1
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Godoy AS, Mesquita NCMR, Noske GD, Gawriljuk VO, Lithgo RM, Balcomb BH, Aschenbrenner JC, Tomlinson CWE, Winokan M, Scheen J, Marples PG, Chandran AV, Ni X, Thompson W, Fairhead M, Fearon D, Koekemoer L, Xavier MAE, Walsh M, Oliva G, von Delft F. High-throughput crystallographic fragment screening of Zika virus NS3 Helicase. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.27.591279. [PMID: 38746241 PMCID: PMC11092484 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.27.591279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
The Zika virus (ZIKV), discovered in Africa in 1947, swiftly spread across continents, causing significant concern due to its recent association with microcephaly in newborns and Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults. Despite a decrease in prevalence, the potential for a resurgence remains, necessitating urgent therapeutic interventions. Like other flaviviruses, ZIKV presents promising drug targets within its replication machinery, notably the NS3 helicase (NS3Hel) protein, which plays critical roles in viral replication. However, a lack of structural information impedes the development of specific inhibitors targeting NS3Hel. Here we applied high-throughput crystallographic fragment screening on ZIKV NS3Hel, which yielded structures that reveal 3D binding poses of 46 fragments at multiple sites of the protein, including 11 unique fragments in the RNA-cleft site. These fragment structures provide templates for direct design of hit compounds and should thus assist the development of novel direct-acting antivirals against ZIKV and related flaviviruses, thus opening a promising avenue for combating future outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andre S Godoy
- São Carlos Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, Av. João Dagnone, 1100 - Jardim Santa Angelina, São Carlos, 13563-120, Brazil
- ASAP Discovery Consortium: asapdiscovery.org
| | - Nathalya C M R Mesquita
- São Carlos Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, Av. João Dagnone, 1100 - Jardim Santa Angelina, São Carlos, 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Dias Noske
- São Carlos Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, Av. João Dagnone, 1100 - Jardim Santa Angelina, São Carlos, 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Victor Oliveira Gawriljuk
- São Carlos Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, Av. João Dagnone, 1100 - Jardim Santa Angelina, São Carlos, 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Ryan M Lithgo
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
- Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot, OX11 0FA, UK
- ASAP Discovery Consortium: asapdiscovery.org
| | - Blake H Balcomb
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
- Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot, OX11 0FA, UK
- ASAP Discovery Consortium: asapdiscovery.org
| | - Jasmin Cara Aschenbrenner
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
- Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot, OX11 0FA, UK
- ASAP Discovery Consortium: asapdiscovery.org
| | - Charles W E Tomlinson
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
- Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot, OX11 0FA, UK
- ASAP Discovery Consortium: asapdiscovery.org
| | - Max Winokan
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
- Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot, OX11 0FA, UK
- ASAP Discovery Consortium: asapdiscovery.org
| | - Jenke Scheen
- Open Molecular Sciences Foundation, Davis, CA 95618, USA
- ASAP Discovery Consortium: asapdiscovery.org
| | - Peter George Marples
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
- Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot, OX11 0FA, UK
- ASAP Discovery Consortium: asapdiscovery.org
| | - Anu V Chandran
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
- Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot, OX11 0FA, UK
- ASAP Discovery Consortium: asapdiscovery.org
| | - Xiaomin Ni
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
- Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot, OX11 0FA, UK
- ASAP Discovery Consortium: asapdiscovery.org
| | - Warren Thompson
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
- Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot, OX11 0FA, UK
- ASAP Discovery Consortium: asapdiscovery.org
| | - Michael Fairhead
- Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building, Old Road Campus, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7FZ, UK
- ASAP Discovery Consortium: asapdiscovery.org
| | - Daren Fearon
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
- Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot, OX11 0FA, UK
- ASAP Discovery Consortium: asapdiscovery.org
| | - Lizbé Koekemoer
- Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building, Old Road Campus, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7FZ, UK
- ASAP Discovery Consortium: asapdiscovery.org
| | - Mary-Ann Elvina Xavier
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
- Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot, OX11 0FA, UK
- Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building, Old Road Campus, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7FZ, UK
- ASAP Discovery Consortium: asapdiscovery.org
| | - Martin Walsh
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
- Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot, OX11 0FA, UK
- ASAP Discovery Consortium: asapdiscovery.org
| | - Glaucius Oliva
- São Carlos Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, Av. João Dagnone, 1100 - Jardim Santa Angelina, São Carlos, 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Frank von Delft
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
- Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Ave, Didcot, OX11 0FA, UK
- Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building, Old Road Campus, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7FZ, UK
- ASAP Discovery Consortium: asapdiscovery.org
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Tsukamoto Y, Igarashi M, Kato H. Targeting cap1 RNA methyltransferases as an antiviral strategy. Cell Chem Biol 2024; 31:86-99. [PMID: 38091983 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2023.11.011] [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: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
Methylation is one of the critical modifications that regulates numerous biological processes. Guanine capping and methylation at the 7th position (m7G) have been shown to mature mRNA for increased RNA stability and translational efficiency. The m7G capped cap0 RNA remains immature and requires additional methylation at the first nucleotide (N1-2'-O-Me), designated as cap1, to achieve full maturation. This cap1 RNA with N1-2'-O-Me prevents its recognition by innate immune sensors as non-self. Viruses have also evolved various strategies to produce self-like capped RNAs with the N1-2'-O-Me that potentially evades the antiviral response and establishes an efficient replication. In this review, we focus on the importance of the presence of N1-2'-O-Me in viral RNAs and discuss the potential for drug development by targeting host and viral N1-2'-O-methyltransferases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuta Tsukamoto
- Institute of Cardiovascular Immunology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Manabu Igarashi
- Division of Global Epidemiology, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan; International Collaboration Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Hiroki Kato
- Institute of Cardiovascular Immunology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
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3
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Anderson J, Grillo MJ, Harki DA. Development of Allosteric NIK Ligands from Fragment-Based NMR Screening. ACS Med Chem Lett 2023; 14:1815-1820. [PMID: 38116406 PMCID: PMC10726469 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.3c00429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
NF-κB inducing kinase (NIK) is vital for the induction of many immune responses, and as such, NIK dysregulation has been implicated in various inflammatory diseases and cancers. NIK has been pursued as a potential therapeutic target, and small-molecule inhibitors that bind the orthosteric site on NIK have been reported. However, despite the established chemical matter, NIK inhibitors have not yet reached the clinic. With the goal of developing allosteric NIK ligands using a fragment-based NMR screening approach, we report the identification and development of a series of allosteric, fragment-sized NIK ligands that bind with micromolar potency and good ligand efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared
J. Anderson
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Michael J. Grillo
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Daniel A. Harki
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
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4
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Mensah IK, Norvil AB, He M, Lendy E, Hjortland N, Tan H, Pomerantz RT, Mesecar A, Gowher H. Development of a sensitive microplate assay for characterizing RNA methyltransferase activity: Implications for epitranscriptomics and drug development. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:105257. [PMID: 37716702 PMCID: PMC10582764 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105257] [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: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA methylation is a ubiquitous post-transcriptional modification found in diverse RNA classes and is a critical regulator of gene expression. In this study, we used Zika virus RNA methyltransferase (MTase) to develop a highly sensitive microplate assay that uses a biotinylated RNA substrate and radiolabeled AdoMet coenzyme. The assay is fast, highly reproducible, exhibits linear progress-curve kinetics under multiple turnover conditions, has high sensitivity in competitive inhibition assays, and significantly lower background levels compared with the currently used method. Using our newly developed microplate assay, we observed no significant difference in the catalytic constants of the full-length nonstructural protein 5 enzyme and the truncated MTase domain. These data suggest that, unlike the Zika virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity, the MTase activity is unaffected by RNA-dependent RNA polymerase-MTase interdomain interaction. Given its quantitative nature and accuracy, this method can be used to characterize various RNA MTases, and, therefore, significantly contribute to the field of epitranscriptomics and drug development against infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaiah K Mensah
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Allison B Norvil
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Ming He
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Emma Lendy
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Nicole Hjortland
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Hern Tan
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Richard T Pomerantz
- Department Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Andrew Mesecar
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Humaira Gowher
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.
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5
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Li R, Niu Z, Liu Y, Bai X, Wang D, Chen C. Crystal structure and cap binding analysis of the methyltransferase of langat virus. Antiviral Res 2022; 208:105459. [PMID: 36347437 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2022.105459] [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: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a major dangerous human pathogen, as TBEV infection can cause serious illness that can lead to irreversible neurological sequelae and even death. Langat virus (LGTV), a member of the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) serogroup, belongs to the family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus. Its nonstructural protein 5 (NS5) protein contains a methyltransferase (MTase) domain that can methylate RNA cap structures, which is critical for viral replication. We determined the structure of LGTV NS5 methyltransferase bound to S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (SAH) at a 1.70 Å resolution. Sequence analysis and structural comparison of homologous MTases suggests that folds and structures are closely conserved throughout Flavivirus species and play important roles. This study provides the key structural information on LGTV MTase and the foundation for research on antiviral drugs targeting LGTV MTase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruixue Li
- School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Ziping Niu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Yujie Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Xue Bai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Deping Wang
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology at Shanxi Medical University, Ministry of Education, the Department of Physiology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China.
| | - Chen Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China.
