101
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Discovery of the Cryptic Sites of SARS-CoV-2 Papain-like Protease and Analysis of Its Druggability. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231911265. [PMID: 36232570 PMCID: PMC9569941 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In late 2019, a new coronavirus (CoV) caused the outbreak of a deadly respiratory disease, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. In view of the ongoing pandemic, there is an immediate need to find drugs to treat patients. SARS-CoV-2 papain-like cysteine protease (PLpro) not only plays an important role in the pathogenesis of the virus but is also a target protein for the development of inhibitor drugs. Therefore, to develop targeted inhibitors, it is necessary to analyse and verify PLpro sites and explore whether there are other cryptic binding pockets with better activity. In this study, first, we detected the site of the whole PLpro protein by sitemap of Schrödinger (version 2018), the cavity of LigBuilder V3, and DeepSite, and roughly judged the possible activated binding site area. Then, we used the mixed solvent dynamics simulation (MixMD) of probe molecules to induce conformational changes in the protein to find the possible cryptic active sites. Finally, the TRAPP method was used to predict the druggability of cryptic pockets and analyse the changes in the physicochemical properties of residues around these sites. This work will help promote the research of SARS-CoV-2 PLpro inhibitors.
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102
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Minetti CA, Remeta DP. Forces Driving a Magic Bullet to Its Target: Revisiting the Role of Thermodynamics in Drug Design, Development, and Optimization. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:1438. [PMID: 36143474 PMCID: PMC9504344 DOI: 10.3390/life12091438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug discovery strategies have advanced significantly towards prioritizing target selectivity to achieve the longstanding goal of identifying "magic bullets" amongst thousands of chemical molecules screened for therapeutic efficacy. A myriad of emerging and existing health threats, including the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, alarming increase in bacterial resistance, and potentially fatal chronic ailments, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegeneration, have incentivized the discovery of novel therapeutics in treatment regimens. The design, development, and optimization of lead compounds represent an arduous and time-consuming process that necessitates the assessment of specific criteria and metrics derived via multidisciplinary approaches incorporating functional, structural, and energetic properties. The present review focuses on specific methodologies and technologies aimed at advancing drug development with particular emphasis on the role of thermodynamics in elucidating the underlying forces governing ligand-target interaction selectivity and specificity. In the pursuit of novel therapeutics, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) has been utilized extensively over the past two decades to bolster drug discovery efforts, yielding information-rich thermodynamic binding signatures. A wealth of studies recognizes the need for mining thermodynamic databases to critically examine and evaluate prospective drug candidates on the basis of available metrics. The ultimate power and utility of thermodynamics within drug discovery strategies reside in the characterization and comparison of intrinsic binding signatures that facilitate the elucidation of structural-energetic correlations which assist in lead compound identification and optimization to improve overall therapeutic efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conceição A. Minetti
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers—The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - David P. Remeta
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers—The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
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103
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Fanous MJ, Popescu G. GANscan: continuous scanning microscopy using deep learning deblurring. LIGHT, SCIENCE & APPLICATIONS 2022; 11:265. [PMID: 36071043 PMCID: PMC9452654 DOI: 10.1038/s41377-022-00952-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Most whole slide imaging (WSI) systems today rely on the "stop-and-stare" approach, where, at each field of view, the scanning stage is brought to a complete stop before the camera snaps a picture. This procedure ensures that each image is free of motion blur, which comes at the expense of long acquisition times. In order to speed up the acquisition process, especially for large scanning areas, such as pathology slides, we developed an acquisition method in which the data is acquired continuously while the stage is moving at high speeds. Using generative adversarial networks (GANs), we demonstrate this ultra-fast imaging approach, referred to as GANscan, which restores sharp images from motion blurred videos. GANscan allows us to complete image acquisitions at 30x the throughput of stop-and-stare systems. This method is implemented on a Zeiss Axio Observer Z1 microscope, requires no specialized hardware, and accomplishes successful reconstructions at stage speeds of up to 5000 μm/s. We validate the proposed method by imaging H&E stained tissue sections. Our method not only retrieves crisp images from fast, continuous scans, but also adjusts for defocusing that occurs during scanning within +/- 5 μm. Using a consumer GPU, the inference runs at <20 ms/ image.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael John Fanous
- Quantitative Light Imaging Laboratory, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 306 N. Wright Street, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
| | - Gabriel Popescu
- Quantitative Light Imaging Laboratory, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 306 N. Wright Street, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 306 N. Wright Street, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
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104
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Nepali K, Sharma R, Sharma S, Thakur A, Liou JP. Beyond the vaccines: a glance at the small molecule and peptide-based anti-COVID19 arsenal. J Biomed Sci 2022; 29:65. [PMID: 36064696 PMCID: PMC9444709 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-022-00847-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Unprecedented efforts of the researchers have been witnessed in the recent past towards the development of vaccine platforms for the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Albeit, vaccination stands as a practical strategy to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, supplementing the anti-COVID19 arsenal with therapeutic options such as small molecules/peptides and antibodies is being conceived as a prudent strategy to tackle the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. Noteworthy to mention that collective efforts from numerous teams have led to the generation of a voluminous library composed of chemically and mechanistically diverse small molecules as anti-COVID19 scaffolds. This review article presents an overview of medicinal chemistry campaigns and drug repurposing programs that culminated in the identification of a plethora of small molecule-based anti-COVID19 drugs mediating their antiviral effects through inhibition of proteases, S protein, RdRp, ACE2, TMPRSS2, cathepsin and other targets. In light of the evidence ascertaining the potential of small molecule drugs to approach conserved proteins required for the viral replication of all coronaviruses, accelerated FDA approvals are anticipated for small molecules for the treatment of COVID19 shortly. Though the recent attempts invested in this direction in pursuit of enrichment of the anti-COVID-19 armoury (chemical tools) are praiseworthy, some strategies need to be implemented to extract conclusive benefits of the recently reported small molecule viz. (i) detailed preclinical investigation of the generated anti-COVID19 scaffolds (ii) in-vitro profiling of the inhibitors against the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants (iii) development of assays enabling rapid screening of the libraries of anti-COVID19 scaffold (iv) leveraging the applications of machine learning based predictive models to expedite the anti-COVID19 drug discovery campaign (v) design of antibody-drug conjugates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunal Nepali
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wuxing Street, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan
- TMU Research Center for Drug Discovery, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan
| | - Ram Sharma
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wuxing Street, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan
| | - Sachin Sharma
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wuxing Street, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan
| | - Amandeep Thakur
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wuxing Street, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan
| | - Jing-Ping Liou
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wuxing Street, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan.
- TMU Research Center for Drug Discovery, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan.
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105
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Ou J, Lewandowski EM, Hu Y, Lipinski AA, Morgan RT, Jacobs LM, Zhang X, Bikowitz MJ, Langlais P, Tan H, Wang J, Chen Y, Choy JS. A yeast-based system to study SARS-CoV-2 Mpro structure and to identify nirmatrelvir resistant mutations. RESEARCH SQUARE 2022:rs.3.rs-1942964. [PMID: 36052369 PMCID: PMC9435405 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-1942964/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) is a major therapeutic target. The Mpro inhibitor, nirmatrelvir, is the antiviral component of Paxlovid, an orally available treatment for COVID-19. As Mpro inhibitor use increases, drug resistant mutations will likely emerge. We have established a non-pathogenic system, in which yeast growth serves as a proxy for Mpro activity, enabling rapid identification of mutants with altered enzymatic activity and drug sensitivity. The E166 residue is known to be a potential hot spot for drug resistance and yeast assays showed that an E166R substitution conferred strong nirmatrelvir resistance while an E166N mutation compromised activity. On the other hand, N142A and P132H mutations caused little to no change in drug response and activity. Standard enzymatic assays confirmed the yeast results. In turn, we solved the structures of Mpro E166R, and Mpro E166N, providing insights into how arginine may drive drug resistance while asparagine leads to reduced activity. The work presented here will help characterize novel resistant variants of Mpro that may arise as Mpro antivirals become more widely used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Ou
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, United States
| | - Eric M. Lewandowski
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, United States
| | - Yanmei Hu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, United States
| | - Austin A. Lipinski
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, United States
| | - Ryan T. Morgan
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, United States
| | - Lian M.C. Jacobs
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, United States
- Drug Discovery Department, Moffit Cancer Center, Tampa, FL 33612, United States
| | - Xiujun Zhang
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, United States
| | - Melissa J. Bikowitz
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, United States
| | - Paul Langlais
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, United States
| | - Haozhou Tan
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, United States
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, United States
| | - Yu Chen
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, United States
| | - John S. Choy
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, United States
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106
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Fuzo CA, Martins RB, Fraga-Silva TFC, Amstalden MK, Canassa De Leo T, Souza JP, Lima TM, Faccioli LH, Okamoto DN, Juliano MA, França SC, Juliano L, Bonato VLD, Arruda E, Dias-Baruffi M. Celastrol: A lead compound that inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication, the activity of viral and human cysteine proteases, and virus-induced IL-6 secretion. Drug Dev Res 2022; 83:1623-1640. [PMID: 35989498 PMCID: PMC9539158 DOI: 10.1002/ddr.21982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The global emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has caused substantial human casualties. Clinical manifestations of this disease vary from asymptomatic to lethal, and the symptomatic form can be associated with cytokine storm and hyperinflammation. In face of the urgent demand for effective drugs to treat COVID‐19, we have searched for candidate compounds using in silico approach followed by experimental validation. Here we identified celastrol, a pentacyclic triterpene isolated from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, as one of the best compounds out of 39 drug candidates. Celastrol reverted the gene expression signature from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2)‐infected cells and irreversibly inhibited the recombinant forms of the viral and human cysteine proteases involved in virus invasion, such as Mpro (main protease), PLpro (papain‐like protease), and recombinant human cathepsin L. Celastrol suppressed SARS‐CoV‐2 replication in human and monkey cell lines and decreased interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) secretion in the SARS‐CoV‐2‐infected human cell line. Celastrol acted in a concentration‐dependent manner, with undetectable signs of cytotoxicity, and inhibited in vitro replication of the parental and SARS‐CoV‐2 variant. Therefore, celastrol is a promising lead compound to develop new drug candidates to face COVID‐19 due to its ability to suppress SARS‐CoV‐2 replication and IL‐6 production in infected cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos A Fuzo
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ronaldo B Martins
- Departamento de Biologia Celular e Molecular e Bioagentes Patogênicos, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Thais F C Fraga-Silva
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Martin K Amstalden
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Thais Canassa De Leo
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Juliano P Souza
- Departamento de Biologia Celular e Molecular e Bioagentes Patogênicos, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Thais M Lima
- Departamento de Biologia Celular e Molecular e Bioagentes Patogênicos, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lucia H Faccioli
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Débora Noma Okamoto
- Departamento de Biofísica, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maria Aparecida Juliano
- Departamento de Biofísica, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Suzelei C França
- Unidade de Biotecnologia, Universidade de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Luiz Juliano
- Departamento de Biofísica, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Vania L D Bonato
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Eurico Arruda
- Departamento de Biologia Celular e Molecular e Bioagentes Patogênicos, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Dias-Baruffi
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
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107
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Wang T, Li C, Wang M, Zhang J, Zheng Q, Liang L, Chu G, Tian X, Deng H, He W, Liu L, Li J. Expedient Synthesis of Ubiquitin‐like Protein ISG15 Tools Through Chemo‐Enzymatic Ligation Catalyzed by a Viral Protease Lbpro. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202206205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tian Wang
- Tsinghua University Department of Chemistry CHINA
| | - Chuntong Li
- Tsinghua University Department of Chemistry CHINA
| | - Meijing Wang
- Tsinghua University School of Pharmaceutical Sciences CHINA
| | | | | | - Lujun Liang
- Tsinghua University Department of Chemistry CHINA
| | - Guochao Chu
- Tsinghua University Department of Chemistry CHINA
| | - Xiaolin Tian
- Tsinghua University School of Life Sciences CHINA
| | - Haiteng Deng
- Tsinghua University School of Life Sciences CHINA
| | - Wei He
- Tsinghua University School of Pharmaceutical Sciences CHINA
| | - Lei Liu
- Tsinghua University Chemistry Tsinghua University 100084 Beijing CHINA
| | - Jinghong Li
- Tsinghua University Department of Chemistry CHINA
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108
