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Sharma G, Paul P, Dviwedi A, Kaur P, Kumar P, Gupta VK, Saha SB, Kulshrestha S. In silico screening and evaluation of antiviral peptides as inhibitors against ORF9b protein of SARS-CoV-2. 3 Biotech 2024; 14:192. [PMID: 39118822 PMCID: PMC11303353 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-024-04032-4] [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: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The present study investigated antiviral peptides (AVPs) as inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Orf9b protein, a novel target for disrupting the Orf9b-TOM70 complex crucial for viral infection. In silico screening via molecular docking and MD simulations identified AVP1442 and AVP1896 with high binding affinities to Orf9b (- 846.3 kcal mol-1 and - 820 kcal mol-1, respectively), comparable to the Orf9b-TOM70 complex (- 810.99 kcal mol-1). These AVPs interacted with key amino acid residues in Orf9b, including phosphorylation sites. In addition, AVPs also closely interacted with conserved regions in Orf9b. AVP1896 formed a hydrogen bond with Orf9b's threonine at position 84. AVP1442 interacted with Orf9b's leucine at position 15. Favorable Ramachandran plots and compactness during MD simulations for up to 100 ns suggest good stability of formed complexes. These non-toxic AVPs warrant further in vitro and in vivo evaluation, potentially as components of drug cocktails with small molecules or interferon-based therapies. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-024-04032-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaurav Sharma
- Faculty of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan, 173229 Himachal Pradesh India
- School of Applied Sciences and Technology, Gujarat Technological University, Ahmedabad, 382424 Gujarat India
| | - Prateek Paul
- Department of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology, and Sciences, Prayagraj, 211007 Uttar Pradesh India
| | - Ananya Dviwedi
- Faculty of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan, 173229 Himachal Pradesh India
- Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Information Technology and Biotechnology, Pune, 411045 Maharashtra India
| | - Parneet Kaur
- Faculty of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan, 173229 Himachal Pradesh India
| | - Pradeep Kumar
- Faculty of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan, 173229 Himachal Pradesh India
- Department of Forensic Science, Himachal Pradesh University, Summer Hill, Shimla, 171005 Himachal Pradesh India
| | - V. Kumar Gupta
- Department of Applied Biology, University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya, 793101 India
| | - Saurav Bhaskar Saha
- Department of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology, and Sciences, Prayagraj, 211007 Uttar Pradesh India
| | - Saurabh Kulshrestha
- Faculty of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan, 173229 Himachal Pradesh India
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Zhang W, Xiao L, Li D, Hu Y, Yu W. New Strategies for Responding to SARS-CoV-2: The Present and Future of Dual-Target Drugs. J Med Chem 2024; 67:11522-11542. [PMID: 38967785 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c00384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in millions of deaths, posing a serious threat to public health and safety. Rapid mutations of SARS-CoV-2 and complex interactions among multiple targets during infection pose a risk of expiry for small molecule inhibitors. This suggests that the traditional concept of "one bug, one drug" could be ineffective in dealing with the coronavirus. The dual-target drug strategy is expected to be the key to ending coronavirus infections. However, the lack of design method and improper combination of dual-targets poses obstacle to the discovery of new dual-target drugs. In this Perspective, we summarized the profiles concerning drug design methods, structure-activity relationships, and pharmacological parameters of dual-target drugs for the treatment of COVID-19. Importantly, we underscored how target combination and rational drug design illuminate the development of dual-target drugs for SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Lecheng Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Dianyang Li
- School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Yuxuan Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Wenying Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
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Polo-Megías D, Cano-Muñoz M, Berruezo AG, Laumond G, Moog C, Conejero-Lara F. Investigating vulnerability of the conserved SARS-CoV-2 spike's heptad repeat 2 as target for fusion inhibitors using chimeric miniproteins. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 262:130132. [PMID: 38354919 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.130132] [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: 01/01/2024] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 membrane fusion is a highly desired target to combat COVID-19. The interaction between the spike's heptad repeat (HR) regions 1 (HR1) and 2 (HR2) is a crucial step during the fusion process and these highly conserved HR regions constitute attractive targets for fusion inhibitors. However, the relative importance of each subregion of the long HR1-HR2 interface for viral inhibition remains unclear. Here, we designed, produced, and characterized a series of chimeric miniproteins that mimic two different half subdomains of HR1. The proteins were designed as single polypeptide chains that spontaneously fold into antiparallel trimeric helical bundles aimed at structurally imitate the molecular surface of each HR1 half subregion. All the miniproteins folded stably as helical structures and could bind complementary HR2 peptides with moderate affinity. However, only the miniproteins mimicking the N-terminal HR1 half subdomain, but not those imitating C-terminal one, could inhibit cell infection by SARS-COV-2 real viruses in cell cultures. Most interestingly, the inhibitory activity of the miniproteins correlated with their structural stability, but not with their relative binding affinity for HR2 peptides. These results are highly relevant for designing more focused and active fusion inhibitors targeting the highly conserved HR2 region of the Spike.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Polo-Megías
- Departamento de Química Física, Instituto de Biotecnología y Unidad de Excelencia de Química Aplicada a Biomedicina y Medioambiente (UEQ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Mario Cano-Muñoz
- Departamento de Química Física, Instituto de Biotecnología y Unidad de Excelencia de Química Aplicada a Biomedicina y Medioambiente (UEQ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Alberto G Berruezo
- Departamento de Química Física, Instituto de Biotecnología y Unidad de Excelencia de Química Aplicada a Biomedicina y Medioambiente (UEQ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Géraldine Laumond
- Laboratoire d'ImmunoRhumatologie Moléculaire, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) UMR_S 1109, Institut Thématique Interdisciplinaire (ITI) de Médecine de Précision de Strasbourg, Transplantex NG, Faculté de Médecine, Fédération Hospitalo-Universitaire OMICARE, Fédération de Médecine Translationnelle de Strasbourg (FMTS), Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Christiane Moog
- Laboratoire d'ImmunoRhumatologie Moléculaire, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) UMR_S 1109, Institut Thématique Interdisciplinaire (ITI) de Médecine de Précision de Strasbourg, Transplantex NG, Faculté de Médecine, Fédération Hospitalo-Universitaire OMICARE, Fédération de Médecine Translationnelle de Strasbourg (FMTS), Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; Vaccine Research Institute (VRI), F-94000 Créteil, France
| | - Francisco Conejero-Lara
- Departamento de Química Física, Instituto de Biotecnología y Unidad de Excelencia de Química Aplicada a Biomedicina y Medioambiente (UEQ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain.
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Suzuki S, Kuroda M, Aoki K, Kawaji K, Hiramatsu Y, Sasano M, Nishiyama A, Murayama K, Kodama EN, Oishi S, Hayashi H. Helix-based screening with structure prediction using artificial intelligence has potential for the rapid development of peptide inhibitors targeting class I viral fusion. RSC Chem Biol 2024; 5:131-140. [PMID: 38333196 PMCID: PMC10849125 DOI: 10.1039/d3cb00166k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The rapid development of drugs against emerging and re-emerging viruses is required to prevent future pandemics. However, inhibitors usually take a long time to optimize. Here, to improve the optimization step, we used two heptad repeats (HR) in the spike protein (S protein) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as a model and established a screening system for peptide-based inhibitors containing an α-helix region (SPICA). SPICA can be used to identify critical amino acid regions and evaluate the inhibitory effects of peptides as decoys. We further employed an artificial intelligence structure-prediction system (AlphaFold2) for the rapid analysis of structure-activity relationships. Here, we identified that critical amino acid regions, DVDLGD (amino acids 1163-1168 in the S protein), IQKEIDRLNE (1179-1188), and NLNESLIDL (1192-1200), played a pivotal role in SARS-CoV-2 fusion. Peptides containing these critical amino acid regions efficiently blocked viral replication. We also demonstrated that AlphaFold2 could successfully predict structures similar to the reported crystal and cryo-electron microscopy structures of the post-fusion form of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein. Notably, the predicted structures of the HR1 region and the peptide-based fusion inhibitors corresponded well with the antiviral effects of each fusion inhibitor. Thus, the combination of SPICA and AlphaFold2 is a powerful tool to design viral fusion inhibitors using only the amino-acid sequence of the fusion protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Suzuki
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine 2-1, Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku Sendai Miyagi 980-8575 Japan
| | - Mio Kuroda
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University 1, Misasagi-Shichono-cho, Yamashina-ku Kyoto 607-8412 Japan
| | - Keisuke Aoki
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University 1, Misasagi-Shichono-cho, Yamashina-ku Kyoto 607-8412 Japan
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University Sakyo-ku Kyoto 606-8501 Japan
| | - Kumi Kawaji
- Division of Infectious Diseases, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University 2-1, Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku Sendai Miyagi 980-8575 Japan
| | - Yoshiki Hiramatsu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine 2-1, Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku Sendai Miyagi 980-8575 Japan
| | - Mina Sasano
- Division of Infectious Diseases, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University 2-1, Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku Sendai Miyagi 980-8575 Japan
| | - Akie Nishiyama
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine 2-1, Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku Sendai Miyagi 980-8575 Japan
| | - Kazutaka Murayama
- Division of Biomedical Measurements and Diagnostics, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University 2-1, Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku Sendai Miyagi 980-8575 Japan
| | - Eiichi N Kodama
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine 2-1, Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku Sendai Miyagi 980-8575 Japan
- Division of Infectious Diseases, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University 2-1, Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku Sendai Miyagi 980-8575 Japan
- Department of Infectious Disease, Graduate School of Medicine and Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University 2-1, Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku Sendai Miyagi 980-8575 Japan
| | - Shinya Oishi
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University 1, Misasagi-Shichono-cho, Yamashina-ku Kyoto 607-8412 Japan
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University Sakyo-ku Kyoto 606-8501 Japan
| | - Hironori Hayashi
- Division of Infectious Diseases, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University 2-1, Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku Sendai Miyagi 980-8575 Japan
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Bag SS, Sinha S, Dutta S, Baishya HJ, Paul S. Targeting the SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) with synthetic/designer unnatural nucleoside analogs: an in silico study. J Mol Model 2023; 29:366. [PMID: 37950101 DOI: 10.1007/s00894-023-05767-2] [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: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in December 2019, it developed into a pandemic affecting all the countries and millions of people around the globe. Until now, there is no medicine available to contain the spread of the virus. As an aid to drug discovery, the molecular docking and molecular dynamic tools were applied extensively. In silico studies made it possible for rapid screening of potential molecules as possible inhibitors/drugs against the targeted proteins. As a continuation of our drug discovery research, we have carried out molecular docking studies of our 12 reported unnatural nucleosides and 14 designer Avigan analogs with SARS-CoV-2, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), which we want to report herein. The same calculation was also carried out, taking 11 known/under trail/commercial nucleoside drug molecules for a comparison of the binding interactions in the catalytic site of RdRp. The docking results and binding efficiencies of our reported nucleosides and designer nucleosidic were compared with the binding energy of commercially available drugs such as remdesevir and favipiravir. Furthermore, we evaluated the protein-drug binding efficiency and stability of the best docked molecules by molecular dynamic studies (MD). From our study, we have found that few of our proposed drugs show promising binding efficiency at the catalytic pocket of SARS-CoV-2 RdRp and can be a promising RdRp inhibitor drug candidate. Hence, this study will be of importance to make progress toward developing successful nucleoside-based drugs and conduct the antiviral test in the wet lab to understand their efficacy against COVID-19. METHOD All the docking studies were carried out with AutoDock 4.2, AutoDock Vina and Molegro Virtual Docker. Following the docking studies, the MD simulations were carried out following the standard protocol with the GROMACS ver. 2019.6. by applying the CHARMM36 all-atom biomolecular force field. The drug-protein interaction was studied using the Biovia Discovery Studio suite, Ligplot software, and Protein-Ligand Interaction Profiler (PLIP).
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Affiliation(s)
- Subhendu Sekhar Bag
- Chemical Biology/Genomics Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, India, 781039.