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6
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Bedwell E, McCarthy WJ, Coyne AG, Abell C. Development of potent inhibitors by fragment-linking strategies. Chem Biol Drug Des 2022; 100:469-486. [PMID: 35854428 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.14120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) is a method of identifying small molecule hits that can be elaborated rationally through fragment growing, merging, and linking, to afford high affinity ligands for biological targets. Despite the promised theoretical potential of fragment linking, examples are still surprisingly sparse and remain overshadowed by the successes of fragment growing. The aim of this review is to outline a number of key examples of fragment linking strategies and discuss their strengths and limitations. Structure-based approaches including X-ray crystallography and in silico methods fragment optimisation are discussed, as well as fragment linking guided by NMR experiments. Target-guided approaches, exploiting the biological target to assemble its own inhibitors through dynamic combinatorial chemistry (DCC) and kinetic target-guided synthesis (KTGS), are identified as alternative efficient methods for fragment linking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Bedwell
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambrdige, United Kingdom
| | - William J McCarthy
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambrdige, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony G Coyne
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambrdige, United Kingdom
| | - Chris Abell
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambrdige, United Kingdom
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7
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Toti D, Macari G, Barbierato E, Polticelli F. FGDB: a comprehensive graph database of ligand fragments from the Protein Data Bank. Database (Oxford) 2022; 2022:6619197. [PMID: 35763362 PMCID: PMC9239314 DOI: 10.1093/database/baac044] [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: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
This work presents Fragment Graph DataBase (FGDB), a graph database of ligand fragments extracted and generated from the protein entries available in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). FGDB is meant to support and elicit campaigns of fragment-based drug design, by enabling users to query it in order to construct ad hoc, target-specific libraries. In this regard, the database features more than 17 000 fragments, typically small, highly soluble and chemically stable molecules expressed via their canonical Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry System (SMILES) representation. For these fragments, the database provides information related to their contact frequencies with the amino acids, the ligands they are contained in and the proteins the latter bind to. The graph database can be queried via standard web forms and textual searches by a number of identifiers (SMILES, ligand and protein PDB ids) as well as via graphical queries that can be performed against the graph itself, providing users with an intuitive and effective view upon the underlying biological entities. Further search mechanisms via advanced conjunctive/disjunctive/negated textual queries are also possible, in order to allow scientists to look for specific relationships and export their results for further studies. This work also presents two sample use cases where maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase and mesotrypsin are used as a target, being proteins of high biomedical relevance for the development of cancer therapies. Database URL: http://biochimica3.bio.uniroma3.it/fragments-web/
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Toti
- Department of Mathematics and Physics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences , via della Garzetta 48, Brescia 25133, Italy
| | - Gabriele Macari
- Department of Sciences, Roma Tre University , viale Marconi 446, Roma, Lazio 00146, Italy
| | - Enrico Barbierato
- Department of Mathematics and Physics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences , via della Garzetta 48, Brescia 25133, Italy
| | - Fabio Polticelli
- Department of Sciences, Roma Tre University , viale Marconi 446, Roma, Lazio 00146, Italy
- Roma Tre Section, National Institute of Nuclear Physics , via della Vasca Navale 84, Roma 00146, Italy
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8
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Fischer TR, Meidner L, Schwickert M, Weber M, Zimmermann RA, Kersten C, Schirmeister T, Helm M. Chemical biology and medicinal chemistry of RNA methyltransferases. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:4216-4245. [PMID: 35412633 PMCID: PMC9071492 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA methyltransferases (MTases) are ubiquitous enzymes whose hitherto low profile in medicinal chemistry, contrasts with the surging interest in RNA methylation, the arguably most important aspect of the new field of epitranscriptomics. As MTases become validated as drug targets in all major fields of biomedicine, the development of small molecule compounds as tools and inhibitors is picking up considerable momentum, in academia as well as in biotech. Here we discuss the development of small molecules for two related aspects of chemical biology. Firstly, derivates of the ubiquitous cofactor S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) are being developed as bioconjugation tools for targeted transfer of functional groups and labels to increasingly visible targets. Secondly, SAM-derived compounds are being investigated for their ability to act as inhibitors of RNA MTases. Drug development is moving from derivatives of cosubstrates towards higher generation compounds that may address allosteric sites in addition to the catalytic centre. Progress in assay development and screening techniques from medicinal chemistry have led to recent breakthroughs, e.g. in addressing human enzymes targeted for their role in cancer. Spurred by the current pandemic, new inhibitors against coronaviral MTases have emerged at a spectacular rate, including a repurposed drug which is now in clinical trial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim R Fischer
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128Mainz, Germany
| | - Laurenz Meidner
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128Mainz, Germany
| | - Marvin Schwickert
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128Mainz, Germany
| | - Marlies Weber
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128Mainz, Germany
| | - Robert A Zimmermann
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128Mainz, Germany
| | - Christian Kersten
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128Mainz, Germany
| | - Tanja Schirmeister
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128Mainz, Germany
| | - Mark Helm
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128Mainz, Germany
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Abstract
Flaviviruses such as dengue, Japanese encephalitis, West Nile, Yellow Fever and Zika virus, cause viral hemorrhagic fever and encephalitis in humans. However, antiviral therapeutics to treat or prevent flavivirus infections are not yet available. Thus, there is pressing need to develop therapeutics and vaccines that target flavivirus infections. All flaviviruses carry a positive-sense single-stranded RNA genome, which encodes ten proteins; three structural proteins form the virus shell, and seven nonstructural (NS) proteins are involved in replication of the viral genome. While all NS proteins (NS1, NS2A, NS2B, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, and NS5) are part of a functional membrane-bound replication complex, enzymatic activities required for flaviviral replication reside in only two NS proteins, NS3 and NS5. NS3 functions as a protease, helicase, and triphosphatase, and NS5 as a capping enzyme, methyltransferase, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. In this chapter, we provide an overview of viral replication focusing on the structure and function of NS3 and NS5 replicases. We further describe strategies and examples of current efforts to identify potential flavivirus inhibitors against NS3 and NS5 enzymatic activities that can be developed as therapeutic agents to combat flavivirus infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Knyazhanskaya
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Marc C Morais
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Kyung H Choi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States.
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10
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Identification and evaluation of potential SARS-CoV-2 antiviral agents targeting mRNA cap guanine N7-Methyltransferase. Antiviral Res 2021; 193:105142. [PMID: 34303749 PMCID: PMC8299157 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2021.105142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2, the cause of the currently ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, encodes its own mRNA capping machinery. Insights into this capping system may provide new ideas for therapeutic interventions and drug discovery. In this work, we employ a previously developed Py-FLINT screening approach to study the inhibitory effects of compounds against the cap guanine N7-methyltransferase enzyme, which is involved in SARS-CoV-2 mRNA capping. We screened five commercially available libraries (7039 compounds in total) to identify 83 inhibitors with IC50 < 50 μM, which were further validated using RP HPLC and dot blot assays. Novel fluorescence anisotropy binding assays were developed to examine the targeted binding site. The inhibitor structures were analyzed for structure-activity relationships in order to define common structural patterns. Finally, the most potent inhibitors were tested for antiviral activity on SARS-CoV-2 in a cell based assay.