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Srinivasan V, Brognaro H, Prabhu PR, de Souza EE, Günther S, Reinke PYA, Lane TJ, Ginn H, Han H, Ewert W, Sprenger J, Koua FHM, Falke S, Werner N, Andaleeb H, Ullah N, Franca BA, Wang M, Barra ALC, Perbandt M, Schwinzer M, Schmidt C, Brings L, Lorenzen K, Schubert R, Machado RRG, Candido ED, Oliveira DBL, Durigon EL, Niebling S, Garcia AS, Yefanov O, Lieske J, Gelisio L, Domaracky M, Middendorf P, Groessler M, Trost F, Galchenkova M, Mashhour AR, Saouane S, Hakanpää J, Wolf M, Alai MG, Turk D, Pearson AR, Chapman HN, Hinrichs W, Wrenger C, Meents A, Betzel C. Antiviral activity of natural phenolic compounds in complex at an allosteric site of SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease. Commun Biol 2022; 5:805. [PMID: 35953531 PMCID: PMC9366811 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03737-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease (PLpro) covers multiple functions. Beside the cysteine-protease activity, facilitating cleavage of the viral polypeptide chain, PLpro has the additional and vital function of removing ubiquitin and ISG15 (Interferon-stimulated gene 15) from host-cell proteins to support coronaviruses in evading the host's innate immune responses. We identified three phenolic compounds bound to PLpro, preventing essential molecular interactions to ISG15 by screening a natural compound library. The compounds identified by X-ray screening and complexed to PLpro demonstrate clear inhibition of PLpro in a deISGylation activity assay. Two compounds exhibit distinct antiviral activity in Vero cell line assays and one inhibited a cytopathic effect in non-cytotoxic concentration ranges. In the context of increasing PLpro mutations in the evolving new variants of SARS-CoV-2, the natural compounds we identified may also reinstate the antiviral immune response processes of the host that are down-regulated in COVID-19 infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasundara Srinivasan
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, Universität Hamburg, Build. 22a, c/o DESY, 22607, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Hévila Brognaro
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, Universität Hamburg, Build. 22a, c/o DESY, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Prince R Prabhu
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, Universität Hamburg, Build. 22a, c/o DESY, 22607, Hamburg, Germany.,Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging (CUI), Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Edmarcia Elisa de Souza
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences at the University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sebastian Günther
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Patrick Y A Reinke
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thomas J Lane
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging (CUI), Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany.,Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Helen Ginn
- Diamond Light Source Ltd. Diamond House, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Huijong Han
- European XFEL GmbH. Holzkoppel 4, 22869, Schenefeld, Germany
| | - Wiebke Ewert
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Janina Sprenger
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Faisal H M Koua
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sven Falke
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, Universität Hamburg, Build. 22a, c/o DESY, 22607, Hamburg, Germany.,Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Nadine Werner
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, Universität Hamburg, Build. 22a, c/o DESY, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hina Andaleeb
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, Universität Hamburg, Build. 22a, c/o DESY, 22607, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Biochemistry, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan-, 60800, Punjab, Pakistan
| | - Najeeb Ullah
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, Universität Hamburg, Build. 22a, c/o DESY, 22607, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Biochemistry, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan-, 60800, Punjab, Pakistan
| | - Bruno Alves Franca
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, Universität Hamburg, Build. 22a, c/o DESY, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Mengying Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, Universität Hamburg, Build. 22a, c/o DESY, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Angélica Luana C Barra
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, Universität Hamburg, Build. 22a, c/o DESY, 22607, Hamburg, Germany.,Pólo TerRa, São Carlos Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Markus Perbandt
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, Universität Hamburg, Build. 22a, c/o DESY, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Martin Schwinzer
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, Universität Hamburg, Build. 22a, c/o DESY, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Lea Brings
- European XFEL GmbH. Holzkoppel 4, 22869, Schenefeld, Germany
| | | | - Robin Schubert
- European XFEL GmbH. Holzkoppel 4, 22869, Schenefeld, Germany
| | | | - Erika Donizette Candido
- Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences at the University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Danielle Bruna Leal Oliveira
- Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences at the University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,Clinical Laboratory, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Edison Luiz Durigon
- Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences at the University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,Scientific Platform Pasteur USP, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Stephan Niebling
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory Hamburg, c/o DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Angelica Struve Garcia
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory Hamburg, c/o DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Oleksandr Yefanov
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Julia Lieske
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Luca Gelisio
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Martin Domaracky
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Philipp Middendorf
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael Groessler
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Fabian Trost
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marina Galchenkova
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Aida Rahmani Mashhour
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sofiane Saouane
- Photon Science, Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Johanna Hakanpää
- Photon Science, Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Markus Wolf
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (ITMP), Schnackenburgallee114, 22525, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Maria Garcia Alai
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory Hamburg, c/o DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dusan Turk
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular & Structural Biology, Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1 000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Centre of excellence for Integrated Approaches in Chemistry and Biology of Proteins (CIPKEBIP), Jamova 39, 1 000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Arwen R Pearson
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging (CUI), Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany.,Institut für Nanostruktur- und Festkörperphysik, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Henry N Chapman
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging (CUI), Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany.,Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Winfried Hinrichs
- Institute of Biochemistry, Universität Greifswald, Felix-Hausdorff-Str. 4, 17489, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Carsten Wrenger
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences at the University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Alke Meents
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian Betzel
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, Universität Hamburg, Build. 22a, c/o DESY, 22607, Hamburg, Germany. .,Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging (CUI), Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany.
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109
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Search for Novel Potent Inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 Papain-like Enzyme: A Computational Biochemistry Approach. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15080986. [PMID: 36015134 PMCID: PMC9414997 DOI: 10.3390/ph15080986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The rapid emergence and spread of new variants of coronavirus type 2, as well as the emergence of zoonotic viruses, highlights the need for methodologies that contribute to the search for new pharmacological treatments. In the present work, we searched for new SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease inhibitors in the PubChem database, which has more than 100 million compounds. Based on the ligand efficacy index obtained by molecular docking, 500 compounds with higher affinity than another experimentally tested inhibitor were selected. Finally, the seven compounds with ADME parameters within the acceptable range for such a drug were selected. Next, molecular dynamics simulation studies at 200 ns, ΔG calculations using molecular mechanics with generalized Born and surface solvation, and quantum mechanical calculations were performed with the selected compounds. Using this in silico protocol, seven papain-like protease inhibitors are proposed: three compounds with similar free energy (D28, D04, and D59) and three compounds with higher binding free energy (D60, D99, and D06) than the experimentally tested inhibitor, plus one compound (D24) that could bind to the ubiquitin-binding region and reduce the effect on the host immune system. The proposed compounds could be used in in vitro assays, and the described protocol could be used for smart drug design.
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110
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Ou J, Lewandowski EM, Hu Y, Lipinski AA, Morgan RT, Jacobs LM, Zhang X, Bikowitz MJ, Langlais P, Tan H, Wang J, Chen Y, Choy JS. A yeast-based system to study SARS-CoV-2 M pro structure and to identify nirmatrelvir resistant mutations. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2022:2022.08.06.503039. [PMID: 35982672 PMCID: PMC9387140 DOI: 10.1101/2022.08.06.503039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M pro ) is a major therapeutic target. The M pro inhibitor, nirmatrelvir, is the antiviral component of Paxlovid, an orally available treatment for COVID-19. As M pro inhibitor use increases, drug resistant mutations will likely emerge. We have established a non-pathogenic system, in which yeast growth serves as a proxy for M pro activity, enabling rapid identification of mutants with altered enzymatic activity and drug sensitivity. The E166 residue is known to be a potential hot spot for drug resistance and yeast assays showed that an E166R substitution conferred strong nirmatrelvir resistance while an E166N mutation compromised activity. On the other hand, N142A and P132H mutations caused little to no change in drug response and activity. Standard enzymatic assays confirmed the yeast results. In turn, we solved the structures of M pro E166R, and M pro E166N, providing insights into how arginine may drive drug resistance while asparagine leads to reduced activity. The work presented here will help characterize novel resistant variants of M pro that may arise as M pro antivirals become more widely used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Ou
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, United States
| | - Eric M. Lewandowski
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, United States
| | - Yanmei Hu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, United States
| | - Austin A. Lipinski
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, United States
| | - Ryan T. Morgan
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, United States
| | - Lian M.C. Jacobs
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, United States
- Drug Discovery Department, Moffit Cancer Center, Tampa, FL 33612, United States
| | - Xiujun Zhang
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, United States
| | - Melissa J. Bikowitz
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, United States
| | - Paul Langlais
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, United States
| | - Haozhou Tan
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, United States
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, United States
| | - Yu Chen
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, United States
| | - John S. Choy
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, United States
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111
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Ton AT, Pandey M, Smith JR, Ban F, Fernandez M, Cherkasov A. Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Papain-Like Protease in the Post-Vaccine Era. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2022; 43:906-919. [PMID: 36114026 PMCID: PMC9399131 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2022.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
While vaccines remain at the forefront of global healthcare responses, pioneering therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2 are expected to fill the gaps for waning immunity. Rapid development and approval of orally available direct-acting antivirals targeting crucial SARS-CoV-2 proteins marked the beginning of the era of small-molecule drugs for COVID-19. In that regard, the papain-like protease (PLpro) can be considered a major SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic target due to its dual biological role in suppressing host innate immune responses and in ensuring viral replication. Here, we summarize the challenges of targeting PLpro and innovative early-stage PLpro-specific small molecules. We propose that state-of-the-art computer-aided drug design (CADD) methodologies will play a critical role in the discovery of PLpro compounds as a novel class of COVID-19 drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anh-Tien Ton
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Mohit Pandey
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Jason R Smith
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
| | - Fuqiang Ban
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Michael Fernandez
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Artem Cherkasov
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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112
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Curcumin partly prevents ISG15 activation via ubiquitin-activating enzyme E1-like protein and decreases ISGylation. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2022; 625:94-101. [PMID: 35952613 PMCID: PMC9352433 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2022.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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113
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(+)-Usnic acid and its salts, inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2, identified by using in silico methods and in vitro assay. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13118. [PMID: 35908082 PMCID: PMC9338942 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17506-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been ongoing for over two years, and treatment for COVID-19, other than monoclonal antibodies, is urgently required. Accordingly, we have investigated the inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 protein targets by high-throughput virtual screening using a marine natural products database. Considering the calculated molecular properties and availability of the compounds, (+)-usnic acid was selected as a suitable hit. In the in vitro antiviral assay of (+)-usnic acid by the immunofluorescence method, IC50 was 7.99 μM, which is similar to that of remdesivir used as a positive control. The generalized Born and surface area continuum solvation (MM/GBSA) method was performed to find the potent target of (+)-usnic acid, and the Mpro protein showed the most prominent value, -52.05 kcal/mol, among other SARS-CoV-2 protein targets. Thereafter, RMSD and protein-ligand interactions were profiled using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Sodium usnate (NaU) improved in vitro assay results with an IC50 of 5.33 μM and a selectivity index (SI) of 9.38. Additionally, when (+)-usnic acid was assayed against SARS-CoV-2 variants, it showed enhanced efficacy toward beta variants with an IC50 of 2.92 μM and SI of 11.1. We report the in vitro anti-SARS-CoV-2 efficacy of (+)-usnic acid in this study and propose that it has the potential to be developed as a COVID-19 treatment if its in vivo efficacy has been confirmed.