- Centre for the Environment, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, India, 781039.
| | - Sayantan Sinha
- Centre for the Environment, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, India, 781039
| | - Soumya Dutta
- Chemical Biology/Genomics Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, India, 781039
| | - Hirak Jyoti Baishya
- Chemical Biology/Genomics Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, India, 781039
| | - Suravi Paul
- Chemical Biology/Genomics Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, India, 781039
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Yánez Arcos DL, Thirumuruganandham SP. Structural and pKa Estimation of the Amphipathic HR1 in SARS-CoV-2: Insights from Constant pH MD, Linear vs. Nonlinear Normal Mode Analysis. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16190. [PMID: 38003380 PMCID: PMC10671649 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216190] [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: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
A comprehensive understanding of molecular interactions and functions is imperative for unraveling the intricacies of viral protein behavior and conformational dynamics during cellular entry. Focusing on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (SARS-CoV-2 sp), a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) on a subset comprising 131 A-chain structures in presence of various inhibitors was conducted. Our analyses unveiled a compelling correlation between PCA modes and Anisotropic Network Model (ANM) modes, underscoring the reliability and functional significance of low-frequency modes in adapting to diverse inhibitor binding scenarios. The role of HR1 in viral processing, both linear Normal Mode Analysis (NMA) and Nonlinear NMA were implemented. Linear NMA exhibited substantial inter-structure variability, as evident from a higher Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD) range (7.30 Å), nonlinear NMA show stability throughout the simulations (RMSD 4.85 Å). Frequency analysis further emphasized that the energy requirements for conformational changes in nonlinear modes are notably lower compared to their linear counterparts. Using simulations of molecular dynamics at constant pH (cpH-MD), we successfully predicted the pKa order of the interconnected residues within the HR1 mutations at lower pH values, suggesting a transition to a post-fusion structure. The pKa determination study illustrates the profound effects of pH variations on protein structure. Key results include pKa values of 9.5179 for lys-921 in the D936H mutant, 9.50 for the D950N mutant, and a slightly higher value of 10.49 for the D936Y variant. To further understand the behavior and physicochemical characteristics of the protein in a biologically relevant setting, we also examine hydrophobic regions in the prefused states of the HR1 protein mutants D950N, D936Y, and D936H in our study. This analysis was conducted to ascertain the hydrophobic moment of the protein within a lipid environment, shedding light on its behavior and physicochemical properties in a biologically relevant context.
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Zhang K, Huang L, Cai Y, Zhong Y, Chen N, Gao F, Zhang L, Li Q, Liu Z, Zhang R, Zhang L, Yue J. Identification of a small chemical as a lysosomal calcium mobilizer and characterization of its ability to inhibit autophagy and viral infection. FEBS J 2023; 290:5353-5372. [PMID: 37528513 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
We previously identified glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) as one of the cyclic adenosine diphosphoribose (cADPR)'s binding proteins and found that GAPDH participates in cADPR-mediated Ca2+ release from endoplasmic reticulum via ryanodine receptors (RyRs). Here, we aimed to chemically synthesise and pharmacologically characterise novel cADPR analogues. Based on the simulated cADPR-GAPDH complex structure, we performed the structure-based drug screening, identified several small chemicals with high docking scores to cADPR's binding pocket in GAPDH and showed that two of these compounds, C244 and C346, are potential cADPR antagonists. We further synthesised several analogues of C346 and found that its analogue, G42, also mobilised Ca2+ release from lysosomes. G42 alkalised lysosomal pH and inhibited autophagosome-lysosome fusion. Moreover, G42 markedly inhibited Zika virus (ZIKV, a flavivirus) or murine hepatitis virus (MHV, a β-coronavirus) infections of host cells. These results suggest that G42 inhibits virus infection, likely by triggering lysosomal Ca2+ mobilisation and inhibiting autophagy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kehui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natual Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Active Substances Discovery and Druggability Evaluation, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Lihong Huang
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonoses, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yang Cai
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, China
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, China
| | - Yi Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Nanjun Chen
- Department of Computer Science, City University of Hong Kong, China
| | - Fei Gao
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonoses, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Liang Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, China
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, China
| | - Qi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenming Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Rongxin Zhang
- Laboratory of Immunology and Inflammation, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Liangren Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jianbo Yue
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, China
- Division of Natural and Applied Sciences, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, China
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Nguyen H, Nguyen HL, Lan PD, Thai NQ, Sikora M, Li MS. Interaction of SARS-CoV-2 with host cells and antibodies: experiment and simulation. Chem Soc Rev 2023; 52:6497-6553. [PMID: 37650302 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs01170g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the devastating global COVID-19 pandemic announced by WHO in March 2020. Through unprecedented scientific effort, several vaccines, drugs and antibodies have been developed, saving millions of lives, but the fight against COVID-19 continues as immune escape variants of concern such as Delta and Omicron emerge. To develop more effective treatments and to elucidate the side effects caused by vaccines and therapeutic agents, a deeper understanding of the molecular interactions of SARS-CoV-2 with them and human cells is required. With special interest in computational approaches, we will focus on the structure of SARS-CoV-2 and the interaction of its spike protein with human angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) as a prime entry point of the virus into host cells. In addition, other possible viral receptors will be considered. The fusion of viral and human membranes and the interaction of the spike protein with antibodies and nanobodies will be discussed, as well as the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on protein synthesis in host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hung Nguyen
- Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, al. Lotnikow 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Hoang Linh Nguyen
- Institute of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, Duy Tan University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
- Faculty of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Duy Tan University, Da Nang 550000, Vietnam
| | - Pham Dang Lan
- Life Science Lab, Institute for Computational Science and Technology, Quang Trung Software City, Tan Chanh Hiep Ward, District 12, 729110 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Faculty of Physics and Engineering Physics, VNUHCM-University of Science, 227, Nguyen Van Cu Street, District 5, 749000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Nguyen Quoc Thai
- Dong Thap University, 783 Pham Huu Lau Street, Ward 6, Cao Lanh City, Dong Thap, Vietnam
| | - Mateusz Sikora
- Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
- Department of Theoretical Biophysics, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Mai Suan Li
- Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, al. Lotnikow 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw, Poland.
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Liu Y, Ye Q. The Key Site Variation and Immune Challenges in SARS-CoV-2 Evolution. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1472. [PMID: 37766148 PMCID: PMC10537874 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11091472] [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: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a worldwide public health and economic threat, and virus variation amplifies the difficulty in epidemic prevention and control. The structure of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been studied extensively and is now well defined. The S protein is the most distinguishing feature in terms of infection and immunity, mediating virus entrance and inducing neutralizing antibodies. The S protein and its essential components are also the most promising target to develop vaccines and antibody-based drugs. Therefore, the key site mutation in the S gene is of high interest. Among them, RBD, NTD, and furin cleavage sites are the most mutable regions with the most mutation sites and the most serious consequences for SARS-CoV-2 biological characteristics, including infectivity, pathogenicity, natural immunity, vaccine efficacy, and antibody therapeutics. We are also aware that this outbreak may not be the last. Therefore, in this narrative review, we summarized viral variation and prevalence condition, discussed specific amino acid replacement and associated immune challenges and attempted to sum up some prevention and control strategies by reviewing the literature on previously published research about SARS-CoV-2 variation to assist in clarifying the mutation pathway and consequences of SARS-CoV-2 for developing countermeasures against such viruses as soon as possible.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Qing Ye
- Department of ‘A’, Children’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou 310052, China;
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von Beck T, Navarrete K, Arce NA, Gao M, Dale GA, Davis-Gardner ME, Floyd K, Mena Hernandez L, Mullick N, Vanderheiden A, Skountzou I, Kuchipudi SV, Saravanan R, Li R, Skolnick J, Suthar MS, Jacob J. A wild boar cathelicidin peptide derivative inhibits severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 and its drifted variants. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14650. [PMID: 37670110 PMCID: PMC10480232 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41850-7] [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: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) poses a clear threat to humanity. It has infected over 200 million and killed 4 million people worldwide, and infections continue with no end in sight. To control the pandemic, multiple effective vaccines have been developed, and global vaccinations are in progress. However, the virus continues to mutate. Even when full vaccine coverage is achieved, vaccine-resistant mutants will likely emerge, thus requiring new annual vaccines against drifted variants analogous to influenza. A complimentary solution to this problem could be developing antiviral drugs that inhibit SARS CoV-2 and its drifted variants. Host defense peptides represent a potential source for such an antiviral as they possess broad antimicrobial activity and significant diversity across species. We screened the cathelicidin family of peptides from 16 different species for antiviral activity and identified a wild boar peptide derivative that inhibits SARS CoV-2. This peptide, which we named Yongshi and means warrior in Mandarin, acts as a viral entry inhibitor. Following the binding of SARS-CoV-2 to its receptor, the spike protein is cleaved, and heptad repeats 1 and 2 multimerize to form the fusion complex that enables the virion to enter the cell. A deep learning-based protein sequence comparison algorithm and molecular modeling suggest that Yongshi acts as a mimetic to the heptad repeats of the virus, thereby disrupting the fusion process. Experimental data confirm the binding of Yongshi to the heptad repeat 1 with a fourfold higher affinity than heptad repeat 2 of SARS-CoV-2. Yongshi also binds to the heptad repeat 1 of SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV. Interestingly, it inhibits all drifted variants of SARS CoV-2 that we tested, including the alpha, beta, gamma, delta, kappa and omicron variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Troy von Beck
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Road, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Karla Navarrete
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Road, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Nicholas A Arce
- Department of Pediatrics, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Mu Gao
- Center for the Study of Systems Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, 950 Atlantic Drive, NW, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Gordon A Dale
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Road, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Meredith E Davis-Gardner
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Road, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Katharine Floyd
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Road, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Luis Mena Hernandez
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Road, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Nikita Mullick
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Road, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Abigail Vanderheiden
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Road, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Ioanna Skountzou
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Road, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Suresh V Kuchipudi
- Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Rathi Saravanan
- Centre of Regulatory Excellence (CoRE), Duke-NUS Medical School, Level 6, 8 College Road, Singapore, 169857, Singapore
| | - Renhao Li
- Department of Pediatrics, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Jeffrey Skolnick
- Center for the Study of Systems Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, 950 Atlantic Drive, NW, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Mehul S Suthar
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Road, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Joshy Jacob
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Road, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.
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11
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Stincarelli MA, Quagliata M, Di Santo A, Pacini L, Fernandez FR, Arvia R, Rinaldi S, Papini AM, Rovero P, Giannecchini S. SARS-CoV-2 inhibitory activity of a short peptide derived from internal fusion peptide of S2 subunit of spike glycoprotein. Virus Res 2023; 334:199170. [PMID: 37422270 PMCID: PMC10384657 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2023.199170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has posed a great concern in human population. To fight coronavirus emergence, we have dissected the conserved amino acid region of the internal fusion peptide in the S2 subunit of Spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 to design new inhibitory peptides. Among the 11 overlapping peptides (9-23-mer), PN19, a 19-mer peptide, exhibited a powerful inhibitory activity against different SARS-CoV-2 clinical isolate variants in absence of cytotoxicity. The PN19 inhibitory activity was found to be dependent on conservation of the central Phe and C-terminal Tyr residues in the peptide sequence. Circular dichroism spectra of the active peptide exhibited an alpha-helix propensity, confirmed by secondary structure prediction analysis. The PN19 inhibitory activity, exerted in the first step of virus infection, was reduced after peptide adsorption treatment with virus-cell substrate during fusion interaction. Additionally, PN19 inhibitory activity was reduced by adding S2 membrane-proximal region derived peptides. PN19 showed binding ability to the S2 membrane proximal region derived peptides, confirmed by molecular modelling, playing a role in the mechanism of action. Collectively, these results confirm that the internal fusion peptide region is a good candidate on which develop peptidomimetic anti SARS-CoV-2 antivirals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Alfreda Stincarelli
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 48, Florence 50134, Italy
| | - Michael Quagliata
- Interdepartmental Research Unit of Peptide and Protein Chemistry and Biology, Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
| | - Andrea Di Santo
- Interdepartmental Research Unit of Peptide and Protein Chemistry and Biology, Department of NeuroFarBa, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Pacini
- Interdepartmental Research Unit of Peptide and Protein Chemistry and Biology, Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
| | - Feliciana Real Fernandez
- CNR - Istituto di Chimica dei Composti Organometallici (CNR-ICCOM), Via Madonna del Piano 10, Sesto Fiorentino I-50019, Italy
| | - Rosaria Arvia
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 48, Florence 50134, Italy
| | - Silvia Rinaldi
- CNR - Istituto di Chimica dei Composti Organometallici (CNR-ICCOM), Via Madonna del Piano 10, Sesto Fiorentino I-50019, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Papini
- Interdepartmental Research Unit of Peptide and Protein Chemistry and Biology, Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
| | - Paolo Rovero
- Interdepartmental Research Unit of Peptide and Protein Chemistry and Biology, Department of NeuroFarBa, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
| | - Simone Giannecchini
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 48, Florence 50134, Italy.