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11
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Kasprzyk R, Jemielity J. Enzymatic Assays to Explore Viral mRNA Capping Machinery. Chembiochem 2021; 22:3236-3253. [PMID: 34291555 PMCID: PMC8426721 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
In eukaryotes, mRNA is modified by the addition of the 7-methylguanosine (m7 G) 5' cap to protect mRNA from premature degradation, thereby enhancing translation and enabling differentiation between self (endogenous) and non-self RNAs (e. g., viral ones). Viruses often develop their own mRNA capping pathways to augment the expression of their proteins and escape host innate immune response. Insights into this capping system may provide new ideas for therapeutic interventions and facilitate drug discovery, e. g., against viruses that cause pandemic outbreaks, such as beta-coronaviruses SARS-CoV (2002), MARS-CoV (2012), and the most recent SARS-CoV-2. Thus, proper methods for the screening of large compound libraries are required to identify lead structures that could serve as a basis for rational antiviral drug design. This review summarizes the methods that allow the monitoring of the activity and inhibition of enzymes involved in mRNA capping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Kasprzyk
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2c, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland.,College of Inter-Faculty Individual Studies in Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2c, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jacek Jemielity
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2c, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
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12
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Choudhury C. Fragment tailoring strategy to design novel chemical entities as potential binders of novel corona virus main protease. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2021; 39:3733-3746. [PMID: 32452282 PMCID: PMC7284137 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2020.1771424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The recent pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (COVID-19) has put the world on serious alert. The main protease of SARS-CoV-2 (SARS-CoV-2-MPro) cleaves the long polyprotein chains to release functional proteins required for replication of the virus and thus is a potential drug target to design new chemical entities in order to inhibit the viral replication in human cells. The current study employs state of art computational methods to design novel molecules by linking molecular fragments which specifically bind to different constituent sub-pockets of the SARS-CoV-2-MPro binding site. A huge library of 191678 fragments was screened against the binding cavity of SARS-CoV-2-MPro and high affinity fragments binding to adjacent sub-pockets were tailored to generate new molecules. These newly formed molecules were further subjected to molecular docking, ADMET filters and MM-GBSA binding energy calculations to select 17 best molecules (named as MP-In1 to MP-In17), which showed comparable binding affinities and interactions with the key binding site residues as the reference ligand. The complexes of these 17 molecules and the reference molecule with SARS-CoV-2-MPro, were subjected to molecular dynamics simulations, which assessed the stabilities of their binding with SARS-CoV-2-MPro. Fifteen molecules were found to form stable complexes with SARS-CoV-2-MPro. These novel chemical entities designed specifically according to the pharmacophoric requirements of SARS-CoV-2-MPro binding pockets showed good synthetic feasibility and returned no exact match when searched against chemical databases. Considering their interactions, binding efficiencies and novel chemotypes, they can be further evaluated as potential starting points for SARS-CoV-2 drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chinmayee Choudhury
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Biotechnology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
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13
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Kim J, Park SJ, Park J, Shin H, Jang YS, Woo JS, Min DH. Identification of a Direct-Acting Antiviral Agent Targeting RNA Helicase via a Graphene Oxide Nanobiosensor. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:25715-25726. [PMID: 34036784 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c04641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Dengue virus (DENV), an arbovirus transmitted by mosquitoes, causes infectious diseases such as dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever, and dengue shock syndrome. Despite the dangers posed by DENV, there are no approved antiviral drugs for treatment of DENV infection. Considering the potential for a global dengue outbreak, rapid development of antiviral agents against DENV infections is crucial as a preemptive measure; thus, the selection of apparent drug targets, such as the viral enzymes involved in the viral life cycle, is recommended. Helicase, a potential drug target in DENV, is a crucial viral enzyme that unwinds double-stranded viral RNA, releasing single-stranded RNA genomes during viral replication. Therefore, an inhibitor of helicase activity could serve as a direct-acting antiviral agent. Here, we introduce an RNA helicase assay based on graphene oxide, which enables fluorescence-based analysis of RNA substrate-specific helicase enzyme activity. This assay demonstrated high reliability and ability for high-throughput screening, identifying a new helicase inhibitor candidate, micafungin (MCFG), from an FDA-approved drug library. As a direct-acting antiviral agent targeting RNA helicase, MCFG inhibits DENV proliferation in cells and an animal model. Notably, in vivo, MCFG treatment reduced viremia, inflammatory cytokine levels, and viral loads in several tissues and improved survival rates by up to 40% in a lethal mouse model. Therefore, we suggest MCFG as a potential direct-acting antiviral drug candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jungho Kim
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Se-Jin Park
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Jisang Park
- Department of Bioactive Material Sciences and Institute of Bioactive Materials, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of Korea
- Department of Molecular Biology and the Institute for Molecular Biology and Genetics, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of Korea
| | - Hojeong Shin
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong-Suk Jang
- Department of Bioactive Material Sciences and Institute of Bioactive Materials, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of Korea
- Department of Molecular Biology and the Institute for Molecular Biology and Genetics, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae-Sung Woo
- Center for RNA Research, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Dal-Hee Min
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Biotherapeutics Convergence Technology, Lemonex Inc., Seoul 06683, Republic of Korea
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14
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Di Fruscia P, Edfeldt F, Shamovsky I, Collie GW, Aagaard A, Barlind L, Börjesson U, Hansson EL, Lewis RJ, Nilsson MK, Öster L, Pemberton J, Ripa L, Storer RI, Käck H. Fragment-Based Discovery of Novel Allosteric MEK1 Binders. ACS Med Chem Lett 2021; 12:302-308. [PMID: 33603979 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.0c00563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The MEK1 kinase plays a critical role in key cellular processes, and as such, its dysfunction is strongly linked to several human diseases, particularly cancer. MEK1 has consequently received considerable attention as a drug target, and a significant number of small-molecule inhibitors of this kinase have been reported. The majority of these inhibitors target an allosteric pocket proximal to the ATP binding site which has proven to be highly druggable, with four allosteric MEK1 inhibitors approved to date. Despite the significant attention that the MEK1 allosteric site has received, chemotypes which have been shown structurally to bind to this site are limited. With the aim of discovering novel allosteric MEK1 inhibitors using a fragment-based approach, we report here a screening method which resulted in the discovery of multiple allosteric MEK1 binders, one series of which was optimized to sub-μM affinity for MEK1 with promising physicochemical and ADMET properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Di Fruscia
- Structure Biophysics & Fragments, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge CB4 0WG, United Kingdom
| | - Fredrik Edfeldt
- Structure Biophysics & Fragments, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg 431 83, Sweden
| | - Igor Shamovsky
- Medicinal Chemistry, Research & Early Development, Respiratory & Immunology, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg 431 83, Sweden
| | - Gavin W. Collie
- Structure Biophysics & Fragments, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge CB4 0WG, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Aagaard
- Structure Biophysics & Fragments, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg 431 83, Sweden
| | - Louise Barlind
- Discovery Biology, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg 431 83, Sweden
| | - Ulf Börjesson
- Structure Biophysics & Fragments, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg 431 83, Sweden
| | - Eva L. Hansson
- Mechanistic Biology and Profiling, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg 431 83, Sweden
| | - Richard J. Lewis
- Medicinal Chemistry, Research & Early Development, Respiratory & Immunology, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg 431 83, Sweden
| | - Magnus K. Nilsson
- Medicinal Chemistry, Research & Early Development, Respiratory & Immunology, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg 431 83, Sweden
| | - Linda Öster
- Structure Biophysics & Fragments, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg 431 83, Sweden
| | - Josefine Pemberton
- Structure Biophysics & Fragments, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg 431 83, Sweden
| | - Lena Ripa
- Medicinal Chemistry, Research & Early Development, Respiratory & Immunology, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg 431 83, Sweden
| | - R. Ian Storer
- Structure Biophysics & Fragments, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge CB4 0WG, United Kingdom
| | - Helena Käck
- Structure Biophysics & Fragments, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg 431 83, Sweden
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15
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Choubey SK, Nachiappan M, Richard M, Chitra JP, Jeyakanthan J. Structural and functional insights of STAT2-NS5 interaction for the identification of NS5 antagonist – An approach for restoring interferon signaling. Comput Biol Chem 2020; 88:107332. [DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2020.107332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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16
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Kasprzyk R, Fido M, Mamot A, Wanat P, Smietanski M, Kopcial M, Cowling VH, Kowalska J, Jemielity J. Direct High-Throughput Screening Assay for mRNA Cap Guanine-N7 Methyltransferase Activity. Chemistry 2020; 26:11266-11275. [PMID: 32259329 PMCID: PMC7262028 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202001036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
In eukaryotes, mature mRNA is formed through modifications of precursor mRNA, one of which is 5' cap biosynthesis, involving RNA cap guanine-N7 methyltransferase (N7-MTase). N7-MTases are also encoded by some eukaryotic viruses and facilitate their replication. N7-MTase inhibitors have therapeutic potential, but their discovery is difficult because long RNA substrates are usually required for activity. Herein, we report a universal N7-MTase activity assay based on small-molecule fluorescent probes. We synthesized 12 fluorescent substrate analogues (GpppA and GpppG derivatives) varying in the dye type, dye attachment site, and linker length. GpppA labeled with pyrene at the 3'-O position of adenosine acted as an artificial substrate with the properties of a turn-off probe for all three tested N7-MTases (human, parasite, and viral). Using this compound, a N7-MTase inhibitor assay adaptable to high-throughput screening was developed and used to screen synthetic substrate analogues and a commercial library. Several inhibitors with nanomolar activities were identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Kasprzyk
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2c, 02097, Warsaw, Poland.,College of Inter-Faculty Individual Studies in Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2c, 02097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Mateusz Fido
- Division of Biophysics, Institute of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 5, 02093, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Adam Mamot
- Division of Biophysics, Institute of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 5, 02093, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Przemyslaw Wanat
- Division of Biophysics, Institute of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 5, 02093, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Miroslaw Smietanski
