiviral drugs introduced in other investigations were docked using similar tools and compared with the results of this study. Finally, other properties of natural compounds were uncovered for drug designing. Results: The outcomes of the study revealed that Linarin, Amentoflavone, (−)-Catechin Gallate and Hypericin from Chrysanthemum morifolium, Hypericum perforatum, Humulus lupulus, and Hibiscus sabdariffa had the highest affinity for these basic proteins and in some cases, their affinity was much higher than antiviral medicines. Conclusion: In addition to having high affinity, these herb active ingredients have antioxidant, vasoprotective, anticarcinogenic, and antiviral properties. Therefore, they can be used as extremely safe therapeutic compounds in drug design studies to control COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samira Mahmoudi
- Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tehran North Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Negar Balmeh
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, Nour Danesh Institution of Higher Education, Meymeh, Iran
| | - Niloofar Mohammadi
- Department of Sciences and Agricultural Engineering, School of Agricultural Sciences, Pir Bakran Branch, Payame Noor University, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Tahereh Sadeghian-Rizi
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological Sciences and Technology, Shahid Ashrafi Esfahani University, Isfahan, Iran
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Engineered receptor binding domain immunogens elicit pan-sarbecovirus neutralizing antibodies outside the receptor binding motif. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2021. [PMID: 33330872 DOI: 10.1101/2020.12.07.415216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Effective countermeasures are needed against emerging coronaviruses of pandemic potential, similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Designing immunogens that elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies to conserved viral epitopes on the major surface glycoprotein, spike, such as the receptor binding domain (RBD) is one potential approach. Here, we report the generation of homotrimeric RBD immunogens from different sarbecoviruses using a stabilized, immune-silent trimerization tag. In mice, we find that a cocktail of these homotrimeric sarbecovirus RBDs elicits antibodies to conserved viral epitopes outside of the ACE2 receptor binding motif (RBM). Importantly, these responses neutralize all sarbecovirus components even in context of prior SARS-CoV-2 imprinting. We further show that a substantial fraction of the neutralizing antibodies elicited after vaccination in humans also engages non-RBM epitopes on the RBD. Collectively, our results suggest a strategy for eliciting broadly neutralizing responses leading to a pan-sarbecovirus vaccine. Author summary Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in the human population will be widespread due to natural infection and vaccination. However, another novel coronavirus will likely emerge in the future and may cause a subsequent pandemic. Humoral responses induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination provide limited protection against even closely related coronaviruses. We show immunization with a cocktail of trimeric coronavirus receptor binding domains induces a neutralizing antibody response that is broadened to related coronaviruses with pandemic potential. Importantly, this broadening occurs in context of an initial imprinted SARS-CoV-2 spike immunization showing that preexisting immunity can be expanded to recognize other related coronaviruses. Our immunogens focused the serum antibody response to conserved epitopes on the receptor binding domain outside of the ACE2 receptor binding motif; this contrasts with current SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic antibodies, which predominantly target the receptor binding motif.
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Lyubavina N, Saltsev S, Menkov N, Tyurikova L, Plastinina S, Shonia M, Tulichev A, Milyutina M, Makarova E. Immunological Approaches to the Treatment of New Coronavirus Infection (Review). Sovrem Tekhnologii Med 2021; 13:81-99. [PMID: 34603758 PMCID: PMC8482822 DOI: 10.17691/stm2021.13.3.09] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The pandemic of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread all over the world. The large amount of information that appears every day requires comprehension and systematization. The immunological aspects of the virus-host interaction are the core issues in the effective treatment and prevention of COVID-19' development. The review analyzes the known pathways of the viral invasion and evasion, the mechanisms of the cytokine storm, endothelial damage, and hypercoagulability associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Clinical data from previous SARS and MERS epidemics is discussed here. We also address the therapeutic approaches based on the basic knowledge of immune response and the blood cells' immune functions, as well as the ways to reduce their hyperactivation. The use of interferon therapy, anti-inflammatory therapy, anti-cytokine therapy, neutralizing antibodies, convalescent plasma, and mesenchymal stem cells, as well as prophylactic vaccines, is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- N.A. Lyubavina
- Associate Professor, Department of Propedeutics of Internal Diseases; Privolzhsky Research Medical University, 10/1 Minin and Pozharsky Square, Nizhny Novgorod, 603005, Russia
| | - S.G. Saltsev
- Associate Professor, Department of Propedeutics of Internal Diseases; Privolzhsky Research Medical University, 10/1 Minin and Pozharsky Square, Nizhny Novgorod, 603005, Russia
| | - N.V. Menkov
- Associate Professor, Department of Propedeutics of Internal Diseases; Privolzhsky Research Medical University, 10/1 Minin and Pozharsky Square, Nizhny Novgorod, 603005, Russia
| | - L.V. Tyurikova
- Associate Professor, Department of Propedeutics of Internal Diseases; Privolzhsky Research Medical University, 10/1 Minin and Pozharsky Square, Nizhny Novgorod, 603005, Russia
| | - S.S. Plastinina
- Associate Professor, Department of Propedeutics of Internal Diseases; Privolzhsky Research Medical University, 10/1 Minin and Pozharsky Square, Nizhny Novgorod, 603005, Russia
| | - M.L. Shonia
- Associate Professor, Department of Propedeutics of Internal Diseases; Privolzhsky Research Medical University, 10/1 Minin and Pozharsky Square, Nizhny Novgorod, 603005, Russia
| | - A.A. Tulichev
- Assistant, Department of Propedeutics of Internal Diseases; Privolzhsky Research Medical University, 10/1 Minin and Pozharsky Square, Nizhny Novgorod, 603005, Russia
| | - M.Yu. Milyutina