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114
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Priya P, Basit A, Bandyopadhyay P. A strategy to optimize the peptide-based inhibitors against different mutants of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2022:1-12. [PMID: 35881159 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2103587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused high-priority health concerns at a global level. Vaccines have stalled the proliferation of viruses to some extent. Yet, the emergence of newer, potentially more infectious, and dangerous mutants such as Delta and Omicron are among the major challenges in finding a more permanent solution for this pandemic. The effectiveness of antivirals Molnupiravir and Paxlovid, authorized for emergency use by the FDA, are yet to be assessed on a larger population. Patients with a high risk of disease progression have received treatment with antibody-cocktail. Most of the mutations leading to the new lineage of SARS-CoV-2 are found in the spike protein of this virus that plays a key role in facilitating host entry. The current study has investigated how to modify a promising peptide-based inhibitor of spike protein, LCB3, against common mutations, N501Y and K417N in the target protein so that it retains its efficacy against the spike protein. LCB3 being a prototype for protein-based inhibitors is an ideal testing system to learn about protein-based inhibitors. This study proposes the substitutions of amino acid residues of LCB3 inhibitor using a structure-based approach that considers free energy decomposition of residues, the distance between atoms, and the interaction among amino acids. The binding free energy calculations suggest a possible improvement in the binding affinity of existing inhibitor LCB3 to the mutant forms of the S-protein using simple substitutions at specific positions of the inhibitor. This approach, being general, can be used in different inhibitors and other mutations and help in fighting against SARS-CoV-2.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prerna Priya
- Department of Botany, Purnea Mahila College, Purnea University, Purnia, Bihar, India
| | - Abdul Basit
- School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Pradipta Bandyopadhyay
- School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
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115
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Zou Z, Shan H, Sun D, Xia L, Shi Y, Wan J, Zhou A, Wu Y, Xu H, Lei H, Xu Z, Wu Y. Parthenolide reveals an allosteric mode to inhibit the deISGylation activity of SARS-CoV‑2 papain-like protease. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) 2022; 54:1133-1139. [PMID: 35866602 PMCID: PMC9827819 DOI: 10.3724/abbs.2022092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus papain-like protease (PLpro) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for viral polypeptide cleavage and the deISGylation of interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15), which enable it to participate in virus replication and host innate immune pathways. Therefore, PLpro is considered an attractive antiviral drug target. Here, we show that parthenolide, a germacrane sesquiterpene lactone, has SARS-CoV-2 PLpro inhibitory activity. Parthenolide covalently binds to Cys-191 or Cys-194 of the PLpro protein, but not the Cys-111 at the PLpro catalytic site. Mutation of Cys-191 or Cys-194 reduces the activity of PLpro. Molecular docking studies show that parthenolide may also form hydrogen bonds with Lys-192, Thr-193, and Gln-231. Furthermore, parthenolide inhibits the deISGylation but not the deubiquitinating activity of PLpro in vitro. These results reveal that parthenolide inhibits PLpro activity by allosteric regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhihui Zou
- Hongqiao International Institute of MedicineShanghai Tongren Hospital / Faculty of Basic MedicineChemical Biology Division of Shanghai Universities E-InstitutesKey Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of the Chinese Ministry of EducationChinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit 2019RU043Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SJTU-SM)Shanghai200025China
| | - Huizhuang Shan
- Hongqiao International Institute of MedicineShanghai Tongren Hospital / Faculty of Basic MedicineChemical Biology Division of Shanghai Universities E-InstitutesKey Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of the Chinese Ministry of EducationChinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit 2019RU043Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SJTU-SM)Shanghai200025China,Laboratory MedicineGuangdong Provincial People’s HospitalGuangdong Academy of Medical SciencesGuangzhouGuangdong510000China
| | - Demeng Sun
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life SciencesKey Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education)Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural BiologyDepartment of ChemistryTsinghua UniversityBeijing100084China
| | - Li Xia
- Hongqiao International Institute of MedicineShanghai Tongren Hospital / Faculty of Basic MedicineChemical Biology Division of Shanghai Universities E-InstitutesKey Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of the Chinese Ministry of EducationChinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit 2019RU043Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SJTU-SM)Shanghai200025China
| | - Yulong Shi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor ResearchDrug Discovery and Design CenterShanghai Institute of Materia MedicaChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai201203China
| | - Jiahui Wan
- Hongqiao International Institute of MedicineShanghai Tongren Hospital / Faculty of Basic MedicineChemical Biology Division of Shanghai Universities E-InstitutesKey Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of the Chinese Ministry of EducationChinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit 2019RU043Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SJTU-SM)Shanghai200025China
| | - Aiwu Zhou
- Hongqiao International Institute of MedicineShanghai Tongren Hospital / Faculty of Basic MedicineChemical Biology Division of Shanghai Universities E-InstitutesKey Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of the Chinese Ministry of EducationChinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit 2019RU043Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SJTU-SM)Shanghai200025China
| | - Yunzhao Wu
- Hongqiao International Institute of MedicineShanghai Tongren Hospital / Faculty of Basic MedicineChemical Biology Division of Shanghai Universities E-InstitutesKey Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of the Chinese Ministry of EducationChinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit 2019RU043Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SJTU-SM)Shanghai200025China
| | - Hanzhang Xu
- Hongqiao International Institute of MedicineShanghai Tongren Hospital / Faculty of Basic MedicineChemical Biology Division of Shanghai Universities E-InstitutesKey Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of the Chinese Ministry of EducationChinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit 2019RU043Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SJTU-SM)Shanghai200025China
| | - Hu Lei
- Hongqiao International Institute of MedicineShanghai Tongren Hospital / Faculty of Basic MedicineChemical Biology Division of Shanghai Universities E-InstitutesKey Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of the Chinese Ministry of EducationChinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit 2019RU043Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SJTU-SM)Shanghai200025China
| | - Zhijian Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor ResearchDrug Discovery and Design CenterShanghai Institute of Materia MedicaChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai201203China,Correspondence address. +86-21-63846590-776916; E-mail: (Y.W.) / Tel: +86-21-50806600-1304; E-mail: (Z.X.) @simm.ac.cn
| | - Yingli Wu
- Hongqiao International Institute of MedicineShanghai Tongren Hospital / Faculty of Basic MedicineChemical Biology Division of Shanghai Universities E-InstitutesKey Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of the Chinese Ministry of EducationChinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit 2019RU043Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SJTU-SM)Shanghai200025China,Correspondence address. +86-21-63846590-776916; E-mail: (Y.W.) / Tel: +86-21-50806600-1304; E-mail: (Z.X.) @simm.ac.cn
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116
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Komiyama M. Molecular Mechanisms of the Medicines for COVID-19. BULLETIN OF THE CHEMICAL SOCIETY OF JAPAN 2022. [DOI: 10.1246/bcsj.20220179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Makoto Komiyama
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
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117
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Ferreira GM, Pillaiyar T, Hirata MH, Poso A, Kronenberger T. Inhibitor induced conformational changes in SARS-COV-2 papain-like protease. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11585. [PMID: 35803957 PMCID: PMC9270405 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15181-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2's papain-like protease (PLpro) interaction with ligands has recently been explored with a myriad of crystal structures. We used molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study different PLpro-ligand complexes, their ligand-induced conformational changes, and interactions. We focused on inhibitors reported with known IC50 against PLpro, namely GRL-0617, XR8-89, PLP_Snyder530, and Sander's recently published compound 7 (CPD7), and compared these trajectories against the apostructure (Apo), with a total of around 60 µs worth simulation data. We aimed to study the conformational changes using molecular dynamics simulations for the inhibitors in the PLpro. PCA analyses and the MSM models revealed distinct conformations of PLpro in the absence/presence of ligands and proposed that BL2-loop contributes to the accessibility of these inhibitors. Further, bulkier substituents closer to Tyr268 and Gln269 could improve inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 PLpro by occupying the region between BL2-groove and BL2-loop, but we also expand on the relevance of exploring multiple PLpro sub-pockets to improve inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glaucio Monteiro Ferreira
- Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analyses, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Av Prof Lineu Prestes 580, São Paulo, 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Thanigaimalai Pillaiyar
- Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry and Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Mario Hiroyuki Hirata
- Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analyses, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Av Prof Lineu Prestes 580, São Paulo, 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Antti Poso
- Department of Oncology and Pneumonology, Internal Medicine VIII, University Hospital Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Straße 10, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Thales Kronenberger
- Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry and Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
- Department of Oncology and Pneumonology, Internal Medicine VIII, University Hospital Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Straße 10, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
- School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211, Kuopio, Finland.
- Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery and Development (TüCAD2), 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
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118
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Chalcone-amide, a privileged backbone for the design and development of selective SARS-CoV/SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease inhibitors. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 240:114572. [PMID: 35797899 PMCID: PMC9250826 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The newly emerged coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, is the closest relative of SARS-CoV with high genetic similarity. The papain-like protease (PLpro) is an important SARS-CoV/SARS-CoV-2 nonstructural protein that plays a critical role in some infection processes such as the generation of the functional replication complex, maturation of crude polyproteins, and regulation of the host antiviral immune responses. Therefore, the research to discover SARS-CoV-2 PLpro inhibitors could be a sensible strategy to obtain therapeutic agents for the treatment of COVID-19. Aiming to find SARS-CoV/SARS-CoV-2 PLpro inhibitors, various high throughput screenings (HTS) have been performed over the past two decades. Interestingly, the result of these efforts is the identification of hit/lead compounds whose structures have one important feature in common, namely having a chalcone-amide (N-benzylbenzamide) backbone. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies have shown that placing an (R)-configurated methyl group on the middle carbon adjacent to the amide group creates a unique backbone called (R)-methyl chalcone-amide, which dramatically increases PLpro inhibitory potency. Although this scaffold has not yet been introduced by medicinal chemists as a specific skeleton for the design of PLpro inhibitors, structural considerations show that the most reported PLpro inhibitors have this skeleton. This review suggests the (R)-methyl chalcone-amide scaffold as a key backbone for the design and development of selective SARS-CoV-2 PLpro inhibitors. Understanding the SAR and binding mode of these inhibitors in the active site of SARS-CoV-2 PLpro can aid the future development of anti-COVID-19 agents.
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119
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Effect of Key Phytochemicals from Andrographis paniculata, Tinospora cordifolia, and Ocimum sanctum on PLpro-ISG15 De-Conjugation Machinery—A Computational Approach. COMPUTATION 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/computation10070109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
ISGylation is an important process through which interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) elicit an antiviral response in the host cells. Several viruses, including the SARS-CoV-2, suppress the host immune response by reversing the ISGylation through a process known as de-ISGylation. The PLpro of SARS-CoV-2 interacts with the host ISG15 and brings about de-ISGylation. Hence, inhibiting the de-ISGylation to restore the activity of ISGs can be an attractive strategy to augment the host immune response against SARS-CoV-2. In the present study, we evaluated several phytochemicals from well-known immunomodulatory herbs, viz. Andrographispaniculata (AG), Tinospora cordifolia (GU), and Ocimum sanctum (TU) for their effect on deISGylation that was mediated by the PLpro of SARS-CoV2. For this purpose, we considered the complex 6XA9, which represents the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 PLpro and ISG15 proteins. The phytochemicals from these herbs were first evaluated for their ability to bind to the interface region between PLpro and ISG15. Molecular docking studies indicated that 14-deoxy-15-isopropylidene-11,12-didehydroandrographolide (AG1), Isocolumbin (GU1), and Orientin (TU1) from AG, GU, and TU, respectively possess better binding energy. The molecular dynamic parameters and MMPBSA calculations indicated that AG1, GU1, and TU1 could favorably bind to the interface and engaged key residues between (PLpro-ISG15)-complex. Protein–protein MMPBSA calculations indicated that GU1 and TU1 could disrupt the interactions between ISG15 and PLpro. Our studies provide a novel molecular basis for the immunomodulatory action of these phytochemicals and open up new strategies to evaluate drug molecules for their effect on de-ISGylation to overcome the virus-mediated immune suppression.
