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Alkan C, O’Brien T, Kenyon V, Ikegami T. Computer-Selected Antiviral Compounds: Assessing In Vitro Efficacies against Rift Valley Fever Virus. Viruses 2024; 16:88. [PMID: 38257788 PMCID: PMC10818293 DOI: 10.3390/v16010088] [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: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Rift Valley fever is a zoonotic viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes, impacting both humans and livestock. Currently, there are no approved vaccines or antiviral treatments for humans. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro efficacy of chemical compounds targeting the Gc fusion mechanism. These compounds were identified through virtual screening of millions of commercially available small molecules using a structure-based artificial intelligence bioactivity predictor. In our experiments, a pretreatment with small molecule compounds revealed that 3 out of 94 selected compounds effectively inhibited the replication of the Rift Valley fever virus MP-12 strain in Vero cells. As anticipated, these compounds did not impede viral RNA replication when administered three hours after infection. However, significant inhibition of viral RNA replication occurred upon viral entry when cells were pretreated with these small molecules. Furthermore, these compounds exhibited significant inhibition against Arumowot virus, another phlebovirus, while showing no antiviral effects on tick-borne bandaviruses. Our study validates AI-based virtual high throughput screening as a rational approach for identifying effective antiviral candidates for Rift Valley fever virus and other bunyaviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cigdem Alkan
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX 77555, USA;
| | - Terrence O’Brien
- Discovery Chemistry, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA;
| | | | - Tetsuro Ikegami
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX 77555, USA;
- Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
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Asad Khan FM, Islam Z, Kazmi SK, Hasan MM, Yasmin F, Costa ACDS, Ahmad S, Essar MY. The concomitant viral epidemics of Rift Valley fever and COVID-19: A lethal combination for Kenya. Trop Doct 2021; 52:6-8. [PMID: 34866495 PMCID: PMC8891251 DOI: 10.1177/00494755211055247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Zarmina Islam
- 66818Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan
| | | | - Mohammad Mehedi Hasan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Life Science, 271385Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Tangail, Bangladesh.,Division of Infectious Diseases, The Red-Green Research Centre, BICCB, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Farah Yasmin
- 66818Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan
| | | | - Shoaib Ahmad
- Department of Medicine and General Surgery, 66721Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad, Pakistan
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Reverse genetics approaches for the development of bunyavirus vaccines. Curr Opin Virol 2020; 44:16-25. [PMID: 32619950 DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2020.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The Bunyavirales order is the largest group of RNA viruses, which includes important human and animal pathogens, that cause serious diseases. Licensed vaccines are often not available for many of these pathogens. The establishment of bunyavirus reverse genetics systems has facilitated the generation of recombinant infectious viruses, which have been employed as powerful tools for understanding bunyavirus biology and identifying important virulence factors. Technological advances in this area have enabled the development of novel strategies, including codon-deoptimization, viral genome rearrangement and single-cycle replicable viruses, for the generation of live-attenuated vaccine candidates. In this review, we have summarized the current knowledge of the bunyavirus reverse genetics approaches for the generation of live-attenuated vaccine candidates and their evaluation in animal models.
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Grossi-Soyster EN, LaBeaud AD. Rift Valley Fever: Important Considerations for Risk Mitigation and Future Outbreaks. Trop Med Infect Dis 2020; 5:tropicalmed5020089. [PMID: 32498264 PMCID: PMC7345646 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed5020089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a zoonotic phlebovirus of the Phenuiviridae family with great opportunity for emergence in previously unaffected regions, despite its current geographical limits. Outbreaks of RVFV often infect humans or domesticated animals, such as livestock, concurrently and occur sporadically, ranging from localized outbreaks in villages to multi-country events that spread rapidly. The true burden of Rift Valley fever (RVF) is not well defined due to underreporting, misdiagnosis caused by the broad spectrum of disease presentation, and minimal access for rapid and accurate laboratory confirmation. Severe symptoms may include hemorrhagic fever, loss of vision, psychological impairment or disturbances, and organ failure. Those living in endemic areas and travelers should be aware of the potential for exposure to ongoing outbreaks or interepidemic transmission, and engage in behaviors to minimize exposure risks, as vaccinations in humans are currently unavailable and animal vaccinations are not used routinely or ubiquitously. The lack of vaccines approved for use in humans is concerning, as RVFV has proven to be highly pathogenic in naïve populations, causing severe disease in a large percent of confirmed cases, which could have considerable impact on human health.