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12
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Qing E, Gallagher T. Adaptive variations in SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins: effects on distinct virus-cell entry stages. mBio 2023; 14:e0017123. [PMID: 37382441 PMCID: PMC10470846 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00171-23] [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: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Evolved SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) spread through human populations in succession. Major virus variations are in the entry-facilitating viral spike (S) proteins; Omicron VOCs have 29-40 S mutations relative to ancestral D614G viruses. The impacts of this Omicron divergence on S protein structure, antigenicity, cell entry pathways, and pathogenicity have been extensively evaluated, yet gaps remain in correlating specific alterations with S protein functions. In this study, we compared the functions of ancestral D614G and Omicron VOCs using cell-free assays that can reveal differences in several distinct steps of the S-directed virus entry process. Relative to ancestral D614G, Omicron BA.1 S proteins were hypersensitized to receptor activation, to conversion into intermediate conformational states, and to membrane fusion-activating proteases. We identified mutations conferring these changes in S protein character by evaluating domain-exchanged D614G/Omicron recombinants in the cell-free assays. Each of the three functional alterations was mapped to specific S protein domains, with the recombinants providing insights on inter-domain interactions that fine-tune S-directed virus entry. Our results provide a structure-function atlas of the S protein variations that may promote the transmissibility and infectivity of current and future SARS-CoV-2 VOCs. IMPORTANCE Continuous SARS-CoV-2 adaptations generate increasingly transmissible variants. These succeeding variants show ever-increasing evasion of suppressive antibodies and host factors, as well as increasing invasion of susceptible host cells. Here, we evaluated the adaptations enhancing invasion. We used reductionist cell-free assays to compare the entry steps of ancestral (D614G) and Omicron (BA.1) variants. Relative to D614G, Omicron entry was distinguished by heightened responsiveness to entry-facilitating receptors and proteases and by enhanced formation of intermediate states that execute virus-cell membrane fusion. We found that these Omicron-specific characteristics arose from mutations in specific S protein domains and subdomains. The results reveal the inter-domain networks controlling S protein dynamics and efficiencies of entry steps, and they offer insights on the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants that arise and ultimately dominate infections worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enya Qing
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, Illinois, USA
| | - Tom Gallagher
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, Illinois, USA
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13
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Su X, Huang Z, Xu W, Wang Q, Xing L, Lu L, Jiang S, Xia S. IgG Fc-Binding Peptide-Conjugated Pan-CoV Fusion Inhibitor Exhibits Extended In Vivo Half-Life and Synergistic Antiviral Effect When Combined with Neutralizing Antibodies. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1283. [PMID: 37759683 PMCID: PMC10526447 DOI: 10.3390/biom13091283] [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: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 08/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The peptide-based pan-coronavirus fusion inhibitor EK1 is in phase III clinical trials, and it has, thus far, shown good clinical application prospects against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. To further improve its in vivo long-acting property, we herein developed an Fc-binding strategy by conjugating EK1 with human immunoglobulin G Fc-binding peptide (IBP), which can exploit the long half-life advantage of IgG in vivo. The newly engineered peptide IBP-EK1 showed potent and broad-spectrum inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, including various Omicron sublineages and other human coronaviruses (HCoVs) with low cytotoxicity. In mouse models, IBP-EK1 possessed potent prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy against lethal HCoV-OC43 challenge, and it showed good safety profile and low immunogenicity. More importantly, IBP-EK1 exhibited a significantly extended in vivo half-life in rhesus monkeys of up to 37.7 h, which is about 20-fold longer than that reported for EK1. Strikingly, IBP-EK1 displayed strong in vitro or ex vivo synergistic anti-HCoV effect when combined with monoclonal neutralizing antibodies, including REGN10933 or S309, suggesting that IBP-conjugated EK1 can be further developed as a long-acting, broad-spectrum anti-HCoV agent, either alone or in combination with neutralizing antibodies, to combat the current COVID-19 pandemic or future outbreaks caused by emerging and re-emerging highly pathogenic HCoVs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Shibo Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microbes and Infection, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; (X.S.); (Z.H.); (W.X.); (Q.W.); (L.X.); (L.L.)
| | - Shuai Xia
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microbes and Infection, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; (X.S.); (Z.H.); (W.X.); (Q.W.); (L.X.); (L.L.)
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14
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Hamdy ME, El Deeb AH, Hagag NM, Shahein MA, Alaidi O, Hussein HA. Interspecies transmission of SARS CoV-2 with special emphasis on viral mutations and ACE-2 receptor homology roles. Int J Vet Sci Med 2023; 11:55-86. [PMID: 37441062 PMCID: PMC10334861 DOI: 10.1080/23144599.2023.2222981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 outbreak was first reported in 2019, Wuhan, China. The spillover of the disease caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), to a wide range of pet, zoo, wild, and farm animals has emphasized potential zoonotic and reverse zoonotic viral transmission. Furthermore, it has evoked inquiries about susceptibility of different animal species to SARS-CoV-2 infection and role of these animals as viral reservoirs. Therefore, studying susceptible and non-susceptible hosts for SARS-CoV-2 infection could give a better understanding for the virus and will help in preventing further outbreaks. Here, we review structural aspects of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, the effect of the different mutations observed in the spike protein, and the impact of ACE2 receptor variations in different animal hosts on inter-species transmission. Moreover, the SARS-CoV-2 spillover chain was reviewed. Combination of SARS-CoV-2 high mutation rate and homology of cellular ACE2 receptors enable the virus to transcend species barriers and facilitate its transmission between humans and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mervat E. Hamdy
- Genome Research Unit, Animal Health Research Institute, Agriculture Research Centre, Giza, Egypt
| | - Ayman H. El Deeb
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, King Salman International University, South Sinai, Egypt
| | - Naglaa M. Hagag
- Genome Research Unit, Animal Health Research Institute, Agriculture Research Centre, Giza, Egypt
| | - Momtaz A. Shahein
- Department of Virology, Animal Health Research Institute, Agriculture Research Centre, Giza, Egypt
| | - Osama Alaidi
- Biocomplexity for Research and Consulting Co., Cairo, Egypt
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Hussein A. Hussein
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
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15
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Shi W, Cai Y, Zhu H, Peng H, Voyer J, Rits-Volloch S, Cao H, Mayer ML, Song K, Xu C, Lu J, Zhang J, Chen B. Cryo-EM structure of SARS-CoV-2 postfusion spike in membrane. Nature 2023; 619:403-409. [PMID: 37285872 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06273-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The entry of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells depends on the refolding of the virus-encoded spike protein from a prefusion conformation, which is metastable after cleavage, to a lower-energy stable postfusion conformation1,2. This transition overcomes kinetic barriers for fusion of viral and target cell membranes3,4. Here we report a cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the intact postfusion spike in a lipid bilayer that represents the single-membrane product of the fusion reaction. The structure provides structural definition of the functionally critical membrane-interacting segments, including the fusion peptide and transmembrane anchor. The internal fusion peptide forms a hairpin-like wedge that spans almost the entire lipid bilayer and the transmembrane segment wraps around the fusion peptide at the last stage of membrane fusion. These results advance our understanding of the spike protein in a membrane environment and may guide development of intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Shi
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yongfei Cai
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- CSL Seqirus, Waltham, MA, USA
| | - Haisun Zhu
- Institute for Protein Innovation, Harvard Institutes of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hanqin Peng
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jewel Voyer
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Hong Cao
- Codex BioSolutions, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Megan L Mayer
- The Harvard Cryo-EM Center for Structural Biology, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kangkang Song
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Cryo-EM Core Facility, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Chen Xu
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Cryo-EM Core Facility, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Jianming Lu
- Codex BioSolutions, Rockville, MD, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Jun Zhang
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Bing Chen
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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16
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Su R, Zeng J, Marcink TC, Porotto M, Moscona A, O’Shaughnessy B. Host Cell Membrane Capture by the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Fusion Intermediate. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2023; 9:1213-1228. [PMID: 37396856 PMCID: PMC10255576 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.3c00158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Cell entry by SARS-CoV-2 is accomplished by the S2 subunit of the spike S protein on the virion surface by capture of the host cell membrane and fusion with the viral envelope. Capture and fusion require the prefusion S2 to transit to its potent fusogenic form, the fusion intermediate (FI). However, the FI structure is unknown, detailed computational models of the FI are unavailable, and the mechanisms and timing of membrane capture and fusion are not established. Here, we constructed a full-length model of the SARS-CoV-2 FI by extrapolating from known SARS-CoV-2 pre- and postfusion structures. In atomistic and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations the FI was remarkably flexible and executed giant bending and extensional fluctuations due to three hinges in the C-terminal base. The simulated configurations and their giant fluctuations are quantitatively consistent with SARS-CoV-2 FI configurations measured recently using cryo-electron tomography. Simulations suggested a host cell membrane capture time of ∼2 ms. Isolated fusion peptide simulations identified an N-terminal helix that directed and maintained binding to the membrane but grossly underestimated the binding time, showing that the fusion peptide environment is radically altered when attached to its host fusion protein. The large configurational fluctuations of the FI generated a substantial exploration volume that aided capture of the target membrane, and may set the waiting time for fluctuation-triggered refolding of the FI that draws the viral envelope and host cell membrane together for fusion. These results describe the FI as machinery that uses massive configurational fluctuations for efficient membrane capture and suggest novel potential drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Su
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Jin Zeng
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Tara C. Marcink
- Department
of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos
College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, United States
- Center
for Host−Pathogen Interaction, Columbia
University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Matteo Porotto
- Department
of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos
College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, United States
- Center
for Host−Pathogen Interaction, Columbia
University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, United States
- Department
of Experimental Medicine, University of
Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Anne Moscona
- Department
of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos
College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, United States
- Center
for Host−Pathogen Interaction, Columbia
University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, United States
- Department
of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia
University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, United States
- Department
of Physiology, Columbia University Vagelos
College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Ben O’Shaughnessy
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
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17
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Yang K, Wang C, Kreutzberger AJB, White KI, Pfuetzner RA, Esquivies L, Kirchhausen T, Brunger AT. Structure-based design of a SARS-CoV-2 Omicron-specific inhibitor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2300360120. [PMID: 36940324 PMCID: PMC10068829 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2300360120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) introduced a relatively large number of mutations, including three mutations in the highly conserved heptad repeat 1 (HR1) region of the spike glycoprotein (S) critical for its membrane fusion activity. We show that one of these mutations, N969K induces a substantial displacement in the structure of the heptad repeat 2 (HR2) backbone in the HR1HR2 postfusion bundle. Due to this mutation, fusion-entry peptide inhibitors based on the Wuhan strain sequence are less efficacious. Here, we report an Omicron-specific peptide inhibitor designed based on the structure of the Omicron HR1HR2 postfusion bundle. Specifically, we inserted an additional residue in HR2 near the Omicron HR1 K969 residue to better accommodate the N969K mutation and relieve the distortion in the structure of the HR1HR2 postfusion bundle it introduced. The designed inhibitor recovers the loss of inhibition activity of the original longHR2_42 peptide with the Wuhan strain sequence against the Omicron variant in both a cell-cell fusion assay and a vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-SARS-CoV-2 chimera infection assay, suggesting that a similar approach could be used to combat future variants. From a mechanistic perspective, our work suggests the interactions in the extended region of HR2 may mediate the initial landing of HR2 onto HR1 during the transition of the S protein from the prehairpin intermediate to the postfusion state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kailu Yang
- HHMI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Photon Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Chuchu Wang
- HHMI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Photon Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Alex J. B. Kreutzberger
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - K. Ian White
- HHMI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Photon Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Richard A. Pfuetzner
- HHMI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Photon Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Luis Esquivies
- HHMI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Photon Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Tomas Kirchhausen
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Axel T. Brunger