- Assistant, Department of Propedeutics of Internal Diseases; Privolzhsky Research Medical University, 10/1 Minin and Pozharsky Square, Nizhny Novgorod, 603005, Russia
| | - E.V. Makarova
- Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Propedeutics of Internal Diseases; Privolzhsky Research Medical University, 10/1 Minin and Pozharsky Square, Nizhny Novgorod, 603005, Russia
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81
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Hassan MM, Sharmin S, Hong J, Lee HS, Kim HJ, Hong ST. T cell epitopes of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and conserved surface protein of Plasmodium malariae share sequence homology. Open Life Sci 2021; 16:630-640. [PMID: 34222663 PMCID: PMC8231468 DOI: 10.1515/biol-2021-0062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Since its emergence in late 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been spreading remarkably fast worldwide. Effective countermeasures require the rapid development of data and tools to monitor its spread and better understand immunogenic profile. However, limited information is available about the tools and target of the immune responses to SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we excogitated a new approach for analyzing phylogenetic relationships by using the whole prototype proteome sequences. Phylogenetic analysis on the whole prototype proteome sequences showed that SARS-CoV-2 was a direct descendant of Bat-CoV and was closely related to Pangolin-CoV, Bat-SL-CoV, and SARS-CoV. The pairwise comparison of SARS-CoV-2 with Bat-CoV showed an unusual replacement of the motif consisting of seven amino acids (NNLDSKV) within the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. The replaced motif in the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 was found in 12 other species, including a conserved surface protein of a malaria-causing pathogen, Plasmodium malariae. We further identified the T and B cell epitope sequence homology of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with conserved surface protein of P. malariae using the Immune Epitope Database and Analysis Resource (IEDB). The shared immunodominant epitopes may provide immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection to those previously infected with P. malariae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Mehedi Hassan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Institute for Medical Science, Jeonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Jeonbuk 54907, South Korea.,JINIS BDRD Institute, JINIS Biopharmaceuticals Inc., 224 Wanjusandan 6-Ro, Bongdong, Wanju, Jeonbuk 55315, South Korea
| | - Shirina Sharmin
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Institute for Medical Science, Jeonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Jeonbuk 54907, South Korea
| | - Jinny Hong
- SNJ Pharma Inc., 1124 West Carson St. MRL Bldg 3F, BioLabs LA in The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA 90502, United States of America
| | - Hoi-Seon Lee
- Department of Bioenvironmental Chemistry, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Jeonbuk 54896, South Korea
| | - Hyeon-Jin Kim
- JINIS BDRD Institute, JINIS Biopharmaceuticals Inc., 224 Wanjusandan 6-Ro, Bongdong, Wanju, Jeonbuk 55315, South Korea.,SNJ Pharma Inc., 1124 West Carson St. MRL Bldg 3F, BioLabs LA in The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA 90502, United States of America
| | - Seong-Tshool Hong
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Institute for Medical Science, Jeonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Jeonbuk 54907, South Korea
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82
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Najafi Fard S, Petrone L, Petruccioli E, Alonzi T, Matusali G, Colavita F, Castilletti C, Capobianchi MR, Goletti D. In Vitro Models for Studying Entry, Tissue Tropism, and Therapeutic Approaches of Highly Pathogenic Coronaviruses. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 2021:8856018. [PMID: 34239932 PMCID: PMC8221881 DOI: 10.1155/2021/8856018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Coronaviruses (CoVs) are enveloped nonsegmented positive-sense RNA viruses belonging to the family Coronaviridae that contain the largest genome among RNA viruses. Their genome encodes 4 major structural proteins, and among them, the Spike (S) protein plays a crucial role in determining the viral tropism. It mediates viral attachment to the host cell, fusion to the membranes, and cell entry using cellular proteases as activators. Several in vitro models have been developed to study the CoVs entry, pathogenesis, and possible therapeutic approaches. This article is aimed at summarizing the current knowledge about the use of relevant methodologies and cell lines permissive for CoV life cycle studies. The synthesis of this information can be useful for setting up specific experimental procedures. We also discuss different strategies for inhibiting the binding of the S protein to the cell receptors and the fusion process which may offer opportunities for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saeid Najafi Fard
- Translational Research Unit, Epidemiology and Preclinical Research Department, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy
| | - Linda Petrone
- Translational Research Unit, Epidemiology and Preclinical Research Department, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy
| | - Elisa Petruccioli
- Translational Research Unit, Epidemiology and Preclinical Research Department, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy
| | - Tonino Alonzi
- Translational Research Unit, Epidemiology and Preclinical Research Department, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Matusali
- Laboratory of Virology, Epidemiology and Preclinical Research Department, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Colavita
- Laboratory of Virology, Epidemiology and Preclinical Research Department, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy
| | - Concetta Castilletti
- Laboratory of Virology, Epidemiology and Preclinical Research Department, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Rosaria Capobianchi
- Laboratory of Virology, Epidemiology and Preclinical Research Department, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy
| | - Delia Goletti
- Translational Research Unit, Epidemiology and Preclinical Research Department, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy
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83
