1
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Andronov L, Han M, Zhu Y, Balaji A, Roy AR, Barentine AES, Patel P, Garhyan J, Qi LS, Moerner WE. Nanoscale cellular organization of viral RNA and proteins in SARS-CoV-2 replication organelles. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4644. [PMID: 38821943 PMCID: PMC11143195 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48991-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 viral infection transforms host cells and produces special organelles in many ways, and we focus on the replication organelles, the sites of replication of viral genomic RNA (vgRNA). To date, the precise cellular localization of key RNA molecules and replication intermediates has been elusive in electron microscopy studies. We use super-resolution fluorescence microscopy and specific labeling to reveal the nanoscopic organization of replication organelles that contain numerous vgRNA molecules along with the replication enzymes and clusters of viral double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). We show that the replication organelles are organized differently at early and late stages of infection. Surprisingly, vgRNA accumulates into distinct globular clusters in the cytoplasmic perinuclear region, which grow and accommodate more vgRNA molecules as infection time increases. The localization of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) markers and nsp3 (a component of the double-membrane vesicle, DMV) at the periphery of the vgRNA clusters suggests that replication organelles are encapsulated into DMVs, which have membranes derived from the host ER. These organelles merge into larger vesicle packets as infection advances. Precise co-imaging of the nanoscale cellular organization of vgRNA, dsRNA, and viral proteins in replication organelles of SARS-CoV-2 may inform therapeutic approaches that target viral replication and associated processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonid Andronov
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Mengting Han
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Yanyu Zhu
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Ashwin Balaji
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Biophysics PhD Program; Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Anish R Roy
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | | | - Puja Patel
- In Vitro Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) Service Center, School of Medicine; Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Jaishree Garhyan
- In Vitro Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) Service Center, School of Medicine; Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Lei S Qi
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
- Sarafan ChEM-H; Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub - San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.
| | - W E Moerner
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
- Sarafan ChEM-H; Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
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2
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Kuzikov M, Reinshagen J, Wycisk K, Corona A, Esposito F, Malune P, Manelfi C, Iaconis D, Beccari A, Tramontano E, Nowotny M, Windshügel B, Gribbon P, Zaliani A. Drug repurposing screen to identify inhibitors of the RNA polymerase (nsp12) and helicase (nsp13) from SARS-CoV-2 replication and transcription complex. Virus Res 2024; 343:199356. [PMID: 38490582 PMCID: PMC10958470 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2024.199356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
Coronaviruses contain one of the largest genomes among the RNA viruses, coding for 14-16 non-structural proteins (nsp) that are involved in proteolytic processing, genome replication and transcription, and four structural proteins that build the core of the mature virion. Due to conservation across coronaviruses, nsps form a group of promising drug targets as their inhibition directly affects viral replication and, therefore, progression of infection. A minimal but fully functional replication and transcription complex was shown to be formed by one RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (nsp12), one nsp7, two nsp8 accessory subunits, and two helicase (nsp13) enzymes. Our approach involved, targeting nsp12 and nsp13 to allow multiple starting point to interfere with virus infection progression. Here we report a combined in-vitro repurposing screening approach, identifying new and confirming reported SARS-CoV-2 nsp12 and nsp13 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Kuzikov
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (ITMP) and Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune mediated diseases (CIMD), Schnackenburgallee 114, 22525 Hamburg, and Theodor Stern Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany; Constructor University, School of Science, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany.
| | - Jeanette Reinshagen
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (ITMP) and Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune mediated diseases (CIMD), Schnackenburgallee 114, 22525 Hamburg, and Theodor Stern Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Krzysztof Wycisk
- Laboratory of Protein Structure - International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 4 Ks. Trojdena Street, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Angela Corona
- Dipartimento di Scienze della vita e dell'ambiente, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, SS-554, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Francesca Esposito
- Dipartimento di Scienze della vita e dell'ambiente, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, SS-554, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Paolo Malune
- Dipartimento di Scienze della vita e dell'ambiente, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, SS-554, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Candida Manelfi
- EXSCALATE, Dompé farmaceutici S.p.A., Via Tommaso De Amicis, 95, Napoli, 80131, Italy
| | - Daniela Iaconis
- EXSCALATE, Dompé farmaceutici S.p.A., Via Tommaso De Amicis, 95, Napoli, 80131, Italy
| | - Andrea Beccari
- EXSCALATE, Dompé farmaceutici S.p.A., Via Tommaso De Amicis, 95, Napoli, 80131, Italy
| | - Enzo Tramontano
- Dipartimento di Scienze della vita e dell'ambiente, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, SS-554, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Marcin Nowotny
- Laboratory of Protein Structure - International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 4 Ks. Trojdena Street, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Björn Windshügel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (ITMP) and Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune mediated diseases (CIMD), Schnackenburgallee 114, 22525 Hamburg, and Theodor Stern Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany; Constructor University, School of Science, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
| | - Philip Gribbon
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (ITMP) and Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune mediated diseases (CIMD), Schnackenburgallee 114, 22525 Hamburg, and Theodor Stern Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Andrea Zaliani
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (ITMP) and Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune mediated diseases (CIMD), Schnackenburgallee 114, 22525 Hamburg, and Theodor Stern Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany
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3
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Andronov L, Han M, Zhu Y, Balaji A, Roy AR, Barentine AES, Patel P, Garhyan J, Qi LS, Moerner W. Nanoscale cellular organization of viral RNA and proteins in SARS-CoV-2 replication organelles. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.11.07.566110. [PMID: 37986994 PMCID: PMC10659379 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.07.566110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 viral infection transforms host cells and produces special organelles in many ways, and we focus on the replication organelle where the replication of viral genomic RNA (vgRNA) occurs. To date, the precise cellular localization of key RNA molecules and replication intermediates has been elusive in electron microscopy studies. We use super-resolution fluorescence microscopy and specific labeling to reveal the nanoscopic organization of replication organelles that contain vgRNA clusters along with viral double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) clusters and the replication enzyme, encapsulated by membranes derived from the host endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We show that the replication organelles are organized differently at early and late stages of infection. Surprisingly, vgRNA accumulates into distinct globular clusters in the cytoplasmic perinuclear region, which grow and accommodate more vgRNA molecules as infection time increases. The localization of ER labels and nsp3 (a component of the double-membrane vesicle, DMV) at the periphery of the vgRNA clusters suggests that replication organelles are enclosed by DMVs at early infection stages which then merge into vesicle packets as infection progresses. Precise co-imaging of the nanoscale cellular organization of vgRNA, dsRNA, and viral proteins in replication organelles of SARS-CoV-2 may inform therapeutic approaches that target viral replication and associated processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonid Andronov
- Department of Chemistry; Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 U.S.A
| | - Mengting Han
- Department of Bioengineering; Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 U.S.A
| | - Yanyu Zhu
- Department of Bioengineering; Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 U.S.A
| | - Ashwin Balaji
- Department of Chemistry; Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 U.S.A
- Biophysics PhD Program; Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 U.S.A
| | - Anish R. Roy
- Department of Chemistry; Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 U.S.A
| | | | - Puja Patel
- In Vitro Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) Service Center, School of Medicine; Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 U.S.A
| | - Jaishree Garhyan
- In Vitro Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) Service Center, School of Medicine; Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 U.S.A
| | - Lei S. Qi
- Department of Bioengineering; Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 U.S.A
- Sarafan ChEM-H; Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 U.S.A
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub – San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158 U.S.A
| | - W.E. Moerner
- Department of Chemistry; Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 U.S.A
- Sarafan ChEM-H; Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 U.S.A
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4
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Liao Y, Wang H, Liao H, Sun Y, Tan L, Song C, Qiu X, Ding C. Classification, replication, and transcription of Nidovirales. Front Microbiol 2024; 14:1291761. [PMID: 38328580 PMCID: PMC10847374 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1291761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Nidovirales is one order of RNA virus, with the largest single-stranded positive sense RNA genome enwrapped with membrane envelope. It comprises four families (Arterividae, Mesoniviridae, Roniviridae, and Coronaviridae) and has been circulating in humans and animals for almost one century, posing great threat to livestock and poultry,as well as to public health. Nidovirales shares similar life cycle: attachment to cell surface, entry, primary translation of replicases, viral RNA replication in cytoplasm, translation of viral proteins, virion assembly, budding, and release. The viral RNA synthesis is the critical step during infection, including genomic RNA (gRNA) replication and subgenomic mRNAs (sg mRNAs) transcription. gRNA replication requires the synthesis of a negative sense full-length RNA intermediate, while the sg mRNAs transcription involves the synthesis of a nested set of negative sense subgenomic intermediates by a discontinuous strategy. This RNA synthesis process is mediated by the viral replication/transcription complex (RTC), which consists of several enzymatic replicases derived from the polyprotein 1a and polyprotein 1ab and several cellular proteins. These replicases and host factors represent the optimal potential therapeutic targets. Hereby, we summarize the Nidovirales classification, associated diseases, "replication organelle," replication and transcription mechanisms, as well as related regulatory factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Liao
- Department of Avian Diseases, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Huan Wang
- Department of Avian Diseases, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Huiyu Liao
- Department of Avian Diseases, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yingjie Sun
- Department of Avian Diseases, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Lei Tan
- Department of Avian Diseases, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Cuiping Song
- Department of Avian Diseases, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xusheng Qiu
- Department of Avian Diseases, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Chan Ding
- Department of Avian Diseases, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou, China
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5
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Romero ME, McElhenney SJ, Yu J. Trapping a non-cognate nucleotide upon initial binding for replication fidelity control in SARS-CoV-2 RNA dependent RNA polymerase. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:1792-1808. [PMID: 38168789 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp04410f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
The RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) in SARS-CoV-2 is a highly conserved enzyme responsible for viral genome replication/transcription. To understand how the viral RdRp achieves fidelity control during such processes, here we computationally investigate the natural non-cognate vs. cognate nucleotide addition and selectivity during viral RdRp elongation. We focus on the nucleotide substrate initial binding (RdRp active site open) to the prechemical insertion (active site closed) of the RdRp. The current studies were first carried out using microsecond ensemble equilibrium all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Due to the slow conformational changes (from open to closed) during nucleotide insertion and selection, enhanced or umbrella sampling methods have been further employed to calculate the free energy profiles of the nucleotide insertion. Our studies find notable stability of noncognate dATP and GTP upon initial binding in the active-site open state. The results indicate that while natural cognate ATP and Remdesivir drug analogue (RDV-TP) are biased toward stabilization in the closed state to facilitate insertion, the natural non-cognate dATP and GTP can be well trapped in off-path initial binding configurations and prevented from insertion so that to be further rejected. The current work thus presents the intrinsic nucleotide selectivity of SARS-CoV-2 RdRp for natural substrate fidelity control, which should be considered in antiviral drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moises E Romero