- HHMI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Photon Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
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18
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Essalmani R, Andréo U, Evagelidis A, Le Dévéhat M, Pereira Ramos OH, Fruchart Gaillard C, Susan-Resiga D, Cohen ÉA, Seidah NG. SKI-1/S1P Facilitates SARS-CoV-2 Spike Induced Cell-to-Cell Fusion via Activation of SREBP-2 and Metalloproteases, Whereas PCSK9 Enhances the Degradation of ACE2. Viruses 2023; 15:v15020360. [PMID: 36851576 PMCID: PMC9959508 DOI: 10.3390/v15020360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Proprotein convertases activate various envelope glycoproteins and participate in cellular entry of many viruses. We recently showed that the convertase furin is critical for the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2, which requires cleavage of its spike protein (S) at two sites: S1/S2 and S2'. This study investigates the implication of the two cholesterol-regulating convertases SKI-1 and PCSK9 in SARS-CoV-2 entry. The assays used were cell-to-cell fusion in HeLa cells and pseudoparticle entry into Calu-3 cells. SKI-1 increased cell-to-cell fusion by enhancing the activation of SREBP-2, whereas PCSK9 reduced cell-to-cell fusion by promoting the cellular degradation of ACE2. SKI-1 activity led to enhanced S2' formation, which was attributed to increased metalloprotease activity as a response to enhanced cholesterol levels via activated SREBP-2. However, high metalloprotease activity resulted in the shedding of S2' into a new C-terminal fragment (S2″), leading to reduced cell-to-cell fusion. Indeed, S-mutants that increase S2″ formation abolished S2' and cell-to-cell fusion, as well as pseudoparticle entry, indicating that the formation of S2″ prevents SARS-CoV-2 cell-to-cell fusion and entry. We next demonstrated that PCSK9 enhanced the cellular degradation of ACE2, thereby reducing cell-to-cell fusion. However, different from the LDLR, a canonical target of PCSK9, the C-terminal CHRD domain of PCSK9 is dispensable for the PCSK9-induced degradation of ACE2. Molecular modeling suggested the binding of ACE2 to the Pro/Catalytic domains of mature PCSK9. Thus, both cholesterol-regulating convertases SKI-1 and PCSK9 can modulate SARS-CoV-2 entry via two independent mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachid Essalmani
- Laboratory of Biochemical Neuroendocrinology, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
| | - Ursula Andréo
- Laboratory of Biochemical Neuroendocrinology, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
| | - Alexandra Evagelidis
- Laboratory of Biochemical Neuroendocrinology, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
| | - Maïlys Le Dévéhat
- Laboratory of Biochemical Neuroendocrinology, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
| | - Oscar Henrique Pereira Ramos
- Département Médicaments et Technologies pour la Santé (DMTS), Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, INRAE, SI-MoS, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Carole Fruchart Gaillard
- Département Médicaments et Technologies pour la Santé (DMTS), Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, INRAE, SI-MoS, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Delia Susan-Resiga
- Laboratory of Biochemical Neuroendocrinology, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
| | - Éric A. Cohen
- Laboratory of Human Retrovirology, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Université de Montréal, 110 Pine Ave West, Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
- Department of Microbiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Nabil G. Seidah
- Laboratory of Biochemical Neuroendocrinology, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-514-987-5609
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19
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Tang M, Zhang X, Huang Y, Cheng W, Qu J, Gui S, Li L, Li S. Peptide-based inhibitors hold great promise as the broad-spectrum agents against coronavirus. Front Microbiol 2023; 13:1093646. [PMID: 36741878 PMCID: PMC9893414 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1093646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and the recent SARS-CoV-2 are lethal coronaviruses (CoVs) that have caused dreadful epidemic or pandemic in a large region or globally. Infections of human respiratory systems and other important organs by these pathogenic viruses often results in high rates of morbidity and mortality. Efficient anti-viral drugs are needed. Herein, we firstly take SARS-CoV-2 as an example to present the molecular mechanism of CoV infection cycle, including the receptor binding, viral entry, intracellular replication, virion assembly, and release. Then according to their mode of action, we provide a summary of anti-viral peptides that have been reported in peer-reviewed publications. Even though CoVs can rapidly evolve to gain resistance to the conventional small molecule drugs, peptide-based inhibitors targeting various steps of CoV lifecycle remain a promising approach. Peptides can be continuously modified to improve their antiviral efficacy and spectrum along with the emergence of new viral variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingxing Tang
- Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China,Department of Otolaryngology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology Union Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China,School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yanhong Huang
- Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China,School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Wenxiang Cheng
- Center for Translational Medicine Research and Development, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jing Qu
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen, China
| | - Shuiqing Gui
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China,*Correspondence: Shuiqing Gui, ✉
| | - Liang Li
- School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China,Liang Li, ✉
| | - Shuo Li
- Department of Otolaryngology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology Union Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China,Shuo Li, ✉
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20
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Jeong K, Chang J, Park SM, Kim J, Jeon S, Kim DH, Kim YE, Lee JC, Im S, Jo Y, Min JY, Lee H, Yeom M, Seok SH, On DI, Noh H, Yun JW, Park JW, Song D, Seong JK, Kim KC, Lee JY, Park HJ, Kim S, Nam TG, Lee W. Rapid discovery and classification of inhibitors of coronavirus infection by pseudovirus screen and amplified luminescence proximity homogeneous assay. Antiviral Res 2023; 209:105473. [PMID: 36435212 PMCID: PMC9682871 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2022.105473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
To identify potent antiviral compounds, we introduced a high-throughput screen platform that can rapidly classify hit compounds according to their target. In our platform, we performed a compound screen using a lentivirus-based pseudovirus presenting a spike protein of coronavirus, and we evaluated the hit compounds using an amplified luminescence proximity homogeneous assay (alpha) test with purified host receptor protein and the receptor binding domain of the viral spike. With our screen platform, we were able to identify both spike-specific compounds (class I) and broad-spectrum antiviral compounds (class II). Among the hit compounds, thiosemicarbazide was identified to be selective to the interaction between the viral spike and its host cell receptor, and we further optimized the binding potency of thiosemicarbazide through modification of the pyridine group. Among the class II compounds, we found raloxifene and amiodarone to be highly potent against human coronaviruses including Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), and SARS-CoV-2. In particular, using analogs of the benzothiophene moiety, which is also present in raloxifene, we have identified benzothiophene as a novel structural scaffold for broad-spectrum antivirals. This work highlights the strong utility of our screen platform using a pseudovirus assay and an alpha test for rapid identification of potential antiviral compounds and their mechanism of action, which can lead to the accelerated development of therapeutics against newly emerging viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwiwan Jeong
- Bio-center, Gyeonggido Business and Science Accelerator, Suwon, South Korea,Corresponding author
| | - JuOae Chang
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Sun-mi Park
- Bio-center, Gyeonggido Business and Science Accelerator, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Jinhee Kim
- Institut Pasteur Korea, Seongnam, South Korea
| | | | - Dong Hwan Kim
- Department of Pharmacy and Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hanyang University, Ansan, South Korea
| | - Young-Eui Kim
- Center for Emerging Virus Research, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Cheongju, South Korea
| | - Joo Chan Lee
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Somyoung Im
- Department of Pharmacy and Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hanyang University, Ansan, South Korea
| | - Yejin Jo
- Department of Pharmacy and Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hanyang University, Ansan, South Korea
| | | | - Hanbyeul Lee
- Department of Veterinary Medicine Virology Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Minjoo Yeom
- Department of Veterinary Medicine Virology Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Sang-Hyuk Seok
- Division of Biomedical Convergence, College of Biomedical Science, Kangwon National University, ChunCheon, South Korea
| | - Da In On
- Laboratory of Developmental Biology and Genomics, Research Institute for Veterinary Science, BK21 Program for Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea,Korea Mouse Phenotyping Center (KMPC), Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hyuna Noh
- Korea Mouse Phenotyping Center (KMPC), Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jun-Won Yun
- Laboratory of Veterinary Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jun Won Park
- Division of Biomedical Convergence, College of Biomedical Science, Kangwon National University, ChunCheon, South Korea
| | - Daesub Song
- Department of Veterinary Medicine Virology Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Je Kyung Seong
- Laboratory of Developmental Biology and Genomics, Research Institute for Veterinary Science, BK21 Program for Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea,Korea Mouse Phenotyping Center (KMPC), Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea,Interdisciplinary Program for Bioinformatics, Program for Cancer Biology and BIO-MAX/N-Bio Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Kyung-Chang Kim
- Center for Emerging Virus Research, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Cheongju, South Korea
| | - Joo-Yeon Lee
- Center for Emerging Virus Research, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Cheongju, South Korea
| | - Hyun-Ju Park
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea,Corresponding author
| | - Seungtaek Kim
- Institut Pasteur Korea, Seongnam, South Korea,Corresponding author
| | - Tae-gyu Nam
- Department of Pharmacy and Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hanyang University, Ansan, South Korea,Corresponding author
| | - Wonsik Lee
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea,Corresponding author
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21
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Polo-Megías D, Cano-Muñoz M, Berruezo AG, Laumond G, Moog C, Conejero-Lara F. Exploring Highly Conserved Regions of SARS-CoV-2 Spike S2 Subunit as Targets for Fusion Inhibition Using Chimeric Proteins. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232415511. [PMID: 36555153 PMCID: PMC9778920 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232415511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, considerable efforts have been made to develop protective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, immunity tends to decline within a few months, and new virus variants are emerging with increased transmissibility and capacity to evade natural or vaccine-acquired immunity. Therefore, new robust strategies are needed to combat SARS-CoV-2 infection. The viral spike composed of S1 and S2 subunits mediates viral attachment and membrane fusion to infect the host cell. In this process, interaction between the highly conserved heptad repeat 1 and 2 regions (HR1 and HR2) of S2 is crucial and for this reason; these regions are promising targets to fight SARS-CoV-2. Here, we describe the design and characterization of chimeric proteins that structurally imitate the S2 HR1 region in a trimeric coiled-coil conformation. We biophysically characterized the proteins and determined their capacity to bind the HR2 region, as well as their inhibitory activity of SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro. HR1 mimetic proteins showed conformational heterogeneity and a propensity to form oligomers. Moreover, their structure is composed of subdomains with varied stability. Interestingly, the full HR1 proteins showed high affinity for HR2-derived peptides and SARS-CoV-2 inhibitory activity, whereas smaller proteins mimicking HR1 subdomains had a decreased affinity for their complementary HR2 region and did not inhibit the virus. The results provide insight into effective strategies to create mimetic proteins with broad inhibitory activity and therapeutic potential against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Polo-Megías
- Departamento de Química Física, Instituto de Biotecnología y Unidad de Excelencia de Química Aplicada a Biomedicina y Medioambiente (UEQ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Mario Cano-Muñoz
- Departamento de Química Física, Instituto de Biotecnología y Unidad de Excelencia de Química Aplicada a Biomedicina y Medioambiente (UEQ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Alberto G Berruezo
- Departamento de Química Física, Instituto de Biotecnología y Unidad de Excelencia de Química Aplicada a Biomedicina y Medioambiente (UEQ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Géraldine Laumond
- Laboratoire d'ImmunoRhumatologie Moléculaire, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) UMR_S 1109, Institut Thématique Interdisciplinaire (ITI) de Médecine de Précision de Strasbourg, Transplantex NG, Faculté de Médecine, Fédération Hospitalo-Universitaire OMICARE, Fédération de Médecine Translationnelle de Strasbourg (FMTS), Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Christiane Moog
- Laboratoire d'ImmunoRhumatologie Moléculaire, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) UMR_S 1109, Institut Thématique Interdisciplinaire (ITI) de Médecine de Précision de Strasbourg, Transplantex NG, Faculté de Médecine, Fédération Hospitalo-Universitaire OMICARE, Fédération de Médecine Translationnelle de Strasbourg (FMTS), Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
- Vaccine Research Institute (VRI), F-94000 Créteil, France
| | - Francisco Conejero-Lara
- Departamento de Química Física, Instituto de Biotecnología y Unidad de Excelencia de Química Aplicada a Biomedicina y Medioambiente (UEQ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
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22
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Shi W, Cai Y, Zhu H, Peng H, Voyer J, Rits-Volloch S, Cao H, Mayer ML, Song K, Xu C, Lu J, Zhang J, Chen B. Cryo-EM structure of SARS-CoV-2 postfusion spike in membrane. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2022:2022.12.05.519151. [PMID: 36523411 PMCID: PMC9753783 DOI: 10.1101/2022.12.05.519151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Entry of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) into host cells depends on refolding of the virus-encoded spike protein from a prefusion conformation, metastable after cleavage, to a lower energy, stable postfusion conformation. This transition overcomes kinetic barriers for fusion of viral and target cell membranes. We report here a cryo-EM structure of the intact postfusion spike in a lipid bilayer that represents single-membrane product of the fusion reaction. The structure provides structural definition of the functionally critical membraneinteracting segments, including the fusion peptide and transmembrane anchor. The internal fusion peptide forms a hairpin-like wedge that spans almost the entire lipid bilayer and the transmembrane segment wraps around the fusion peptide at the last stage of membrane fusion. These results advance our understanding of the spike protein in a membrane environment and may guide development of intervention strategies.