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Kusi KA, Frimpong A, Partey FD, Lamptey H, Amoah LE, Ofori MF. High infectious disease burden as a basis for the observed high frequency of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections in sub-Saharan Africa. AAS Open Res 2021; 4:2. [PMID: 34729457 PMCID: PMC8524298 DOI: 10.12688/aasopenres.13196.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Following the coronavirus outbreaks described as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in 2012, the world has again been challenged by yet another corona virus, named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 infections were first detected in a Chinese Province in December 2019 and then declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. An infection caused by SARS-CoV-2 may result in asymptomatic, uncomplicated or fatal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Fatal disease has been linked with the uncontrolled "cytokine storm" manifesting with complications mostly in people with underlying cardiovascular and pulmonary disease conditions. The severity of COVID-19 disease and the associated mortality has been disproportionately lower in terms of number of cases and deaths in Africa and also Asia in comparison to Europe and North America. Also, persons of colour residing in Europe and North America have been identified as a highly susceptible population due to a combination of several socioeconomic factors and poor access to quality healthcare. Interestingly, this has not been the case in sub-Saharan Africa where majority of the population are even more deprived of the aforementioned factors. On the contrary, sub-Saharan Africa has recorded the lowest levels of mortality and morbidity associated with the disease, and an overwhelming proportion of infections are asymptomatic. Whilst it can be argued that these lower number of cases in Africa may be due to challenges associated with the diagnosis of the disease such as lack of trained personnel and infrastructure, the number of persons who get infected and develop symptoms is proportionally lower than those who are asymptomatic, including asymptomatic cases that are never diagnosed. This review discusses the most probable reasons for the significantly fewer cases of severe COVID-19 disease and deaths in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwadwo Asamoah Kusi
- Department of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Augustina Frimpong
- Department of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Frederica Dedo Partey
- Department of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Helena Lamptey
- Department of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Linda Eva Amoah
- Department of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Michael Fokuo Ofori
- Department of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
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84
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F Nahhas A, F Nahhas A, J Webster T. Nanoscale pathogens treated with nanomaterial-like peptides: a platform technology appropriate for future pandemics. Nanomedicine (Lond) 2021; 16:1237-1254. [PMID: 33988037 PMCID: PMC8120868 DOI: 10.2217/nnm-2020-0447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Viral infections are historically very difficult to treat. Although imperfect and time-consuming to develop, we do have some conventional vaccine and therapeutic approaches to stop viral spreading. Most importantly, all of this takes significant time while viruses continue to wreak havoc on our healthcare system. Furthermore, viral infections are accompanied by a weakened immune system which is often overlooked in antiviral drug strategies and requires additional drug development. In this review, for the first time, we touch on some promising alternative approaches to treat viral infections, specifically those focused on the use of platform nanomaterials with antiviral peptides. In doing so, this review presents a timely discussion of how we need to change our old way of treating viruses into one that can quickly meet the demands of COVID-19, as well as future pandemic-causing viruses, which will come.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alaa F Nahhas
- Biochemistry Department, College of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, KSA
| | - Alrayan F Nahhas
- Biochemistry Department, College of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, KSA
| | - Thomas J Webster
- Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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85
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Kadioglu O, Saeed M, Greten HJ, Efferth T. Identification of novel compounds against three targets of SARS CoV-2 coronavirus by combined virtual screening and supervised machine learning. Comput Biol Med 2021; 133:104359. [PMID: 33845270 DOI: 10.2471/blt.20.255943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a major threat worldwide due to its fast spreading. As yet, there are no established drugs available. Speeding up drug discovery is urgently required. We applied a workflow of combined in silico methods (virtual drug screening, molecular docking and supervised machine learning algorithms) to identify novel drug candidates against COVID-19. We constructed chemical libraries consisting of FDA-approved drugs for drug repositioning and of natural compound datasets from literature mining and the ZINC database to select compounds interacting with SARS-CoV-2 target proteins (spike protein, nucleocapsid protein, and 2'-o-ribose methyltransferase). Supported by the supercomputer MOGON, candidate compounds were predicted as presumable SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors. Interestingly, several approved drugs against hepatitis C virus (HCV), another enveloped (-) ssRNA virus (paritaprevir, simeprevir and velpatasvir) as well as drugs against transmissible diseases, against cancer, or other diseases were identified as candidates against SARS-CoV-2. This result is supported by reports that anti-HCV compounds are also active against Middle East Respiratory Virus Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus. The candidate compounds identified by us may help to speed up the drug development against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Onat Kadioglu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Mohamed Saeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | | | - Thomas Efferth
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
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86