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2c, 02097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Michal Kopcial
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2c, 02097, Warsaw, Poland.,College of Inter-Faculty Individual Studies in Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2c, 02097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Victoria H Cowling
- Centre of Gene Regulation and Expression, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DD1 5EH, Dundee, UK
| | - Joanna Kowalska
- Division of Biophysics, Institute of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 5, 02093, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jacek Jemielity
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2c, 02097, Warsaw, Poland
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17
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Dash RN, Moharana AK, Subudhi BB. Sulfonamides: Antiviral Strategy for Neglected Tropical Disease Virus. CURR ORG CHEM 2020. [DOI: 10.2174/1385272824999200515094100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The viral infections are a threat to the health system around the globe. Although
more than 60 antiviral drugs have been approved by the FDA, most of them are for the
management of few viruses like HIV, Hepatitis and Influenza. There is no antiviral for
many viruses including Dengue, Chikungunya and Japanese encephalitis. Many of these
neglected viruses are increasingly becoming global pathogens. Lack of broad spectrum of
action and the rapid rise of resistance and cross-resistance to existing antiviral have further
increased the challenge of antiviral development. Sulfonamide, as a privileged scaffold,
has been capitalized to develop several bioactive compounds and drugs. Accordingly, several
reviews have been published in recent times on bioactive sulfonamides. However,
there are not enough review reports of antiviral sulfonamides in the last five years. Sulfonamides
scaffolds have received sufficient attention for the development of non- nucleoside antivirals following
the emergence of cross-resistance to nucleoside inhibitors. Hybridization of bioactive pharmacophores
with sulfonamides has been used as a strategy to develop sulfonamide antivirals. This review is an effort to
analyze these attempts and evaluate their translational potential. Parameters including potency (IC50), toxicity
(CC50) and selectivity (CC50/IC50) have been used in this report to suggest the potential of sulfonamide derivatives
to progress further as antiviral. Since most of these antiviral properties are based on the in vitro results,
the drug-likeness of molecules has been predicted to propose in vivo potential. The structure-activity relationship
has been analyzed to encourage further optimization of antiviral properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rudra Narayan Dash
- Drug Development and Analysis Laboratory, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (Deemed to be University), Bhubaneswar-751029, Odisha, India
| | - Alok Kumar Moharana
- Drug Development and Analysis Laboratory, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (Deemed to be University), Bhubaneswar-751029, Odisha, India
| | - Bharat Bhusan Subudhi
- Drug Development and Analysis Laboratory, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (Deemed to be University), Bhubaneswar-751029, Odisha, India
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18
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de Souza Neto LR, Moreira-Filho JT, Neves BJ, Maidana RLBR, Guimarães ACR, Furnham N, Andrade CH, Silva FP. In silico Strategies to Support Fragment-to-Lead Optimization in Drug Discovery. Front Chem 2020; 8:93. [PMID: 32133344 PMCID: PMC7040036 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2020.00093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Fragment-based drug (or lead) discovery (FBDD or FBLD) has developed in the last two decades to become a successful key technology in the pharmaceutical industry for early stage drug discovery and development. The FBDD strategy consists of screening low molecular weight compounds against macromolecular targets (usually proteins) of clinical relevance. These small molecular fragments can bind at one or more sites on the target and act as starting points for the development of lead compounds. In developing the fragments attractive features that can translate into compounds with favorable physical, pharmacokinetics and toxicity (ADMET-absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) properties can be integrated. Structure-enabled fragment screening campaigns use a combination of screening by a range of biophysical techniques, such as differential scanning fluorimetry, surface plasmon resonance, and thermophoresis, followed by structural characterization of fragment binding using NMR or X-ray crystallography. Structural characterization is also used in subsequent analysis for growing fragments of selected screening hits. The latest iteration of the FBDD workflow employs a high-throughput methodology of massively parallel screening by X-ray crystallography of individually soaked fragments. In this review we will outline the FBDD strategies and explore a variety of in silico approaches to support the follow-up fragment-to-lead optimization of either: growing, linking, and merging. These fragment expansion strategies include hot spot analysis, druggability prediction, SAR (structure-activity relationships) by catalog methods, application of machine learning/deep learning models for virtual screening and several de novo design methods for proposing synthesizable new compounds. Finally, we will highlight recent case studies in fragment-based drug discovery where in silico methods have successfully contributed to the development of lead compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauro Ribeiro de Souza Neto
- LaBECFar – Laboratório de Bioquímica Experimental e Computacional de Fármacos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - José Teófilo Moreira-Filho
- LabMol – Laboratory for Molecular Modeling and Drug Design, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Bruno Junior Neves
- LabMol – Laboratory for Molecular Modeling and Drug Design, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
- Laboratory of Cheminformatics, Centro Universitário de Anápolis – UniEVANGÉLICA, Anápolis, Brazil
| | - Rocío Lucía Beatriz Riveros Maidana
- LaBECFar – Laboratório de Bioquímica Experimental e Computacional de Fármacos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Laboratório de Genômica Funcional e Bioinformática, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ana Carolina Ramos Guimarães
- Laboratório de Genômica Funcional e Bioinformática, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Nicholas Furnham
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Carolina Horta Andrade
- LabMol – Laboratory for Molecular Modeling and Drug Design, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Floriano Paes Silva
- LaBECFar – Laboratório de Bioquímica Experimental e Computacional de Fármacos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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19
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Quintana VM, Selisko B, Brunetti JE, Eydoux C, Guillemot JC, Canard B, Damonte EB, Julander JG, Castilla V. Antiviral activity of the natural alkaloid anisomycin against dengue and Zika viruses. Antiviral Res 2020; 176:104749. [PMID: 32081740 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2020.104749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Flaviviruses constitute a public health concern because of their global burden and the lack of specific antiviral treatment. Here we investigated the antiviral activity of the alkaloid anisomycin against dengue (DENV) and Zika (ZIKV) viruses. At non-cytotoxic concentrations, anisomycin strongly inhibited the replication of reference strains and clinical isolates of all DENV serotypes and Asian and African strains of ZIKV in Vero cells. Anisomycin also prevented DENV and ZIKV multiplication in human cell lines. While initial steps of DENV and ZIKV replicative cycle were unaffected, a high inhibition of viral protein expression was demonstrated after treatment with anisomycin. DENV RNA synthesis was strongly reduced in anisomycin treated cultures, but the compound did not exert a direct inhibitory effect on 2' O-methyltransferase or RNA polymerase activities of DENV NS5 protein. Furthermore, anisomycin-mediated activation of p38 signaling was not related to the antiviral action of the compound. The evaluation of anisomycin efficacy in a mouse model of ZIKV morbidity and mortality revealed that animals treated with a low dose of anisomycin exhibited a significant reduction in viremia levels and died significantly later than the control group. This protective effect was lost at higher doses, though. In conclusion, anisomycin is a potent and selective in vitro inhibitor of DENV and ZIKV that impairs a post-entry step of viral replication; and a low-dose anisomycin treatment may provide some minimal benefit in a mouse model.
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Affiliation(s)
- V M Quintana
- Laboratorio de Virología, Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires/ IQUIBICEN (CONICET), Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, Piso 4, Buenos Aires, 1428, Argentina.
| | - B Selisko
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Aix-Marseille Université (AMU), Laboratoire d'Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques (AFMB) UMR 7257, 163 Avenue de Luminy, 13288, Marseille Cedex 9, France.
| | - J E Brunetti
- Laboratorio de Virología, Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires/ IQUIBICEN (CONICET), Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, Piso 4, Buenos Aires, 1428, Argentina.
| | - C Eydoux
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Aix-Marseille Université (AMU), Laboratoire d'Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques (AFMB) UMR 7257, 163 Avenue de Luminy, 13288, Marseille Cedex 9, France.
| | - J C Guillemot
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Aix-Marseille Université (AMU), Laboratoire d'Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques (AFMB) UMR 7257, 163 Avenue de Luminy, 13288, Marseille Cedex 9, France.
| | - B Canard
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Aix-Marseille Université (AMU), Laboratoire d'Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques (AFMB) UMR 7257, 163 Avenue de Luminy, 13288, Marseille Cedex 9, France.
| | - E B Damonte
- Laboratorio de Virología, Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires/ IQUIBICEN (CONICET), Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, Piso 4, Buenos Aires, 1428, Argentina.
| | - J G Julander
- Institute for Antiviral Research, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.
| | - V Castilla
- Laboratorio de Virología, Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires/ IQUIBICEN (CONICET), Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, Piso 4, Buenos Aires, 1428, Argentina.
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20
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Applications of X-ray Powder Diffraction in Protein Crystallography and Drug Screening. CRYSTALS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/cryst10020054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Providing fundamental information on intra/intermolecular interactions and physicochemical properties, the three-dimensional structural characterization of biological macromolecules is of extreme importance towards understanding their mechanism of action. Among other methods, X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) has proved its applicability and efficiency in numerous studies of different materials. Owing to recent methodological advances, this method is now considered a respectable tool for identifying macromolecular phase transitions, quantitative analysis, and determining structural modifications of samples ranging from small organics to full-length proteins. An overview of the XRPD applications and recent improvements related to the study of challenging macromolecules and peptides toward structure-based drug design is discussed. This review congregates recent studies in the field of drug formulation and delivery processes, as well as in polymorph identification and the effect of ligands and environmental conditions upon crystal characteristics. These studies further manifest the efficiency of protein XRPD for quick and accurate preliminary structural characterization.
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21
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Liu X, Zhao Y, Zhang JZ. Molecular mechanism of ligand bindings to Zika virus at SAM site. Chem Phys Lett 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cplett.2019.136771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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22
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Bauer L, Manganaro R, Zonsics B, Strating JRPM, El Kazzi P, Lorenzo Lopez M, Ulferts R, van Hoey C, Maté MJ, Langer T, Coutard B, Brancale A, van Kuppeveld FJM. Fluoxetine Inhibits Enterovirus Replication by Targeting the Viral 2C Protein in a Stereospecific Manner. ACS Infect Dis 2019; 5:1609-1623. [PMID: 31305993 PMCID: PMC6747591 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.9b00179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
![]()
Enteroviruses
(family Picornaviridae) comprise a large group of
human pathogens against which no licensed antiviral therapy exists.