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23
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Novel chimeric proteins mimicking SARS-CoV-2 spike epitopes with broad inhibitory activity. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 222:2467-2478. [PMID: 36220405 PMCID: PMC9546781 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.10.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein mediates virus attachment to the cells and fusion between viral and cell membranes. Membrane fusion is driven by mutual interaction between the highly conserved heptad-repeat regions 1 and 2 (HR1 and HR2) of the S2 subunit of the spike. For this reason, these S2 regions are interesting therapeutic targets for COVID-19. Although HR1 and HR2 have been described as transiently exposed during the fusion process, no significant antibody responses against these S2 regions have been reported. Here we designed chimeric proteins that imitate highly stable HR1 helical trimers and strongly bind to HR2. The proteins have broad inhibitory activity against WT B.1 and BA.1 viruses. Sera from COVID-19 convalescent donors showed significant levels of reactive antibodies (IgG and IgA) against the HR1 mimetic proteins, whereas these antibody responses were absent in sera from uninfected donors. Moreover, both inhibitory activity and antigenicity of the proteins correlate positively with their structural stability but not with the number of amino acid changes in their HR1 sequences, indicating a conformational and conserved nature of the involved epitopes. Our results reveal previously undetected spike epitopes that may guide the design of new robust COVID-19 vaccines and therapies.
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24
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Chen D, Liu X, Chen Y, Lin H. Amyloid peptides with antimicrobial and/or microbial agglutination activity. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2022; 106:7711-7720. [PMID: 36322251 PMCID: PMC9628408 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-022-12246-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Abstract Microbe (including bacteria, fungi, and virus) infection in brains is associated with amyloid fibril deposit and neurodegeneration. Increasing findings suggest that amyloid proteins, like Abeta (Aβ), are important innate immune effectors in preventing infections. In some previous studies, amyloid peptides have been linked to antimicrobial peptides due to their common mechanisms in membrane-disruption ability, while the other mechanisms of bactericidal protein aggregation and protein function knockdown are less discussed. Besides, another important function of amyloid peptides in pathogen agglutination is rarely illustrated. In this review, we summarized and divided the different roles and mechanisms of amyloid peptides against microbes in antimicrobial activity and microbe agglutination activity. Besides, the range of amyloids’ antimicrobial spectrum, the effectiveness of amyloid peptide states (monomers, oligomers, and fibrils), and cytotoxicity are discussed. The good properties of amyloid peptides against microbes might provide implications for the development of novel antimicrobial drug. Key points • Antimicrobial and/or microbial agglutination is a characteristic of amyloid peptides. • Various mechanisms of amyloid peptides against microbes are discovered recently. • Amyloid peptides might be developed into novel antimicrobial drugs. Supplementary information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00253-022-12246-w.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongru Chen
- Department of Orthodontics, Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiangqi Liu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yucong Chen
- Department of Preventive Dentistry, Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Huancai Lin
- Department of Preventive Dentistry, Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
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25
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Bhattacharjee R, Dubey AK, Ganguly A, Bhattacharya B, Mishra YK, Mostafavi E, Kaushik A. State-of-art high-performance Nano-systems for mutated coronavirus infection management: From Lab to Clinic. OPENNANO 2022. [PMCID: PMC9463543 DOI: 10.1016/j.onano.2022.100078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants made emerging novel coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) pandemic/endemic/or both more severe and difficult to manage due to increased worry about the efficacy and efficiency of present preventative, therapeutic, and sensing measures. To deal with these unexpected circumstances, the development of novel nano-systems with tuneable optical, electrical, magnetic, and morphological properties can lead to novel research needed for (1) COVID-19 infection (anti-microbial systems against SARS-CoV-2), (2) early detection of mutated SARS-CoV-2, and (3) targeted delivery of therapeutics using nano-systems, i.e., nanomedicine. However, there is a knowledge gap in understanding all these nano-biotechnology potentials for managing mutated SARS-CoV-2 on a single platform. To bring up the aspects of nanotechnology to tackle SARS-CoV-2 variants related COVID-19 pandemic, this article emphasizes improvements in the high-performance of nano-systems to combat SARS-CoV-2 strains/variants with a goal of managing COVID-19 infection via trapping, eradication, detection/sensing, and treatment of virus. The potential of state-of-the-art nano-assisted approaches has been demonstrated as an efficient drug delivery systems, viral disinfectants, vaccine productive cargos, anti-viral activity, and biosensors suitable for point-of-care (POC) diagnostics. Furthermore, the process linked with the efficacy of nanosystems to neutralize and eliminate SARS-CoV-2 is extensively highligthed in this report. The challenges and opportunities associated with managing COVID-19 using nanotechnology as part of regulations are also well-covered. The outcomes of this review will help researchers to design, investigate, and develop an appropriate nano system to manage COVID-19 infection, with a focus on the detection and eradication of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. This article is unique in that it discusses every aspect of high-performance nanotechnology for ideal COVID pandemic management.
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26
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Jana ID, Bhattacharya P, Mayilsamy K, Banerjee S, Bhattacharje G, Das S, Aditya S, Ghosh A, McGill AR, Srikrishnan S, Das AK, Basak A, Mohapatra SS, Chandran B, Bhimsaria D, Mohapatra S, Roy A, Mondal A. Targeting an evolutionarily conserved "E-L-L" motif in spike protein to identify a small molecule fusion inhibitor against SARS-CoV-2. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 1:pgac198. [PMID: 36712339 PMCID: PMC9802491 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
As newer variants of SARS-CoV-2 continue to pose major threats to global human health and economy, identifying novel druggable antiviral targets is the key toward sustenance. Here, we identify an evolutionarily conserved "Ex3Lx6L" ("E-L-L") motif present within the HR2 domain of all human and nonhuman coronavirus spike (S) proteins that play a crucial role in stabilizing its postfusion six-helix bundle (6-HB) structure and thus, fusion-mediated viral entry. Mutations within this motif reduce the fusogenicity of the S protein without affecting its stability or membrane localization. We found that posaconazole, an FDA-approved drug, binds to this "E-L-L" motif and impedes the formation of 6-HB, thus effectively inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 infection in cells. While posaconazole exhibits high efficacy in blocking S protein-mediated viral entry, mutations within the "E-L-L" motif rendered the protein completely resistant to the drug, establishing its specificity toward this motif. Our data demonstrate that posaconazole restricts early stages of infection through specific inhibition of membrane fusion and viral genome release into the host cell and is equally effective toward all major variants of concerns of SARS-CoV-2, including Beta, Kappa, Delta, and Omicron. Together, we show that this conserved essential "E-L-L" motif is an ideal target for the development of prophylactic and therapeutic interventions against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indrani Das Jana
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | | | - Karthick Mayilsamy
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs, James A Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Saptarshi Banerjee
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | - Gourab Bhattacharje
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | - Sayan Das
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | - Seemanti Aditya
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | - Anandita Ghosh
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Andrew R McGill
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs, James A Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Syamanthak Srikrishnan
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | - Amit Kumar Das
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | - Amit Basak
- Division of Chemical Science, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, Mohanpur 741246, India
| | - Shyam S Mohapatra
- Department of Veterans Affairs, James A Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Bala Chandran
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Devesh Bhimsaria
- Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee 247667, India
| | - Subhra Mohapatra
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs, James A Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Arunava Roy
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Arindam Mondal
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
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27
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Shen H, Wu Z. Effect of Disulfide Bridge on the Binding of SARS-CoV-2 Fusion Peptide to Cell Membrane: A Coarse-Grained Study. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:36762-36775. [PMID: 36278087 PMCID: PMC9583636 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c05079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, we present the parameterization of the CAVS coarse-grained (CG) force field for 20 amino acids, and our CG simulations show that the CAVS force field could accurately predict the amino acid tendency of the secondary structure. Then, we used the CAVS force field to investigate the binding of a severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus fusion peptide (SARS-CoV-2 FP) to a phospholipid bilayer: a long FP (FP-L) containing 40 amino acids and a short FP (FP-S) containing 26 amino acids. Our CAVS CG simulations displayed that the binding affinity of the FP-L to the bilayer is higher than that of the FP-S. We found that the FP-L interacted more strongly with membrane cholesterol than the FP-S, which should be attributed to the stable helical structure of the FP-L at the C-terminus. In addition, we discovered that the FP-S had one major and two minor membrane-bound states, in agreement with previous all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) studies. However, we found that both the C-terminal and N-terminal amino acid residues of the FP-L can strongly interact with the bilayer membrane. Furthermore, we found that the disulfide bond formed between Cys840 and Cys851 stabilized the helices of the FP-L at the C-terminus, enhancing the interaction between the FP-L and the bilayer membrane. Our work indicates that the stable helical structure is crucial for binding the SARS-CoV-2 FP to cell membranes. In particular, the helical stability of FP should have a significant influence on the FP-membrane binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hujun Shen
- Guizhou
Provincial Key Laboratory of Computational Nano-Material Science, Guizhou Education University, Guiyang 550018, China
| | - Zhenhua Wu
- Department
of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, Guizhou Vocational Technology College of Electronics & Information, Kaili 556000, China
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28
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Yang K, Wang C, Kreutzberger AJB, Ojha R, Kuivanen S, Couoh-Cardel S, Muratcioglu S, Eisen TJ, White KI, Held RG, Subramanian S, Marcus K, Pfuetzner RA, Esquivies L, Doyle CA, Kuriyan J, Vapalahti O, Balistreri G, Kirchhausen T, Brunger AT. Nanomolar inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 infection by an unmodified peptide targeting the prehairpin intermediate of the spike protein. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2210990119. [PMID: 36122200 PMCID: PMC9546559 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2210990119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) challenge currently available coronavirus disease 2019 vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapies through epitope change on the receptor binding domain of the viral spike glycoprotein. Hence, there is a specific urgent need for alternative antivirals that target processes less likely to be affected by mutation, such as the membrane fusion step of viral entry into the host cell. One such antiviral class includes peptide inhibitors, which block formation of the so-called heptad repeat 1 and 2 (HR1HR2) six-helix bundle of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein and thus interfere with viral membrane fusion. We performed structural studies of the HR1HR2 bundle, revealing an extended, well-folded N-terminal region of HR2 that interacts with the HR1 triple helix. Based on this structure, we designed an extended HR2 peptide that achieves single-digit nanomolar inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 in cell-based and virus-based assays without the need for modifications such as lipidation or chemical stapling. The peptide also strongly inhibits all major SARS-CoV-2 variants to date. This extended peptide is ∼100-fold more potent than all previously published short, unmodified HR2 peptides, and it has a very long inhibition lifetime after washout in virus infection assays, suggesting that it targets a prehairpin intermediate of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein. Together, these results suggest that regions outside the HR2 helical region may offer new opportunities for potent peptide-derived therapeutics for SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, and even more distantly related viruses, and provide further support for the prehairpin intermediate of the S protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kailu Yang