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120
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Fé LXSGM, Cipolatti EP, Pinto MCC, Branco S, Nogueira FCS, Ortiz GMD, Pinheiro ADS, Manoel EA. Enzymes in the time of COVID-19: An overview about the effects in the human body, enzyme market, and perspectives for new drugs. Med Res Rev 2022; 42:2126-2167. [PMID: 35762498 PMCID: PMC9350392 DOI: 10.1002/med.21919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The rising pandemic caused by a coronavirus, resulted in a scientific quest to discover some effective treatments against its etiologic agent, the severe acute respiratory syndrome‐coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). This research represented a significant scientific landmark and resulted in many medical advances. However, efforts to understand the viral mechanism of action and how the human body machinery is subverted during the infection are still ongoing. Herein, we contributed to this field with this compilation of the roles of both viral and human enzymes in the context of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. In this sense, this overview reports that proteases are vital for the infection to take place: from SARS‐CoV‐2 perspective, the main protease (Mpro) and papain‐like protease (PLpro) are highlighted; from the human body, angiotensin‐converting enzyme‐2, transmembrane serine protease‐2, and cathepsins (CatB/L) are pointed out. In addition, the influence of the virus on other enzymes is reported as the JAK/STAT pathway and the levels of lipase, enzymes from the cholesterol metabolism pathway, amylase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, and glyceraldehyde 3‐phosphate dehydrogenase are also be disturbed in SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Finally, this paper discusses the importance of detailed enzymatic studies for future treatments against SARS‐CoV‐2, and how some issues related to the syndrome treatment can create opportunities in the biotechnological market of enzymes and the development of new drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luana Xavier Soares Gomes Moura Fé
- Departamento de Biotecnologia Farmacêutica, Faculdade de Farmácia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)-Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Eliane Pereira Cipolatti
- Departamento de Biotecnologia Farmacêutica, Faculdade de Farmácia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)-Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Departamento de Engenharia Química, Instituto de Tecnologia, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Martina Costa Cerqueira Pinto
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Centro de Tecnologia (CT), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Chemical Engineering Program, Instituto Alberto Luiz Coimbra de Pós-graduação e Pesquisa de Engenharia (COPPE), Centro de Tecnologia (CT), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Suema Branco
- Biofísica Ambiental, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fábio César Sousa Nogueira
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Centro de Tecnologia (CT), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Gisela Maria Dellamora Ortiz
- Departamento de Fármacos e Medicamentos, Faculdade de Farmácia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)-Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Anderson de Sá Pinheiro
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Centro de Tecnologia (CT), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Evelin Andrade Manoel
- Departamento de Biotecnologia Farmacêutica, Faculdade de Farmácia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)-Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Centro de Tecnologia (CT), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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121
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Puhl AC, Gomes GF, Damasceno S, Godoy AS, Noske GD, Nakamura AM, Gawriljuk VO, Fernandes RS, Monakhova N, Riabova O, Lane TR, Makarov V, Veras FP, Batah SS, Fabro AT, Oliva G, Cunha FQ, Alves-Filho JC, Cunha TM, Ekins S. Pyronaridine Protects against SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Mouse. ACS Infect Dis 2022; 8:1147-1160. [PMID: 35609344 PMCID: PMC9159503 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.2c00091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
There are currently relatively few small-molecule antiviral drugs that are either approved or emergency-approved for use against severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). One of these is remdesivir, which was originally repurposed from its use against Ebola. We evaluated three molecules we had previously identified computationally with antiviral activity against Ebola and Marburg and identified pyronaridine, which inhibited the SARS-CoV-2 replication in A549-ACE2 cells. The in vivo efficacy of pyronaridine has now been assessed in a K18-hACE transgenic mouse model of COVID-19. Pyronaridine treatment demonstrated a statistically significant reduction of viral load in the lungs of SARS-CoV-2-infected mice, reducing lung pathology, which was also associated with significant reduction in the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokine and cell infiltration. Pyronaridine inhibited the viral PLpro activity in vitro (IC50 of 1.8 μM) without any effect on Mpro, indicating a possible molecular mechanism involved in its ability to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication. We have also generated several pyronaridine analogs to assist in understanding the structure activity relationship for PLpro inhibition. Our results indicate that pyronaridine is a potential therapeutic candidate for COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana C. Puhl
- Collaborations Pharmaceuticals,
Inc., 840 Main Campus Drive, Lab 3510, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606,
United States
| | - Giovanni F. Gomes
- Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases (CRID),
Ribeirao Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo,
Avenida Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirao Preto 14049-900, São Paulo,
Brazil
| | - Samara Damasceno
- Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases (CRID),
Ribeirao Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo,
Avenida Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirao Preto 14049-900, São Paulo,
Brazil
| | - Andre S. Godoy
- Institute of Physics of Sao Carlos,
University of São Paulo, Av. Joao Dagnone, 1100 -
Jardim Santa Angelina, Sao Carlos 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Gabriela D. Noske
- Institute of Physics of Sao Carlos,
University of São Paulo, Av. Joao Dagnone, 1100 -
Jardim Santa Angelina, Sao Carlos 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Aline M. Nakamura
- Institute of Physics of Sao Carlos,
University of São Paulo, Av. Joao Dagnone, 1100 -
Jardim Santa Angelina, Sao Carlos 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Victor O. Gawriljuk
- Institute of Physics of Sao Carlos,
University of São Paulo, Av. Joao Dagnone, 1100 -
Jardim Santa Angelina, Sao Carlos 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Rafaela S. Fernandes
- Institute of Physics of Sao Carlos,
University of São Paulo, Av. Joao Dagnone, 1100 -
Jardim Santa Angelina, Sao Carlos 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Natalia Monakhova
- Research Center of Biotechnology
RAS, Leninsky prospect, 33, Building 2, 119071 Moscow,
Russia
| | - Olga Riabova
- Research Center of Biotechnology
RAS, Leninsky prospect, 33, Building 2, 119071 Moscow,
Russia
| | - Thomas R. Lane
- Collaborations Pharmaceuticals,
Inc., 840 Main Campus Drive, Lab 3510, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606,
United States
| | - Vadim Makarov
- Research Center of Biotechnology
RAS, Leninsky prospect, 33, Building 2, 119071 Moscow,
Russia
| | - Flavio P. Veras
- Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases (CRID),
Ribeirao Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo,
Avenida Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirao Preto 14049-900, São Paulo,
Brazil
| | - Sabrina S. Batah
- Department of Pathology and Legal Medicine,
Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São
Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirao Preto 14049-900, São
Paulo, Brazil
| | - Alexandre T. Fabro
- Department of Pathology and Legal Medicine,
Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São
Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirao Preto 14049-900, São
Paulo, Brazil
| | - Glaucius Oliva
- Institute of Physics of Sao Carlos,
University of São Paulo, Av. Joao Dagnone, 1100 -
Jardim Santa Angelina, Sao Carlos 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Fernando Q. Cunha
- Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases (CRID),
Ribeirao Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo,
Avenida Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirao Preto 14049-900, São Paulo,
Brazil
| | - José C. Alves-Filho
- Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases (CRID),
Ribeirao Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo,
Avenida Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirao Preto 14049-900, São Paulo,
Brazil
| | - Thiago M. Cunha
- Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases (CRID),
Ribeirao Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo,
Avenida Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirao Preto 14049-900, São Paulo,
Brazil
| | - Sean Ekins
- Collaborations Pharmaceuticals,
Inc., 840 Main Campus Drive, Lab 3510, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606,
United States
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122
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Tan H, Hu Y, Jadhav P, Tan B, Wang J. Progress and Challenges in Targeting the SARS-CoV-2 Papain-like Protease. J Med Chem 2022; 65:7561-7580. [PMID: 35620927 PMCID: PMC9159073 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent of the COVID-19 pandemic. The approval of vaccines and small-molecule antivirals is vital in combating the pandemic. The viral polymerase inhibitors remdesivir and molnupiravir and the viral main protease inhibitor nirmatrelvir/ritonavir have been approved by the U.S. FDA. However, the emergence of variants of concern/interest calls for additional antivirals with novel mechanisms of action. The SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease (PLpro) mediates the cleavage of viral polyprotein and modulates the host's innate immune response upon viral infection, rendering it a promising antiviral drug target. This Perspective highlights major achievements in structure-based design and high-throughput screening of SARS-CoV-2 PLpro inhibitors since the beginning of the pandemic. Encouraging progress includes the design of non-covalent PLpro inhibitors with favorable pharmacokinetic properties and the first-in-class covalent PLpro inhibitors. In addition, we offer our opinion on the knowledge gaps that need to be filled to advance PLpro inhibitors to the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haozhou Tan
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Yanmei Hu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Prakash Jadhav
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Bin Tan
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
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123
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Znaidia M, Demeret C, van der Werf S, Komarova AV. Characterization of SARS-CoV-2 Evasion: Interferon Pathway and Therapeutic Options. Viruses 2022; 14:v14061247. [PMID: 35746718 PMCID: PMC9231409 DOI: 10.3390/v14061247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the current COVID-19 pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 is characterized by an important capacity to circumvent the innate immune response. The early interferon (IFN) response is necessary to establish a robust antiviral state. However, this response is weak and delayed in COVID-19 patients, along with massive pro-inflammatory cytokine production. This dysregulated innate immune response contributes to pathogenicity and in some individuals leads to a critical state. Characterizing the interplay between viral factors and host innate immunity is crucial to better understand how to manage the disease. Moreover, the constant emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants challenges the efficacy of existing vaccines. Thus, to control this virus and readjust the antiviral therapy currently used to treat COVID-19, studies should constantly be re-evaluated to further decipher the mechanisms leading to SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. Regarding the role of the IFN response in SARS-CoV-2 infection, in this review we summarize the mechanisms by which SARS-CoV-2 evades innate immune recognition. More specifically, we explain how this virus inhibits IFN signaling pathways (IFN-I/IFN-III) and controls interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) expression. We also discuss the development and use of IFNs and potential drugs controlling the innate immune response to SARS-CoV-2, helping to clear the infection.
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124
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Bhowmick S, AlFaris NA, Zaidan ALTamimi J, ALOthman ZA, Patil PC, Aldayel TS, Wabaidur SM, Saha A. Identification of bio-active food compounds as potential SARS-CoV-2 PLpro inhibitors-modulators via negative image-based screening and computational simulations. Comput Biol Med 2022; 145:105474. [PMID: 35395517 PMCID: PMC8973019 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.105474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Despite significant studies on the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists around the world are still battling to find a definitive therapy against the ongoing severe global health crisis. In this study, advanced computational approaches have been employed to identify bioactive food constituents as potential SARS-CoV-2 PLpro inhibitors-modulators. As a validated antiviral drug target, PLpro has gained tremendous attention for therapeutics developments. Therefore, targeting the multifunctional SARS-CoV-2 PLpro protein, ∼1039 bioactive dietary compounds have been screened extensively through novel techniques like negative image-based (NIB) screening and molecular docking approaches. In particular, the three different models of NIB screening have been generated and used to re-score the dietary compounds based on the negative image which is created by reversing the shape and electrostatics features of PLpro protein's ligand-binding cavity. Further, 100 ns molecular dynamics simulation has been performed and MM-GBSA based binding free energies have been estimated for the final proposed four dietary compounds (PC000550, PC000361, PC000558, and PC000573) as potential inhibitors/modulators of SARS-CoV-2 PLpro protein. Employed computational study outcome also has been compared with respect to the earlier experimentally investigated compound GRL0617 against SARS-CoV-2 PLpro protein, which suggests much greater interaction potential in terms of binding affinity and other energetic contributions for the proposed dietary compounds. Hence, the present study suggests that proposed dietary compounds can be suitable chemical entities for modulating the activity of PLpro protein or can be further utilized for optimizing or screening of novel chemical surrogates, however also needs experimental evaluation for entry in clinical studies for better assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shovonlal Bhowmick
- Department of Chemical Technology, University of Calcutta, 92 A.P.C. Road, Kolkata, India
| | - Nora Abdullah AlFaris
- Nutrition and Food Science, Department of Physical Sport Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,Corresponding author
| | - Jozaa Zaidan ALTamimi
- Nutrition and Food Science, Department of Physical Sport Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Zeid A. ALOthman
- Chemistry Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Pritee Chunarkar Patil
- Department of Bioinformatics, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of IT and Biotechnology, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Pune-Satara Road, Pune, India
| | - Tahany Saleh Aldayel
- Nutrition and Food Science, Department of Physical Sport Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Achintya Saha
- Department of Chemical Technology, University of Calcutta, 92 A.P.C. Road, Kolkata, India,Corresponding author
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125
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Khater I, Nassar A. Seeking antiviral drugs to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 RNA dependent RNA polymerase: A molecular docking analysis. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0268909. [PMID: 35639751 PMCID: PMC9154104 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 outbreak associated with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) raised health concerns across the globe and has been considered highly transmissible between people. In attempts for finding therapeutic treatment for the new disease, this work has focused on examining the polymerase inhibitors against the SARS-CoV-2 nsp12 and co-factors nsp8 and nsp7. Several polymerase inhibitors were examined against PDB ID: 6M71 using computational analysis evaluating the ligand's binding affinity to replicating groove to the active site. The findings of this analysis showed Cytarabine of -5.65 Kcal/mol with the highest binding probability (70%) to replicating groove of 6M71. The complex stability was then examined over 19 ns molecular dynamics simulation suggesting that Cytarabine might be possible potent inhibitor for the SARS-CoV-2 RNA Dependent RNA Polymerase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim Khater
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
| | - Aaya Nassar
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
- Department of Clinical Research and Leadership, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States of America
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126
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Kulandaisamy R, Kushwaha T, Dalal A, Kumar V, Singh D, Baswal K, Sharma P, Praneeth K, Jorwal P, Kayampeta SR, Sharma T, Maddur S, Kumar M, Kumar S, Polamarasetty A, Singh A, Sehgal D, Gholap SL, Appaiahgari MB, Katika MR, Inampudi KK. Repurposing of FDA Approved Drugs Against SARS-CoV-2 Papain-Like Protease: Computational, Biochemical, and in vitro Studies. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:877813. [PMID: 35620103 PMCID: PMC9127501 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.877813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 (SCoV-2) has impacted the world in many ways and the virus continues to evolve and produce novel variants with the ability to cause frequent global outbreaks. Although the advent of the vaccines abated the global burden, they were not effective against all the variants of SCoV-2. This trend warrants shifting the focus on the development of small molecules targeting the crucial proteins of the viral replication machinery as effective therapeutic solutions. The PLpro is a crucial enzyme having multiple roles during the viral life cycle and is a well-established drug target. In this study, we identified 12 potential inhibitors of PLpro through virtual screening of the FDA-approved drug library. Docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies suggested that these molecules bind to the PLpro through multiple interactions. Further, IC50 values obtained from enzyme-inhibition assays affirm the stronger affinities of the identified molecules for the PLpro. Also, we demonstrated high structural conservation in the catalytic site of PLpro between SCoV-2 and Human Coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E) through molecular modelling studies. Based on these similarities in PLpro structures and the resemblance in various signalling pathways for the two viruses, we propose that HCoV-229E is a suitable surrogate for SCoV-2 in drug-discovery studies. Validating our hypothesis, Mefloquine, which was effective against HCoV-229E, was found to be effective against SCoV-2 as well in cell-based assays. Overall, the present study demonstrated Mefloquine as a potential inhibitor of SCoV-2 PLpro and its antiviral activity against SCoV-2. Corroborating our findings, based on the in vitro virus inhibition assays, a recent study reported a prophylactic role for Mefloquine against SCoV-2. Accordingly, Mefloquine may further be investigated for its potential as a drug candidate for the treatment of COVID.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tushar Kushwaha
- Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Anu Dalal
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Vikas Kumar
- Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Deepa Singh
- Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Kamal Baswal
- Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Pratibha Sharma
- Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Kokkula Praneeth
- Department of Neurosurgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Pankaj Jorwal
- Department of Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Sarala R Kayampeta
- Research and Development Division, Srikara Biologicals Private Limited, Tirupati, India
| | - Tamanna Sharma
- Central Research Laboratory Mobile Virology Research and Development BSL3 Lab, Employees' State Insurance Corporation Medical College and Hospital, Hyderabad, India
| | - Srinivas Maddur
- Central Research Laboratory Mobile Virology Research and Development BSL3 Lab, Employees' State Insurance Corporation Medical College and Hospital, Hyderabad, India
| | - Manoj Kumar
- Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Saroj Kumar
- Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Aparoy Polamarasetty
- Faculty of Biology, Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy, Visakhapatnam, India
| | - Aekagra Singh
- Virology Lab, Department of Life Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida, India
| | - Deepak Sehgal
- Virology Lab, Department of Life Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida, India
| | - Shivajirao L Gholap
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Mohan B Appaiahgari
- Research and Development Division, Srikara Biologicals Private Limited, Tirupati, India
| | - Madhumohan R Katika
- Central Research Laboratory Mobile Virology Research and Development BSL3 Lab, Employees' State Insurance Corporation Medical College and Hospital, Hyderabad, India.,Stem Cell Facility and Regenerative Medicine, Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, India
| | - Krishna K Inampudi
- Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
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127
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Branković J, Milovanović VM, Simijonović D, Novaković S, Petrović ZD, Trifunović SS, Bogdanović GA, Petrović VP. Pyrazolone-type compounds: synthesis and in silico assessment of antiviral potential against key viral proteins of SARS-CoV-2. RSC Adv 2022; 12:16054-16070. [PMID: 35733695 PMCID: PMC9136855 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra02542f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus outbreak is still a major public health concern. The high mutation ability of SARS-CoV-2 periodically delivers more transmissible and dangerous variants. Hence, the necessity for an efficient and inexpensive antiviral agent is urgent. In this work, pyrazolone-type compounds were synthesised, characterised using spectroscopic methods and theoretical tools, and evaluated in silico against proteins of SARS-CoV-2 responsible for host cell entry and reproduction processes, i.e., spike protein (S), Mpro, and PLpro. Five of twenty compounds are newly synthesised. In addition, the crystal structure of a pyrazolone derivative bearing a vanillin moiety is determined. The obtained in silico results indicate a more favourable binding affinity of pyrazolone analogues towards Mpro, and PLpro in comparison to drugs lopinavir, remdesivir, chloroquine, and favipiravir, while in the case of S protein only lopinavir exerted higher binding affinity. Also, the investigations were performed on ACE2 and the spike RBD-ACE2 complex. The obtained results for these proteins suggest that selected compounds could express antiviral properties by blocking the binding to the host cell and viral spreading, also. Moreover, several derivatives expressed multitarget antiviral action, blocking both binding and reproduction processes. Additionally, in silico ADME/T calculations predicted favourable features of the synthesised compounds, i.e., drug-likeness, oral bioavailability, as well as good pharmacokinetic parameters related to absorption, metabolism, and toxicity. The obtained results imply the great potential of synthesised pyrazolones as multitarget agents against SARS-CoV-2 and represent a valuable background for further in vitro investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jovica Branković
- University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry R. Domanovića 12 34000 Kragujevac Serbia
| | - Vesna M Milovanović
- University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Agronomy, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Cara Dušana 34 32000 Čačak Serbia
| | - Dušica Simijonović
- University of Kragujevac, Institute for Information Technologies Kragujevac, Department of Science Jovana Cvijića bb 34000 Kragujevac Serbia
| | - Slađana Novaković
- University of Belgrade, "VINCA" Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Department of Theoretical Physics and Condensed Matter Physics 11001 Belgrade Serbia
| | - Zorica D Petrović
- University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry R. Domanovića 12 34000 Kragujevac Serbia
| | - Snežana S Trifunović
- University of Belgrade, Faculty of Chemistry Studentski trg 12-16 11000 Belgrade Serbia
| | - Goran A Bogdanović
- University of Belgrade, "VINCA" Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Department of Theoretical Physics and Condensed Matter Physics 11001 Belgrade Serbia
| | - Vladimir P Petrović
- University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry R. Domanovića 12 34000 Kragujevac Serbia
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128
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Ma C, Hu Y, Wang Y, Choza J, Wang J. Drug-Repurposing Screening Identified Tropifexor as a SARS-CoV-2 Papain-like Protease Inhibitor. ACS Infect Dis 2022; 8:1022-1030. [PMID: 35404564 PMCID: PMC9017246 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.1c00629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The global COVID-19 pandemic underscores the dire need for effective antivirals. Encouraging progress has been made in developing small-molecule inhibitors targeting the SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and main protease (Mpro). However, the development of papain-like protease (PLpro) inhibitors faces several obstacles. Nevertheless, PLpro represents a high-profile drug target given its multifaceted roles in viral replication. PLpro is involved in not only the cleavage of viral polyprotein but also the modulation of host immune response. In this study, we conducted a drug-repurposing screening of PLpro against the MedChemExpress bioactive compound library and identified three hits, EACC, KY-226, and tropifexor, as potent PLpro inhibitors with IC50 values ranging from 3.39 to 8.28 μM. The three hits showed dose-dependent binding to PLpro in the thermal shift assay. In addition, tropifexor inhibited the cellular PLpro activity in the FlipGFP assay with an IC50 of 10.6 μM. Gratifyingly, tropifexor showed antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 in Calu-3 cells at noncytotoxic concentrations. Overall, tropifexor represents a novel PLpro inhibitor that can be further developed as SARS-CoV-2 antivirals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunlong Ma
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Yanmei Hu
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Yuyin Wang
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Juliana Choza
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
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129
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Beneš N, Brim L, Kadlecaj J, Pastva S, Šafránek D. Exploring attractor bifurcations in Boolean networks. BMC Bioinformatics 2022; 23:173. [PMID: 35546394 PMCID: PMC9092939 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-022-04708-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Boolean networks (BNs) provide an effective modelling formalism for various complex biochemical phenomena. Their long term behaviour is represented by attractors–subsets of the state space towards which the BN eventually converges. These are then typically linked to different biological phenotypes. Depending on various logical parameters, the structure and quality of attractors can undergo a significant change, known as a bifurcation. We present a methodology for analysing bifurcations in asynchronous parametrised Boolean networks. Results In this paper, we propose a computational framework employing advanced symbolic graph algorithms that enable the analysis of large networks with hundreds of Boolean variables. To visualise the results of this analysis, we developed a novel interactive presentation technique based on decision trees, allowing us to quickly uncover parameters crucial to the changes in the attractor landscape. As a whole, the methodology is implemented in our tool AEON. We evaluate the method’s applicability on a complex human cell signalling network describing the activity of type-1 interferons and related molecules interacting with SARS-COV-2 virion. In particular, the analysis focuses on explaining the potential suppressive role of the recently proposed drug molecule GRL0617 on replication of the virus. Conclusions The proposed method creates a working analogy to the concept of bifurcation analysis widely used in kinetic modelling to reveal the impact of parameters on the system’s stability. The important feature of our tool is its unique capability to work fast with large-scale networks with a relatively large extent of unknown information. The results obtained in the case study are in agreement with the recent biological findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikola Beneš
- Faculty of Informatics, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia.
| | - Luboš Brim
- Faculty of Informatics, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Jakub Kadlecaj
- Faculty of Informatics, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Samuel Pastva
- Faculty of Informatics, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - David Šafránek
- Faculty of Informatics, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
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130
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Brewitz L, Kamps JJAG, Lukacik P, Strain‐Damerell C, Zhao Y, Tumber A, Malla TR, Orville AM, Walsh MA, Schofield CJ. Mass Spectrometric Assays Reveal Discrepancies in Inhibition Profiles for the SARS-CoV-2 Papain-Like Protease. ChemMedChem 2022; 17:e202200016. [PMID: 35085423 PMCID: PMC9015526 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202200016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The two SARS-CoV-2 proteases, i. e. the main protease (Mpro ) and the papain-like protease (PLpro ), which hydrolyze the viral polypeptide chain giving functional non-structural proteins, are essential for viral replication and are medicinal chemistry targets. We report a high-throughput mass spectrometry (MS)-based assay which directly monitors PLpro catalysis in vitro. The assay was applied to investigate the effect of reported small-molecule PLpro inhibitors and selected Mpro inhibitors on PLpro catalysis. The results reveal that some, but not all, PLpro inhibitor potencies differ substantially from those obtained using fluorescence-based assays. Some substrate-competing Mpro inhibitors, notably PF-07321332 (nirmatrelvir) which is in clinical development, do not inhibit PLpro . Less selective Mpro inhibitors, e. g. auranofin, inhibit PLpro , highlighting the potential for dual PLpro /Mpro inhibition. MS-based PLpro assays, which are orthogonal to widely employed fluorescence-based assays, are of utility in validating inhibitor potencies, especially for inhibitors operating by non-covalent mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lennart Brewitz
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and the Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial ResearchUniversity of Oxford12 Mansfield RoadOX1 3TAOxfordUK
| | - Jos J. A. G. Kamps
- Diamond Light Source Ltd.Harwell Science and Innovation CampusOX11 0DEDidcotUK
- Research Complex at HarwellHarwell Science and Innovation CampusOX11 0FADidcotUK
| | - Petra Lukacik
- Diamond Light Source Ltd.Harwell Science and Innovation CampusOX11 0DEDidcotUK
- Research Complex at HarwellHarwell Science and Innovation CampusOX11 0FADidcotUK
| | - Claire Strain‐Damerell
- Diamond Light Source Ltd.Harwell Science and Innovation CampusOX11 0DEDidcotUK
- Research Complex at HarwellHarwell Science and Innovation CampusOX11 0FADidcotUK
| | - Yilin Zhao
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and the Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial ResearchUniversity of Oxford12 Mansfield RoadOX1 3TAOxfordUK
| | - Anthony Tumber
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and the Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial ResearchUniversity of Oxford12 Mansfield RoadOX1 3TAOxfordUK
| | - Tika R. Malla
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and the Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial ResearchUniversity of Oxford12 Mansfield RoadOX1 3TAOxfordUK
| | - Allen M. Orville
- Diamond Light Source Ltd.Harwell Science and Innovation CampusOX11 0DEDidcotUK
- Research Complex at HarwellHarwell Science and Innovation CampusOX11 0FADidcotUK
| | - Martin A. Walsh
- Diamond Light Source Ltd.Harwell Science and Innovation CampusOX11 0DEDidcotUK
- Research Complex at HarwellHarwell Science and Innovation CampusOX11 0FADidcotUK
| | - Christopher J. Schofield
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and the Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial ResearchUniversity of Oxford12 Mansfield RoadOX1 3TAOxfordUK
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131
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Wang P, Wang X, Liu X, Sun M, Liang X, Bai J, Jiang P. Natural Compound ZINC12899676 Reduces Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus Replication by Inhibiting the Viral NTPase Activity. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:879733. [PMID: 35600889 PMCID: PMC9114645 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.879733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is an alphacoronavirus (α-CoV) that causes high mortality in suckling piglets, leading to severe economic losses worldwide. No effective vaccine or commercial antiviral drug is readily available. Several replicative enzymes are responsible for coronavirus replication. In this study, the potential candidates targeting replicative enzymes (PLP2, 3CLpro, RdRp, NTPase, and NendoU) were screened from 187,119 compounds in ZINC natural products library, and seven compounds had high binding potential to NTPase and showed drug-like property. Among them, ZINC12899676 was identified to significantly inhibit the NTPase activity of PEDV by targeting its active pocket and causing its conformational change, and ZINC12899676 significantly inhibited PEDV replication in IPEC-J2 cells. It first demonstrated that ZINC12899676 inhibits PEDV replication by targeting NTPase, and then, NTPase may serve as a novel target for anti-PEDV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengcheng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Diagnostics and Immunology, Ministry of Agriculture, MOE International Joint Collaborative Research Laboratory for Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xianwei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Diagnostics and Immunology, Ministry of Agriculture, MOE International Joint Collaborative Research Laboratory for Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xing Liu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Diagnostics and Immunology, Ministry of Agriculture, MOE International Joint Collaborative Research Laboratory for Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Meng Sun
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Diagnostics and Immunology, Ministry of Agriculture, MOE International Joint Collaborative Research Laboratory for Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiao Liang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Diagnostics and Immunology, Ministry of Agriculture, MOE International Joint Collaborative Research Laboratory for Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Juan Bai
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Diagnostics and Immunology, Ministry of Agriculture, MOE International Joint Collaborative Research Laboratory for Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ping Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Diagnostics and Immunology, Ministry of Agriculture, MOE International Joint Collaborative Research Laboratory for Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Ping Jiang,
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132
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Khanal P, Patil VS, Bhandare VV, Dwivedi PS, Shastry C, Patil B, Gurav SS, Harish DR, Roy S. Computational investigation of benzalacetophenone derivatives against SARS-CoV-2 as potential multi-target bioactive compounds. Comput Biol Med 2022; 146:105668. [PMID: 35667894 PMCID: PMC9135652 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.105668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 05/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Benzalacetophenones, precursors of flavonoids are aromatic ketones and enones and possess the immunostimulant as well as antiviral activities. Thus, benzalacetophenones were screened against the COVID-19 that could be lethal in patients with compromised immunity. We considered ChEBI recorded benzalacetophenone derivative(s) and evaluated their activity against 3C-like protease (3CLpro), papain-like protease (PLpro), and spike protein of SARS-Cov-2 to elucidate their possible role as antiviral agents. The probable targets for each compound were retrieved from DIGEP-Pred at 0.5 pharmacological activity and all the modulated proteins were enriched to identify the probably regulated pathways, biological processes, cellular components, and molecular functions. In addition, molecular docking was performed using AutoDock 4 and the best-identified hits were subjected to all-atom molecular dynamics simulation and binding energy calculations using molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MMPBSA). The compound 4-hydroxycordoin showed the highest druglikeness score and regulated nine proteins of which five were down-regulated and four were upregulated. Similarly, enrichment analysis identified the modulation of multiple pathways concerned with the immune system as well as pathways related to infectious and non-infectious diseases. Likewise, 3'-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)-4′-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-4,2′-dihydroxychalcone with 3CLpro, 4-hydroxycordoin with PLpro and mallotophilippen D with spike protein receptor-binding domain showed highest binding affinity, revealed stable interactions during the simulation, and scored binding free energy of −26.09 kcal/mol, −16.28 kcal/mol, and −39.2 kcal/mol, respectively. Predicted anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities of the benzalacetophenones reflected the requirement of wet lab studies to develop novel antiviral candidates.