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Yadav AK, Verma D, Kumar A, Kumar P, Solanki PR. The perspectives of biomarker-based electrochemical immunosensors, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Medical Things toward COVID-19 diagnosis and management. MATERIALS TODAY. CHEMISTRY 2021; 20:100443. [PMID: 33615086 PMCID: PMC7877231 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtchem.2021.100443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the COVID-19 an international health emergency due to the severity of infection progression, which became more severe due to its continuous spread globally and the unavailability of appropriate therapy and diagnostics systems. Thus, there is a need for efficient devices to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection at an early stage. Nowadays, the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique is being applied for detecting this virus around the globe; however, factors such as stringent expertise, long diagnostic times, invasive and painful screening, and high costs have restricted the use of RT-PCR methods for rapid diagnostics. Therefore, the development of cost-effective, portable, sensitive, prompt and selective sensing systems to detect SARS-CoV-2 in biofluids at fM/pM/nM concentrations would be a breakthrough in diagnostics. Immunosensors that show increased specificity and sensitivity are considerably fast and do not imply costly reagents or instruments, reducing the cost for COVID-19 detection. The current developments in immunosensors perhaps signify the most significant opportunity for a rapid assay to detect COVID-19, without the need of highly skilled professionals and specialized tools to interpret results. Artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) can also be equipped with this immunosensing approach to investigate useful networking through database management, sharing, and analytics to prevent and manage COVID-19. Herein, we represent the collective concepts of biomarker-based immunosensors along with AI and IoMT as smart sensing strategies with bioinformatics approach to monitor non-invasive early stage SARS-CoV-2 development, with fast point-of-care (POC) diagnostics as the crucial goal. This approach should be implemented quickly and verified practicality for clinical samples before being set in the present times for mass-diagnostic research.
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Affiliation(s)
- A K Yadav
- Special Center for Nanoscience, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - D Verma
- Special Center for Nanoscience, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India
- Amity Institute of Applied Sciences, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 201301, India
| | - A Kumar
- National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - P Kumar
- Sri Aurobindo College, Delhi University, New Delhi, 110017, India
| | - P R Solanki
- Special Center for Nanoscience, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India
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87
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Magrone T, Magrone M, Jirillo E. Focus on Receptors for Coronaviruses with Special Reference to Angiotensin- Converting Enzyme 2 as a Potential Drug Target - A Perspective. Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets 2021; 20:807-811. [PMID: 32338224 DOI: 10.2174/1871530320666200427112902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Thea Magrone
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sensory Organs, University of Bari, School of Medicine, Bari, Italy
| | - Manrico Magrone
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sensory Organs, University of Bari, School of Medicine, Bari, Italy
| | - Emilio Jirillo
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sensory Organs, University of Bari, School of Medicine, Bari, Italy
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88
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Pinto GP, Vavra O, Marques SM, Filipovic J, Bednar D, Damborsky J. Screening of world approved drugs against highly dynamical spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 using CaverDock and machine learning. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:3187-3197. [PMID: 34104357 PMCID: PMC8174816 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.05.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 05/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes pathological pulmonary symptoms. Most efforts to develop vaccines and drugs against this virus target the spike glycoprotein, particularly its S1 subunit, which is recognised by angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. Here we use the in-house developed tool CaverDock to perform virtual screening against spike glycoprotein using a cryogenic electron microscopy structure (PDB-ID: 6VXX) and the representative structures of five most populated clusters from a previously published molecular dynamics simulation. The dataset of ligands was obtained from the ZINC database and consists of drugs approved for clinical use worldwide. Trajectories for the passage of individual drugs through the tunnel of the spike glycoprotein homotrimer, their binding energies within the tunnel, and the duration of their contacts with the trimer's three subunits were computed for the full dataset. Multivariate statistical methods were then used to establish structure-activity relationships and select top candidate for movement inhibition. This new protocol for the rapid screening of globally approved drugs (4359 ligands) in a multi-state protein structure (6 states) showed high robustness in the rate of finished calculations. The protocol is universal and can be applied to any target protein with an experimental tertiary structure containing protein tunnels or channels. The protocol will be implemented in the next version of CaverWeb (https://loschmidt.chemi.muni.cz/caverweb/) to make it accessible to the wider scientific community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaspar P. Pinto
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Department of Experimental Biology and RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Centre, St. Ann’s Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ondrej Vavra
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Department of Experimental Biology and RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Centre, St. Ann’s Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Sergio M. Marques
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Department of Experimental Biology and RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Centre, St. Ann’s Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiri Filipovic
- Institute of Computer Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - David Bednar
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Department of Experimental Biology and RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Centre, St. Ann’s Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiri Damborsky
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Department of Experimental Biology and RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Centre, St. Ann’s Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic
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89
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Yang C, Huang Y, Liu S. Therapeutic Development in COVID-19. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1318:435-448. [PMID: 33973193 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-63761-3_25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the SARS-CoV-2, the disease has spread rapidly worldwide and developed into a global pandemic, causing a significant impact on the global health system and economic development. Scientists have been racing to find effective drugs and vaccines for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19. However, due to the diversity of clinical manifestations caused by COVID-19, no standard antiviral regimen beyond supportive therapy has been established. Ongoing clinical trials are underway to evaluate the efficacy of drugs that primarily act on the viral replication cycle or enhanced immunity of patients. This chapter will summarize the currently used antiviral and adjuvant therapies in clinical practice and provide a theoretical basis for the future treatment of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chan Yang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuan Huang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shuwen Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Institute of Nephrology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
- Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy and Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Guangzhou, China.
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90
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Pan YQ, Guo F, Bahoussi AN, Shi RZ, Li YQ, Xing L. Genetic drift of MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia during 2012-2019. Zoonoses Public Health 2021; 68:527-532. [PMID: 33966359 DOI: 10.1111/zph.12843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is caused by MERS-CoV that infects both human and camel. Camel is supposed to be the natural reservoir for human infection while the sources for most of the primary human infection cases are still not known. We identified two conserved pyrimidine nucleotides that flank UAAU element in MERS-CoV 5'-UTR. These conserved pyrimidine nucleotides distinguish MERS-CoVs into 3 types, that is, UUAAUU, CUAAUU and CUAAUC (referred to as U----U, C----U, and C----C types, respectively). Human MERS-CoV displays a genetic drift from U----U, C----U, to C----C from 2012 to 2019. Camel virus displays a genetic drift from U----U to C----U with a time lag when compared with human virus. The discrepancy in genetic drift seems not to support the notion that camel serves as the only natural reservoir for human infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan-Qing Pan
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Fan Guo
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China
| | | | - Rui-Zhu Shi
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Ya-Qian Li
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Li Xing
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China.,Key laboratory of Medical Molecular Cell Biology of Shanxi Province, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China.,Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Prevention and Treatment of Major Infectious Diseases, Taiyuan, China
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91
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Hasan A, Paray BA, Hussain A, Qadir FA, Attar F, Aziz FM, Sharifi M, Derakhshankhah H, Rasti B, Mehrabi M, Shahpasand K, Saboury AA, Falahati M. A review on the cleavage priming of the spike protein on coronavirus by angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 and furin. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2021; 39:3025-3033. [PMID: 32274964 PMCID: PMC7189411 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2020.1754293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 211] [Impact Index Per Article: 70.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The widespread antigenic changes lead to the emergence of a new type of coronavirus (CoV) called as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2 that is immunologically different from the previous circulating species. Angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) is one of the most important receptors on the cell membrane of the host cells (HCs) which its interaction with spike protein (SP) with a furin-cleavage site results in the SARS-CoV-2 invasion. Hence, in this review, we presented an overview on the interaction of ACE-2 and furin with SP. As several kinds of CoVs, from various genera, have at their S1/S2 binding site a preserved site, we further surveyed the role of furin cleavage site (FCS) on the life cycle of the CoV. Furthermore, we discussed that the small molecular inhibitors can limit the interaction of ACE-2 and furin with SP and can be used as potential therapeutic platforms to combat the spreading CoV epidemic. Finally, some ongoing challenges and future prospects for the development of potential drugs to promote targeting specific activities of the CoV were reviewed. In conclusion, this review may pave the way for providing useful information about different compounds involved in improving the effectiveness of CoV vaccine or drugs with minimum toxicity against human health.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anwarul Hasan
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
- Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Bilal Ahamad Paray
- Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Arif Hussain
- School of Life Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Fikry Ali Qadir
- Department of Biology, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
| | - Farnoosh Attar
- Faculty of Food Industry and Agriculture, Department of Biology, Standard Research Institute (SRI), Karaj, Iran
| | | | - Majid Sharifi
- Department of Nanotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran;
| | - Hossein Derakhshankhah
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Behnam Rasti
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Lahijan Branch, Islamic Azad University (IAU), Lahijan, Guilan, Iran
| | - Masoumeh Mehrabi
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Lahijan Branch, Islamic Azad University (IAU), Lahijan, Guilan, Iran
| | - Koorosh Shahpasand
- Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology (RI-SCBT), Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Akbar Saboury
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mojtaba Falahati
- Department of Nanotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran;