- HHMI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Photon Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Chuchu Wang
- HHMI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Photon Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Alex J. B. Kreutzberger
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Ravi Ojha
- Department of Virology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00290, Finland
| | - Suvi Kuivanen
- Department of Virology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00290, Finland
| | - Sergio Couoh-Cardel
- HHMI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Photon Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Serena Muratcioglu
- HHMI, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Timothy J. Eisen
- HHMI, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - K. Ian White
- HHMI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Photon Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Richard G. Held
- HHMI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Photon Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Subu Subramanian
- HHMI, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Kendra Marcus
- HHMI, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Richard A. Pfuetzner
- HHMI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Photon Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Luis Esquivies
- HHMI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Photon Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Catherine A. Doyle
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903
| | - John Kuriyan
- HHMI, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Olli Vapalahti
- Department of Virology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00290, Finland
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00290, Finland
- Helsinki University Hospital Diagnostic Center, Clinical Microbiology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00290, Finland
| | | | - Tom Kirchhausen
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Axel T. Brunger
- HHMI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Photon Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
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29
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Souza FR, Moura PG, Costa RKM, Silva RS, Pimentel AS. Absolute binding free energies of mucroporin and its analog mucroporin-M1 with the heptad repeat 1 domain and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of SARS-CoV-2. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2022:1-12. [PMID: 35993479 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2114014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The peptide Mucroporin and its analog Mucroporin-M1 were studied using the molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation of their complexation with two protein targets, the Heptad Repeat 1 (HR1) domain and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of SARS-CoV-2. The molecular docking of the peptide-protein complexes was performed using the glowworm swarm optimization algorithm. The lowest energy poses were submitted to molecular dynamics simulation. Then, the binding free energies of Mucroporin and its analog Mucroporin-M1 with these two protein targets were calculated using the Multistate Bennett Acceptance Ratio (MBAR) method. It was verified that the peptides/HR1 domain complex showed stability in the interaction site determined by molecular docking. It was also found that Mucroporin-M1 has a much higher affinity than Mucroporin to the HR1 protein target. The peptides showed similar stability and affinity at the NTP binding site in the RdRp protein. Additional experimental studies are needed to confirm the antiviral activity of Mucroporin-M1 and a possible mechanism of action against SARS-CoV-2. However, here we indicate that Mucroporin-M1 may have potential antiviral activity against the HR1 domain with the possibility for further peptide optimization.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe Rodrigues Souza
- Departamento de Química, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Paloma Guimarães Moura
- Departamento de Química, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | | | - Rudielson Santos Silva
- Departamento de Química, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - André Silva Pimentel
- Departamento de Química, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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30
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Yang K, Wang C, Kreutzberger AJB, Ojha R, Kuivanen S, Couoh-Cardel S, Muratcioglu S, Eisen TJ, White KI, Held RG, Subramanian S, Marcus K, Pfuetzner RA, Esquivies L, Doyle CA, Kuriyan J, Vapalahti O, Balistreri G, Kirchhausen T, Brunger AT. Nanomolar inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 infection by an unmodified peptide targeting the pre-hairpin intermediate of the spike protein. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2022:2022.08.11.503553. [PMID: 35982670 PMCID: PMC9387137 DOI: 10.1101/2022.08.11.503553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) challenge currently available COVID-19 vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapies through epitope change on the receptor binding domain of the viral spike glycoprotein. Hence, there is a specific urgent need for alternative antivirals that target processes less likely to be affected by mutation, such as the membrane fusion step of viral entry into the host cell. One such antiviral class includes peptide inhibitors which block formation of the so-called HR1HR2 six-helix bundle of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein and thus interfere with viral membrane fusion. Here we performed structural studies of the HR1HR2 bundle, revealing an extended, well-folded N-terminal region of HR2 that interacts with the HR1 triple helix. Based on this structure, we designed an extended HR2 peptide that achieves single-digit nanomolar inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 in cell-based fusion, VSV-SARS-CoV-2 chimera, and authentic SARS-CoV-2 infection assays without the need for modifications such as lipidation or chemical stapling. The peptide also strongly inhibits all major SARS-CoV-2 variants to date. This extended peptide is ~100-fold more potent than all previously published short, unmodified HR2 peptides, and it has a very long inhibition lifetime after washout in virus infection assays, suggesting that it targets a pre-hairpin intermediate of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein. Together, these results suggest that regions outside the HR2 helical region may offer new opportunities for potent peptide-derived therapeutics for SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, and even more distantly related viruses, and provide further support for the pre-hairpin intermediate of the S protein. Significance Statement SARS-CoV-2 infection requires fusion of viral and host membranes, mediated by the viral spike glycoprotein (S). Due to the importance of viral membrane fusion, S has been a popular target for developing vaccines and therapeutics. We discovered a simple peptide that inhibits infection by all major variants of SARS-CoV-2 with nanomolar efficacies. In marked contrast, widely used shorter peptides that lack a key N-terminal extension are about 100 x less potent than this peptide. Our results suggest that a simple peptide with a suitable sequence can be a potent and cost-effective therapeutic against COVID-19 and they provide new insights at the virus entry mechanism.
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31
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Su P, Zhai D, Wong AHC, Liu F. Development of a novel peptide to prevent entry of SARS-CoV-2 into lung and olfactory bulb cells of hACE2 expressing mice. Mol Brain 2022; 15:71. [PMID: 35945596 PMCID: PMC9361269 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-022-00956-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel coronavirus that has caused a global pandemic Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Currently, there are no effective treatments specifically for COVID-19 infection. The initial step in SARS-CoV-2 infection is attachment to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) on the cell surface. We have developed a protein peptide that effectively disrupts the binding between the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and ACE2. When delivered by nasal spray, our peptide prevents SARS-CoV-2 spike protein from entering lung and olfactory bulb cells of mice expressing human ACE2. Our peptide represents a potential novel treatment and prophylaxis against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Su
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 250 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Dongxu Zhai
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 250 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Albert H C Wong
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 250 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada.,Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada.,Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Fang Liu
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 250 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada. .,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada. .,Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada. .,Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada.
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32
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Bakhshi H, Soleimani M, Soufizomorrod M, Kooshkaki O. Evaluation of Hematologic Parameters in Patients with COVID-19 Following Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy. DNA Cell Biol 2022; 41:768-777. [PMID: 35914059 DOI: 10.1089/dna.2021.1198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
At present, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is spreading and has caused over 188 million confirmed patients and more than 4,059,101 deaths. Currently, several clinical trials are done using mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). These cells have shown safety and effectiveness, implying a promising clinical application in patients with COVID-19. Studies have shown that abnormalities in hematological measures such as white blood cells count, neutrophilia, elevated neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, inflammatory markers, and lactate dehydrogenase can be used to assess the severity of COVID-19 disease and the response to therapy following MSC treatment. Our study has aimed to review the role of hematological factors in determination of responsiveness to MSC therapy and disease severity in COVID-19 patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haniye Bakhshi
- Department of Hematology and Cell Therapy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Masoud Soleimani
- Department of Hematology and Cell Therapy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mina Soufizomorrod
- Department of Hematology and Cell Therapy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Omid Kooshkaki
- Department of Immunology, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
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33
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Monroe MK, Wang H, Anderson CF, Jia H, Flexner C, Cui H. Leveraging the therapeutic, biological, and self-assembling potential of peptides for the treatment of viral infections. J Control Release 2022; 348:1028-1049. [PMID: 35752254 PMCID: PMC11022941 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.06.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Peptides and peptide-based materials have an increasing role in the treatment of viral infections through their use as active pharmaceutical ingredients, targeting moieties, excipients, carriers, or structural components in drug delivery systems. The discovery of peptide-based therapeutic compounds, coupled with the development of new stabilization and formulation strategies, has led to a resurgence of antiviral peptide therapeutics over the past two decades. The ability of peptides to bind cell receptors and to facilitate membrane penetration and subsequent intracellular trafficking enables their use in various antiviral systems for improved targeting efficiency and treatment efficacy. Importantly, the self-assembly of peptides into well-defined nanostructures provides a vast library of discrete constructs and supramolecular biomaterials for systemic and local delivery of antiviral agents. We review here the recent progress in exploiting the therapeutic, biological, and self-assembling potential of peptides, peptide conjugates, and their supramolecular assemblies in treating human viral infections, with an emphasis on the treatment strategies for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya K Monroe
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States of America; Institute for NanoBioTechnology, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States of America
| | - Han Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States of America; Institute for NanoBioTechnology, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States of America
| | - Caleb F Anderson
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States of America; Institute for NanoBioTechnology, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States of America
| | - Hongpeng Jia
- Department of Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, United States of America
| | - Charles Flexner
- Divisions of Clinical Pharmacology and Infectious Diseases, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States of America.
| | - Honggang Cui
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States of America; Institute for NanoBioTechnology, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States of America; Deptartment of Oncology and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States of America; Center for Nanomedicine, The Wilmer Eye Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 400 North Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21231, United States of America.