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | | | - Jin Yu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Department of Chemistry, NSF-Simmons Center for Multi-scale Cell Fate Research, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
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6
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Aleebrahim-Dehkordi E, Ghoshouni H, Koochaki P, Esmaili-Dehkordi M, Aleebrahim E, Chichagi F, Jafari A, Hanaei S, Heidari-Soureshjani E, Rezaei N. Targeting the vital non-structural proteins (NSP12, NSP7, NSP8 and NSP3) from SARS-CoV-2 and inhibition of RNA polymerase by natural bioactive compound naringenin as a promising drug candidate against COVID-19. J Mol Struct 2023; 1287:135642. [PMID: 37131962 PMCID: PMC10131750 DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2023.135642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Revised: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2-induced respiratory infections is now a major challenge worldwide. There is currently no specific antiviral drug to prevent or treat this disease. Infection with COVID-19 seriously needs to find effective therapeutic agents. In the present study, naringenin, as a potential inhibitor candidate for RNA Polymerase SARS-CoV-2 was compared with remdesivir (FDA-approved drug) and GS-441,524 (Derivative of the drug remdesivir) by screening with wild-type and mutant SARS-CoV-2 NSP12 (NSP7-NSP8) and NSP3 interfaces, then complexes were simulated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to gain their stabilities. The docking results displayed scores of -3.45 kcal/mol and -4.32 kcal/mol against NSP12 and NSP3, respectively. Our results showed that naringenin had ΔG values more negative than the ΔG values of Remdesivir (RDV) and GS-441,524. Hence, naringenin was considered to be a potential inhibitor. Also, the number of hydrogen bonds of naringenin with NSP3 and later NSP12 are more than Remdesivir and its derivative. In this research, Mean root mean square deviation (RMSD) values of NSP3 and NSP12with naringenin ligand (5.55±1.58 nm to 3.45±0.56 nm and 0.238±0.01 to 0.242±0.021 nm, respectively showed stability in the presence of ligand. The root mean square fluctuations (RMSF) values of NSP3 and NSP12 amino acid units in the presence of naringenin in were 1.5 ± 0.31 nm and 0.118±0.058, respectively. Pharmacokinetic properties and prediction of absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) properties of naringenin and RDV showed that these two compounds had no potential cytotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elahe Aleebrahim-Dehkordi
- Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Expert Group (SRMEG), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
- Nutritional Health Team (NHT), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
- Medical Plants Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Hamed Ghoshouni
- Medical student, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
| | - Pooneh Koochaki
- Department of Cancer Biology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | | | - Elham Aleebrahim
- PhD Student in Food Sciences and Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Tehran North Branch, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Chichagi
- Research Development Center, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Jafari
- Nutritional Health Team (NHT), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
- Student Research Committee, Department of Nutrition, School of Health, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
- Golestan Research Center of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
| | - Sara Hanaei
- School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy and Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
| | - Ehsan Heidari-Soureshjani
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, P. O. Box. 115, Iran
- Central Laboratory, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Nima Rezaei
- School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy and Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
- Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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7
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Chenna A, Khan WH, Dash R, Saraswat S, Chugh A, Rathore AS, Goel G. An efficient computational protocol for template-based design of peptides that inhibit interactions involving SARS-CoV-2 proteins. Proteins 2023; 91:1222-1234. [PMID: 37283297 DOI: 10.1002/prot.26511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) complex of SARS-CoV-2 lies at the core of its replication and transcription processes. The interfaces between holo-RdRp subunits are highly conserved, facilitating the design of inhibitors with high affinity for the interaction interface hotspots. We, therefore, take this as a model protein complex for the application of a structural bioinformatics protocol to design peptides that inhibit RdRp complexation by preferential binding at the interface of its core subunit nonstructural protein, nsp12, with accessory factor nsp7. Here, the interaction hotspots of the nsp7-nsp12 subunit of RdRp, determined from a long molecular dynamics trajectory, are used as a template. A large library of peptide sequences constructed from multiple hotspot motifs of nsp12 is screened in-silico to determine sequences with high geometric complementarity and interaction specificity for the binding interface of nsp7 (target) in the complex. Two lead designed peptides are extensively characterized using orthogonal bioanalytical methods to determine their suitability for inhibition of RdRp complexation. Binding affinity of these peptides to accessory factor nsp7, determined using a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assay, is slightly better than that of nsp12: dissociation constant of 133nM and 167nM, respectively, compared to 473nM for nsp12. A competitive ELISA is used to quantify inhibition of nsp7-nsp12 complexation, with one of the lead peptides giving an IC50 of 25μM . Cell penetrability and cytotoxicity are characterized using a cargo delivery assay and MTT cytotoxicity assay, respectively. Overall, this work presents a proof-of-concept of an approach for rational discovery of peptide inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 protein-protein interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akshay Chenna
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Wajihul Hasan Khan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
- Virology Unit, Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Rozaleen Dash
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Saurabh Saraswat
- Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Archana Chugh
- Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Anurag S Rathore
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Gaurav Goel
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
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8
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Gu Y, Liu M, Staker BL, Buchko GW, Quinn RJ. Drug-Repurposing Screening Identifies a Gallic Acid Binding Site on SARS-CoV-2 Non-structural Protein 7. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2023; 6:578-586. [PMID: 37082753 PMCID: PMC10111621 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.2c00225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 is the agent responsible for acute respiratory disease COVID-19 and the global pandemic initiated in early 2020. While the record-breaking development of vaccines has assisted the control of COVID-19, there is still a pressing global demand for antiviral drugs to halt the destructive impact of this disease. Repurposing clinically approved drugs provides an opportunity to expediate SARS-CoV-2 treatments into the clinic. In an effort to facilitate drug repurposing, an FDA-approved drug library containing 2400 compounds was screened against the SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 7 (nsp7) using a native mass spectrometry-based assay. Nsp7 is one of the components of the SARS-CoV-2 replication/transcription complex essential for optimal viral replication, perhaps serving to off-load RNA from nsp8. From this library, gallic acid was identified as a compound that bound tightly to nsp7, with an estimated K d of 15 μM. NMR chemical shift perturbation experiments were used to map the ligand-binding surface of gallic acid on nsp7, indicating that the compound bound to a surface pocket centered on one of the protein's four α-helices (α2). The identification of the gallic acid-binding site on nsp7 may allow development of a SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic via artificial-intelligence-based virtual docking and other strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yushu Gu
- Griffith
Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Brisbane 4111, Australia
| | - Miaomiao Liu
- Griffith
Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Brisbane 4111, Australia
| | - Bart L. Staker
- Seattle
Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington 98101, United States
| | - Garry W. Buchko
- Earth
and Biological Sciences Directorate, Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
- School of
Molecular Biosciences, Washington State
University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
| | - Ronald J. Quinn
- Griffith
Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Brisbane 4111, Australia
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9
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Genomic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 can be accelerated by mutations in the nsp14 gene. iScience 2023; 26:106210. [PMID: 36811085 PMCID: PMC9933857 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronaviruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), encode a proofreading exonuclease, nonstructural protein 14 (nsp14), that helps ensure replication competence at a low evolutionary rate compared with other RNA viruses. In the current pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 has accumulated diverse genomic mutations including in nsp14. Here, to clarify whether amino acid substitutions in nsp14 affect the genomic diversity and evolution of SARS-CoV-2, we searched for amino acid substitutions in nature that may interfere with nsp14 function. We found that viruses carrying a proline-to-leucine change at position 203 (P203L) have a high evolutionary rate and that a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 virus with the P203L mutation acquired more diverse genomic mutations than wild-type virus during its replication in hamsters. Our findings suggest that substitutions, such as P203L, in nsp14 may accelerate the genomic diversity of SARS-CoV-2, contributing to virus evolution during the pandemic.
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10
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Fidelity of Ribonucleotide Incorporation by the SARS-CoV-2 Replication Complex. J Mol Biol 2023; 435:167973. [PMID: 36690070 PMCID: PMC9854147 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.167973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has caused a global pandemic. Despite the initial success of vaccines at preventing infection, genomic variation has led to the proliferation of variants capable of higher infectivity. Mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome are the consequence of replication errors, highlighting the importance of understanding the determinants of SARS-CoV-2 replication fidelity. The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) is the central catalytic subunit for SARS-CoV-2 RNA replication and genome transcription. Here, we report the fidelity of ribonucleotide incorporation by SARS-CoV-2 RdRp (nsp12), along with its co-factors nsp7/nsp8, using steady-state kinetic analysis. Our analysis suggests that in the absence of the proofreading subunit (nsp14), the nsp12/7/8 complex has a surprisingly low base substitution fidelity (10-1-10-3). This is orders of magnitude lower than the fidelity reported for other coronaviruses (10-6-10-7), highlighting the importance of proofreading for faithful SARS-CoV-2 replication. We performed a mutational analysis of all reported SARS-CoV-2 genomes and identified mutations in both nsp12 and nsp14 that appear likely to lower viral replication fidelity through mechanisms that include impairing the nsp14 exonuclease activity or its association with the RdRp. Our observations provide novel insight into the mechanistic basis of replication fidelity in SARS-CoV-2 and the potential effect of nsp12 and nsp14 mutations on replication fidelity, informing the development of future antiviral agents and SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.
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11
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Rahman S, Ullah S, Shinwari ZK, Ali M. Bats-associated beta-coronavirus detection and characterization: First report from Pakistan. INFECTION, GENETICS AND EVOLUTION : JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2023; 108:105399. [PMID: 36584905 PMCID: PMC9793958 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2022.105399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Bats remains as reservoirs for highly contagious and pathogenic viral families including the Coronaviridae, Filoviridae, Paramyxoviruses, and Rhabdoviridae. Spill over of viral species (SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV & SARS-CoV2) from bats (as a possible potential reservoirs) have recently caused worst outbreaks. Early detection of viral species of pandemic potential in bats is of great importance. We detected beta coronaviruses in the studied bats population (positive samples from Rousettus leschenaultia) and performed the evolutionary analysis, amino acid sequence alignment, and analysed the 3-Dimentional protein structure. We detected the coronaviruses for the first time in bats from Pakistan. Our analysis based on RdRp partial gene sequencing suggest that the studied viral strains are closely related to MERS-CoV-like viruses as they exhibit close structure similarities (with few substitutions) and also observed a substitution in highly conserved SDD in the palm subdomain of motif C to ADD, when compared with earlier reported viral strains. It could be concluded from our study that coronaviruses are circulating among the bat's population in Pakistan. Based on the current findings, we suggest large scale screening procedures of bat virome across the country to detect potential pathogenic viral species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sidra Rahman
- Department of Biotechnology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
| | - Sana Ullah
- Department of Biotechnology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan; Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Oman.