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92
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Tao Y, Yang R, Wen C, Fan J, Ma J, He Q, Zhao Z, Song X, Chen H, Shi G, Yin M, Fang N, Zhang H, Chen H, Mo X. Preliminary analyses of scRNA sequencing and immunohistochemistry of children's lung tissues indicate the expression of SARS-CoV-2 entry-related genes may not be the key reason for the milder syndromes of COVID-19 in children. Clin Transl Med 2021; 11:e300. [PMID: 34047474 DOI: 10.1101/2020.05.25.20110890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
SUMMARYTo explore whether the expression levels of viral-entry associated genes might contribute to the milder symptoms in children, we analyzed the expression of these genes in both children and adults’ lung tissues by single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Both scRNA-seq and IHC analyses showed comparable levels of the key genes for SARS-CoV-2 entry in children and adults, includingACE2, TMPRSS2andFURIN, suggesting that instead of lower virus intrusion rate, other factors are more likely to be the key reasons for the milder symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infected children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Tao
- The Laboratory of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Pediatric Translational Medicine Institute, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ruwen Yang
- The Laboratory of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Pediatric Translational Medicine Institute, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chen Wen
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jue Fan
- Singleron Biotechnologies, Nanjing, China
| | - Jing Ma
- Department of Pathology, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qiao He
- Department of Pathology, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiguang Zhao
- Wenzhou Medical University Second Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou, China
| | - Xinyu Song
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Hao Chen
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Guocheng Shi
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Minzhi Yin
- Department of Pathology, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Nan Fang
- Singleron Biotechnologies, Nanjing, China
| | - Hao Zhang
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Huiwen Chen
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xi Mo
- The Laboratory of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Pediatric Translational Medicine Institute, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
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93
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Smaoui MR, Yahyaoui H. Unraveling the stability landscape of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain. Sci Rep 2021; 11:9166. [PMID: 33911163 PMCID: PMC8080587 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88696-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The interaction between the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein and the ACE2 enzyme is believed to be the entry point of the virus into various cells in the body, including the lungs, heart, liver, and kidneys. The current focus of several therapeutic design efforts explores attempts at affecting the binding potential between the two proteins to limit the activity of the virus and disease progression. In this work, we analyze the stability of the spike protein under all possible single-point mutations in the RBD and computationally explore mutations that can affect the binding with the ACE2 enzyme. We unravel the mutation landscape of the receptor region and assess the toxicity potential of single and multi-point mutations, generating insights for future vaccine efforts on mutations that might further stabilize the spike protein and increase its infectivity. We developed a tool, called SpikeMutator, to construct full atomic protein structures of the mutant spike proteins and shared a database of 3800 single-point mutant structures. We analyzed the recent 65,000 reported spike sequences across the globe and observed the emergence of stable multi-point mutant structures. Using the landscape, we searched through 7.5 million possible 2-point mutation combinations and report that the (R355D K424E) mutation produces one of the strongest spike proteins that therapeutic efforts should investigate for the sake of developing effective vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hamdi Yahyaoui
- Computer Science Department, Kuwait University, Kuwait, State of Kuwait
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94
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Min L, Sun Q. Antibodies and Vaccines Target RBD of SARS-CoV-2. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:671633. [PMID: 33968996 PMCID: PMC8100443 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.671633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The novel human coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), which gives rise to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has caused a serious threat to global public health. On March 11, 2020, the WHO had officially announced COVID-19 as a pandemic. Therefore, it is vital to find effective and safe neutralizing antibodies and vaccines for COVID-19. The critical neutralizing domain (CND) that is contained in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein (S protein) could lead to a highly potent neutralizing antibody response as well as the cross-protection of other strains of SARS. By using RBD as an antigen, many neutralizing antibodies are isolated that are essential to the therapeutics of COVID-19. Furthermore, a subunit vaccine, which is based on the RBD, is expected to be safer than others, thus the RBD in the S protein is a more important target for vaccine development. In this review, we focus on neutralizing antibodies that are targeting RBD as well as the vaccine based on RBD under current development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Qiu Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
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95