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133
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Calleja DJ, Lessene G, Komander D. Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 PLpro. Front Chem 2022; 10:876212. [PMID: 35559224 PMCID: PMC9086436 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.876212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 causing the COVID-19 pandemic, has highlighted how a combination of urgency, collaboration and building on existing research can enable rapid vaccine development to fight disease outbreaks. However, even countries with high vaccination rates still see surges in case numbers and high numbers of hospitalized patients. The development of antiviral treatments hence remains a top priority in preventing hospitalization and death of COVID-19 patients, and eventually bringing an end to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The SARS-CoV-2 proteome contains several essential enzymatic activities embedded within its non-structural proteins (nsps). We here focus on nsp3, that harbours an essential papain-like protease (PLpro) domain responsible for cleaving the viral polyprotein as part of viral processing. Moreover, nsp3/PLpro also cleaves ubiquitin and ISG15 modifications within the host cell, derailing innate immune responses. Small molecule inhibition of the PLpro protease domain significantly reduces viral loads in SARS-CoV-2 infection models, suggesting that PLpro is an excellent drug target for next generation antivirals. In this review we discuss the conserved structure and function of PLpro and the ongoing efforts to design small molecule PLpro inhibitors that exploit this knowledge. We first discuss the many drug repurposing attempts, concluding that it is unlikely that PLpro-targeting drugs already exist. We next discuss the wealth of structural information on SARS-CoV-2 PLpro inhibition, for which there are now ∼30 distinct crystal structures with small molecule inhibitors bound in a surprising number of distinct crystallographic settings. We focus on optimisation of an existing compound class, based on SARS-CoV PLpro inhibitor GRL-0617, and recapitulate how new GRL-0617 derivatives exploit different features of PLpro, to overcome some compound liabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dale J. Calleja
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Guillaume Lessene
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - David Komander
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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134
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Jamir E, Sarma H, Priyadarsinee L, Nagamani S, Kiewhuo K, Gaur AS, Rawal RK, Murugan NA, Subramanian V, Sastry GN. Applying polypharmacology approach for drug repurposing for SARS-CoV2. J CHEM SCI 2022; 134:57. [PMID: 35498548 PMCID: PMC9028909 DOI: 10.1007/s12039-022-02046-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Exploring the new therapeutic indications of known drugs for treating COVID-19, popularly known as drug repurposing, is emerging as a pragmatic approach especially owing to the mounting pressure to control the pandemic. Targeting multiple targets with a single drug by employing drug repurposing known as the polypharmacology approach may be an optimised strategy for the development of effective therapeutics. In this study, virtual screening has been carried out on seven popular SARS-CoV-2 targets (3CLpro, PLpro, RdRp (NSP12), NSP13, NSP14, NSP15, and NSP16). A total of 4015 approved drugs were screened against these targets. Four drugs namely venetoclax, tirilazad, acetyldigitoxin, and ledipasvir have been selected based on the docking score, ability to interact with four or more targets and having a reasonably good number of interactions with key residues in the targets. The MD simulations and MM-PBSA studies showed reasonable stability of protein-drug complexes and sustainability of key interactions between the drugs with their respective targets throughout the course of MD simulations. The identified four drug molecules were also compared with the known drugs namely elbasvir and nafamostat. While the study has provided a detailed account of the chosen protein-drug complexes, it has explored the nature of seven important targets of SARS-CoV-2 by evaluating the protein-drug complexation process in great detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Jamir
- Advanced Computation and Data Sciences Division, CSIR – North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat, Assam 785006 India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Himakshi Sarma
- Advanced Computation and Data Sciences Division, CSIR – North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat, Assam 785006 India
| | - Lipsa Priyadarsinee
- Advanced Computation and Data Sciences Division, CSIR – North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat, Assam 785006 India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Selvaraman Nagamani
- Advanced Computation and Data Sciences Division, CSIR – North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat, Assam 785006 India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Kikrusenuo Kiewhuo
- Advanced Computation and Data Sciences Division, CSIR – North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat, Assam 785006 India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Anamika Singh Gaur
- Advanced Computation and Data Sciences Division, CSIR – North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat, Assam 785006 India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Ravindra K Rawal
- Advanced Computation and Data Sciences Division, CSIR – North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat, Assam 785006 India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Natarajan Arul Murugan
- Department of Computer Science, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Venkatesan Subramanian
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
- Center for High Computing, CSIR- Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Chennai, India
| | - G Narahari Sastry
- Advanced Computation and Data Sciences Division, CSIR – North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat, Assam 785006 India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
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135
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Calleja DJ, Kuchel N, Lu BGC, Birkinshaw RW, Klemm T, Doerflinger M, Cooney JP, Mackiewicz L, Au AE, Yap YQ, Blackmore TR, Katneni K, Crighton E, Newman J, Jarman KE, Call MJ, Lechtenberg BC, Czabotar PE, Pellegrini M, Charman SA, Lowes KN, Mitchell JP, Nachbur U, Lessene G, Komander D. Insights Into Drug Repurposing, as Well as Specificity and Compound Properties of Piperidine-Based SARS-CoV-2 PLpro Inhibitors. Front Chem 2022; 10:861209. [PMID: 35494659 PMCID: PMC9039177 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.861209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic continues unabated, emphasizing the need for additional antiviral treatment options to prevent hospitalization and death of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. The papain-like protease (PLpro) domain is part of the SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein (nsp)-3, and represents an essential protease and validated drug target for preventing viral replication. PLpro moonlights as a deubiquitinating (DUB) and deISGylating enzyme, enabling adaptation of a DUB high throughput (HTS) screen to identify PLpro inhibitors. Drug repurposing has been a major focus through the COVID-19 pandemic as it may provide a fast and efficient route for identifying clinic-ready, safe-in-human antivirals. We here report our effort to identify PLpro inhibitors by screening the ReFRAME library of 11,804 compounds, showing that none inhibit PLpro with any reasonable activity or specificity to justify further progression towards the clinic. We also report our latest efforts to improve piperidine-scaffold inhibitors, 5c and 3k, originally developed for SARS-CoV PLpro. We report molecular details of binding and selectivity, as well as in vitro absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) studies of this scaffold. A co-crystal structure of SARS-CoV-2 PLpro bound to inhibitor 3k guides medicinal chemistry efforts to improve binding and ADME characteristics. We arrive at compounds with improved and favorable solubility and stability characteristics that are tested for inhibiting viral replication. Whilst still requiring significant improvement, our optimized small molecule inhibitors of PLpro display decent antiviral activity in an in vitro SARS-CoV-2 infection model, justifying further optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dale J. Calleja
- Department of Medical Biology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Nathan Kuchel
- Department of Medical Biology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Bernadine G. C. Lu
- Department of Medical Biology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Richard W. Birkinshaw
- Department of Medical Biology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Theresa Klemm
- Department of Medical Biology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Marcel Doerflinger
- Department of Medical Biology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - James P. Cooney
- Department of Medical Biology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Liana Mackiewicz
- Department of Medical Biology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Amanda E. Au
- Department of Medical Biology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Yu Q. Yap
- Department of Medical Biology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Timothy R Blackmore
- Department of Medical Biology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Kasiram Katneni
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Elly Crighton
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Janet Newman
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Biomedical Program, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Kate E. Jarman
- Department of Medical Biology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Melissa J. Call
- Department of Medical Biology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Bernhard C. Lechtenberg
- Department of Medical Biology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Peter E. Czabotar
- Department of Medical Biology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Marc Pellegrini
- Department of Medical Biology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Susan A. Charman
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Kym N. Lowes
- Department of Medical Biology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Jeffrey P. Mitchell
- Department of Medical Biology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Ueli Nachbur
- Department of Medical Biology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Guillaume Lessene
- Department of Medical Biology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - David Komander
- Department of Medical Biology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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136
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Ewert W, Günther S, Miglioli F, Falke S, Reinke PYA, Niebling S, Günther C, Han H, Srinivasan V, Brognaro H, Lieske J, Lorenzen K, Garcia-Alai MM, Betzel C, Carcelli M, Hinrichs W, Rogolino D, Meents A. Hydrazones and Thiosemicarbazones Targeting Protein-Protein-Interactions of SARS-CoV-2 Papain-like Protease. Front Chem 2022; 10:832431. [PMID: 35480391 PMCID: PMC9038201 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.832431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The papain-like protease (PLpro) of SARS-CoV-2 is essential for viral propagation and, additionally, dysregulation of the host innate immune system. Using a library of 40 potential metal-chelating compounds we performed an X-ray crystallographic screening against PLpro. As outcome we identified six compounds binding to the target protein. Here we describe the interaction of one hydrazone (H1) and five thiosemicarbazone (T1-T5) compounds with the two distinct natural substrate binding sites of PLpro for ubiquitin and ISG15. H1 binds to a polar groove at the S1 binding site by forming several hydrogen bonds with PLpro. T1-T5 bind into a deep pocket close to the polyubiquitin and ISG15 binding site S2. Their interactions are mainly mediated by multiple hydrogen bonds and further hydrophobic interactions. In particular compound H1 interferes with natural substrate binding by sterical hindrance and induces conformational changes in protein residues involved in substrate binding, while compounds T1-T5 could have a more indirect effect. Fluorescence based enzyme activity assay and complementary thermal stability analysis reveal only weak inhibition properties in the high micromolar range thereby indicating the need for compound optimization. Nevertheless, the unique binding properties involving strong hydrogen bonding and the various options for structural optimization make the compounds ideal lead structures. In combination with the inexpensive and undemanding synthesis, the reported hydrazone and thiosemicarbazones represent an attractive scaffold for further structure-based development of novel PLpro inhibitors by interrupting protein-protein interactions at the S1 and S2 site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wiebke Ewert
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Günther
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Francesca Miglioli
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Sven Falke
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Patrick Y. A. Reinke
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stephan Niebling
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory Hamburg, DESY, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian Günther
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory Hamburg, DESY, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Vasundara Srinivasan
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, Department of Chemistry, University Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hévila Brognaro
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, Department of Chemistry, University Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Julia Lieske
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Christian Betzel
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, Department of Chemistry, University Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Mauro Carcelli
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Winfried Hinrichs
- Institute of Biochemistry, University Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Dominga Rogolino
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Alke Meents
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg, Germany
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137
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Perceiving SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and PLpro dual inhibitors from pool of recognized antiviral compounds of endophytic microbes: an in silico simulation study. Struct Chem 2022; 33:1619-1643. [PMID: 35431517 PMCID: PMC8990578 DOI: 10.1007/s11224-022-01932-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) persists and shook the global population where the endgame to this pandemic is brought on by developing vaccines in record-breaking time. Nevertheless, these vaccines are far from perfect where their efficiency ranges from 65 to 90%; therefore, vaccines are not the one only solution to overcome this situation, and apart from administration of vaccines, the scientific community is at quest for finding alternative solutions to incumber SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this study, our research group is keen on identifying a bioactive molecule that is independent in its mode of action from existing vaccines which can potentially target the SARS-CoV-2 virus replicative efficacy. Papain-like protease (PLpro) and main protease (Mpro) are the most lucrative targets of COVIDs against which the drugs can be developed, as these proteases play a vital role in the replication and development of viral particles. Researchers have modelled a compound such as GRL0617 and X77 as an inhibitor of Mpro and PLpro, respectively, but use of these compounds has several limitations on hosts like toxicity and solubility. Under the current study by deploying rigorous computational assessments, pool of microbial secondary metabolites was screened and handpicked to search a structural or functional analogue of GRL0617 and X77, with an idea to identify a compound that can serve as dual inhibitor for both PLpro and Mpro. From the manually curated database of known antiviral compounds from fungal origin, we found cytonic acids A and B to potentially serve as dual inhibitor of PLpro and Mpro.