| | | | - Muhammad Ali
- Department of Biotechnology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
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12
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Valdebenito-Navarrete H, Fuentes-Barrera V, Smith CT, Salas-Burgos A, Zuniga FA, Gomez LA, García-Cancino A. Can Probiotics, Particularly Limosilactobacillus fermentum UCO-979C and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus UCO-25A, Be Preventive Alternatives against SARS-CoV-2? BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12030384. [PMID: 36979076 PMCID: PMC10045641 DOI: 10.3390/biology12030384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19, an infection produced by the SARS-CoV-2 virus in humans, has rapidly spread to become a high-mortality pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 is a single-stranded RNA virus characterized by infecting epithelial cells of the intestine and lungs, binding to the ACE2 receptor present on epithelial cells. COVID-19 treatment is based on antivirals and antibiotics against symptomatology in addition to a successful preventive strategy based on vaccination. At this point, several variants of the virus have emerged, altering the effectiveness of treatments and thereby attracting attention to several alternative therapies, including immunobiotics, to cope with the problem. This review, based on articles, patents, and an in silico analysis, aims to address our present knowledge of the COVID-19 disease, its symptomatology, and the possible beneficial effects for patients if probiotics with the characteristics of immunobiotics are used to confront this disease. Moreover, two probiotic strains, L. fermentum UCO-979C and L. rhamnosus UCO-25A, with different effects demonstrated at our laboratory, are emphasized. The point of view of this review highlights the possible benefits of probiotics, particularly those associated with immunomodulation as well as the production of secondary metabolites, and their potential targets during SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Héctor Valdebenito-Navarrete
- Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenicity, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4070386, Chile
| | - Victor Fuentes-Barrera
- Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenicity, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4070386, Chile
| | - Carlos T. Smith
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4070386, Chile
| | - Alexis Salas-Burgos
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4070386, Chile
| | - Felipe A. Zuniga
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidad de Concepción, Víctor Lamas 1290, Concepción 4030000, Chile
| | - Leonardo A. Gomez
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4070386, Chile
| | - Apolinaria García-Cancino
- Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenicity, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4070386, Chile
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +56-41-2204144; Fax: +56-41-2245975
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13
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Meng W, Guo S, Cao S, Shuda M, Robinson‐McCarthy LR, McCarthy KR, Shuda Y, Paniz Mondolfi AE, Bryce C, Grimes Z, Sordillo EM, Cordon‐Cardo C, Li P, Zhang H, Perlman S, Guo H, Gao S, Chang Y, Moore PS. Development and characterization of a new monoclonal antibody against SARS-CoV-2 NSP12 (RdRp). J Med Virol 2023; 95:e28246. [PMID: 36271490 PMCID: PMC9874566 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.28246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 NSP12, the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), is required for viral replication and is a therapeutic target to treat COVID-19. To facilitate research on SARS-CoV-2 NSP12 protein, we developed a rat monoclonal antibody (CM12.1) against the NSP12 N-terminus that can facilitate functional studies. Immunoblotting and immunofluorescence assay (IFA) confirmed the specific detection of NSP12 protein by this antibody for cells overexpressing the protein. Although NSP12 is generated from the ORF1ab polyprotein, IFA of human autopsy COVID-19 lung samples revealed NSP12 expression in only a small fraction of lung cells including goblet, club-like, vascular endothelial cells, and a range of immune cells, despite wide-spread tissue expression of spike protein antigen. Similar studies using in vitro infection also generated scant protein detection in cells with established virus replication. These results suggest that NSP12 may have diminished steady-state expression or extensive posttranslation modifications that limit antibody reactivity during SARS-CoV-2 replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Meng
- Cancer Virology ProgramUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer CenterPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular GeneticsUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Siying Guo
- Cancer Virology ProgramUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer CenterPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular GeneticsUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
- School of MedicineTsinghua UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Simon Cao
- Cancer Virology ProgramUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer CenterPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular GeneticsUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Masahiro Shuda
- Cancer Virology ProgramUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer CenterPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular GeneticsUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Lindsey R. Robinson‐McCarthy
- Cancer Virology ProgramUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer CenterPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of PathologyUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Kevin R. McCarthy
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular GeneticsUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
- Center for Vaccine ResearchUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Yoko Shuda
- Cancer Virology ProgramUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer CenterPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Alberto E. Paniz Mondolfi
- Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell‐Based MedicineIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Clare Bryce
- Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell‐Based MedicineIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Zachary Grimes
- Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell‐Based MedicineIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Emilia M. Sordillo
- Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell‐Based MedicineIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Carlos Cordon‐Cardo
- Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell‐Based MedicineIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Pengfei Li
- Department of Microbiology and ImmunologyUniversity of IowaIowa CityIowaUSA
| | - Hu Zhang
- Cancer Virology ProgramUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer CenterPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular GeneticsUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Stanley Perlman
- Department of Microbiology and ImmunologyUniversity of IowaIowa CityIowaUSA
| | - Haitao Guo
- Cancer Virology ProgramUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer CenterPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular GeneticsUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Shou‐Jiang Gao
- Cancer Virology ProgramUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer CenterPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular GeneticsUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Yuan Chang
- Cancer Virology ProgramUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer CenterPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of PathologyUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Patrick S. Moore
- Cancer Virology ProgramUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer CenterPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular GeneticsUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
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14
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Guo S, Lei X, Chang Y, Zhao J, Wang J, Dong X, Liu Q, Zhang Z, Wang L, Yi D, Ma L, Li Q, Zhang Y, Ding J, Liang C, Li X, Guo F, Wang J, Cen S. SARS-CoV-2 hijacks cellular kinase CDK2 to promote viral RNA synthesis. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2022; 7:400. [PMID: 36575184 PMCID: PMC9793359 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-022-01239-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has devastated global health. Identifying key host factors essential for SARS-CoV-2 RNA replication is expected to unravel cellular targets for the development of broad-spectrum antiviral drugs which have been quested for the preparedness of future viral outbreaks. Here, we have identified host proteins that associate with nonstructural protein 12 (nsp12), the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of SARS-CoV-2 using a mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomic approach. Among the candidate factors, CDK2 (Cyclin-dependent kinase 2), a member of cyclin-dependent kinases, interacts with nsp12 and causes its phosphorylation at T20, thus facilitating the assembly of the RdRp complex consisting of nsp12, nsp7 and nsp8 and promoting efficient synthesis of viral RNA. The crucial role of CDK2 in viral RdRp function is further supported by our observation that CDK2 inhibitors potently impair viral RNA synthesis and SARS-CoV-2 infection. Taken together, we have discovered CDK2 as a key host factor of SARS-CoV-2 RdRp complex, thus serving a promising target for the development of SARS-CoV-2 RdRp inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saisai Guo
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Immunology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaobo Lei
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens and Christophe Mérieux Laboratory, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Chang
- grid.411609.b0000 0004 1758 4735Beijing Key Laboratory for Pediatric Diseases of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Ministry of Education, Beijing Pediatric Research Institute, Beijing Children’s Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children’s Health, Beijing, China
| | - Jianyuan Zhao
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Immunology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Wang
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Immunology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaojing Dong
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens and Christophe Mérieux Laboratory, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Qian Liu
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Immunology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Zixiong Zhang
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Immunology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Lidan Wang
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Immunology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Dongrong Yi
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Immunology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Ling Ma
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Immunology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Quanjie Li
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Immunology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yongxin Zhang
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Immunology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jiwei Ding
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Immunology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Chen Liang
- grid.14709.3b0000 0004 1936 8649Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC Canada
| | - Xiaoyu Li
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Immunology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Fei Guo
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens and Christophe Mérieux Laboratory, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jianwei Wang
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens and Christophe Mérieux Laboratory, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Shan Cen
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Immunology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China ,grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839CAMS Key Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Research, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
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15
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Traina G. The Connection between Gut and Lung Microbiota, Mast Cells, Platelets and SARS-CoV-2 in the Elderly Patient. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232314898. [PMID: 36499222 PMCID: PMC9740794 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232314898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The human coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 that emerged in late 2019 causes a respiratory tract infection and has currently resulted in more than 627 million confirmed cases and over 6.58 million deaths worldwide up to October 2022. The highest death rate caused by COVID-19 is in older people, especially those with comorbidities. This evidence presents a challenge for biomedical research on aging and also identifies some key players in inflammation, including mast cells and platelets, which could represent important markers and, at the same time, unconventional therapeutic targets. Studies have shown a decrease in the diversity of gut microbiota composition in the elderly, particularly a reduced abundance of butyrate-producing species, and COVID-19 patients manifest faecal microbiome alterations, with an increase in opportunistic pathogens and a depletion of commensal beneficial microorganisms. The main purpose of this narrative review is to highlight how an altered condition of the gut microbiota, especially in the elderly, could be an important factor and have a strong impact in the lung homeostasis and COVID-19 phenomenon, jointly to the activation of mast cells and platelets, and also affect the outcomes of the pathology. Therefore, a targeted and careful control of the intestinal microbiota could represent a complementary intervention to be implemented for the management and the challenge against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Traina
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Via Romana, 06126 Perugia, Italy
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16
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Dey R, Samadder A, Nandi S. Exploring the Targets of Novel Corona Virus and Docking-based Screening of Potential Natural Inhibitors to Combat COVID-19. Curr Top Med Chem 2022; 22:2410-2434. [PMID: 36281864 DOI: 10.2174/1568026623666221020163831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
There is a need to explore natural compounds against COVID-19 due to their multitargeted actions against various targets of nCoV. They act on multiple sites rather than single targets against several diseases. Thus, there is a possibility that natural resources can be repurposed to combat COVID-19. However, the biochemical mechanisms of these inhibitors were not known. To reveal the mode of anti-nCoV action, structure-based docking plays a major role. The present study is an attempt to explore various potential targets of SARS-CoV-2 and the structure-based screening of various potential natural inhibitors to combat the novel coronavirus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rishita Dey