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34
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Chen C, Li YL, Lv FL, Xu LD, Huang YW. Surface Display of Peptides Corresponding to the Heptad Repeat 2 Domain of the Feline Enteric Coronavirus Spike Protein on Bacillus subtilis Spores Elicits Protective Immune Responses Against Homologous Infection in a Feline Aminopeptidase-N-Transduced Mouse Model. Front Immunol 2022; 13:925922. [PMID: 35837396 PMCID: PMC9273865 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.925922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Although feline coronavirus (FCoV) infection is extremely common in cats, there are currently few effective treatments. A peptide derived from the heptad repeat 2 (HR2) domain of the coronavirus (CoV) spike protein has shown effective for inhibition of various human and animal CoVs in vitro, but further use of FCoV-HR2 in vivo has been limited by lack of practical delivery vectors and small animal infection model. To overcome these technical challenges, we first constructed a recombinant Bacillus subtilis (rBSCotB-HR2P) expressing spore coat protein B (CotB) fused to an HR2-derived peptide (HR2P) from a serotype II feline enteric CoV (FECV). Immunogenic capacity was evaluated in mice after intragastric or intranasal administration, showing that recombinant spores could trigger strong specific cellular and humoral immune responses. Furthermore, we developed a novel mouse model for FECV infection by transduction with its primary receptor (feline aminopeptidase N) using an E1/E3-deleted adenovirus type 5 vector. This model can be used to study the antiviral immune response and evaluate vaccines or drugs, and is an applicable choice to replace cats for the study of FECV. Oral administration of rBSCotB-HR2P in this mouse model effectively protected against FECV challenge and significantly reduced pathology in the digestive tract. Owing to its safety, low cost, and probiotic features, rBSCotB-HR2P is a promising oral vaccine candidate for use against FECV/FCoV infection in cats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chu Chen
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ya-Li Li
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Fang-Li Lv
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ling-Dong Xu
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Yao-Wei Huang, ; Ling-Dong Xu,
| | - Yao-Wei Huang
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Yao-Wei Huang, ; Ling-Dong Xu,
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35
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Vankadari N, Ketavarapu V, Mitnala S, Vishnubotla R, Reddy DN, Ghosal D. Structure of Human TMPRSS2 in Complex with SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein and Implications for Potential Therapeutics. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:5324-5333. [PMID: 35675654 PMCID: PMC9195568 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c00967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected more than 520 million people around the globe resulting in more than 6.2 million as of May 2022. Understanding the cell entry mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 and its entire repertoire is a high priority for developing improved therapeutics. The SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (S-protein) engages with host receptor ACE2 for adhesion and serine proteases furin and TMPRSS2 for proteolytic activation and subsequent entry. Recent studies have highlighted the molecular details of furin and S-protein interaction. However, the structural and molecular interplay between TMPRSS2 and S-protein remains enigmatic. Here, using biochemical, structural, computational, and molecular dynamics approaches, we investigated how TMPRSS2 recognizes and activates the S-protein to facilitate viral entry. First, we identified three potential TMPRSS2 cleavage sites in the S2 domain of S-protein (S2', T1, and T2) and reported the structure of TMPRSS2 with its individual catalytic triad. By employing computational modeling and structural analyses, we modeled the macromolecular structure of TMPRSS2 in complex with S-protein, which incited the mechanism of S-protein processing or cleavage for a new path of viral entry. On the basis of structure-guided drug screening, we also report the potential TMPRSS2 inhibitors and their structural interaction in blocking TMPRSS2 activity, which could impede the interaction with the spike protein. These findings reveal the role of TMPRSS2 in the activation of SARS-CoV-2 for its entry and insight into possible intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naveen Vankadari
- Monash
Biomedicine Discovery Institute,
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Vijayasarathy Ketavarapu
- Institute
of Translational Research, Department of Genomics and Molecular Biology, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500032, Telangana, India
| | - Sasikala Mitnala
- Institute
of Translational Research, Department of Genomics and Molecular Biology, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500032, Telangana, India
| | - Ravikanth Vishnubotla
- Institute
of Translational Research, Department of Genomics and Molecular Biology, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500032, Telangana, India
| | - Duvvur Nageshwar Reddy
- Institute
of Translational Research, Department of Genomics and Molecular Biology, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500032, Telangana, India
| | - Debnath Ghosal
- Department
of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology
Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
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36
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Shen H, Wu Z, Chen L. Different Binding Modes of SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 Fusion Peptides to Cell Membranes: The Influence of Peptide Helix Length. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:4261-4271. [PMID: 35658454 PMCID: PMC9195569 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c01295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Although the amino acid sequences of SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 fusion peptides (FPs) are highly conserved, the cryo-electron microscopy structures of the SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins show that the helix length of SARS-CoV-1 FP is longer than that of SARS-CoV-2 FP. In this work, we simulated the membrane-binding models of SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 FPs and compared the binding modes of the FPs with the POPC/POPE/cholesterol bilayer membrane. Our simulation results show that the SARS-CoV-2 FP binds to the bilayer membrane more effectively than the SARS-CoV-1 FP. It is seen that the short N-terminal helix of SARS-CoV-2 FP is more favorable to insert into the target membrane than the long N-terminal helix of SARS-CoV-1 FP. Meanwhile, the potential of mean force calculations showed that the SARS-CoV-2 FP would prefer only one binding mode (N-terminal binding), whereas the SARS-CoV-1 FP has two favorable membrane-binding modes (C-terminal and N-terminal binding modes). Moreover, in the case of SARS-CoV-1 FP binding to the target membrane, the transition between the two binding modes is relatively fast. Finally, we discovered that the membrane-binding mode would influence the helix length of SARS-CoV-1 FP, while the helix length of SARS-CoV-2 FP could be stably maintained in the membrane-bound configurations. This work suggests that the short helix might endow the FP with high membrane-anchoring strength. In particular, the membrane-penetrating residues (Phe, Ile, and Leu) of short α-helix interact with the cell membrane more strongly than those of long α-helix.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hujun Shen
- Guizhou
Provincial Key Laboratory of Computational Nano-Material Science, Guizhou Education University, Guiyang 550018, China
| | - Zhenhua Wu
- Department
of Computer Science, Guizhou Vocational
Technology College of Electronics & Information, Kaili 556000, China
| | - Ling Chen
- Guizhou
Provincial Key Laboratory of Computational Nano-Material Science, Guizhou Education University, Guiyang 550018, China
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Sepand MR, Bigdelou B, Ho JQ, Sharaf M, Lannigan AJ, Sullivan IM, da Silva AP, Barrett LO, McGoldrick S, Lnu Y, Lynch SE, Boisclair JM, Barnard-Pratt DD, Zanganeh S. Long-Term Immunity and Antibody Response: Challenges for Developing Efficient COVID-19 Vaccines. Antibodies (Basel) 2022; 11:35. [PMID: 35645208 PMCID: PMC9149948 DOI: 10.3390/antib11020035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Revised: 05/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Questions and concerns regarding the efficacy and immunogenicity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines have plagued scientists since the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine was introduced in late 2020. As a result, decisions about vaccine boosters based on breakthrough infection rates and the decline of antibody titers have commanded worldwide attention and research. COVID-19 patients have displayed continued severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-spike-protein-specific antibodies and neutralizing antibodies in longitudinal studies; in addition, cytokine activation has been detected at early steps following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Epitopes that are highly reactive and can mediate long-term antibody responses have been identified at the spike and ORF1ab proteins. The N-terminal domain of the S1 and S2 subunits is the location of important SARS-CoV-2 spike protein epitopes. High sequence identity between earlier and newer variants of SARS-CoV-2 and different degrees of sequence homology among endemic human coronaviruses have been observed. Understanding the extent and duration of protective immunity is consequential for determining the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further knowledge of memory responses to different variants of SARS-CoV-2 is needed to improve the design of the vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Reza Sepand
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 285 Old Westport Road, North Dartmouth, MA 02747, USA
| | - Banafsheh Bigdelou
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 285 Old Westport Road, North Dartmouth, MA 02747, USA
| | - Jim Q Ho
- Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Mohammad Sharaf
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University, New York, NY 10012, USA
| | - Alexis J Lannigan
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 285 Old Westport Road, North Dartmouth, MA 02747, USA
| | - Ian M Sullivan
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 285 Old Westport Road, North Dartmouth, MA 02747, USA
| | - Alecsander P da Silva
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 285 Old Westport Road, North Dartmouth, MA 02747, USA
| | - Leland O Barrett
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 285 Old Westport Road, North Dartmouth, MA 02747, USA
| | - Scott McGoldrick
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 285 Old Westport Road, North Dartmouth, MA 02747, USA
| | - Yuvraj Lnu
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 285 Old Westport Road, North Dartmouth, MA 02747, USA
| | - Shannon E Lynch
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 285 Old Westport Road, North Dartmouth, MA 02747, USA
| | - Jared M Boisclair
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 285 Old Westport Road, North Dartmouth, MA 02747, USA
| | - Dakarai D Barnard-Pratt
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 285 Old Westport Road, North Dartmouth, MA 02747, USA
| | - Steven Zanganeh
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 285 Old Westport Road, North Dartmouth, MA 02747, USA
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38
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Dzuvor CKO, Tettey EL, Danquah MK. Aptamers as promising nanotheranostic tools in the COVID-19 pandemic era. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. NANOMEDICINE AND NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY 2022; 14:e1785. [PMID: 35238490 PMCID: PMC9111085 DOI: 10.1002/wnan.1785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of SARS‐COV‐2, the causative agent of new coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) has become a pandemic threat. Early and precise detection of the virus is vital for effective diagnosis and treatment. Various testing kits and assays, including nucleic acid detection methods, antigen tests, serological tests, and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), have been implemented or are being explored to detect the virus and/or characterize cellular and antibody responses to the infection. However, these approaches have inherent drawbacks such as nonspecificity, high cost, are characterized by long turnaround times for test results, and can be labor‐intensive. Also, the circulating SARS‐COV‐2 variant of concerns, reduced antibody sensitivity and/or neutralization, and possible antibody‐dependent enhancement (ADE) have warranted the search for alternative potent therapeutics. Aptamers, which are single‐stranded oligonucleotides, generated artificially by SELEX (Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment) may offer the capacity to generate high‐affinity neutralizers and/or bioprobes for monitoring relevant SARS‐COV‐2 and COVID‐19 biomarkers. This article reviews and discusses the prospects of implementing aptamers for rapid point‐of‐care detection and treatment of SARS‐COV‐2. We highlight other SARS‐COV‐2 targets (N protein, spike protein stem‐helix), SELEX augmented with competition assays and in silico technologies for rapid discovery and isolation of theranostic aptamers against COVID‐19 and future pandemics. It further provides an overview on site‐specific bioconjugation approaches, customizable molecular scaffolding strategies, and nanotechnology platforms to engineer these aptamers into ultrapotent blockers, multivalent therapeutics, and vaccines to boost both humoral and cellular immunity against the virus. This article is categorized under:Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies Diagnostic Tools > Biosensing Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Infectious Disease Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Respiratory Disease
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian K O Dzuvor
- Bioengineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Michael K Danquah
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
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39
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Chourasia R, Padhi S, Phukon LC, Abedin MM, Sirohi R, Singh SP, Rai AK. Peptide candidates for the development of therapeutics and vaccines against β-coronavirus infection. Bioengineered 2022; 13:9435-9454. [PMID: 35387556 PMCID: PMC9161909 DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2022.2060453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Betacoronaviruses (β-CoVs) have caused major viral outbreaks in the last two decades in the world. The mutation and recombination abilities in β-CoVs resulted in zoonotic diseases in humans. Proteins responsible for viral attachment and replication are highly conserved in β-CoVs. These conserved proteins have been extensively studied as targets for preventing infection and the spread of β-CoVs. Peptides are among the most promising candidates for developing vaccines and therapeutics against viral pathogens. The immunostimulatory and viral inhibitory potential of natural and synthetic peptides has been extensively studied since the SARS-CoV outbreak. Food-derived peptides demonstrating high antiviral activity can be used to develop effective therapeutics against β-CoVs. Specificity, tolerability, and customizability of peptides can be explored to develop potent drugs against β-CoVs. However, the proteolytic susceptibility and low bioavailability of peptides pose challenges for the development of therapeutics. This review illustrates the potential role of peptides in eliciting an adaptive immune response and inhibiting different stages of the β-CoV life cycle. Further, the challenges and future directions associated with developing peptide-based therapeutics and vaccines against existing and future β-CoV pathogens have been discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rounak Chourasia
- Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (DBT-IBSD), Regional Centre, Tadong- 737102, India
| | - Srichandan Padhi
- Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (DBT-IBSD), Regional Centre, Tadong- 737102, India
| | - Loreni Chiring Phukon
- Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (DBT-IBSD), Regional Centre, Tadong- 737102, India
| | - Md Minhajul Abedin
- Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (DBT-IBSD), Regional Centre, Tadong- 737102, India
| | - Ranjana Sirohi
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, 145, Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Sudhir P Singh
- Centre of Innovative and Applied Bioprocessing (DBT-CIAB), Sector-81, S.A.S. Nagar, Mohali- 140306, India
| | - Amit Kumar Rai
- Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (DBT-IBSD), Regional Centre, Tadong- 737102, India.,Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (DBT-IBSD), Mizoram Node, Aizawl, India
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40