Drug-repurposing screens uncovered the FDA-approved drug fluoxetine
as a replication inhibitor of enterovirus B and D species. Fluoxetine
likely targets the nonstructural viral protein 2C, but detailed mode-of-action
studies are missing because structural information on 2C of fluoxetine-sensitive
enteroviruses is lacking. We here show that broad-spectrum anti-enteroviral
activity of fluoxetine is stereospecific concomitant with binding
to recombinant 2C. (S)-Fluoxetine inhibits with a
5-fold lower 50% effective concentration (EC50) than racemic
fluoxetine. Using a homology model of 2C of the fluoxetine-sensitive
enterovirus coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) based upon a recently elucidated
structure of a fluoxetine-insensitive enterovirus, we predicted stable
binding of (S)-fluoxetine. Structure-guided mutations
disrupted binding and rendered coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) resistant
to fluoxetine. The study provides new insights into the anti-enteroviral
mode-of-action of fluoxetine. Importantly, using only (S)-fluoxetine would allow for lower dosing in patients, thereby likely
reducing side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Bauer
- Virology Division, Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht 3584CL, The Netherlands
| | - Roberto Manganaro
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3NB, United Kingdom
| | - Birgit Zonsics
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3NB, United Kingdom
| | - Jeroen R. P. M. Strating
- Virology Division, Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht 3584CL, The Netherlands
| | - Priscila El Kazzi
- Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques, UMR 6098 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de la Méditerranée and Université de Provence, Aix-Marseille Université, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy, Marseille 3288 CEDEX 9, France
| | - Moira Lorenzo Lopez
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3NB, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel Ulferts
- Virology Division, Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht 3584CL, The Netherlands
| | - Clara van Hoey
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, Vienna A-1090, Austria
| | - Maria J. Maté
- Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques, UMR 6098 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de la Méditerranée and Université de Provence, Aix-Marseille Université, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy, Marseille 3288 CEDEX 9, France
| | - Thierry Langer
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, Vienna A-1090, Austria
| | - Bruno Coutard
- Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques, UMR 6098 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de la Méditerranée and Université de Provence, Aix-Marseille Université, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy, Marseille 3288 CEDEX 9, France
- Unité des Virus Emergents, UVE: Aix-Marseille Univ-IRD 190-Inserm 1207-IHU Méditerranée Infection, 13385 Marseille, CEDEX 5, France
| | - Andrea Brancale
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3NB, United Kingdom
| | - Frank J. M. van Kuppeveld
- Virology Division, Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht 3584CL, The Netherlands
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Liu M, Quinn RJ. Fragment-based screening with natural products for novel anti-parasitic disease drug discovery. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2019; 14:1283-1295. [PMID: 31512943 PMCID: PMC6816479 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2019.1653849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Fragment-based drug discovery can identify relatively simple compounds with low binding affinity due to fewer binding interactions with protein targets. FBDD reduces the library size and provides simpler starting points for subsequent chemical optimization of initial hits. A much greater proportion of chemical space can be sampled in fragment-based screening compared to larger molecules with typical molecular weights (MWs) of 250-500 g mol-1 used in high-throughput screening (HTS) libraries. Areas covered: The authors cover the role of natural products in fragment-based drug discovery against parasitic disease targets. They review the approaches to develop fragment-based libraries either using natural products or natural product-like compounds. The authors present approaches to fragment-based drug discovery against parasitic diseases and compare these libraries with the 3D attributes of natural products. Expert opinion: To effectively use the three-dimensional properties and the chemical diversity of natural products in fragment-based drug discovery against parasitic diseases, there needs to be a mind-shift. Library design, in the medicinal chemistry area, has acknowledged that escaping flat-land is very important to increase the chances of clinical success. Attempts to increase sp3 richness in fragment libraries are acknowledged. Sufficient low molecular weight natural products are known to create true natural product fragment libraries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miaomiao Liu
- Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University , Brisbane , Australia
| | - Ronald J Quinn
- Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University , Brisbane , Australia
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24
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Sobhia ME, Ghosh K, Singh A, Sul K, Singh M, Kumar R, Sandeep, Merugu S, Donempudi S. A Multi-Perspective Review on Dengue Research. Curr Drug Targets 2019; 20:1550-1562. [PMID: 31339068 DOI: 10.2174/1389450120666190724145937] [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: 04/24/2019] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Dengue fever is a disease which is caused by a family of viruses named Flaviviridae which are transmitted by female Aedes mosquitoes. Today, this is endemic in more than 100 nations in the World Health Organization's African, Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia and Western Pacific locales. The treatment of typical dengue is focused on relieving the symptoms and signs. Carica papaya is a very common plant whose leaf extract is used in the treatment of this disease. Despite extensive research on Dengue, not a single vaccine or anti-viral drug was available until 2016 (a partially effective Chimeric Yellow fever virus treated by DENV-Tetravalent Dengue Vaccine for dengue fever made by Sanofi Pasteur). This review highlights dengue fever's current situation and explains the importance of Natural chemical moieties like methionine-proline anilides, tetrapeptide aldehyde uncovered via Structure Activity Relationship studies. Also, we have reviewed the drug candidates currently in the clinical trials that have the potential to solve these issues. Important patents in the past 20 years have been outlined in this review. An in depth Protein Data Bank analysis of the different possible target proteins that can potentially have a major role in curing Dengue fever has been conducted.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Elizabeth Sobhia
- Department of Pharmacoinformatics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali, India
| | - Ketan Ghosh
- Department of Pharmacoinformatics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali, India
| | - Ajeet Singh
- Department of Pharmacoinformatics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali, India
| | - Komal Sul
- Department of Pharmacoinformatics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali, India
| | - Monica Singh
- Department of Pharmacoinformatics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali, India
| | - Ravi Kumar
- Department of Pharmacoinformatics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali, India
| | - Sandeep
- Department of Pharmacoinformatics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali, India
| | - Satti Merugu
- Department of Pharmacoinformatics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali, India
| | - Sunilchand Donempudi
- Department of Pharmacoinformatics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali, India
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25
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Cross ST, Michalski D, Miller MR, Wilusz J. RNA regulatory processes in RNA virus biology. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2019; 10:e1536. [PMID: 31034160 PMCID: PMC6697219 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Numerous post‐transcriptional RNA processes play a major role in regulating the quantity, quality and diversity of gene expression in the cell. These include RNA processing events such as capping, splicing, polyadenylation and modification, but also aspects such as RNA localization, decay, translation, and non‐coding RNA‐associated regulation. The interface between the transcripts of RNA viruses and the various RNA regulatory processes in the cell, therefore, has high potential to significantly impact virus gene expression, regulation, cytopathology and pathogenesis. Furthermore, understanding RNA biology from the perspective of an RNA virus can shed considerable light on the broad impact of these post‐transcriptional processes in cell biology. Thus the goal of this article is to provide an overview of the richness of cellular RNA biology and how RNA viruses use, usurp and/or avoid the associated machinery to impact the outcome of infection. This article is categorized under:RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun T Cross
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Daniel Michalski
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Megan R Miller
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Jeffrey Wilusz
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
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26
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Optimization of a fragment linking hit toward Dengue and Zika virus NS5 methyltransferases inhibitors. Eur J Med Chem 2019; 161:323-333. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.09.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Revised: 09/15/2018] [Accepted: 09/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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27
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Dengue drug discovery: Progress, challenges and outlook. Antiviral Res 2018; 163:156-178. [PMID: 30597183 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2018.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Revised: 12/22/2018] [Accepted: 12/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In the context of the only available vaccine (DENGVAXIA) that was marketed in several countries, but poses higher risks to unexposed individuals, the development of antivirals for dengue virus (DENV), whilst challenging, would bring significant benefits to public health. Here recent progress in the field of DENV drug discovery made in academic laboratories and industry is reviewed. Characteristics of an ideal DENV antiviral molecule, given the specific immunopathology provoked by this acute viral infection, are described. New chemical classes identified from biochemical, biophysical and phenotypic screens that target viral (especially NS4B) and host proteins, offer promising opportunities for further development. In particular, new methodologies ("omics") can accelerate the discovery of much awaited flavivirus specific inhibitors. Challenges and opportunities in lead identification activities as well as the path to clinical development of dengue drugs are discussed. To galvanize DENV drug discovery, collaborative public-public partnerships and open-access resources will greatly benefit both the DENV research community and DENV patients.
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Discovery of Novel Druggable Sites on Zika Virus NS3 Helicase Using X-ray Crystallography-Based Fragment Screening. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19113664. [PMID: 30463319 PMCID: PMC6274715 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19113664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2018] [Revised: 10/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The flavivirus family contains several important human pathogens, such as Zika virus (ZIKV), dengue, West Nile, and Yellow Fever viruses, that collectively lead to a large, global disease burden. Currently, there are no approved medicines that can target these viruses. The sudden outbreak of ZIKV infections in 2015⁻2016 posed a serious threat to global public health. While the epidemic has receded, persistent reservoirs of ZIKV infection can cause reemergence. Here, we have used X-ray crystallography-based screening to discover two novel sites on ZIKV NS3 helicase that can bind drug-like fragments. Both sites are structurally conserved in other flaviviruses, and mechanistically significant. The binding poses of four fragments, two for each of the binding sites, were characterized at atomic precision. Site A is a surface pocket on the NS3 helicase that is vital to its interaction with NS5 polymerase and formation of the flaviviral replication complex. Site B corresponds to a flexible, yet highly conserved, allosteric site at the intersection of the three NS3 helicase domains. Saturation transfer difference nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments were additionally used to evaluate the binding strength of the fragments, revealing dissociation constants (KD) in the lower mM range. We conclude that the NS3 helicase of flaviviruses is a viable drug target. The data obtained open opportunities towards structure-based design of first-in-class anti-ZIKV compounds, as well as pan-flaviviral therapeutics.