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Kohli A, Joshi A, Shah A, Jain RD, Gorlawar A, Dhapare A, Desai J, Shetty A, Shah C, Ostwal P, Talraja A. Does CT help in reducing RT-PCR false negative rate for COVID-19? Indian J Radiol Imaging 2021; 31:S80-S86. [PMID: 33814765 PMCID: PMC7996706 DOI: 10.4103/ijri.ijri_739_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2020] [Revised: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Early detection is the key to contain the ongoing pandemic. The current gold standard to detect SARS CoV2 is RT-PCR. However, it has a high false negative rate and long turnaround time. Purpose: In view of the high sensitivity of CT in detection of lower respiratory tract pathologies, a study of 2581 patients comparing RT-PCR status with CT findings was undertaken to see if it augments the diagnostic performance. Materials and Methods: A multi centre prospective study of consecutive cases was conducted. All CT studies suggestive of COVID 19 pneumonia were collated and evaluated independently by three Radiologists to confirm the imaging diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia. The RT-PCR values were retrospectively obtained, based on the RT-PCR values, CT studies were categorised into three subgroups, positive, negative and unknown. CT features from all three groups were compared to evaluate any communality or discordance. Results: Out of the 2581 patients with positive CT findings for COVID pneumonia, 825 were females and 1,756 were males in a wide age group of 28-90 years. Predominant CT features observed in all the subgroups were Ground glass densities 94.8%, in mixed distribution (peripheral and central) (59.12%), posterior segments in 92% and multilobar involvement in 70.9%. The CT features across the three subgroups were statistically significant with a P value <0.001. Conclusion: There was a communality of CT findings regardless of RT-PCR status. In a pandemic setting ground glass densities in a subpleural, posterior and basal distribution are indicative of COVID 19. Thus CT chest in conjunction to RT PCR augments the diagnosis of COVID 19 pneumonia; utilization of CT chest may just be the missing link in closing this pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anirudh Kohli
- Department of Radiodiagnosis, Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai, India
| | - Anagha Joshi
- Department of Radiodiagnosis, LTMMC Sion Hospital, Mumbai, India
| | | | - Richa D Jain
- Department of Radiodiagnosis, Aster CMI Hospital, Bengaluru, India
| | | | | | | | - Aditya Shetty
- Department of Radiodiagnosis, Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai, India
| | - Chirag Shah
- Advance RadioImaging Centre, Ahmedabad, India
| | | | - Anisha Talraja
- Department of Radiodiagnosis, LTMMC Sion Hospital, Mumbai, India
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96
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Beig Parikhani A, Bazaz M, Bamehr H, Fereshteh S, Amiri S, Salehi-Vaziri M, Arashkia A, Azadmanesh K. The Inclusive Review on SARS-CoV-2 Biology, Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Potential Management Options. Curr Microbiol 2021; 78:1099-1114. [PMID: 33638671 PMCID: PMC7913045 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-021-02396-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
A novel coronavirus member was reported in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, at the end of the year 2019. Initially, the infection spread locally, affecting the Wuhan people, and then expanded rapidly throughout the world. On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) proclaimed it a global pandemic. The virus is a new strain most closely related to a bat coronavirus (RaTG13) which was not previously discovered in humans and is now formally known as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the disease syndrome that the SARS-CoV-2 virus triggers. It is suggested that SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted through aerosols, direct/indirect contact, and also during medical procedures and specimen handling. The infection is characterized by isolated flu-like symptoms, but there may be specific signs of fever, fatigue, cough, and shortness of breath, as well as the loss of smell and breathing difficulty. Within this report, we tried to review the most current scientific literature published by January 2021 on various aspects of the outbreak, including virus structure, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, epidemiology, diagnostic approaches, potential therapeutics and vaccines, and prospects. We hope this article makes a beneficial impact on public education to better deal with the SARS-CoV-2 crisis and push a step forward in the near term towards its prevention and control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arezoo Beig Parikhani
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Masoume Bazaz
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hadi Bamehr
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Shahin Amiri
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mostafa Salehi-Vaziri
- Department of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
- Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Arash Arashkia
- Department of Molecular Virology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
- Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Kayhan Azadmanesh
- Department of Molecular Virology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
- Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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97
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Identification of novel compounds against three targets of SARS CoV-2 coronavirus by combined virtual screening and supervised machine learning. Comput Biol Med 2021; 133:104359. [PMID: 33845270 PMCID: PMC8008812 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2021.104359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a major threat worldwide due to its fast spreading. As yet, there are no established drugs available. Speeding up drug discovery is urgently required. We applied a workflow of combined in silico methods (virtual drug screening, molecular docking and supervised machine learning algorithms) to identify novel drug candidates against COVID-19. We constructed chemical libraries consisting of FDA-approved drugs for drug repositioning and of natural compound datasets from literature mining and the ZINC database to select compounds interacting with SARS-CoV-2 target proteins (spike protein, nucleocapsid protein, and 2′-o-ribose methyltransferase). Supported by the supercomputer MOGON, candidate compounds were predicted as presumable SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors. Interestingly, several approved drugs against hepatitis C virus (HCV), another enveloped (−) ssRNA virus (paritaprevir, simeprevir and velpatasvir) as well as drugs against transmissible diseases, against cancer, or other diseases were identified as candidates against SARS-CoV-2. This result is supported by reports that anti-HCV compounds are also active against Middle East Respiratory Virus Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus. The candidate compounds identified by us may help to speed up the drug development against SARS-CoV-2.