- Department of Zoology, Cytogenetics and Molecular Biology Lab., University of Kalyani, Kalyani, Nadia, 741235, India.,Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Global Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Affiliated to Uttarakhand Technical University), Kashipur, 244713, India
| | - Asmita Samadder
- Department of Zoology, Cytogenetics and Molecular Biology Lab., University of Kalyani, Kalyani, Nadia, 741235, India
| | - Sisir Nandi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Global Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Affiliated to Uttarakhand Technical University), Kashipur, 244713, India
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17
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Kostarev S, Komyagina O, Fayzrakhmanov R, Kurushin D, Tatarnikova N, Novikova (Kochetova) O, Sereda T. Impact of the New Coronavirus Infection on the Immune System of Children and Adolescents in the Region of the Russian Federation. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:13669. [PMID: 36294250 PMCID: PMC9603771 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192013669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Revised: 10/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) has presented public health professionals with new challenges in the diagnosis of the disease and treatment of patients. Nowadays, the epidemiology, clinical features, prevention and treatment of the disease are studied poorly due to continuous mutation of the pathogen. One of the consequences of the new coronavirus infection could be changes in the immune system of the human population. A detailed analysis of the immunological status of different racial groups under the influence of the new coronavirus infection is currently studied insufficiently, making this work of particular relevance. There is also a reluctance among some Russian residents to be vaccinated, including the population of Perm Krai, due to a lack of research on possible deviations in cellular immunity due to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. At the start of the third wave caused by the new coronavirus infection, only 40% of the Russian population had been vaccinated, which was insufficient to acquire collective immunity. In the autumn of 2021, a QR code measure was introduced for vaccinated residents, which resulted in exceeding the necessary barrier for acquiring collective immunity. Due to the high growth and severity of the disease, we analysed the immunograms of children and adolescents, aged from 5 months to 17 years, in Perm Krai during the pandemic years 2020-2021. The patients' immunological status results were divided into three categories. Laboratory diagnosis of the human immune system was carried out using serological and flow cytophotometric analyses. A total of 247 samples were analysed. The aim of this work was to investigate changes in the immune system of children and adolescents during the pandemic caused by the new coronavirus infection. The methodology was based on the analysis of immunograms, including biochemical studies, immune status and flow cytophotometric analysis. The immunograms were pre-sorted by IgA, IgM, IgG immunoglobulin status into four categories: absence of disease-k1 in which IgA, IgM, IgG immunoglobulin values were within the reference interval, active disease stage-k2 in which IgA, IgM immunoglobulins had gone beyond the reference interval, passive disease stage-k3 characterised by IgG and IgM immunoglobulin status, and patient recovery process-k4. In the immunograms, three immune status indicators were selected for further investigation: phagocytosis absolute value, phagocytic number and phagocytic index and five flow cytometry indices: leukocytes, lymphocytes, NK cells (CD16+CD56+), T helpers (CD3+CD4+) and CD4+/CD8+ immunoregulation index. A quantitative analysis of the deviations of these indicators from the reference intervals was performed in the three studied age groups of children and adolescents living in Perm Krai of the Russian Federation during the pandemic of 2020-2021.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey Kostarev
- Perm National Research Polytechnic University, 29, Komsomolski Avenue, Perm 614990, Russia
- Perm State Agro-Technological University Named after Academician D N Pryanishnikov, 23, Petropavlovskaja St., Perm 614990, Russia
- Perm Institute of the FPS of Russia, 125, Karpinskogo St., Perm 614012, Russia
| | - Oksana Komyagina
- Medical Institution “Philosophy of Beauty and Health”, 64, KIM St., Perm 614990, Russia
| | - Rustam Fayzrakhmanov
- Perm National Research Polytechnic University, 29, Komsomolski Avenue, Perm 614990, Russia
| | - Daniel Kurushin
- Perm National Research Polytechnic University, 29, Komsomolski Avenue, Perm 614990, Russia
| | - Natalya Tatarnikova
- Perm State Agro-Technological University Named after Academician D N Pryanishnikov, 23, Petropavlovskaja St., Perm 614990, Russia
| | - Oksana Novikova (Kochetova)
- Perm State Agro-Technological University Named after Academician D N Pryanishnikov, 23, Petropavlovskaja St., Perm 614990, Russia
- Perm Institute of the FPS of Russia, 125, Karpinskogo St., Perm 614012, Russia
| | - Tatyana Sereda
- Perm State Agro-Technological University Named after Academician D N Pryanishnikov, 23, Petropavlovskaja St., Perm 614990, Russia
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18
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Mir SA, Alaidarous M, Alshehri B, Bin Dukhyil AA, Banawas S, Madkhali Y, Alsagaby SA, Al Othaim A. Immunoinformatics-Based Identification of B and T Cell Epitopes in RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase of SARS-CoV-2. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10101660. [PMID: 36298525 PMCID: PMC9611076 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10101660] [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: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which emerged in December 2019, is a serious health concern throughout the world. Despite massive COVID-19 vaccination on a global scale, there is a rising need to develop more effective vaccines and drugs to curb the spread of coronavirus. METHODOLOGY In this study, we screened the amino acid sequence of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of SARS-CoV-2 (the causative agent of COVID-19) for the identification of B and T cell epitopes using various immunoinformatic tools. These identified potent B and T cell epitopes with high antigenicity scores were linked together to design the multi-epitope vaccine construct. The physicochemical properties, overall quality, and stability of the designed vaccine construct were confirmed by suitable bioinformatic tools. RESULTS After proper in silico prediction and screening, we identified 3 B cell, 18 CTL, and 10 HTL epitopes from the RdRp protein sequence. The screened epitopes were non-toxic, non-allergenic, and highly antigenic in nature as revealed by appropriate servers. Molecular docking revealed stable interactions of the designed multi-epitope vaccine with human TLR3. Moreover, in silico immune simulations showed a substantial immunogenic response of the designed vaccine. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that our designed multi-epitope vaccine possessing intrinsic T cell and B cell epitopes with high antigenicity scores could be considered for the ongoing development of peptide-based novel vaccines against COVID-19. However, further in vitro and in vivo studies need to be performed to confirm our in silico observations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shabir Ahmad Mir
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +966-536300645
| | - Mohammed Alaidarous
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia
- Health and Basic Sciences Research Center, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia
| | - Bader Alshehri
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdul Aziz Bin Dukhyil
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saeed Banawas
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia
- Health and Basic Sciences Research Center, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Yahya Madkhali
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia
| | - Suliman A. Alsagaby
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ayoub Al Othaim
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia
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19
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Lee SJ, Kim YJ, Ahn DG. Distinct Molecular Mechanisms Characterizing Pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2. J Microbiol Biotechnol 2022; 32:1073-1085. [PMID: 36039385 PMCID: PMC9628960 DOI: 10.4014/jmb.2206.06064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has continued for over 2 years, following the outbreak of coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) in 2019. It has resulted in enormous casualties and severe economic crises. The rapid development of vaccines and therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2 has helped slow the spread. In the meantime, various mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 have emerged to evade current vaccines and therapeutics. A better understanding of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis is a prerequisite for developing efficient, advanced vaccines and therapeutics. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, a tremendous amount of research has been conducted to unveil SARSCoV-2 pathogenesis, from clinical observations to biochemical analysis at the molecular level upon viral infection. In this review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 propagation and pathogenesis, with an update on recent advances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Su Jin Lee
- Department of Convergent Research of Emerging Virus Infection, Therapeutics and Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Republic of Korea
| | - Yu-Jin Kim
- Department of Convergent Research of Emerging Virus Infection, Therapeutics and Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Republic of Korea
| | - Dae-Gyun Ahn
- Department of Convergent Research of Emerging Virus Infection, Therapeutics and Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Republic of Korea
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da Silva SJR, do Nascimento JCF, Germano Mendes RP, Guarines KM, Targino Alves da Silva C, da Silva PG, de Magalhães JJF, Vigar JRJ, Silva-Júnior A, Kohl A, Pardee K, Pena L. Two Years into the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned. ACS Infect Dis 2022; 8:1758-1814. [PMID: 35940589 PMCID: PMC9380879 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.2c00204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a highly transmissible and virulent human-infecting coronavirus that emerged in late December 2019 in Wuhan, China, causing a respiratory disease called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has massively impacted global public health and caused widespread disruption to daily life. The crisis caused by COVID-19 has mobilized scientists and public health authorities across the world to rapidly improve our knowledge about this devastating disease, shedding light on its management and control, and spawned the development of new countermeasures. Here we provide an overview of the state of the art of knowledge gained in the last 2 years about the virus and COVID-19, including its origin and natural reservoir hosts, viral etiology, epidemiology, modes of transmission, clinical manifestations, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, emerging variants, and vaccines, highlighting important differences from previously known highly pathogenic coronaviruses. We also discuss selected key discoveries from each topic and underline the gaps of knowledge for future investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Severino Jefferson Ribeiro da Silva
- Laboratory of Virology and Experimental Therapy (LAVITE), Department of Virology, Aggeu Magalhães Institute (IAM), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), 50670-420 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3M2, Canada
| | - Jessica Catarine Frutuoso do Nascimento
- Laboratory of Virology and Experimental Therapy (LAVITE), Department of Virology, Aggeu Magalhães Institute (IAM), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), 50670-420 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Renata Pessôa Germano Mendes
- Laboratory of Virology and Experimental Therapy (LAVITE), Department of Virology, Aggeu Magalhães Institute (IAM), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), 50670-420 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Klarissa Miranda Guarines
- Laboratory of Virology and Experimental Therapy (LAVITE), Department of Virology, Aggeu Magalhães Institute (IAM), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), 50670-420 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Caroline Targino Alves da Silva
- Laboratory of Virology and Experimental Therapy (LAVITE), Department of Virology, Aggeu Magalhães Institute (IAM), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), 50670-420 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Poliana Gomes da Silva
- Laboratory of Virology and Experimental Therapy (LAVITE), Department of Virology, Aggeu Magalhães Institute (IAM), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), 50670-420 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Jurandy Júnior Ferraz de Magalhães
- Laboratory of Virology and Experimental Therapy (LAVITE), Department of Virology, Aggeu Magalhães Institute (IAM), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), 50670-420 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.,Department of Virology, Pernambuco State Central Laboratory (LACEN/PE), 52171-011 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.,University of Pernambuco (UPE), Serra Talhada Campus, 56909-335 Serra Talhada, Pernambuco, Brazil.,Public Health Laboratory of the XI Regional Health, 56912-160 Serra Talhada, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Justin R J Vigar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3M2, Canada
| | - Abelardo Silva-Júnior
- Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL), 57072-900 Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil
| | - Alain Kohl
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow G61 1QH, United Kingdom
| | - Keith Pardee
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3M2, Canada.,Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Lindomar Pena
- Laboratory of Virology and Experimental Therapy (LAVITE), Department of Virology, Aggeu Magalhães Institute (IAM), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), 50670-420 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
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21
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kerkour R, Chafai N, Moumeni O, Chafaa S. Novel α-aminophosphonate derivates synthesis, theoretical calculation, Molecular docking, and in silico prediction of potential inhibition of SARS-CoV-2. J Mol Struct 2022; 1272:134196. [PMID: 36193287 PMCID: PMC9519172 DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2022.134196] [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: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Using the Density Functional Theory approach and in silico docking, the current study analyzes the inhibitory role of a novel α-aminophosphonate derivative against SARS-CoV-2 major protease (Mpro) and RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of SARS-CoV-2. FT-IR, UV–Vis, and NMR (1H, 13C, 31P) approaches were used to produce and confirm the novel α-aminophosphonate derivative. The quantum chemical parameters were detremined, and the reactivity of the synthesized molecule was discussed using DFT at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level. In addition, the inhibitory function of the investigated derivative for SARS-CoV-2 major protease (Mpro) and RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) was estimated using in silico docking. These discoveries could pave the way for novel SARS-CoV-2 therapies to develop and be tested.