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29
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Norazharuddin H, Lai NS. Roles and Prospects of Dengue Virus Non-structural Proteins as Antiviral Targets: An Easy Digest. Malays J Med Sci 2018; 25:6-15. [PMID: 30914859 PMCID: PMC6419879 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2018.25.5.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Dengue is a neglected disease caused by the infection of dengue virus which is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes and to some, it could be fatal. Regardless of the enormous work devoted to research for the treatment of dengue, to this day there is no cure, and treatment is solely limited to supportive care by treating the symptoms. The inhibition of the viral RNA non-structural enzymes has been the most popular approach amongst the strategies applied to the search and development of dengue antivirals. This review is a compact digest of what is already known of the roles and the prospects of the dengue virus non-structural proteins NS1, NS2BNS3, NS4A, NS4B and NS5 as the targets for antiviral studies including the recent progress that has been published regarding their roles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Norazharuddin
- Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
| | - Ngit Shin Lai
- Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
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30
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Sinigaglia A, Riccetti S, Trevisan M, Barzon L. In silico approaches to Zika virus drug discovery. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2018; 13:825-835. [PMID: 30160181 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2018.1515909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION After the WHO declared Zika virus (ZIKV) as a public health emergency of international concern, intense research for the development of vaccines and drugs has been undertaken, leading to the development of several candidates. Areas covered: This review discusses the developments achieved so far by computational methods in the discovery of candidate compounds targeting ZIKV proteins, i.e. the envelope and capsid structural proteins, the NS3 helicase/protease, and the NS5 methyltransferase/RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Expert opinion: Research for effective drugs against ZIKV is still in a very early discovery phase. Notwithstanding the intense efforts for the development of new drugs and the identification of several promising candidates by using different approaches, including computational methods, so far only a few candidates have been experimentally tested. An important caveat of anti-flavivirus drug development is represented by the difficult of reproducing the in vivo microenvironment of the replication complex, which may lead to discrepancies between in vitro results and experimental evaluation in vivo. Moreover, anti-ZIKV drugs have the additional requirement of an excellent safety profile in pregnancy and ability to diffuse to different tissues, including the central nervous system, the testis, and the placenta.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Silvia Riccetti
- a Department of Molecular Medicine , University of Padova , Padova , Italy
| | - Marta Trevisan
- a Department of Molecular Medicine , University of Padova , Padova , Italy
| | - Luisa Barzon
- a Department of Molecular Medicine , University of Padova , Padova , Italy
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31
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Devnarain N, Soliman MES. A panoptic uncovering of the dynamical evolution of the Zika Virus NS5 methyltransferase binding site loops-zeroing in on the molecular landscape. Chem Biol Drug Des 2018; 92:1838-1850. [DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.13353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2017] [Revised: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 05/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nikita Devnarain
- Molecular Bio-computation and Drug Design Laboratory; School of Health Sciences; University of KwaZulu-Natal; Durban South Africa
| | - Mahmoud E. S. Soliman
- Molecular Bio-computation and Drug Design Laboratory; School of Health Sciences; University of KwaZulu-Natal; Durban South Africa
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32
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Valmas A, Fili S, Nikolopoulos N, Spiliopoulou M, Christopoulou M, Karavassili F, Kosinas C, Bastalias K, Rosmaraki E, Lichiére J, Fitch A, Beckers D, Degen T, Papageorgiou N, Canard B, Coutard B, Margiolaki I. Dengue virus 3 NS5 methyltransferase domain: expression, purification, crystallization and first structural data from microcrystalline specimens. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.1515/zkri-2017-2091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Flavivirus infections often provoke life-threatening diseases of epidemic magnitudes, thus extensive research is currently directed towards the development of efficient vaccines and approved antiviral compounds. We present here the expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of one of the components of the flavivirus replication complex, the non-structural protein 5 (NS5) mRNA methyltransferase (MTase) domain, from an emerging pathogenic flavivirus, dengue virus 3 (DEN3). Polycrystalline precipitates of DEN3 NS5 MTase, suitable for X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) measurements, were produced in the presence of PEG 8000 (25–32.5% (w/v)), 0.1 M Tris-Amino, in a pH range from 7.0 to 8.0. A polymorph of orthorhombic symmetry (space group: P21212, a=61.9 Å, b=189.6 Å, c=52.4 Å) was identified via XRPD. These results are the first step towards the complete structural determination of this molecule via XRPD and a parallel demonstration of the applicability of the method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandros Valmas
- Section of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development , University of Patras , Department of Biology , GR-26500, Patras , Greece
| | - Stavroula Fili
- Section of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development , University of Patras , Department of Biology , GR-26500, Patras , Greece
| | - Nikos Nikolopoulos
- Section of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development , University of Patras , Department of Biology , GR-26500, Patras , Greece
| | - Maria Spiliopoulou
- Section of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development , University of Patras , Department of Biology , GR-26500, Patras , Greece
| | - Magdalini Christopoulou
- Section of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development , University of Patras , Department of Biology , GR-26500, Patras , Greece
| | - Fotini Karavassili
- Section of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development , University of Patras , Department of Biology , GR-26500, Patras , Greece
| | - Christos Kosinas
- Section of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development , University of Patras , Department of Biology , GR-26500, Patras , Greece
| | - Konstantinos Bastalias
- Section of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development , University of Patras , Department of Biology , GR-26500, Patras , Greece
| | - Eleftheria Rosmaraki
- Section of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development , University of Patras , Department of Biology , GR-26500, Patras , Greece
| | - Julie Lichiére
- Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques , CNRS and Universités d’Aix-Marseille I et II , UMR 6098, ESIL Case 925 , 13288 Marseille , France
| | - Andrew Fitch
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility , BP-220, F-38043 , Grenoble Cedex 9 , France
| | - Detlef Beckers
- PANalytical B.V, Lelyweg 1 , 7602 EA Almelo , The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Degen
- PANalytical B.V, Lelyweg 1 , 7602 EA Almelo , The Netherlands
| | - Nicolas Papageorgiou
- Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques , CNRS and Universités d’Aix-Marseille I et II , UMR 6098, ESIL Case 925 , 13288 Marseille , France
| | - Bruno Canard
- Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques , CNRS and Universités d’Aix-Marseille I et II , UMR 6098, ESIL Case 925 , 13288 Marseille , France
| | - Bruno Coutard
- Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques , CNRS and Universités d’Aix-Marseille I et II , UMR 6098, ESIL Case 925 , 13288 Marseille , France
| | - Irene Margiolaki
- Section of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development , University of Patras , Department of Biology , GR-26500, Patras , Greece
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33
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Bukrejewska M, Derewenda U, Radwanska M, Engel DA, Derewenda ZS. Crystal structures of the methyltransferase and helicase from the ZIKA 1947 MR766 Uganda strain. ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION D-STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2017; 73:767-774. [DOI: 10.1107/s2059798317010737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Two nonstructural proteins encoded byZika virusstrain MR766 RNA, a methyltransferase and a helicase, were crystallized and their structures were solved and refined at 2.10 and 2.01 Å resolution, respectively. The NS5 methyltransferase contains a boundS-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) co-substrate. The NS3 helicase is in the apo form. Comparison with published crystal structures of the helicase in the apo, nucleotide-bound and single-stranded RNA (ssRNA)-bound states suggests that binding of ssRNA to the helicase may occur through conformational selection rather than induced fit.
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34
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Evidence of dengue virus replication in a non-traumatic spleen rupture case. Arch Virol 2017; 162:3535-3539. [PMID: 28808809 PMCID: PMC5640743 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-017-3527-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The present report describes a case of splenic rupture due to dengue, a rare complication of dengue that should be considered in any patient with suspected dengue disease who started with left upper quadrant abdominal pain and hypotension. The pathophysiology of this entity is not yet well elucidated, but one of the theories present in the literature is that it is due to a depletion of coagulation factors and platelets leading to intra-splenic hemorrhage and rupture. The RT-PCR technique detected serotype 1 and histopathological studies of the spleen revealed significant atrophy of lymphoid follicles and extensive hemorrhage areas. Besides histopathological observations, virus replication was investigated by detection of dengue antigens, especially the non-structural 3 protein (NS3) in endothelial cells and splenic macrophages. This important complication has serious clinical repercussions and high mortality, due to the diagnostic difficulty and many factors that usually confuse or delay its diagnosis. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to recognize their manifestations and their management to try to best minimize their consequences and mortality.