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98
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Verbeke R, Lentacker I, De Smedt SC, Dewitte H. The dawn of mRNA vaccines: The COVID-19 case. J Control Release 2021; 333:511-520. [PMID: 33798667 PMCID: PMC8008785 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2021.03.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 224] [Impact Index Per Article: 74.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
In less than one year since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, two mRNA-based vaccines, BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273, were granted the first historic authorization for emergency use, while another mRNA vaccine, CVnCoV, progressed to phase 3 clinical testing. The COVID-19 mRNA vaccines represent a new class of vaccine products, which consist of synthetic mRNA strands encoding the SARS-CoV-2 Spike glycoprotein, packaged in lipid nanoparticles to deliver mRNA to cells. This review digs deeper into the scientific breakthroughs of the last decades that laid the foundations for the rapid rise of mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. As well as providing momentum for mRNA vaccines, SARS-CoV-2 represents an ideal case study allowing to compare design-activity differences between the different mRNA vaccine candidates. Therefore, a detailed overview of the composition and (pre)clinical performance of the three most advanced mRNA vaccines is provided and the influence of choices in their structural design on to their immunogenicity and reactogenicity profile is discussed in depth. In addition to the new fundamental insights in the mRNA vaccines' mode of action highlighted here, we also point out which unknowns remain that require further investigation and possibly, optimization in future mRNA vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rein Verbeke
- Ghent Research Group on Nanomedicines, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ine Lentacker
- Ghent Research Group on Nanomedicines, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Stefaan C De Smedt
- Ghent Research Group on Nanomedicines, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Heleen Dewitte
- Ghent Research Group on Nanomedicines, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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99
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Research progress on coronavirus S proteins and their receptors. Arch Virol 2021; 166:1811-1817. [PMID: 33778918 PMCID: PMC8005323 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-021-05008-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Coronaviruses are a large family of important pathogens that cause human and animal diseases. At the end of 2019, a pneumonia epidemic caused by a novel coronavirus brought attention to coronaviruses. Exploring the interaction between the virus and its receptor will be helpful in developing preventive vaccines and therapeutic drugs. The coronavirus spike protein (S) plays an important role in both binding to receptors on host cells and fusion of the viral membrane with the host cell membrane. This review introduces the structure and function of the S protein and its receptor, focusing on the binding mode and binding region of both.
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100
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Sun H, Wang Y, Chen CZ, Xu M, Guo H, Itkin M, Zheng W, Shen M. Identification of SARS-CoV-2 viral entry inhibitors using machine learning and cell-based pseudotyped particle assay. Bioorg Med Chem 2021; 38:116119. [PMID: 33831697 PMCID: PMC7997310 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2021.116119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
In response to the pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, we constructed a hybrid support vector machine (SVM) classification model using a set of publicly posted SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped particle (PP) entry assay repurposing screen data to identify novel potent compounds as a starting point for drug development to treat COVID-19 patients. Two different molecular descriptor systems, atom typing descriptors and 3D fingerprints (FPs), were employed to construct the SVM classification models. Both models achieved reasonable performance, with the area under the curve of receiver operating characteristic (AUC-ROC) of 0.84 and 0.82, respectively. The consensus prediction outperformed the two individual models with significantly improved AUC-ROC of 0.91, where the compounds with inconsistent classifications were excluded. The consensus model was then used to screen the 173,898 compounds in the NCATS annotated and diverse chemical libraries. Of the 255 compounds selected for experimental confirmation, 116 compounds exhibited inhibitory activities in the SARS-CoV-2 PP entry assay with IC50 values ranged between 0.17 µM and 62.2 µM, representing an enrichment factor of 3.2. These 116 active compounds with diverse and novel structures could potentially serve as starting points for chemistry optimization for COVID-19 drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmao Sun
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), 9800 Medical Center Dr., Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Yuhong Wang
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), 9800 Medical Center Dr., Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Catherine Z Chen
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), 9800 Medical Center Dr., Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Miao Xu
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), 9800 Medical Center Dr., Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Hui Guo
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), 9800 Medical Center Dr., Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Misha Itkin
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), 9800 Medical Center Dr., Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Wei Zheng
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), 9800 Medical Center Dr., Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Min Shen
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), 9800 Medical Center Dr., Rockville, MD 20850, USA.
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