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22
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Campagnola G, Govindarajan V, Pelletier A, Canard B, Peersen OB. The SARS-CoV nsp12 Polymerase Active Site Is Tuned for Large-Genome Replication. J Virol 2022; 96:e0067122. [PMID: 35924919 PMCID: PMC9400494 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00671-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Positive-strand RNA viruses replicate their genomes using virally encoded RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRP) with a common active-site structure and closure mechanism upon which replication speed and fidelity can evolve to optimize virus fitness. Coronaviruses (CoV) form large multicomponent RNA replication-transcription complexes containing a core RNA synthesis machine made of the nsp12 RdRP protein with one nsp7 and two nsp8 proteins as essential subunits required for activity. We show that assembly of this complex can be accelerated 5-fold by preincubation of nsp12 with nsp8 and further optimized with the use of a novel nsp8L7 heterodimer fusion protein construct. Using rapid kinetics methods, we measure elongation rates of up to 260 nucleotides (nt)/s for the core replicase, a rate that is unusually fast for a viral polymerase. To address the origin of this fast rate, we examined the roles of two CoV-specific residues in the RdRP active site: Ala547, which replaces a conserved glutamate above the bound NTP, and Ser759, which mutates the palm domain GDD sequence to SDD. Our data show that Ala547 allows for a doubling of replication rate, but this comes at a fidelity cost that is mitigated by using a SDD sequence in the palm domain. Our biochemical data suggest that fixation of mutations in polymerase motifs F and C played a key role in nidovirus evolution by tuning replication rate and fidelity to accommodate their large genomes. IMPORTANCE Replicating large genomes represents a challenge for RNA viruses because fast RNA synthesis is needed to escape innate immunity defenses, but faster polymerases are inherently low-fidelity enzymes. Nonetheless, the coronaviruses replicate their ≈30-kb genomes using the core polymerase structure and mechanism common to all positive-strand RNA viruses. The classic explanation for their success is that the large-genome nidoviruses have acquired an exonuclease-based repair system that compensates for the high polymerase mutation rate. In this work, we establish that the nidoviral polymerases themselves also play a key role in maintaining genome integrity via mutations at two key active-site residues that enable very fast replication rates while maintaining typical mutation rates. Our findings further demonstrate the evolutionary plasticity of the core polymerase platform by showing how it has adapted during the expansion from short-genome picornaviruses to long-genome nidoviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace Campagnola
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Vishnu Govindarajan
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Annelise Pelletier
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Bruno Canard
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Aix-Marseille Université CNRS UMR 7257, AFMB, Marseille, France
| | - Olve B. Peersen
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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23
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Gheshlaghi SZ, Nakhaei E, Ebrahimi A, Jafari M, Shahraki A, Rezazadeh S, Saberinasab E, Nowroozi A, Hosseini SS. Analysis of medicinal and therapeutic potential of Withania somnifera derivatives against COVID-19. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2022:1-11. [PMID: 35993530 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2112977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Apart from chemical and allopathic drugs, several medicinal plants contain phytochemicals that are potentially useful to counter the COVID-19 pandemic. Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha), which has a good effect on some viral infections, can be considered as a candidate against the virus. In the present study, thirty-nine natural compounds of Ashwagandha were investigated in terms of their binding to the important drug targets to treat the COVID-19. Although the molecular docking calculations reveal the binding affinities of the compounds to Mpro, TMPRSS2, NSP15, PLpro, Spike RBD + ACE2, RdRp and NSP12 as targets in controlling the coronavirus enzymes, Withanoside II is expected to be the most effective compound due to the high affinity in binding with many of considered targets. Furthermore, the Withanoside III, IV, V, X, and XI have favorable binding affinities as ligands with respect to the MM/GBSA calculations. The molecular dynamics simulations MD explore a stable hydrogen bond network between ligands and the active sites residues. Also, the dynamic fluctuations of the binding site residues verify their tight binding to ligands. Moreover, the stability of ligand-protein complexes is approved by the RMSD ranges lower than 0.5 Å in equilibration zone for all mentioned complexes. The TMPRSS2-Withanolide Q and Mpro-Withanoside IV complexes are the most stable pairs using the MM/GBSA calculations and MD simulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saman Zare Gheshlaghi
- Department of Chemistry, Computational Quantum Chemistry Laboratory, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran
| | - Ebrahim Nakhaei
- Department of Chemistry, Computational Quantum Chemistry Laboratory, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran
| | - Ali Ebrahimi
- Department of Chemistry, Computational Quantum Chemistry Laboratory, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran
| | - Majid Jafari
- Department of Plant Protection, Higher Education Complex of Saravan, College of Agriculture
| | - Asiyeh Shahraki
- Department of Chemistry, Computational Quantum Chemistry Laboratory, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran
| | - Shiva Rezazadeh
- Department of Chemistry, Computational Quantum Chemistry Laboratory, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran
| | - Erfan Saberinasab
- School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Alireza Nowroozi
- Department of Chemistry, Computational Quantum Chemistry Laboratory, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran
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Proteolytic Processing of the Coronavirus Replicase Nonstructural Protein 14 Exonuclease Is Not Required for Virus Replication but Alters RNA Synthesis and Viral Fitness. J Virol 2022; 96:e0084122. [PMID: 35924922 PMCID: PMC9400476 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00841-22] [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] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Coronaviruses (CoVs) initiate replication by translation of the positive-sense RNA genome into the replicase polyproteins connecting 16 nonstructural protein domains (nsp1-16), which are subsequently processed by viral proteases to yield mature nsp. For the betacoronavirus murine hepatitis virus (MHV), total inhibition of translation or proteolytic processing of replicase polyproteins results in rapid cessation of RNA synthesis. The nsp5-3CLpro (Mpro) processes nsps7-16, which assemble into functional replication-transcription complexes (RTCs), including the enzymatic nsp12-RdRp and nsp14-exoribonuclease (ExoN)/N7-methyltransferase. The nsp14-ExoN activity mediates RNA-dependent RNA proofreading, high-fidelity RNA synthesis, and replication. To date, the solved partial RTC structures, biochemistry, and models use or assume completely processed, mature nsp. Here, we demonstrate that in MHV, engineered deletion of the cleavage sites between nsp13-14 and nsp14-15 allowed recovery of replication-competent virus. Compared to wild-type (WT) MHV, the nsp13-14 and nsp14-15 cleavage deletion mutants demonstrated delayed replication kinetics, impaired genome production, altered abundance and patterns of recombination, and impaired competitive fitness. Further, the nsp13-14 and nsp14-15 mutant viruses demonstrated mutation frequencies that were significantly higher than with the WT. The results demonstrate that cleavage of nsp13-14 or nsp14-15 is not required for MHV viability and that functions of the RTC/nsp14-ExoN are impaired when assembled with noncleaved intermediates. These data will inform future genetic, structural, biochemical, and modeling studies of coronavirus RTCs and nsp 13, 14, and 15 and may reveal new approaches for inhibition or attenuation of CoV infection. IMPORTANCE Coronavirus replication requires proteolytic maturation of the nonstructural replicase proteins to form the replication-transcription complex. Coronavirus replication-transcription complex models assume mature subunits; however, mechanisms of coronavirus maturation and replicase complex formation have yet to be defined. Here, we show that for the coronavirus murine hepatitis virus, cleavage between the nonstructural replicase proteins nsp13-14 and nsp14-15 is not required for replication but does alter RNA synthesis and recombination. These results shed new light on the requirements for coronavirus maturation and replication-transcription complex assembly, and they may reveal novel therapeutic targets and strategies for attenuation.
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25
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Functional mutations of SARS-CoV-2: implications to viral transmission, pathogenicity and immune escape. Chin Med J (Engl) 2022; 135:1213-1222. [PMID: 35788093 PMCID: PMC9337262 DOI: 10.1097/cm9.0000000000002158] [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] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to major public health challenges globally. The increasing viral lineages identified indicate that the SARS-CoV-2 genome is evolving at a rapid rate. Viral genomic mutations may cause antigenic drift or shift, which are important ways by which SARS-CoV-2 escapes the human immune system and changes its transmissibility and virulence. Herein, we summarize the functional mutations in SARS-CoV-2 genomes to characterize its adaptive evolution to inform the development of vaccination, treatment as well as control and intervention measures.
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Troyano-Hernáez P, Reinosa R, Holguín Á. Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in Spain during the First Two Years of the Pandemic: Circulating Variants, Amino Acid Conservation, and Genetic Variability in Structural, Non-Structural, and Accessory Proteins. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23126394. [PMID: 35742840 PMCID: PMC9223475 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23126394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Monitoring SARS-CoV-2’s genetic diversity and emerging mutations in this ongoing pandemic is crucial to understanding its evolution and ensuring the performance of COVID-19 diagnostic tests, vaccines, and therapies. Spain has been one of the main epicenters of COVID-19, reaching the highest number of cases and deaths per 100,000 population in Europe at the beginning of the pandemic. This study aims to investigate the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Spain and its 18 Autonomous Communities across the six epidemic waves established from February 2020 to January 2022. We report on the circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants in each epidemic wave and Spanish region and analyze the mutation frequency, amino acid (aa) conservation, and most frequent aa changes across each structural/non-structural/accessory viral protein among the Spanish sequences deposited in the GISAID database during the study period. The overall SARS-CoV-2 mutation frequency was 1.24 × 10−5. The aa conservation was >99% in the three types of protein, being non-structural the most conserved. Accessory proteins had more variable positions, while structural proteins presented more aa changes per sequence. Six main lineages spread successfully in Spain from 2020 to 2022. The presented data provide an insight into the SARS-CoV-2 circulation and genetic variability in Spain during the first two years of the pandemic.
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Venkatesh G, Sixto-López Y, Vennila P, Mary YS, Correa-Basurto J, Mary YS, Manikandan A. An investigation on the molecular structure, interaction with metal clusters, anti-Covid-19 ability of 2-deoxy-D-glucose: DFT calculations, MD and docking simulations. J Mol Struct 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2022.132678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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28
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Sogukomerogullari HG. Molecular docking-assisted investigation of Pd(II) complexes carrying "SNS" pincer-type pyridine-thioether ligand as potential drug candidates against COVID-19. Comput Biol Med 2022; 145:105512. [PMID: 35429834 PMCID: PMC8994705 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.105512] [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: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed a threat to public health throughout the world since the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was discovered in late 2019. Since the beginning of the pandemic, scientists have done a tremendous amount of work in this area. However, among these studies, the investigation of the effect of newly synthesized compounds against coronavirus is rather weak. Examining the newly synthesized compounds with a computer-assisted molecular docking study provides quite an advantage in terms of the estimation and analysis of the biochemical activity and binding affinity of existing synthesized compounds against a biological target in a labor, time, and cost-saving way. In this study, the SNS pincer type 2,6-bis[[(4-methylphenyl)thio]methyl]pyridine ligand(L) (1) and its novel Pd(II) complexes ([Pd(κ2-L)(OAc)2]·3H2O (2) and [Pd(κ2-L)Cl2]·3H2O (3)) were synthesized and characterized by using FT-IR, UV-Vis, NMR, mass and elemental analysis techniques. The synthesized Pd complexes exhibited a square planar structure. The compounds were found to have non-electrolytic behavior. In the meantime, in silico investigations have defined and justified interaction processes between these molecules and Pd(II) at the atomic level. Furthermore, using molecular docking against target proteins of SARS-CoV-2, the efficiency of the SNS pincer type ligand and its Pd (II) complexes produced was studied and discussed for the first time. The experimental data has been supported and illuminated using computational visual methods and molecular docking, and the findings produced indicate compatibility. The binding energy values of the relevant compounds on the four protein model structures of SARS-CoV-2 (Main Protease, Papain-like protease, RdRp without RNA, and RdRp with RNA) are represented. Compound 2 ([Pd(κ2-L)(OAc)2]·3H2O) is the structure that exhibits the highest biochemical activity. According to all of the docking studies, Papain-like protease is the SARS-CoV-2 protein with which the three compounds exhibit mutual interaction. The compound 2 structure, in particular, is the most effective in terms of structural and interaction with the targets, as well as binding orientations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hatice Gamze Sogukomerogullari
- Medical Services and Techniques Department, Health Services Vocational School, Gaziantep University, 27310, Gaziantep, Turkey
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29
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Repurposing of Four Drugs as Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Agents and Their Interactions with Protein Targets. Sci Pharm 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/scipharm90020024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Although there are existing vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), new COVID-19 cases are increasing due to low immunization coverage and the emergence of new variants. For this reason, new drugs to treat and prevent severe COVID-19 are needed. Here, we provide four different FDA-approved drugs against SARS-CoV-2 proteins involved in the entry and replication process, aiming to identify potential drugs to treat COVID-19. We use the main protease (Mpro), the spike glycoprotein (S protein), and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) as protein targets for anti- SARS-CoV-2 drugs. In our constructed database, we selected different drugs against each target (Mpro, S protein, and RdRp) based on their common interactions with relevant residues involved in viral entry at the host cell and replication. Furthermore, their stability inside the binding pocket, as well as their predicted binding-free energy, allow us to provide new insight into the possible drug repurposing of viomycin (interacting with Mpro) due to its interactions with key residues, such as Asn 143, Glu 166, and Gln 189 at the same time as hesperidin (interacting with the S protein) is interacting with residues Tyr 449, Ser 494, and Thr 500, keeping inside the predicted binding pocket, as well as interacting with residues in different variants of concern. Finally, we also suggest nystatin and elvitegravir (interacting with RdRp) as possible drugs due to their stability within the predicted pocket along the simulation and their interaction with key residues, such as Asp 760, Asp 761, and Asp 618. Altogether our results provide new knowledge about the possible mechanism of the inhibition of viomycin, hesperidin, elvitegravir, and nystatin to inhibit the viral life cycle of SARS-CoV-2 and some of its variants of concern (VOC). Additionally, some iodide-based contrast agents were also found to bind the S protein strongly, i.e., iohexol (−58.99 Kcal/mol), iotrolan (−76.19 Kcal/mol), and ioxilan (−62.37 Kcal/mol). Despite the information we report here as the possible strong interaction between these contrast agents and the SARS-CoV-2′s S protein, Mpro, and RdRp, we believe that further investigation, including chemical modifications in their structures, are needed for COVID-19 treatment.