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35
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Mello JDFRE, Gomes RA, Vital-Fujii DG, Ferreira GM, Trossini GHG. Fragment-based drug discovery as alternative strategy to the drug development for neglected diseases. Chem Biol Drug Des 2017; 90:1067-1078. [PMID: 28547936 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.13030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2017] [Revised: 04/12/2017] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Neglected diseases (NDs) affect large populations and almost whole continents, representing 12% of the global health burden. In contrast, the treatment available today is limited and sometimes ineffective. Under this scenery, the Fragment-Based Drug Discovery emerged as one of the most promising alternatives to the traditional methods of drug development. This method allows achieving new lead compounds with smaller size of fragment libraries. Even with the wide Fragment-Based Drug Discovery success resulting in new effective therapeutic agents against different diseases, until this moment few studies have been applied this approach for NDs area. In this article, we discuss the basic Fragment-Based Drug Discovery process, brief successful ideas of general applications and show a landscape of its use in NDs, encouraging the implementation of this strategy as an interesting way to optimize the development of new drugs to NDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana da Fonseca Rezende E Mello
- Litec, Laboratório de Integração Entre Técnicas Computacionais e Experimentais no Planejamento de Fármacos, Departamento de Farmácia, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Renan Augusto Gomes
- Litec, Laboratório de Integração Entre Técnicas Computacionais e Experimentais no Planejamento de Fármacos, Departamento de Farmácia, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Drielli Gomes Vital-Fujii
- Litec, Laboratório de Integração Entre Técnicas Computacionais e Experimentais no Planejamento de Fármacos, Departamento de Farmácia, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Glaucio Monteiro Ferreira
- Litec, Laboratório de Integração Entre Técnicas Computacionais e Experimentais no Planejamento de Fármacos, Departamento de Farmácia, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-graduação em Toxicologia e Análises Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Henrique Goulart Trossini
- Litec, Laboratório de Integração Entre Técnicas Computacionais e Experimentais no Planejamento de Fármacos, Departamento de Farmácia, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-graduação em Toxicologia e Análises Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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36
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A conformational switch high-throughput screening assay and allosteric inhibition of the flavivirus NS2B-NS3 protease. PLoS Pathog 2017; 13:e1006411. [PMID: 28542603 PMCID: PMC5462475 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2016] [Revised: 06/07/2017] [Accepted: 05/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The flavivirus genome encodes a single polyprotein precursor requiring multiple cleavages by host and viral proteases in order to produce the individual proteins that constitute an infectious virion. Previous studies have revealed that the NS2B cofactor of the viral NS2B-NS3 heterocomplex protease displays a conformational dynamic between active and inactive states. Here, we developed a conformational switch assay based on split luciferase complementation (SLC) to monitor the conformational change of NS2B and to characterize candidate allosteric inhibitors. Binding of an active-site inhibitor to the protease resulted in a conformational change of NS2B and led to significant SLC enhancement. Mutagenesis of key residues at an allosteric site abolished this induced conformational change and SLC enhancement. We also performed a virtual screen of NCI library compounds to identify allosteric inhibitors, followed by in vitro biochemical screening of the resultant candidates. Only three of these compounds, NSC135618, 260594, and 146771, significantly inhibited the protease of Dengue virus 2 (DENV2) in vitro, with IC50 values of 1.8 μM, 11.4 μM, and 4.8 μM, respectively. Among the three compounds, only NSC135618 significantly suppressed the SLC enhancement triggered by binding of active-site inhibitor in a dose-dependent manner, indicating that it inhibits the conformational change of NS2B. Results from virus titer reduction assays revealed that NSC135618 is a broad spectrum flavivirus protease inhibitor, and can significantly reduce titers of DENV2, Zika virus (ZIKV), West Nile virus (WNV), and Yellow fever virus (YFV) on A549 cells in vivo, with EC50 values in low micromolar range. In contrast, the cytotoxicity of NSC135618 is only moderate with CC50 of 48.8 μM on A549 cells. Moreover, NSC135618 inhibited ZIKV in human placental and neural progenitor cells relevant to ZIKV pathogenesis. Results from binding, kinetics, Western blot, mass spectrometry and mutagenesis experiments unambiguously demonstrated an allosteric mechanism for inhibition of the viral protease by NSC135618.
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37
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Development of a S-adenosylmethionine analog that intrudes the RNA-cap binding site of Zika methyltransferase. Sci Rep 2017; 7:1632. [PMID: 28487506 PMCID: PMC5431627 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-01756-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The Zika virus (ZIKV) has emerged as a major health hazard. We present here a high resolution structure (1.55 Å) of ZIKV NS5 methyltransferase bound to a novel S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) analog in which a 4-fluorophenyl moiety substitutes for the methyl group. We show that the 4-fluorophenyl moiety extends into a portion of the RNA binding tunnel that typically contains the adenosine 2'OH of the RNA-cap moiety. Together, the new SAM analog and the high-resolution crystal structure are a step towards the development of antivirals against ZIKV and other flaviviruses.
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38
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Duan W, Song H, Wang H, Chai Y, Su C, Qi J, Shi Y, Gao GF. The crystal structure of Zika virus NS5 reveals conserved drug targets. EMBO J 2017; 36:919-933. [PMID: 28254839 DOI: 10.15252/embj.201696241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2016] [Revised: 01/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) has emerged as major health concern, as ZIKV infection has been shown to be associated with microcephaly, severe neurological disease and possibly male sterility. As the largest protein component within the ZIKV replication complex, NS5 plays key roles in the life cycle and survival of the virus through its N-terminal methyltransferase (MTase) and C-terminal RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) domains. Here, we present the crystal structures of ZIKV NS5 MTase in complex with an RNA cap analogue (m7GpppA) and the free NS5 RdRp. We have identified the conserved features of ZIKV NS5 MTase and RdRp structures that could lead to development of current antiviral inhibitors being used against flaviviruses, including dengue virus and West Nile virus, to treat ZIKV infection. These results should inform and accelerate the structure-based design of antiviral compounds against ZIKV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenqian Duan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hao Song
- Research Network of Immunity and Health (RNIH), Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Haiyuan Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Yan Chai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Su
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Jianxun Qi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Shi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China .,Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Research Network of Immunity and Health (RNIH), Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Immunity, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - George F Gao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China .,Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Research Network of Immunity and Health (RNIH), Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Immunity, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, Shenzhen, China.,National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), Beijing, China
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Zika Virus Methyltransferase: Structure and Functions for Drug Design Perspectives. J Virol 2017; 91:JVI.02202-16. [PMID: 28031359 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02202-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 12/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The Flavivirus Zika virus (ZIKV) is the causal agent of neurological disorders like microcephaly in newborns or Guillain-Barre syndrome. Its NS5 protein embeds a methyltransferase (MTase) domain involved in the formation of the viral mRNA cap. We investigated the structural and functional properties of the ZIKV MTase. We show that the ZIKV MTase can methylate RNA cap structures at the N-7 position of the cap, and at the 2'-O position on the ribose of the first nucleotide, yielding a cap-1 structure. In addition, the ZIKV MTase methylates the ribose 2'-O position of internal adenosines of RNA substrates. The crystal structure of the ZIKV MTase determined at a 2.01-Å resolution reveals a crystallographic homodimer. One chain is bound to the methyl donor (S-adenosyl-l-methionine [SAM]) and shows a high structural similarity to the dengue virus (DENV) MTase. The second chain lacks SAM and displays conformational changes in the αX α-helix contributing to the SAM and RNA binding. These conformational modifications reveal a possible molecular mechanism of the enzymatic turnover involving a conserved Ser/Arg motif. In the second chain, the SAM binding site accommodates a sulfate close to a glycerol that could serve as a basis for structure-based drug design. In addition, compounds known to inhibit the DENV MTase show similar inhibition potency on the ZIKV MTase. Altogether these results contribute to a better understanding of the ZIKV MTase, a central player in viral replication and host innate immune response, and lay the basis for the development of potential antiviral drugs.IMPORTANCE The Zika virus (ZIKV) is associated with microcephaly in newborns, and other neurological disorders such as Guillain-Barre syndrome. It is urgent to develop antiviral strategies inhibiting the viral replication. The ZIKV NS5 embeds a methyltransferase involved in the viral mRNA capping process, which is essential for viral replication and control of virus detection by innate immune mechanisms. We demonstrate that the ZIKV methyltransferase methylates the mRNA cap and adenosines located in RNA sequences. The structure of ZIKV methyltransferase shows high structural similarities to the dengue virus methyltransferase, but conformational specificities highlight the role of a conserved Ser/Arg motif, which participates in RNA and SAM recognition during the reaction turnover. In addition, the SAM binding site accommodates a sulfate and a glycerol, offering structural information to initiate structure-based drug design. Altogether, these results contribute to a better understanding of the Flavivirus methyltransferases, which are central players in the virus replication.