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138
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Cable J, Weber-Ban E, Clausen T, Walters KJ, Sharon M, Finley DJ, Gu Y, Hanna J, Feng Y, Martens S, Simonsen A, Hansen M, Zhang H, Goodwin JM, Reggio A, Chang C, Ge L, Schulman BA, Deshaies RJ, Dikic I, Harper JW, Wertz IE, Thomä NH, Słabicki M, Frydman J, Jakob U, David DC, Bennett EJ, Bertozzi CR, Sardana R, Eapen VV, Carra S. Targeted protein degradation: from small molecules to complex organelles-a Keystone Symposia report. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2022; 1510:79-99. [PMID: 35000205 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Targeted protein degradation is critical for proper cellular function and development. Protein degradation pathways, such as the ubiquitin proteasomes system, autophagy, and endosome-lysosome pathway, must be tightly regulated to ensure proper elimination of misfolded and aggregated proteins and regulate changing protein levels during cellular differentiation, while ensuring that normal proteins remain unscathed. Protein degradation pathways have also garnered interest as a means to selectively eliminate target proteins that may be difficult to inhibit via other mechanisms. On June 7 and 8, 2021, several experts in protein degradation pathways met virtually for the Keystone eSymposium "Targeting protein degradation: from small molecules to complex organelles." The event brought together researchers working in different protein degradation pathways in an effort to begin to develop a holistic, integrated vision of protein degradation that incorporates all the major pathways to understand how changes in them can lead to disease pathology and, alternatively, how they can be leveraged for novel therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eilika Weber-Ban
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Tim Clausen
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter and Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kylie J Walters
- Protein Processing Section, Center for Structural Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Michal Sharon
- Department of Bimolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Daniel J Finley
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Yangnan Gu
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology and Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California
| | - John Hanna
- Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Yue Feng
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network and Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sascha Martens
- Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna BioCenter (VBC), Vienna, Austria
| | - Anne Simonsen
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences and Centre for Cancer Cell Reprogramming, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Malene Hansen
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, Program of Development, Aging, and Regeneration, La Jolla, California
| | - Hong Zhang
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | | | - Alessio Reggio
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Pozzuoli, Italy
| | - Chunmei Chang
- Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California
| | - Liang Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua University-Peking University Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Brenda A Schulman
- Department of Molecular Machines and Signaling, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | | | - Ivan Dikic
- Institute of Biochemistry II, School of Medicine and Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - J Wade Harper
- Department of Cell Biology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ingrid E Wertz
- Departments of Molecular Oncology and Early Discovery Biochemistry, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, California
- Bristol Myers Squibb, Brisbane, California
| | - Nicolas H Thomä
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mikołaj Słabicki
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Division of Translational Medical Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Judith Frydman
- Biophysics Graduate Program, Department of Biology and Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, California
- Biohub, San Francisco, California
- Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging, SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California
| | - Ursula Jakob
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Della C David
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), and Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Eric J Bennett
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Carolyn R Bertozzi
- Department of Chemistry and Stanford ChEM-H, Stanford University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford, California
| | - Richa Sardana
- Weill Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology and Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Vinay V Eapen
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Serena Carra
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
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139
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Xiang R, Yu Z, Wang Y, Wang L, Huo S, Li Y, Liang R, Hao Q, Ying T, Gao Y, Yu F, Jiang S. Recent advances in developing small-molecule inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2. Acta Pharm Sin B 2022; 12:1591-1623. [PMID: 34249607 PMCID: PMC8260826 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2021.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2021] [Revised: 06/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused havoc across the entire world. Even though several COVID-19 vaccines are currently in distribution worldwide, with others in the pipeline, treatment modalities lag behind. Accordingly, researchers have been working hard to understand the nature of the virus, its mutant strains, and the pathogenesis of the disease in order to uncover possible drug targets and effective therapeutic agents. As the research continues, we now know the genome structure, epidemiological and clinical features, and pathogenic mechanism of SARS-CoV-2. Here, we summarized the potential therapeutic targets involved in the life cycle of the virus. On the basis of these targets, small-molecule prophylactic and therapeutic agents have been or are being developed for prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Xiang
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
| | - Zhengsen Yu
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
| | - Yang Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
| | - Lili Wang
- Research Center of Chinese Jujube, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
| | - Shanshan Huo
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
| | - Yanbai Li
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
| | - Ruiying Liang
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
| | - Qinghong Hao
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
| | - Tianlei Ying
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yaning Gao
- Beijing Pharma and Biotech Center, Beijing 100176, China,Corresponding authors. Tel.: +86 21 54237673, fax: +86 21 54237465 (Shibo Jiang); Tel.: +86 312 7528935, fax: +86 312 7521283 (Fei Yu); Tel.: +86 10 62896868; fax: +86 10 62899978, (Yanning Gao).
| | - Fei Yu
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China,Corresponding authors. Tel.: +86 21 54237673, fax: +86 21 54237465 (Shibo Jiang); Tel.: +86 312 7528935, fax: +86 312 7521283 (Fei Yu); Tel.: +86 10 62896868; fax: +86 10 62899978, (Yanning Gao).
| | - Shibo Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China,Corresponding authors. Tel.: +86 21 54237673, fax: +86 21 54237465 (Shibo Jiang); Tel.: +86 312 7528935, fax: +86 312 7521283 (Fei Yu); Tel.: +86 10 62896868; fax: +86 10 62899978, (Yanning Gao).
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140
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Kumar S, Paul P, Yadav P, Kaul R, Maitra SS, Jha SK, Chaari A. A multi-targeted approach to identify potential flavonoids against three targets in the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle. Comput Biol Med 2022; 142:105231. [PMID: 35032740 PMCID: PMC8750703 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.105231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The advent and persistence of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus - 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-induced Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic since December 2019 has created the largest public health emergency in over a century. Despite the administration of multiple vaccines across the globe, there continues to be a lack of approved efficacious non-prophylactic interventions for the disease. Flavonoids are a class of phytochemicals with historically established antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties that are effective against cancers, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and even other human coronaviruses. To identify the most promising bioactive flavonoids against the SARS-CoV-2, this article screened a virtual library of 46 bioactive flavonoids against three promising targets in the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle: human TMPRSS2 protein, 3CLpro, and PLpro. By examining the effects of glycosylation and other structural-activity relationships, the presence of sugar moiety in flavonoids significantly reduces its binding energy. It increases the solubility of flavonoids leading to reduced toxicity and higher bioavailability. Through protein-ligand contact profiling, it was concluded that naringin formed more hydrogen bonds with TMPRSS2 and 3CLpro. In contrast, hesperidin formed a more significant number of hydrogen bonds with PLpro. These observations were complimented by the 100 ns molecular dynamics simulation and binding free energy analysis, which showed a considerable stability of docked bioflavonoids in the active site of SARS-CoV-2 target proteins. Finally, the binding affinity and stability of the selected docked complexes were compared with the reference ligands (camostat for TMPRSS2, GC376 for 3CLpro, and GRL0617 for PLpro) that strongly inhibit their respective SARS-COV-2 targets. Overall analysis revealed that the selected flavonoids could be potential therapeutic agents against SARS-CoV-2. Naringin showed better affinity and stability for TMPRSS2 and 3CLpro, whereas hesperidin showed a better binding relationship and stability for PLpro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay Kumar
- School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India; Center for Bioinformatics, Computational and Systems Biology, Pathfinder Research and Training Foundation, Greater Noida, India.
| | - Pradipta Paul
- Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Education City, Qatar Foundation, Doha, 24144, Qatar.
| | - Pardeep Yadav
- Center for Bioinformatics, Computational and Systems Biology, Pathfinder Research and Training Foundation, Greater Noida, India; Department of Biotechnology, School of Engineering & Technology, Sharda University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 201310, India.
| | - Ridhima Kaul
- Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Education City, Qatar Foundation, Doha, 24144, Qatar.
| | - S S Maitra
- School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India.
| | - Saurabh Kumar Jha
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Engineering & Technology, Sharda University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 201310, India.
| | - Ali Chaari
- Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Education City, Qatar Foundation, Doha, 24144, Qatar.
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141
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Narayanan A, Narwal M, Majowicz SA, Varricchio C, Toner SA, Ballatore C, Brancale A, Murakami KS, Jose J. Identification of SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors targeting Mpro and PLpro using in-cell-protease assay. Commun Biol 2022; 5:169. [PMID: 35217718 PMCID: PMC8881501 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03090-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 48.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 proteases Mpro and PLpro are promising targets for antiviral drug development. In this study, we present an antiviral screening strategy involving a novel in-cell protease assay, antiviral and biochemical activity assessments, as well as structural determinations for rapid identification of protease inhibitors with low cytotoxicity. We identified eight compounds with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity from a library of 64 repurposed drugs and modeled at protease active sites by in silico docking. We demonstrate that Sitagliptin and Daclatasvir inhibit PLpro, and MG-101, Lycorine HCl, and Nelfinavir mesylate inhibit Mpro of SARS-CoV-2. The X-ray crystal structure of Mpro in complex with MG-101 shows a covalent bond formation between the inhibitor and the active site Cys145 residue indicating its mechanism of inhibition is by blocking the substrate binding at the active site. Thus, we provide methods for rapid and effective screening and development of inhibitors for blocking virus polyprotein processing as SARS-CoV-2 antivirals. Additionally, we show that the combined inhibition of Mpro and PLpro is more effective in inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 and the delta variant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anoop Narayanan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Manju Narwal
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Sydney A Majowicz
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Carmine Varricchio
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, King Edward VII Avenue, CF10 3NB, Cardiff, UK
| | - Shay A Toner
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Carlo Ballatore
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Andrea Brancale
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, King Edward VII Avenue, CF10 3NB, Cardiff, UK
| | - Katsuhiko S Murakami
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Joyce Jose
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
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142
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Jiang H, Yang P, Zhang J. Potential Inhibitors Targeting Papain-Like Protease of SARS-CoV-2: Two Birds With One Stone. Front Chem 2022; 10:822785. [PMID: 35281561 PMCID: PMC8905519 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.822785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the pathogen of the Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), is still devastating the world causing significant chaos to the international community and posing a significant threat to global health. Since the first outbreak in late 2019, several lines of intervention have been developed to prevent the spread of this virus. Nowadays, some vaccines have been approved and extensively administered. However, the fact that SARS-CoV-2 rapidly mutates makes the efficacy and safety of this approach constantly under debate. Therefore, antivirals are still needed to combat the infection of SARS-CoV-2. Papain-like protease (PLpro) of SARS-CoV-2 supports viral reproduction and suppresses the innate immune response of the host, which makes PLpro an attractive pharmaceutical target. Inhibition of PLpro could not only prevent viral replication but also restore the antiviral immunity of the host, resulting in the speedy recovery of the patient. In this review, we describe structural and functional features on PLpro of SARS-CoV-2 and the latest development in searching for PLpro inhibitors. Currently available inhibitors targeting PLpro as well as their structural basis are also summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haihai Jiang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
- *Correspondence: Haihai Jiang, ; Jin Zhang,
| | - Peiyao Yang
- Queen Mary School, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Jin Zhang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
- *Correspondence: Haihai Jiang, ; Jin Zhang,
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143
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Liang JJ, Pitsillou E, Ververis K, Guallar V, Hung A, Karagiannis TC. Investigation of small molecule inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease by all-atom microsecond modelling, PELE Monte Carlo simulations, and in vitro activity inhibition. Chem Phys Lett 2022; 788:139294. [PMID: 34961797 PMCID: PMC8693950 DOI: 10.1016/j.cplett.2021.139294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 papain-like (PLpro) protease is essential for viral replication. We investigated potential antiviral effects of hypericin relative to the well-known noncovalent PLpro inhibitor GRL-0617. Molecular dynamics and PELE Monte Carlo simulations highlight favourable binding of hypericin and GRL-0617 to the naphthalene binding pocket of PLpro. Although not potent as GRL-0617 (45.8 vs 1.6 µM for protease activity, respectively), in vitro fluorogenic enzymatic assays with hypericin show concentration-dependent inhibition of both PLpro protease and deubiquitinating activities. Given its use in supplementations and the FDA conditional approval of a synthetic version, further evaluation of hypericin as a potential SARS-CoV-2 antiviral is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia J. Liang
- Epigenomic Medicine, Department of Diabetes, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia,School of Science, STEM College, RMIT University, VIC 3001, Australia
| | - Eleni Pitsillou
- Epigenomic Medicine, Department of Diabetes, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia,School of Science, STEM College, RMIT University, VIC 3001, Australia
| | - Katherine Ververis
- Epigenomic Medicine, Department of Diabetes, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Victor Guallar