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Nielsen SS, Alvarez J, Bicout DJ, Calistri P, Depner K, Drewe JA, Garin-Bastuji B, Rojas JLG, Schmidt CG, Michel V, Chueca MÁM, Roberts HC, Sihvonen LH, Stahl K, Calvo AV, Viltrop A, Winckler C, Bett B, Cetre-Sossah C, Chevalier V, Devos C, Gubbins S, Monaco F, Sotiria-Eleni A, Broglia A, Abrahantes JC, Dhollander S, Stede YVD, Zancanaro G. Rift Valley Fever - epidemiological update and risk of introduction into Europe. EFSA J 2020; 18:e06041. [PMID: 33020705 PMCID: PMC7527653 DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2020.6041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a vector-borne disease transmitted by a broad spectrum of mosquito species, especially Aedes and Culex genus, to animals (domestic and wild ruminants and camels) and humans. Rift Valley fever is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa and in the Arabian Peninsula, with periodic epidemics characterised by 5-15 years of inter-epizootic periods. In the last two decades, RVF was notified in new African regions (e.g. Sahel), RVF epidemics occurred more frequently and low-level enzootic virus circulation has been demonstrated in livestock in various areas. Recent outbreaks in a French overseas department and some seropositive cases detected in Turkey, Tunisia and Libya raised the attention of the EU for a possible incursion into neighbouring countries. The movement of live animals is the most important pathway for RVF spread from the African endemic areas to North Africa and the Middle East. The movement of infected animals and infected vectors when shipped by flights, containers or road transport is considered as other plausible pathways of introduction into Europe. The overall risk of introduction of RVF into EU through the movement of infected animals is very low in all the EU regions and in all MSs (less than one epidemic every 500 years), given the strict EU animal import policy. The same level of risk of introduction in all the EU regions was estimated also considering the movement of infected vectors, with the highest level for Belgium, Greece, Malta, the Netherlands (one epidemic every 228-700 years), mainly linked to the number of connections by air and sea transports with African RVF infected countries. Although the EU territory does not seem to be directly exposed to an imminent risk of RVFV introduction, the risk of further spread into countries neighbouring the EU and the risks of possible introduction of infected vectors, suggest that EU authorities need to strengthen their surveillance and response capacities, as well as the collaboration with North African and Middle Eastern countries.
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Mbewana S, Meyers AE, Rybicki EP. Chimaeric Rift Valley Fever Virus-Like Particle Vaccine Candidate Production in Nicotiana benthamiana. Biotechnol J 2019; 14:e1800238. [PMID: 30488669 DOI: 10.1002/biot.201800238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Revised: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is an emerging mosquito-borne virus and hemorrhagic fever agent, which causes abortion storms in farmed small ruminants and potentially causes miscarriages in humans. Although live-attenuated vaccines are available for animals, they can only be used in endemic areas and there are currently no commercially available vaccines for humans. Here the authors describe the production of chimaeric RVFV virus-like particles transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated gene transfer. The glycoprotein (Gn) gene is modified by removing its ectodomain (Gne) and fusing it to the transmembrane domain and cytosolic tail-encoding region of avian influenza H5N1 hemagglutinin. This is expressed transiently in N. benthamiana with purified protein yields calculated to be ≈57 mg kg-1 fresh weight. Transmission electron microscopy shows putative chimaeric RVFV Gne-HA particles of 49-60 nm which are immunogenic, eliciting Gn-specific antibody responses in vaccinated mice without the use of adjuvant. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of the synthesis of Gne-HA chimaeric RVFV VLPs and the first demonstration of a detectable yield of RVFV Gn in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandiswa Mbewana
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, 22 University Ave, Rondebosch 7700, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Ann E Meyers
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, 22 University Ave, Rondebosch 7700, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Edward P Rybicki
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, 22 University Ave, Rondebosch 7700, Cape Town, South Africa
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Anzio Road, Observatory 7925, South Africa