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30
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Yan Q, Liu X, Sun Y, Zeng W, Li Y, Zhao F, Wu K, Fan S, Zhao M, Chen J, Yi L. Swine Enteric Coronavirus: Diverse Pathogen–Host Interactions. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073953. [PMID: 35409315 PMCID: PMC8999375 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Swine enteric coronavirus (SeCoV) causes acute gastroenteritis and high mortality in newborn piglets. Since the last century, porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) have swept farms all over the world and caused substantial economic losses. In recent years, porcine delta coronavirus (PDCoV) and swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV) have been emerging SeCoVs. Some of them even spread across species, which made the epidemic situation of SeCoV more complex and changeable. Recent studies have begun to reveal the complex SeCoV–host interaction mechanism in detail. This review summarizes the current advances in autophagy, apoptosis, and innate immunity induced by SeCoV infection. These complex interactions may be directly involved in viral replication or the alteration of some signal pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quanhui Yan
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (Q.Y.); (X.L.); (Y.S.); (W.Z.); (Y.L.); (F.Z.); (K.W.); (S.F.); (M.Z.)
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Xiaodi Liu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (Q.Y.); (X.L.); (Y.S.); (W.Z.); (Y.L.); (F.Z.); (K.W.); (S.F.); (M.Z.)
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Yawei Sun
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (Q.Y.); (X.L.); (Y.S.); (W.Z.); (Y.L.); (F.Z.); (K.W.); (S.F.); (M.Z.)
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Weijun Zeng
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (Q.Y.); (X.L.); (Y.S.); (W.Z.); (Y.L.); (F.Z.); (K.W.); (S.F.); (M.Z.)
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Yuwan Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (Q.Y.); (X.L.); (Y.S.); (W.Z.); (Y.L.); (F.Z.); (K.W.); (S.F.); (M.Z.)
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Feifan Zhao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (Q.Y.); (X.L.); (Y.S.); (W.Z.); (Y.L.); (F.Z.); (K.W.); (S.F.); (M.Z.)
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Keke Wu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (Q.Y.); (X.L.); (Y.S.); (W.Z.); (Y.L.); (F.Z.); (K.W.); (S.F.); (M.Z.)
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Shuangqi Fan
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (Q.Y.); (X.L.); (Y.S.); (W.Z.); (Y.L.); (F.Z.); (K.W.); (S.F.); (M.Z.)
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Mingqiu Zhao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (Q.Y.); (X.L.); (Y.S.); (W.Z.); (Y.L.); (F.Z.); (K.W.); (S.F.); (M.Z.)
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Jinding Chen
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (Q.Y.); (X.L.); (Y.S.); (W.Z.); (Y.L.); (F.Z.); (K.W.); (S.F.); (M.Z.)
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Correspondence: (J.C.); (L.Y.); Tel.: +86-20-8528-8017 (J.C. & L.Y.)
| | - Lin Yi
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (Q.Y.); (X.L.); (Y.S.); (W.Z.); (Y.L.); (F.Z.); (K.W.); (S.F.); (M.Z.)
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Correspondence: (J.C.); (L.Y.); Tel.: +86-20-8528-8017 (J.C. & L.Y.)
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Zeng H, Gao X, Xu G, Zhang S, Cheng L, Xiao T, Zu W, Zhang Z. SARS-CoV-2 helicase NSP13 hijacks the host protein EWSR1 to promote viral replication by enhancing RNA unwinding activity. INFECTIOUS MEDICINE 2022. [PMCID: PMC8868009 DOI: 10.1016/j.imj.2021.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Clayton E, Rohaim MA, Bayoumi M, Munir M. The Molecular Virology of Coronaviruses with Special Reference to SARS-CoV-2. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2022; 1352:15-31. [PMID: 35132592 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-85109-5_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Coronaviruses (CoVs) are large, enveloped and positive-sense RNA viruses which are responsible for a range of upper respiratory and digestive tract infections. Interest in coronaviruses has recently escalated due to the identification of a newly emerged coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is the causative agent of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this chapter, we summarise molecular virological features of coronaviruses and understand their molecular mechanisms of replication in guiding the control of the global COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS We applied a holistic and comparative approach to assess the current understanding of coronavirus molecular virology and identify research gaps among different human coronaviruses. RESULTS Coronaviruses can utilise unique strategies that aid in their pathogenicity, replication and survival in multiple hosts. Replication of coronaviruses involves novel mechanisms such as ribosomal frameshifting and the synthesis of both genomic and sub-genomic RNAs. We summarised the key components in coronavirus molecular biology and molecular determinants of pathogenesis. Focusing largely on SARS-CoV-2 due to its current importance, this review explores the virology of recently emerged coronaviruses to gain an in-depth understanding of these infectious diseases. CONCLUSIONS The presented information provides fundamental bottlenecks to devise future disease control and management strategies to curtail the impact of coronaviruses in human populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Clayton
- Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Mohammed A Rohaim
- Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Mahmoud Bayoumi
- Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Muhammad Munir
- Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
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Celik I, Tallei TE. A computational comparative analysis of the binding mechanism of molnupiravir's active metabolite to RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of wild-type and Delta subvariant AY.4 of SARS-CoV-2. J Cell Biochem 2022; 123:807-818. [PMID: 35132671 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.30226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The antiviral drug molnupiravir targets the SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) enzyme. Early treatment with molnupiravir reduced the risk of hospitalization or death in at-risk, unvaccinated adults with COVID-19, according to phase 3 clinical trials. Many mutations have occurred within this virus as a result of its widespread distribution. The current study sought to determine whether mutations in the RdRP of Delta subvariant AY.4 (D-AY.4 RdRP) influence the interaction of the enzyme with molnupiravir triphosphate (MTP), the active metabolite of molnupiravir. The interactions between the wild-type (WT) RdRP and D-AY.4 RdRP with MTP were evaluated based on molecular docking and dynamic simulation (MD) studies. The results show that the MTP interaction is stronger and more stable with D-AY.4 RdRP than with WT RdRP. This study provides insight into the potential significance of administering MTP to patients infected with D-AY.4 RdRP, which may have a more favorable chance of alleviating the illness. According to the findings of this study, MTP has a high likelihood of becoming widely used as an anti-SARS-CoV-2 agent. The fact that MTP is not only cytotoxic but also mutagenic to mammalian cells, as well as the possibility that it may cause DNA damage in the host, have all been raised as potential concerns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismail Celik
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey
| | - Trina E Tallei
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Sam Ratulangi University, Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
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Uengwetwanit T, Chutiwitoonchai N, Wichapong K, Karoonuthaisiri N. Identification of novel SARS-CoV-2 RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibitors: From in silico screening to experimentally validated inhibitory activity. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:882-890. [PMID: 35136534 PMCID: PMC8813674 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in 2019 has posed a serious threat to global health and the economy for over two years, prompting the need for development of antiviral inhibitors. Due to its vital role in viral replication, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) is a promising therapeutic target. Herein, we analyzed amino acid sequence conservation of RdRp across coronaviruses. The conserved amino acids at the catalytic binding site served as the ligand-contacting residues for in silico screening to elucidate possible resistant mutation. Molecular docking was employed to screen inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 from the ZINC ChemDiv database. The top-ranked compounds selected from GOLD docking were further investigated for binding modes at the conserved residues of RdRp, and ten compounds were selected for experimental validation. Of which, three compounds exhibited promising antiviral activity. The most promising candidate showed a half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) of 5.04 µM. Molecular dynamics simulations, binding free-energy calculation and hydrogen bond analysis were performed to elucidate the critical interactions providing a foundation for developing lead compounds effective against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanaporn Uengwetwanit
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand
| | - Nopporn Chutiwitoonchai
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand
| | - Kanin Wichapong
- Department of Biochemistry, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Nitsara Karoonuthaisiri
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand
- Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University, Belfast, Biological Sciences Building, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, United Kingdom
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Hashemian SMR, Pourhanifeh MH, Hamblin MR, Shahrzad MK, Mirzaei H. RdRp inhibitors and COVID-19: Is molnupiravir a good option? Biomed Pharmacother 2022; 146:112517. [PMID: 34902743 PMCID: PMC8654603 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.112517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid changes in the viral genome allow viruses to evade threats posed by the host immune response or antiviral drugs, and can lead to viral persistence in the host cells. RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) is an essential enzyme in RNA viruses, which is involved in RNA synthesis through the formation of phosphodiester bonds. Therefore, in RNA viral infections such as SARS-CoV-2, RdRp could be a crucial therapeutic target. The present review discusses the promising application of RdRp inhibitors, previously approved or currently being tested in human clinical trials, in the treatment of RNA virus infections. Nucleoside inhibitors (NIs) bind to the active site of RdRp, while nonnucleoside inhibitors (NNIs) bind to allosteric sites. Given the absence of highly effective drugs for the treatment of COVID-19, the discovery of an efficient treatment for this pandemic is an urgent concern for researchers around the world. We review the evidence for molnupiravir (MK-4482, EIDD-2801), an antiviral drug originally designed for Alphavirus infections, as a potential preventive and therapeutic agent for the management of COVID-19. At the beginning of this pandemic, molnupiravir was in preclinical development for seasonal influenza. When COVID-19 spread dramatically, the timeline for development was accelerated to focus on the treatment of this pandemic. Real time consultation with regulators took place to expedite this program. We summarize the therapeutic potential of RdRp inhibitors, and highlight molnupiravir as a new small molecule drug for COVID-19 treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyed Mohammad Reza Hashemian
- Chronic Respiratory Diseases Research Center (CRDRC), National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Michael R. Hamblin
- Laser Research Centre, Faculty of Health Science, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa
| | - Mohammad Karim Shahrzad
- Department of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, ShohadaeTajrish Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Hamed Mirzaei
- Student Research Committee, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran; Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Institute for Basic Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, IR, Iran.