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Jordi Girona 29, E-08034 Barcelona, Spain,ICREA, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, E-08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Andrew Hung
- School of Science, STEM College, RMIT University, VIC 3001, Australia
| | - Tom C. Karagiannis
- Epigenomic Medicine, Department of Diabetes, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia,Department of Clinical Pathology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia,Corresponding author at: Head Epigenomic Medicine Program, Department of Diabetes, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
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144
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Zhan Y, Yin H, Yin JY. B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant of SARS-CoV-2: features, transmission and potential strategies. Int J Biol Sci 2022; 18:1844-1851. [PMID: 35342345 PMCID: PMC8935235 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.66881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a pandemic. With the continuous evolution of the viral genome, SARS-CoV-2 has evolved many variants. B.1.617.2, also called Delta, is one of the most concerned variants. The Delta variant was first reported in India at the end of 2020 but has spread globally, by now, to 135 countries and is not stand still. Delta shared some mutations with other variants, and owned its special mutations on spike proteins, which may be responsible for its strong transmission and increasing virulence. Under these circumstances, a systematic summary of Delta is necessary. This review will focus on the Delta variant. We will describe all the characteristics of Delta (including biological features and clinical characteristics), analyze potential reasons for its strong transmission, and provide potential protective ways for combating Delta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zhan
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410078, P. R. China; Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Central South University; Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Changsha 410078, P. R. China
- Engineering Research Center of Applied Technology of Pharmacogenomics, Ministry of Education, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410078, P. R. China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410008, Hunan, P.R. China
| | - Hui Yin
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410078, P. R. China; Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Central South University; Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Changsha 410078, P. R. China
- Engineering Research Center of Applied Technology of Pharmacogenomics, Ministry of Education, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410078, P. R. China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410008, Hunan, P.R. China
| | - Ji-Ye Yin
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410078, P. R. China; Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Central South University; Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Changsha 410078, P. R. China
- Engineering Research Center of Applied Technology of Pharmacogenomics, Ministry of Education, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410078, P. R. China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410008, Hunan, P.R. China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Precise Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Tumor, Changsha 410078, P. R. China
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145
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Nappi F, Iervolino A, Avtaar Singh SS. Molecular Insights of SARS-CoV-2 Antivirals Administration: A Balance between Safety Profiles and Impact on Cardiovascular Phenotypes. Biomedicines 2022; 10:437. [PMID: 35203646 PMCID: PMC8962379 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10020437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a complex clinical challenge, caused by a novel coronavirus, partially similar to previously known coronaviruses but with a different pattern of contagiousness, complications, and mortality. Since its global spread, several therapeutic agents have been developed to address the heterogeneous disease treatment, in terms of severity, hospital or outpatient management, and pre-existing clinical conditions. To better understand the rationale of new or old repurposed medications, the structure and host-virus interaction molecular bases are presented. The recommended agents by EDSA guidelines comprise of corticosteroids, JAK-targeting monoclonal antibodies, IL-6 inhibitors, and antivirals, some of them showing narrow indications due to the lack of large population trials and statistical power. The aim of this review is to present FDA-approved or authorized for emergency use antivirals, namely remdesivir, molnupinavir, and the combination nirmatrelvir-ritonavir and their impact on the cardiovascular system. We reviewed the literature for metanalyses, randomized clinical trials, and case reports and found positive associations between remdesivir and ritonavir administration at therapeutic doses and changes in cardiac conduction, relatable to their previously known pro-arrhythmogenic effects and important ritonavir interactions with cardioactive medications including antiplatelets, anti-arrhythmic agents, and lipid-lowering drugs, possibly interfering with pre-existing therapeutic regimens. Nonetheless, safety profiles of antivirals are largely questioned and addressed by health agencies, in consideration of COVID-19 cardiac and pro-thrombotic complications generally experienced by predisposed subjects. Our advice is to continuously adhere to the strict indications of FDA documents, monitor the possible side effects of antivirals, and increase physicians' awareness on the co-administration of antivirals and cardiovascular-relevant medications. This review dissects the global and local tendency to structure patient-based treatment plans, for a glance towards practical application of precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Nappi
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Centre Cardiologique du Nord de Saint-Denis, 93200 Saint-Denis, France
| | - Adelaide Iervolino
- Department of Internal Medicine, University Policlinic Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy;
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146
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Vere G, Alam MR, Farrar S, Kealy R, Kessler BM, O’Brien DP, Pinto-Fernández A. Targeting the Ubiquitylation and ISGylation Machinery for the Treatment of COVID-19. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12020300. [PMID: 35204803 PMCID: PMC8869442 DOI: 10.3390/biom12020300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Ubiquitylation and ISGylation are protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) and two of the main events involved in the activation of pattern recognition receptor (PRRs) signals allowing the host defense response to viruses. As with similar viruses, SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, hijacks these pathways by removing ubiquitin and/or ISG15 from proteins using a protease called PLpro, but also by interacting with enzymes involved in ubiquitin/ISG15 machinery. These enable viral replication and avoidance of the host immune system. In this review, we highlight potential points of therapeutic intervention in ubiquitin/ISG15 pathways involved in key host-pathogen interactions, such as PLpro, USP18, TRIM25, CYLD, A20, and others that could be targeted for the treatment of COVID-19, and which may prove effective in combatting current and future vaccine-resistant variants of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Vere
- Target Discovery Institute, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK; (G.V.); (M.R.A.); (S.F.); (B.M.K.)
- MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Md Rashadul Alam
- Target Discovery Institute, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK; (G.V.); (M.R.A.); (S.F.); (B.M.K.)
| | - Sam Farrar
- Target Discovery Institute, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK; (G.V.); (M.R.A.); (S.F.); (B.M.K.)
| | - Rachel Kealy
- Environmental Futures & Big Data Impact Lab, University of Exeter, Stocker Rd., Exeter EX4 4PY, UK;
| | - Benedikt M. Kessler
- Target Discovery Institute, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK; (G.V.); (M.R.A.); (S.F.); (B.M.K.)
- Chinese Academy for Medical Sciences Oxford Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Darragh P. O’Brien
- Target Discovery Institute, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK; (G.V.); (M.R.A.); (S.F.); (B.M.K.)
- Correspondence: (D.P.O.); (A.P.-F.)
| | - Adán Pinto-Fernández
- Target Discovery Institute, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK; (G.V.); (M.R.A.); (S.F.); (B.M.K.)
- Chinese Academy for Medical Sciences Oxford Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
- Correspondence: (D.P.O.); (A.P.-F.)
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147
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Lv Z, Cano KE, Jia L, Drag M, Huang TT, Olsen SK. Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Proteases for COVID-19 Antiviral Development. Front Chem 2022; 9:819165. [PMID: 35186898 PMCID: PMC8850931 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2021.819165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) in 2019 marked the third occurrence of a highly pathogenic coronavirus in the human population since 2003. As the death toll surpasses 5 million globally and economic losses continue, designing drugs that could curtail infection and disease progression is critical. In the US, three highly effective Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-authorized vaccines are currently available, and Remdesivir is approved for the treatment of hospitalized patients. However, moderate vaccination rates and the sustained evolution of new viral variants necessitate the ongoing search for new antivirals. Several viral proteins have been prioritized as SARS-CoV-2 antiviral drug targets, among them the papain-like protease (PLpro) and the main protease (Mpro). Inhibition of these proteases would target viral replication, viral maturation, and suppression of host innate immune responses. Knowledge of inhibitors and assays for viruses were quickly adopted for SARS-CoV-2 protease research. Potential candidates have been identified to show inhibitory effects against PLpro and Mpro, both in biochemical assays and viral replication in cells. These results encourage further optimizations to improve prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy. In this review, we examine the latest developments of potential small-molecule inhibitors and peptide inhibitors for PLpro and Mpro, and how structural biology greatly facilitates this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zongyang Lv
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Kristin E. Cano
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Lijia Jia
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Marcin Drag
- Department of Chemical Biology and Bioimaging, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Tony T. Huang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Shaun K. Olsen
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
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Sencanski M, Perovic V, Milicevic J, Todorovic T, Prodanovic R, Veljkovic V, Paessler S, Glisic S. Identification of SARS-CoV-2 Papain-like Protease (PLpro) Inhibitors Using Combined Computational Approach. ChemistryOpen 2022; 11:e202100248. [PMID: 35103413 PMCID: PMC8805381 DOI: 10.1002/open.202100248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In the current pandemic, finding an effective drug to prevent or treat the infection is the highest priority. A rapid and safe approach to counteract COVID-19 is in silico drug repurposing. The SARS-CoV-2 PLpro promotes viral replication and modulates the host immune system, resulting in inhibition of the host antiviral innate immune response, and therefore is an attractive drug target. In this study, we used a combined in silico virtual screening for candidates for SARS-CoV-2 PLpro protease inhibitors. We used the Informational spectrum method applied for Small Molecules for searching the Drugbank database followed by molecular docking. After in silico screening of drug space, we identified 44 drugs as potential SARS-CoV-2 PLpro inhibitors that we propose for further experimental testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milan Sencanski
- National Institute of the Republic of SerbiaUniversity of BelgradeMike Petrovica Alasa 12–1411000BelgradeSerbia
| | - Vladimir Perovic
- National Institute of the Republic of SerbiaUniversity of BelgradeMike Petrovica Alasa 12–1411000BelgradeSerbia
| | - Jelena Milicevic
- National Institute of the Republic of SerbiaUniversity of BelgradeMike Petrovica Alasa 12–1411000BelgradeSerbia
| | - Tamara Todorovic
- Faculty of ChemistryUniversity of BelgradeStudentski Trg 12–1611000BelgradeSerbia
| | - Radivoje Prodanovic
- Faculty of ChemistryUniversity of BelgradeStudentski Trg 12–1611000BelgradeSerbia
| | | | - Slobodan Paessler
- Department of PathologyUniversity of Texas Medical BranchGalvestonTX 77550USA
- Institute for Human Infections and ImmunityUniversity of Texas Medical BranchGalvestonTX 77555USA
| | - Sanja Glisic
- National Institute of the Republic of SerbiaUniversity of BelgradeMike Petrovica Alasa 12–1411000BelgradeSerbia
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149
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Yan W, Zheng Y, Zeng X, He B, Cheng W. Structural biology of SARS-CoV-2: open the door for novel therapies. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2022; 7:26. [PMID: 35087058 PMCID: PMC8793099 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-022-00884-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 65.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the pandemic disease COVID-19, which is so far without efficacious treatment. The discovery of therapy reagents for treating COVID-19 are urgently needed, and the structures of the potential drug-target proteins in the viral life cycle are particularly important. SARS-CoV-2, a member of the Orthocoronavirinae subfamily containing the largest RNA genome, encodes 29 proteins including nonstructural, structural and accessory proteins which are involved in viral adsorption, entry and uncoating, nucleic acid replication and transcription, assembly and release, etc. These proteins individually act as a partner of the replication machinery or involved in forming the complexes with host cellular factors to participate in the essential physiological activities. This review summarizes the representative structures and typically potential therapy agents that target SARS-CoV-2 or some critical proteins for viral pathogenesis, providing insights into the mechanisms underlying viral infection, prevention of infection, and treatment. Indeed, these studies open the door for COVID therapies, leading to ways to prevent and treat COVID-19, especially, treatment of the disease caused by the viral variants are imperative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weizhu Yan
- Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Infection and Intervention Laboratory of Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, 610041, Chengdu, China
| | - Yanhui Zheng
- Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Infection and Intervention Laboratory of Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, 610041, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiaotao Zeng
- Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Infection and Intervention Laboratory of Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, 610041, Chengdu, China
| | - Bin He
- Department of Emergency Medicine, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, 610041, Chengdu, China.
- The First People's Hospital of Longquanyi District Chengdu, 610100, Chengdu, China.
| | - Wei Cheng
- Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Infection and Intervention Laboratory of Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, 610041, Chengdu, China.
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150
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Abstract
The development of antivirals against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been hampered by the lack of efficient cell-based replication systems that are amenable to high-throughput screens in biosafety level 2 laboratories. Here we report that stable cell clones harboring autonomously replicating SARS-CoV-2 RNAs without spike (S), membrane (M), and envelope (E) genes can be efficiently derived from the baby hamster kidney (BHK-21) cell line when a pair of mutations were introduced into the non-structural protein 1 (Nsp1) of SARS-CoV-2 to ameliorate cellular toxicity associated with virus replication. In a proof-of-concept experiment we screened a 273-compound library using replicon cells and identified three compounds as novel inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 replication. Altogether, this work establishes a robust, cell-based system for genetic and functional analyses of SARS-CoV-2 replication and for the development of antiviral drugs. IMPORTANCE SARS-CoV-2 replicon systems that have been reported up to date were unsuccessful in deriving stable cell lines harboring non-cytopathic replicons. The transient expression of viral sgmRNA or a reporter gene makes it impractical for industry-scale screening of large compound libraries using these systems. Here, for the first time, we derived stable cell clones harboring the SARS-CoV-2 replicon. These clones may now be conveniently cultured in a standard BSL-2 laboratory for high throughput screen of compound libraries. Additionally, our stable replicon cells represent a new model system to study SARS-CoV-2 replication.
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