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Terasaki K, Juelich TL, Smith JK, Kalveram B, Perez DD, Freiberg AN, Makino S. A single-cycle replicable Rift Valley fever phlebovirus vaccine carrying a mutated NSs confers full protection from lethal challenge in mice. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17097. [PMID: 30459418 PMCID: PMC6244155 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35472-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Rift Valley fever phlebovirus (RVFV) is a pathogen of Rift Valley fever, which is a mosquito-borne zoonotic disease for domestic livestock and humans in African countries. Currently, no approved vaccine is available for use in non-endemic areas. The MP-12 strain is so far the best live attenuated RVFV vaccine candidate because of its good protective efficacy in animal models. However, there are safety concerns for use of MP-12 in humans. We previously developed a single-cycle replicable MP-12 (scMP-12) which lacks NSs gene and undergoes only a single round of viral replication because of its impaired ability to induce membrane-membrane fusion. In the present study, we generated an scMP-12 mutant (scMP-12-mutNSs) carrying a mutant NSs, which degrades double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase R but does not inhibit host transcription. Immunization of mice with a single dose (105 PFU) of scMP-12-mutNSs elicited RVFV neutralizing antibodies and high titers of anti-N IgG production and fully protected the mice from lethal wild-type RVFV challenge. Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of scMP-12-mutNSs were better than scMP-12, demonstrating that scMP-12-mutNSs is a more efficacious vaccine candidate than scMP-12. Furthermore, our data suggested that RVFV vaccine efficacy can be improved by using this specific NSs mutant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaori Terasaki
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, 77555-1019, United States.,Institute for Human Infection and Immunity, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, 77555-1019, United States
| | - Terry L Juelich
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, 77555-1019, United States
| | - Jennifer K Smith
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, 77555-1019, United States
| | - Birte Kalveram
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, 77555-1019, United States
| | - David D Perez
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, 77555-1019, United States
| | - Alexander N Freiberg
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, 77555-1019, United States.,Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, 77555-1019, United States.,UTMB Center for Tropical Diseases, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, 77555-1019, United States.,The Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, 77555-1019, United States.,Institute for Human Infection and Immunity, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, 77555-1019, United States
| | - Shinji Makino
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, 77555-1019, United States. .,Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, 77555-1019, United States. .,UTMB Center for Tropical Diseases, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, 77555-1019, United States. .,The Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, 77555-1019, United States. .,Institute for Human Infection and Immunity, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, 77555-1019, United States.
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Attenuation and protective efficacy of Rift Valley fever phlebovirus rMP12-GM50 strain. Vaccine 2017; 35:6634-6642. [PMID: 29061350 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.10.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2017] [Revised: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 10/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne zoonotic disease endemic to Africa and the Arabian Peninsula that affects sheep, cattle, goats, camels, and humans. Effective vaccination of susceptible ruminants is important for the prevention of RVF outbreaks. Live-attenuated RVF vaccines are in general highly immunogenic in ruminants, whereas residual virulence might be a concern for vulnerable populations. It is also important for live-attenuated strains to encode unique genetic markers for the differentiation from wild-type RVFV strains. In this study, we aimed to strengthen the attenuation profile of the MP-12 vaccine strain via the introduction of 584 silent mutations. To minimize the impact on protective efficacy, codon usage and codon pair bias were not de-optimized. The resulting rMP12-GM50 strain showed 100% protective efficacy with a single intramuscular dose, raising a 1:853 mean titer of plaque reduction neutralization test. Moreover, outbred mice infected with one of three pathogenic reassortant ZH501 strains, which encoded rMP12-GM50 L-, M-, or S-segments, showed 90%, 50%, or 30% survival, respectively. These results indicate that attenuation of the rMP12-GM50 strain is significantly attenuated via the L-, M-, and S-segments. Recombinant RVFV vaccine strains encoding similar silent mutations will be also useful for the surveillance of reassortant strains derived from vaccine strains in endemic countries.
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