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Benmansour F, Trist I, Coutard B, Decroly E, Querat G, Brancale A, Barral K. Discovery of novel dengue virus NS5 methyltransferase non-nucleoside inhibitors by fragment-based drug design. Eur J Med Chem 2017; 125:865-880. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2016.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2016] [Revised: 10/03/2016] [Accepted: 10/04/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Coloma J, Jain R, Rajashankar KR, García-Sastre A, Aggarwal AK. Structures of NS5 Methyltransferase from Zika Virus. Cell Rep 2016; 16:3097-3102. [PMID: 27633330 PMCID: PMC5074680 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.08.091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2016] [Revised: 08/27/2016] [Accepted: 08/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The Zika virus (ZIKV) poses a major public health emergency. To aid in the development of antivirals, we present two high-resolution crystal structures of the ZIKV NS5 methyltransferase: one bound to S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and the other bound to SAM and 7-methyl guanosine diphosphate (7-MeGpp). We identify features of ZIKV NS5 methyltransferase that lend to structure-based antiviral drug discovery. Specifically, SAM analogs with functionalities on the Cβ atom of the methionine portion of the molecules that occupy the RNA binding tunnel may provide better specificity relative to human RNA methyltransferases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Coloma
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Rinku Jain
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Kanagalaghatta R Rajashankar
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; NE-CAT, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne, IL 60439, USA
| | - Adolfo García-Sastre
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Aneel K Aggarwal
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION Flaviviruses are major causes of infectious disease. The vast global, social and economic impact due to morbidity and mortality associated with diseases caused by these viruses urgently demands effective therapeutic interventions. There is currently no specific antiviral therapy available for the effective clinical treatment of infections by any of the flaviviridae. Development of more effective vaccines and antiviral agents for the prevention and treatment of most flavivirus infections remains a clear public health priority in the 21st century. AREAS COVERED This review describes some of the recent discoveries in the field of flavivirus inhibitor development, with a particular focus on targeting viral proteins. Emphasis is placed on the advances published during the 2012-2015 period. EXPERT OPINION The field of drug discovery targeting viral proteins has progressed slowly in recent years. New information, particularly on structures, location and mechanisms of action of established protein targets have been reported. There have also been studies on repurposing known drugs as templates for targeting flavivirus proteins and these hits could be promising templates for developing new more potent inhibitors. Further research should be conducted to improve in vitro assays that better reflect the conditions found in cellular environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Mei Kok
- a Division of Chemistry and Structural Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience , The University of Queensland , Brisbane , Australia
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Abstract
The dengue virus and related flaviviruses are an increasing global health threat. In this perspective, we comment on and review medicinal chemistry efforts aimed at the prevention or treatment of dengue infections. We include target-based approaches aimed at viral or host factors and results from phenotypic screenings in cellular assay systems for viral replication. This perspective is limited to the discussion of results that provide explicit chemistry or structure-activity relationship (SAR), or appear to be of particular interest to the medicinal chemist for other reasons. The discovery and development efforts discussed here may at least partially be extrapolated toward other emerging flaviviral infections, such as West Nile virus. Therefore, this perspective, although not aimed at flaviviruses in general, should also be able to provide an overview of the medicinal chemistry of these closely related infectious agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mira A M Behnam
- Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology IPMB, Heidelberg University , Im Neuenheimer Feld 364, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christoph Nitsche
- Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology IPMB, Heidelberg University , Im Neuenheimer Feld 364, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Veaceslav Boldescu
- Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology IPMB, Heidelberg University , Im Neuenheimer Feld 364, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.,Laboratory of Organic Synthesis, Institute of Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova , Academiei 3, 2028 Chisinau, Moldova
| | - Christian D Klein
- Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology IPMB, Heidelberg University , Im Neuenheimer Feld 364, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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Scott DE, Spry C, Abell C. Differential Scanning Fluorimetry as Part of a Biophysical Screening Cascade. FRAGMENT-BASED DRUG DISCOVERY LESSONS AND OUTLOOK 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/9783527683604.ch07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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45
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Brecher M, Chen H, Li Z, Banavali NK, Jones SA, Zhang J, Kramer LD, Li H. Identification and Characterization of Novel Broad-Spectrum Inhibitors of the Flavivirus Methyltransferase. ACS Infect Dis 2015; 1:340-9. [PMID: 26726314 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.5b00070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Flavivirus methyltransferase (MTase) is essential for viral replication. Here we report the identification of small molecules through virtual screening that putatively bind to the SAM-binding site of flavivirus MTase and inhibit its function. Six of these computationally predicted binders were identified to show significant MTase inhibition with low micromolar inhibitory activity. The most active compounds showed broad-spectrum activity against the MTase proteins of other flaviviruses. Two of these compounds also showed low cytotoxicity and high antiviral efficacy in cell-based assays. Competitive binding analyses indicated that the inhibitors performed their inhibitory function through competitive binding to the SAM cofactor binding site of the MTase. The crystal structure of the MTase-inhibitor complex further supports the mode of action and provides routes for their further optimization as flavivirus MTase inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Brecher
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, 120 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, New York 12208, United States
| | - Hui Chen
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, 120 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, New York 12208, United States
| | - Zhong Li
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, 120 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, New York 12208, United States
| | - Nilesh K. Banavali
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, 120 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, New York 12208, United States
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, State University of New York, P.O. Box 509, Albany, New York 12201 United States
| | - Susan A. Jones
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, 120 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, New York 12208, United States
| | - Jing Zhang
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, 120 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, New York 12208, United States
| | - Laura D. Kramer
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, 120 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, New York 12208, United States
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, State University of New York, P.O. Box 509, Albany, New York 12201 United States
| | - Hongmin Li
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, 120 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, New York 12208, United States
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, State University of New York, P.O. Box 509, Albany, New York 12201 United States
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46
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Lim SP, Noble CG, Shi PY. The dengue virus NS5 protein as a target for drug discovery. Antiviral Res 2015; 119:57-67. [DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2015.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2015] [Revised: 03/19/2015] [Accepted: 04/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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Luo D, Vasudevan SG, Lescar J. The flavivirus NS2B-NS3 protease-helicase as a target for antiviral drug development. Antiviral Res 2015; 118:148-58. [PMID: 25842996 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2015.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 192] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2015] [Revised: 03/20/2015] [Accepted: 03/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The flavivirus NS3 protein is associated with the endoplasmic reticulum membrane via its close interaction with the central hydrophilic region of the NS2B integral membrane protein. The multiple roles played by the NS2B-NS3 protein in the virus life cycle makes it an attractive target for antiviral drug discovery. The N-terminal region of NS3 and its cofactor NS2B constitute the protease that cleaves the viral polyprotein. The NS3 C-terminal domain possesses RNA helicase, nucleoside and RNA triphosphatase activities and is involved both in viral RNA replication and virus particle formation. In addition, NS2B-NS3 serves as a hub for the assembly of the flavivirus replication complex and also modulates viral pathogenesis and the host immune response. Here, we review biochemical and structural advances on the NS2B-NS3 protein, including the network of interactions it forms with NS5 and NS4B and highlight recent drug development efforts targeting this protein. This article forms part of a symposium in Antiviral Research on flavivirus drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dahai Luo
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos Building, #07-03, Singapore 138673, Singapore.
| | - Subhash G Vasudevan
- Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases, DUKE-NUS Graduate Medical School, 8 College Road, Singapore 169857, Singapore.
| | - Julien Lescar
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore; UPMC UMRS CR7 - CNRS ERL 8255-INSERM U1135 Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Pitié-Salpêtrière, Faculté de Médecine Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France.
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Unzippers, resolvers and sensors: a structural and functional biochemistry tale of RNA helicases. Int J Mol Sci 2015; 16:2269-93. [PMID: 25622248 PMCID: PMC4346836 DOI: 10.3390/ijms16022269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2014] [Revised: 01/09/2015] [Accepted: 01/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The centrality of RNA within the biological world is an irrefutable fact that currently attracts increasing attention from the scientific community. The panoply of functional RNAs requires the existence of specific biological caretakers, RNA helicases, devoted to maintain the proper folding of those molecules, resolving unstable structures. However, evolution has taken advantage of the specific position and characteristics of RNA helicases to develop new functions for these proteins, which are at the interface of the basic processes for transference of information from DNA to proteins. RNA helicases are involved in many biologically relevant processes, not only as RNA chaperones, but also as signal transducers, scaffolds of molecular complexes, and regulatory elements. Structural biology studies during the last decade, founded in X-ray crystallography, have characterized in detail several RNA-helicases. This comprehensive review summarizes the structural knowledge accumulated in the last two decades within this family of proteins, with special emphasis on the structure-function relationships of the most widely-studied families of RNA helicases: the DEAD-box, RIG-I-like and viral NS3 classes.
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The megavirus chilensis Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase: the first viral structure of a typical cellular copper chaperone-independent hyperstable dimeric enzyme. J Virol 2014; 89:824-32. [PMID: 25355875 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02588-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Giant viruses able to replicate in Acanthamoeba castellanii penetrate their host through phagocytosis. After capsid opening, a fusion between the internal membranes of the virion and the phagocytic vacuole triggers the transfer in the cytoplasm of the viral DNA together with the DNA repair enzymes and the transcription machinery present in the particles. In addition, the proteome analysis of purified mimivirus virions revealed the presence of many enzymes meant to resist oxidative stress and conserved in the Mimiviridae. Megavirus chilensis encodes a predicted copper, zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn-SOD), an enzyme known to detoxify reactive oxygen species released in the course of host defense reactions. While it was thought that the metal ions are required for the formation of the active-site lid and dimer stabilization, megavirus chilensis SOD forms a very stable metal-free dimer. We used electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis and activity measurements to show that the supplementation of the bacterial culture with copper and zinc during the recombinant expression of Mg277 is sufficient to restore a fully active holoenzyme. These results demonstrate that the viral enzyme's activation is independent of a chaperone both for disulfide bridge formation and for copper incorporation and suggest that its assembly may not be as regulated as that of its cellular counterparts. A SOD protein is encoded by a variety of DNA viruses but is absent from mimivirus. As in poxviruses, the enzyme might be dispensable when the virus infects Acanthamoeba cells but may allow megavirus chilensis to infect a broad range of eukaryotic hosts. IMPORTANCE Mimiviridae are giant viruses encoding more than 1,000 proteins. The virion particles are loaded with proteins used by the virus to resist the vacuole's oxidative stress. The megavirus chilensis virion contains a predicted copper, zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn-SOD). The corresponding gene is present in some megavirus chilensis relatives but is absent from mimivirus. This first crystallographic structure of a viral Cu,Zn-SOD highlights the features that it has in common with and its differences from cellular SODs. It corresponds to a very stable dimer of the apo form of the enzyme. We demonstrate that upon supplementation of the growth medium with Cu and Zn, the recombinant protein is fully active, suggesting that the virus's SOD activation is independent of a copper chaperone for SOD generally used by eukaryotic SODs.
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