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Benavides MA. L-Methionine May Modulate the Assembly of SARS-CoV-2 by Interfering with the Mechanism of RNA Polymerase. Med Hypotheses 2022; 161:110798. [PMID: 35185264 PMCID: PMC8841269 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2022.110798] [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: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Coronaviruses have received worldwide attention following several severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemics. In 2019, the first case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-coronavirus 2 [CoV-2]) was reported. SARS-CoV-2 employs RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) for genome replication and gene transcription. Recent studies have identified a sulfur (S) metal-binding site in the zinc center structures of the RdRp complex. This metal-binding site is essential for the proper functioning of the viral helicase. We hypothesize that the use of essential nutrients can permeabilize the cell membranes. The oxidation of the metal-binding site occurs via analogs of the essential S-containing amino acid, l-Methionine. l-Methionine can operate as a carrier, and its binding would cause the potential disassembly of RdRp via the S complex and drive methyl donors via a possible countercurrent exchange mechanism and electrical-chemical gradient leading to SARS-CoV-2 replication failure. Our previously published hypothesis on the control of cancer cell proliferation suggests that the presence of a novel disulfide/methyl- adenosine triphosphate pump as an energy source would allow this process. The S binding site in l-Methionine serves as a potential target cofactor for SARS-CoV RdRp, thus providing a possible avenue for the future development of vaccines and antiviral therapeutic strategies to combat COVID-19.
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Sasidharan S, Sarkar N, Saudagar P. Discovery of compounds inhibiting SARS-COV-2 multi-targets. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2022; 41:2602-2617. [PMID: 34994297 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.2025149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a pandemic that has devastated the lives of millions. Researchers around the world are relentlessly working in hopes of finding a cure. Even though the virus shares similarities with reported SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV at the genomic and proteomic level, efforts to repurpose already known drugs against SARS-CoV-2 have resulted ineffective. In this succinct review, we discuss the different potential targets in SARS-CoV-2 at both the genomic and proteomic levels. In addition, we analyze the compounds inhibiting individual target protein as well as multiple targets of SARS-CoV-2. ACE-2 receptor in humans has also been considered a target, keeping the role of the receptor in mind. The mechanism of action of these compounds has also been highlighted along with their clinical manifestation. Towards the end of the review, a brief note on the drugs currently in clinical trials and the current status of the vaccines are also examined. In conclusion, compounds targeting multiple targets of the virus hold the key in putting an end to the coronavirus malady.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santanu Sasidharan
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology, Warangal, Telangana, India
| | - Neellohit Sarkar
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology, Warangal, Telangana, India
| | - Prakash Saudagar
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology, Warangal, Telangana, India
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Genomic, proteomic and metabolomic profiling of severe acute respiratory syndrome-Coronavirus-2. COMPUTATIONAL APPROACHES FOR NOVEL THERAPEUTIC AND DIAGNOSTIC DESIGNING TO MITIGATE SARS-COV-2 INFECTION 2022. [PMCID: PMC9300679 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-323-91172-6.00019-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is one of the worst human health problems faced by humanity in recent centuries. An end to this health crisis relies on our ability to monitor viral transmission dynamics to check spread, develop therapeutics and preventatives for treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection and understand the pathophysiology of the disease for better management of the patients. Omics technologies have played a crucial part in understanding the different aspects of COVID-19 disease. While whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 isolates from across the globe has aided in the development of molecular diagnostic assays and informed about the viral evolution, knowledge of structure and function of viral proteome fueled the development of small molecule and biologicals therapeutics as well as vaccines. Concurrently, metabolomic profiling of samples from COVID-19 patients experiencing a varying level of disease severity has provided a snapshot of the pathophysiology of the disease helping device effective treatment regimen. This chapter deals with genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic profiling of SRAS-CoV-2.
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39
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IMTIAZ F, PASHA MK. A systematic review of RdRp of SARS-CoV-2 through artificial intelligence and machine learning utilizing structure-based drug design strategy. Turk J Chem 2021; 46:583-594. [PMID: 37720604 PMCID: PMC10503974 DOI: 10.55730/1300-0527.3355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the coronavirus disease has been declared a global pandemic, it had posed a challenge among researchers and raised common awareness and collaborative efforts towards finding the solution. Caused by severe acute respiratory coronavirus syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2), coronavirus drug design strategy needs to be optimized. It is understandable that cognizance of the pathobiology of COVID-19 can help scientists in the development and discovery of therapeutically effective antiviral drugs by elucidating the unknown viral pathways and structures. Considering the role of artificial intelligence and machine learning with its advancements in the field of science, it is rational to use these methods which can aid in the discovery of new potent candidates in silico. Our review utilizes similar methodologies and focuses on RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), based on its importance as an essential element for virus replication and also a promising target for COVID-19 therapeutics. Artificial neural network technique was used to shortlist articles with the support of PRISMA, from different research platforms including Scopus, PubMed, PubChem, and Web of Science, through a combination of keywords. "English language", from the year "2000" and "published articles in journals" were selected to carry out this research. We summarized that structural details of the RdRp reviewed in this analysis will have the potential to be taken into consideration when developing therapeutic solutions and if further multidisciplinary efforts are taken in this domain then potential clinical candidates for RdRp of SARS-CoV-2 could be successfully delivered for experimental validations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fariha IMTIAZ
- Punjab University College of Pharmacy, University of the Punjab, Lahore,
Pakistan
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40
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Walker AP, Fan H, Keown JR, Knight ML, Grimes J, Fodor E. The SARS-CoV-2 RNA polymerase is a viral RNA capping enzyme. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:13019-13030. [PMID: 34850141 PMCID: PMC8682786 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab1160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 is a positive-sense RNA virus responsible for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which continues to cause significant morbidity, mortality and economic strain. SARS-CoV-2 can cause severe respiratory disease and death in humans, highlighting the need for effective antiviral therapies. The RNA synthesis machinery of SARS-CoV-2 is an ideal drug target and consists of non-structural protein 12 (nsp12), which is directly responsible for RNA synthesis, and numerous co-factors involved in RNA proofreading and 5' capping of viral RNAs. The formation of the 5' 7-methylguanosine (m7G) cap structure is known to require a guanylyltransferase (GTase) as well as a 5' triphosphatase and methyltransferases; however, the mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 RNA capping remains poorly understood. Here we find that SARS-CoV-2 nsp12 is involved in viral RNA capping as a GTase, carrying out the addition of a GTP nucleotide to the 5' end of viral RNA via a 5' to 5' triphosphate linkage. We further show that the nsp12 NiRAN (nidovirus RdRp-associated nucleotidyltransferase) domain performs this reaction, and can be inhibited by remdesivir triphosphate, the active form of the antiviral drug remdesivir. These findings improve understanding of coronavirus RNA synthesis and highlight a new target for novel or repurposed antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander P Walker
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Haitian Fan
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Jeremy R Keown
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Michael L Knight
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Jonathan M Grimes
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
- Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science & Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Ervin Fodor
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
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In search of SARS CoV-2 replication inhibitors: Virtual screening, molecular dynamics simulations and ADMET analysis. J Mol Struct 2021; 1246:131190. [PMID: 34334813 PMCID: PMC8313085 DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2021.131190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 07/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome has relapsed recently as novel coronavirus causing a life threat to the entire world in the absence of an effective therapy. To hamper the replication of the deadly SARS CoV-2 inside the host cells, systematic in silico virtual screening of total 267,324 ligands from Asinex EliteSynergy and BioDesign libraries has been performed using AutoDock Vina against RdRp. The molecular modeling studies revealed the identification of twenty-one macrocyclic hits (2-22) with better binding energy than remdesivir (1), marketed SARS CoV-2 inhibitor. Further, the analysis using rules for drug-likeness and their ADMET profile revealed the candidature of these hits due to superior oral bioavailability and druggability. Further, the MD simulation studies of top two hits (2 and 3) performed using GROMACS 2020.1 for 10 ns revealed their stability into the docked complexes. These results provide an important breakthrough in the design of macrocyclic hits as SARS CoV-2 RNA replicase inhibitor.
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Key Words
- ACE2, angiotensin converting enzyme 2
- ADMET assay
- ADMET, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity
- BBB, blood-brain barrier
- BOILED, brain or intestinal estimated permeation method
- COVID-19
- COVID-19, corona virus disease 2019
- E, envelope protein
- FDA, food and drugs administration
- HBA, hydrogen bond acceptor
- HBD, hydrogen bond donor
- HERG, human ether-a-go-go-related gene
- LOAEL, oral rat chronic toxicity
- M, membrane protein
- MD simulations
- MD, molecular dynamics
- Molecular docking
- N, nucleocapsid protein
- NSPs, non-structural proteins
- RdRp
- RdRp, RNA dependent RNA polymerase
- S, spike glycoprotein
- SARS CoV-2
- SARS CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome 2
- UTR, untranslated region
- WHO, world health organization
- pp1a/b, polyproteins
- ssRNA, single stranded ribonucleic acid
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Jamiu AT, Pohl CH, Bello S, Adedoja T, Sabiu S. A review on molecular docking analysis of phytocompounds against SARS-CoV-2 druggable targets. ALL LIFE 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/26895293.2021.2013327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Abdullahi Temitope Jamiu
- Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Nigeria
| | - Carolina H. Pohl
- Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Sharafa Bello
- Department of Biological Sciences, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Nigeria
| | - Toluwase Adedoja
- Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Saheed Sabiu
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa
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Lipopeptides against COVID-19 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase using molecular docking. Biomed J 2021; 44:S15-S24. [PMID: 34871815 PMCID: PMC8641408 DOI: 10.1016/j.bj.2021.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a novel virus that is responsible for the largest pandemic in recent times. Although numerous studies have explored methods to cope with COVID-19 and targeted drugs and vaccines have been developed, the spread of disease remains rapid due to the high infectivity and mutation capability of SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus of COVID-19. Therefore, there is an urgent necessity to seek more efficient treatments and approaches to combat the disease. Methods In this study, molecular docking was used to predict the binding of different lipopeptides, which exhibit significant biological functions, to the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (also known as nsp12) of SARS-CoV-2, the central component of coronaviral replication and transcription machinery. Results The results showed that seven lipopeptides bound to nsp12 at the same location as the FDA-approved drug remdesivir, with higher affinities. Notably, iron-chelating ferrocin A (ferrocin A–iron complex [FAC]) bound to nsp12 most tightly, releasing up to 9.1 kcal mol−1 of free energy. Protein-ligand interaction analysis revealed that FAC formed four hydrogen bonds, two hydrophobic interactions, and three salt bridges with nsp12. These active amino acids are mainly distributed in the fingers and thumb subdomains of nsp12 and are highly conserved. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the abovementioned lipopeptides can tightly bind to nsp12, and thus represent promising drug candidates for anti-coronaviral treatments with the potential to fight SARS-CoV-2.
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Dhankhar P, Dalal V, Kumar V. Screening of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase Inhibitors Using Computational Approach. J Comput Biol 2021; 28:1228-1247. [PMID: 34847746 DOI: 10.1089/cmb.2020.0639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The detrimental effect of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has manifested itself as a global crisis. Currently, no specific treatment options are available for COVID-19, so therapeutic interventions to tackle the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection must be urgently established. Therefore, cohesive and multidimensional efforts are required to identify new therapies or investigate the efficacy of small molecules and existing drugs against SARS-CoV-2. Since the RNA-dependent RNA Polymerase (RdRP) of SARS-CoV-2 is a promising therapeutic target, this study addresses the identification of antiviral molecules that can specifically target SARS-CoV-2 RdRP. The computational approach of drug development was used to screen the antiviral molecules from two antiviral libraries (Life Chemicals [LC] and ASINEX) against RdRP. Here, we report six antiviral molecules (F3407-4105, F6523-2250, F6559-0746 from LC and BDG 33693278, BDG 33693315, LAS 34156196 from ASINEX), which show substantial interactions with key amino acid residues of the active site of SARS-CoV-2 RdRP and exhibit higher binding affinity (>7.5 kcalmol-1) than Galidesivir, an Food and Drug Administration-approved inhibitor of the same. Further, molecular dynamics simulation and Molecular Mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area results confirmed that identified molecules with RdRP formed higher stable RdRP-inhibitor(s) complex than RdRP-Galidesvir complex. Our findings suggest that these molecules could be potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 RdRP. However, further in vitro and preclinical experiments would be required to validate these potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poonam Dhankhar
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Vikram Dalal
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Viney Kumar
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India
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Kim M, Cho H, Ahn DG, Jung HG, Seo HY, Kim JS, Lee YJ, Choi JY, Park IH, Shin JS, Kim SJ, Oh JW. In Vitro Replication Inhibitory Activity of Xanthorrhizol against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9111725. [PMID: 34829954 PMCID: PMC8615586 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9111725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In spite of the large number of repositioned drugs and direct-acting antivirals in clinical trials for the management of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there are few cost-effective therapeutic options for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus 2 (SCoV2) infection. In this paper, we show that xanthorrhizol (XNT), a bisabolane-type sesquiterpenoid compound isolated from the Curcuma xanthorrhizza Roxb., a ginger-line plant of the family Zingiberaceae, displays a potent antiviral efficacy in vitro against SCoV2 and other related coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-1 (SCoV1) and a common cold-causing human coronavirus. XNT reduced infectious SCoV2 titer by ~3-log10 at 20 μM and interfered with the replication of the SCoV1 subgenomic replicon, while it had no significant antiviral effects against hepatitis C virus and noroviruses. Further, XNT exerted similar antiviral functions against SCoV2 variants, such as a GH clade strain and a delta strain currently predominant worldwide. Neither SCoV2 entry into cells nor the enzymatic activity of viral RNA polymerase (Nsp12), RNA helicase (Nsp13), or the 3CL main protease (Nsp5) was inhibited by XNT. While its CoV replication inhibitory mechanism remains elusive, our results demonstrate that the traditional folk medicine XNT could be a promising antiviral candidate that inhibits a broad range of SCoV2 variants of concern and other related CoVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minwoo Kim
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Korea; (M.K.); (H.C.); (D.-G.A.); (H.-G.J.); (H.Y.S.); (J.-S.K.)
| | - Hee Cho
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Korea; (M.K.); (H.C.); (D.-G.A.); (H.-G.J.); (H.Y.S.); (J.-S.K.)
| | - Dae-Gyun Ahn
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Korea; (M.K.); (H.C.); (D.-G.A.); (H.-G.J.); (H.Y.S.); (J.-S.K.)
| | - Hae-Gwang Jung
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Korea; (M.K.); (H.C.); (D.-G.A.); (H.-G.J.); (H.Y.S.); (J.-S.K.)
| | - Han Young Seo
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Korea; (M.K.); (H.C.); (D.-G.A.); (H.-G.J.); (H.Y.S.); (J.-S.K.)
| | - Ji-Su Kim
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Korea; (M.K.); (H.C.); (D.-G.A.); (H.-G.J.); (H.Y.S.); (J.-S.K.)
| | - Youn-Jung Lee
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea; (Y.-J.L.); (J.Y.C.)
| | - Jun Yong Choi
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea; (Y.-J.L.); (J.Y.C.)
| | - In Ho Park
- Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea; (I.H.P.); (J.-S.S.)
| | - Jeon-Soo Shin
- Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea; (I.H.P.); (J.-S.S.)
- Department of Microbiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
| | - Seong-Jun Kim
- Center for Convergent Research of Emerging Virus Infection, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea;
| | - Jong-Won Oh
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Korea; (M.K.); (H.C.); (D.-G.A.); (H.-G.J.); (H.Y.S.); (J.-S.K.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-2-2123-2881; Fax: +82-2-362-7265
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Mravinec M, Bajc G, Butala M. Surface plasmon resonance approach to study drug interactions with SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase highlights treatment potential of suramin. J Virol Methods 2021; 298:114283. [PMID: 34534610 PMCID: PMC8439102 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2021.114283] [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: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) is essential for virus replication, therefore it is a promising drug target. Here we present a surface plasmon resonance approach to study the interaction of RdRp with drugs in real time. We monitored the effect of favipiravir, ribavirin, sofosbuvir triphosphate PSI-7409 and suramin on RdRp binding to RNA immobilized on the chip. Suramin precluded interaction of RdRp with RNA and even displaced RdRp from RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Mravinec
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia
| | - Gregor Bajc
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia
| | - Matej Butala
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia.
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Ahmad Mir S, Firoz A, Alaidarous M, Alshehri B, Aziz Bin Dukhyil A, Banawas S, Alsagaby SA, Alturaiki W, Ahmad Bhat G, Kashoo F, Abdel-Hadi AM. Identification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibitors from the major phytochemicals of Nigella sativa: An in silico approach. Saudi J Biol Sci 2021; 29:394-401. [PMID: 34518755 PMCID: PMC8426002 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which emerged in December 2019, continues to be a serious health concern worldwide. There is an urgent need to develop effective drugs and vaccines to control the spread of this disease. In the current study, the main phytochemical compounds of Nigella sativa were screened for their binding affinity for the active site of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) enzyme of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The binding affinity was investigated using molecular docking methods, and the interaction of phytochemicals with the RdRp active site was analyzed and visualized using suitable software. Out of the nine phytochemicals of N. sativa screened in this study, a significant docking score was observed for four compounds, namely α-hederin, dithymoquinone, nigellicine, and nigellidine. Based on the findings of our study, we report that α-hederin, which was found to possess the lowest binding energy (–8.6 kcal/mol) and hence the best binding affinity, is the best inhibitor of RdRp of SARS-CoV-2, among all the compounds screened here. Our results prove that the top four potential phytochemical molecules of N. sativa, especially α-hederin, could be considered for ongoing drug development strategies against SARS-CoV-2. However, further in vitro and in vivo testing are required to confirm the findings of this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shabir Ahmad Mir
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad Firoz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Ssaudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Alaidarous
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia.,Health and Basic Sciences Research Center, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia
| | - Bader Alshehri
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdul Aziz Bin Dukhyil
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saeed Banawas
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia.,Health and Basic Sciences Research Center, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Suliman A Alsagaby
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia
| | - Wael Alturaiki
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia
| | - Gulzar Ahmad Bhat
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Science, Srinagar, India
| | - Faizan Kashoo
- Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah-11952, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad M Abdel-Hadi
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia
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Tarannum H, Rashmi Km, Nandi S. Exploring the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) and RdRp targets by updating current structure-based drug design utilizing co-crystals to combat COVID-19. Curr Drug Targets 2021; 23:802-817. [PMID: 34488580 DOI: 10.2174/1389450122666210906154849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 07/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The unprecedented pandemic of COVID-19 caused by the novel strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) engulfs millions of death worldwide. It has directly hit the socio-economic status of the affected countries. There are more than 219 countries badly affected by the COVID-19. There are no particular small molecule inhibitors to combat the dreadful virus. Many antivirals, antimalarials, antiparasitic, antibacterials, immunosuppressive anti-inflammatory, and immune stimulatory agents have been repurposed for the treatment of COVID19. But the exact mechanism of action of these drugs towards COVID-19 targets has not been experimented with yet. Under the effect of chemotherapeutics, the virus may change its genetic material and produces various strains, which are the main reasons behind the dreadful attack of COVID-19. The nuclear genetic components are composed of main protease and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) which are responsible for producing nascent virion and viral replication in the host cells. To explore the biochemical mechanisms of various small molecule inhibitors, structure-based drug design can be attempted utilizing NMR crystallography. The process identifies and validates the target protein involved in the disease pathogenesis by the binding of a chemical ligand at a well-defined pocket on the protein surface. In this way, the mode of binding of the ligands inside the target cavity can be predicted for the design of potent SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heena Tarannum
- Six Sigma Institute of Technology and Science, Dineshpur, Rudrapur-263153. India
| | - Rashmi Km
- Global Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Kashipur-244713. India
| | - Sisir Nandi
- Global Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Kashipur-244713. India
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Jochheim FA, Tegunov D, Hillen HS, Schmitzová J, Kokic G, Dienemann C, Cramer P. The structure of a dimeric form of SARS-CoV-2 polymerase. Commun Biol 2021; 4:999. [PMID: 34429502 PMCID: PMC8385044 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02529-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 uses an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) to replicate and transcribe its genome. Previous structures of the RdRp revealed a monomeric enzyme composed of the catalytic subunit nsp12, two copies of subunit nsp8, and one copy of subunit nsp7. Here we report an alternative, dimeric form of the enzyme and resolve its structure at 5.5 Å resolution. In this structure, the two RdRps contain only one copy of nsp8 each and dimerize via their nsp7 subunits to adopt an antiparallel arrangement. We speculate that the RdRp dimer facilitates template switching during production of sub-genomic RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian A Jochheim
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Department of Molecular Biology, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dimitry Tegunov
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Department of Molecular Biology, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Hauke S Hillen
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Research Group Structure and Function of Molecular Machines, Göttingen, Germany
- University Medical Center Göttingen, Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jana Schmitzová
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Department of Molecular Biology, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Goran Kokic
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Department of Molecular Biology, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christian Dienemann
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Department of Molecular Biology, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Patrick Cramer
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Department of Molecular Biology, Göttingen, Germany.
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50
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A Novel Frameshifting Inhibitor Having Antiviral Activity against Zoonotic Coronaviruses. Viruses 2021; 13:v13081639. [PMID: 34452503 PMCID: PMC8402677 DOI: 10.3390/v13081639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent outbreaks of zoonotic coronaviruses, such as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), have caused tremendous casualties and great economic shock. Although some repurposed drugs have shown potential therapeutic efficacy in clinical trials, specific therapeutic agents targeting coronaviruses have not yet been developed. During coronavirus replication, a replicase gene cluster, including RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), is alternatively translated via a process called -1 programmed ribosomal frameshift (−1 PRF) by an RNA pseudoknot structure encoded in viral RNAs. The coronavirus frameshifting has been identified previously as a target for antiviral therapy. In this study, the frameshifting efficiencies of MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 were determined using an in vitro −1 PRF assay system. Our group has searched approximately 9689 small molecules to identify potential −1 PRF inhibitors. Herein, we found that a novel compound, 2-(5-acetylthiophen-2yl)furo[2,3-b]quinoline (KCB261770), inhibits the frameshifting of MERS-CoV and effectively suppresses viral propagation in MERS-CoV-infected cells. The inhibitory effects of 87 derivatives of furo[2,3-b]quinolines were also examined showing less prominent inhibitory effect when compared to compound KCB261770. We demonstrated that KCB261770 inhibits the frameshifting without suppressing cap-dependent translation. Furthermore, this compound was able to inhibit the frameshifting, to some extent, of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, the novel compound 2-(5-acetylthiophen-2yl)furo[2,3-b]quinoline may serve as a promising drug candidate to interfere with pan-coronavirus frameshifting.
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