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Figueiredo DLA, Ximenez JPB, Seiva FRF, Panis C, Bezerra RDS, Ferrasa A, Cecchini AL, de Medeiros AI, Almeida AMF, Ramão A, Boldt ABW, Moya CF, Chin CM, de Paula D, Rech D, Gradia DF, Malheiros D, Venturini D, Tavares ER, Carraro E, Ribeiro EMDSF, Pereira EM, Tuon FF, Follador FAC, Fernandes GSA, Volpato H, Cólus IMDS, de Oliveira JC, Rodrigues JHDS, dos Santos JL, Visentainer JEL, Brandi JC, Serpeloni JM, Bonini JS, de Oliveira KB, Fiorentin K, Lucio LC, Faccin-Galhardi LC, Ferreto LED, Lioni LMY, Consolaro MEL, Vicari MR, Arbex MA, Pileggi M, Watanabe MAE, Costa MAR, Giannini MJSM, Amarante MK, Khalil NM, de Lima QA, Herai RH, Guembarovski RL, Shinsato RN, Mainardes RM, Giuliatti S, Yamada-Ogatta SF, Gerber VKDQ, Pavanelli WR, da Silva WC, Petzl-Erler ML, Valente V, Soares CP, Cavalli LR, Silva WA. COVID-19: The question of genetic diversity and therapeutic intervention approaches. Genet Mol Biol 2022; 44:e20200452. [PMID: 35421211 PMCID: PMC9075701 DOI: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2020-0452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is the largest pandemic in modern history with very high infection rates and considerable mortality. The disease, which emerged in China's Wuhan province, had its first reported case on December 29, 2019, and spread rapidly worldwide. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic and global health emergency. Since the outbreak, efforts to develop COVID-19 vaccines, engineer new drugs, and evaluate existing ones for drug repurposing have been intensively undertaken to find ways to control this pandemic. COVID-19 therapeutic strategies aim to impair molecular pathways involved in the virus entrance and replication or interfere in the patients' overreaction and immunopathology. Moreover, nanotechnology could be an approach to boost the activity of new drugs. Several COVID-19 vaccine candidates have received emergency-use or full authorization in one or more countries, and others are being developed and tested. This review assesses the different strategies currently proposed to control COVID-19 and the issues or limitations imposed on some approaches by the human and viral genetic variability.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Livingstone Alves Figueiredo
- Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste do Paraná (UNICENTRO), Departamento de Medicina, Guarapuava, PR, Brazil
- Instituto para Pesquisa do Câncer (IPEC), Guarapuava, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - João Paulo Bianchi Ximenez
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicologia e Ciência de Alimentos, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Fábio Rodrigues Ferreira Seiva
- Universidade Estadual do Norte do Paraná (UENP), Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Bandeirantes, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Carolina Panis
- Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Francisco Beltrão, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Rafael dos Santos Bezerra
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Hemocentro Regional de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Adriano Ferrasa
- Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Ponta Grossa, Programa de Pós Graduação em Computação Aplicada, Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Alessandra Lourenço Cecchini
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Departamento de Patologia Geral, Londrina, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Alexandra Ivo de Medeiros
- Universidade Federal do Paraná, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética, Departamento de Genética, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Ana Marisa Fusco Almeida
- Universidade Federal do Paraná, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética, Departamento de Genética, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Anelisa Ramão
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
- Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste do Paraná (UNICENTRO), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Guarapuava, PR, Brazil
| | - Angelica Beate Winter Boldt
- Universidade Federal do Paraná, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética, Departamento de Genética, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Carla Fredrichsen Moya
- Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste do Paraná (UNICENTRO), Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Guarapuava, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Chung Man Chin
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Departamento de Fármacos e Medicamentos, Araraquara, SP, Brazil
- União das Faculdades dos Grandes Lagos (UNILAGO), Centro de Pesquisa Avançada em Medicina, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Daniel de Paula
- Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste do Paraná (UNICENTRO), Departamento de Farmácia, Guarapuava, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Daniel Rech
- Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná (UNIOESTE), Hospital do Câncer Francisco Beltrão, Laboratório de Biologia de Tumores, Francisco Beltrão, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Daniela Fiori Gradia
- Universidade Federal do Paraná, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética, Departamento de Genética, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Danielle Malheiros
- Universidade Federal do Paraná, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética, Departamento de Genética, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Danielle Venturini
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Departamento de patologia, clínica e toxicologia, Laboratório de bioquímica clínica, Londrina, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Eliandro Reis Tavares
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Departamento de Microbiologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Londrina, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Emerson Carraro
- Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste do Paraná (UNICENTRO), Laboratório de Virologia Clínica, Guarapuava, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Enilze Maria de Souza Fonseca Ribeiro
- Universidade Federal do Paraná, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética, Departamento de Genética, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Evani Marques Pereira
- Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste do Paraná (UNICENTRO), Departamento de Enfermagem, Guarapuava, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Felipe Francisco Tuon
- Universidade Católica do Paraná, Laboratório de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes, Pontifícia Curitiba, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Franciele Aní Caovilla Follador
- Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Departamento de Ciências da Vida, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Aplicadas à Saúde, Francisco Beltrão, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Glaura Scantamburlo Alves Fernandes
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Londrina, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Hélito Volpato
- Universidade Estadual do Paraná (UNESPAR), Faculdade de Ciências Biológicas, Centro de Ciências Humanas e Educação, Paranavaí, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Ilce Mara de Syllos Cólus
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Londrina, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Jaqueline Carvalho de Oliveira
- Universidade Federal do Paraná, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética, Departamento de Genética, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Jean Henrique da Silva Rodrigues
- Universidade do Estado de São Paulo (UNESP), Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Departamento de Fármacos e Medicamentos, Araraquara, SP, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Jean Leandro dos Santos
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Departamento de Fármacos e Medicamentos, Araraquara, SP, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Jeane Eliete Laguila Visentainer
- Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Laboratório de Imunogenética, Maringá, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Juliana Cristina Brandi
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Araraquara, SP, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Juliana Mara Serpeloni
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Londrina, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Juliana Sartori Bonini
- Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste do Paraná (UNICENTRO), Laboratório de Neuropsicofarmacologia, Guarapuava, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Karen Brajão de Oliveira
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Departamento de Ciências Patológicas, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Genética Molecular e Imunologia, Londrina, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Karine Fiorentin
- Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe, Instituto de Pesquisa Pelé Pequeno Príncipe, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Léia Carolina Lucio
- Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Aplicadas à Saúde, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Francisco Beltrão, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Ligia Carla Faccin-Galhardi
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Departamento de Microbiologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Londrina, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Lirane Elize Defante Ferreto
- Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Aplicadas à Saúde, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Francisco Beltrão, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Lucy Megumi Yamauchi Lioni
- Universidade Estadual do Norte do Paraná (UENP), Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Bandeirantes, PR, Brazil
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Departamento de Microbiologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Marcia Edilaine Lopes Consolaro
- Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Biomedicina, Maringá, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Ricardo Vicari
- Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Departamento de Biologia e Genética Estrutural e Molecular, Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Marcos Abdo Arbex
- Universidade de Araraquara, Faculdade de Medicina, Área temática de Pneumologia, Araraquara, SP, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Marcos Pileggi
- Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Departamento de Biologia e Genética Estrutural e Molecular, Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Maria Angelica Ehara Watanabe
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Departamento de Ciências Patológicas, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Imunologia, Londrina, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Maria Antônia Ramos Costa
- Universidade do Estado do Paraná, Colegiada de Enfermagem, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Maria José S. Mendes Giannini
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Araraquara, SP, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Marla Karine Amarante
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Departamento de Ciências Patológicas, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Imunologia, Londrina, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Najeh Maissar Khalil
- Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste do Paraná (UNICENTRO), Departamento de Farmácia, Guarapuava, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Quirino Alves de Lima
- Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Laboratório de Imunogenética, Maringá, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Roberto H. Herai
- Universidade Católica do Paraná (PUCPR), Faculdade de Medicina, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Laboratório Experimental Multiusuário, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
- Universitário Católico Salesiano Auxilium (UNISALESIANO), Faculdade de Medicina, Centro Araçatuba, SP, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Roberta Losi Guembarovski
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Londrina, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Rogério N. Shinsato
- Universidade Católica do Paraná (PUCPR), Faculdade de Medicina, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Laboratório Experimental Multiusuário, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
- Universitário Católico Salesiano Auxilium (UNISALESIANO), Faculdade de Medicina, Centro Araçatuba, SP, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Rubiana Mara Mainardes
- Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste do Paraná (UNICENTRO), Departamento de Farmácia, Guarapuava, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Silvana Giuliatti
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Hemocentro Regional de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Sueli Fumie Yamada-Ogatta
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Departamento de Microbiologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Londrina, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Viviane Knuppel de Quadros Gerber
- Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste do Paraná (UNICENTRO), Departamento de Enfermagem, Guarapuava, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Wander Rogério Pavanelli
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia de Doenças Negligenciadas e Câncer, Londrina, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Weber Claudio da Silva
- Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste do Paraná (UNICENTRO), Departamento de Farmácia, Guarapuava, PR, Brazil
- Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste do Paraná (UNICENTRO), Laboratório de Neuropsicofarmacologia, Guarapuava, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Maria Luiza Petzl-Erler
- Universidade Federal do Paraná, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética, Departamento de Genética, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Valeria Valente
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Araraquara, SP, Brazil
- Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Centro de Terapia Celular (CEPID/FAPESP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Christiane Pienna Soares
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Araraquara, SP, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Luciane Regina Cavalli
- Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe, Instituto de Pesquisa Pelé Pequeno Príncipe, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
| | - Wilson Araujo Silva
- Instituto para Pesquisa do Câncer (IPEC), Guarapuava, PR, Brazil
- Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Centro de Terapia Celular (CEPID/FAPESP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Células-Tronco e Terapia Celular (INCT/CNPq), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Departamento de Genética, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
- Novos Arranjos de Pesquisa e Inovação - Genômica (NAPI-Genômica), Fundação Araucária, PR, Brazil
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Xiang R, Yu Z, Wang Y, Wang L, Huo S, Li Y, Liang R, Hao Q, Ying T, Gao Y, Yu F, Jiang S. Recent advances in developing small-molecule inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2. Acta Pharm Sin B 2022; 12:1591-1623. [PMID: 34249607 PMCID: PMC8260826 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2021.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2021] [Revised: 06/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused havoc across the entire world. Even though several COVID-19 vaccines are currently in distribution worldwide, with others in the pipeline, treatment modalities lag behind. Accordingly, researchers have been working hard to understand the nature of the virus, its mutant strains, and the pathogenesis of the disease in order to uncover possible drug targets and effective therapeutic agents. As the research continues, we now know the genome structure, epidemiological and clinical features, and pathogenic mechanism of SARS-CoV-2. Here, we summarized the potential therapeutic targets involved in the life cycle of the virus. On the basis of these targets, small-molecule prophylactic and therapeutic agents have been or are being developed for prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Xiang
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
| | - Zhengsen Yu
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
| | - Yang Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
| | - Lili Wang
- Research Center of Chinese Jujube, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
| | - Shanshan Huo
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
| | - Yanbai Li
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
| | - Ruiying Liang
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
| | - Qinghong Hao
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
| | - Tianlei Ying
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yaning Gao
- Beijing Pharma and Biotech Center, Beijing 100176, China,Corresponding authors. Tel.: +86 21 54237673, fax: +86 21 54237465 (Shibo Jiang); Tel.: +86 312 7528935, fax: +86 312 7521283 (Fei Yu); Tel.: +86 10 62896868; fax: +86 10 62899978, (Yanning Gao).
| | - Fei Yu
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China,Corresponding authors. Tel.: +86 21 54237673, fax: +86 21 54237465 (Shibo Jiang); Tel.: +86 312 7528935, fax: +86 312 7521283 (Fei Yu); Tel.: +86 10 62896868; fax: +86 10 62899978, (Yanning Gao).
| | - Shibo Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China,Corresponding authors. Tel.: +86 21 54237673, fax: +86 21 54237465 (Shibo Jiang); Tel.: +86 312 7528935, fax: +86 312 7521283 (Fei Yu); Tel.: +86 10 62896868; fax: +86 10 62899978, (Yanning Gao).
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A Modified Fibronectin Type III Domain-Conjugated, Long-Acting Pan-Coronavirus Fusion Inhibitor with Extended Half-Life. Viruses 2022; 14:v14040655. [PMID: 35458385 PMCID: PMC9028128 DOI: 10.3390/v14040655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by infection of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants has posed serious threats to global public health, thus calling for the development of potent and broad-spectrum antivirals. We previously designed and developed a peptide-based pan-coronavirus (CoV) fusion inhibitor, EK1, which is effective against all human CoVs (HCoV) tested by targeting the HCoV S protein HR1 domain. However, its relatively short half-life may limit its clinical use. Therefore, we designed, constructed, and expressed a recombinant protein, FL-EK1, which consists of a modified fibronectin type III domain (FN3) with albumin-binding capacity, a flexible linker, and EK1. As with EK1, we found that FL-EK1 could also effectively inhibit infection of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, as well as HCoV-OC43. Furthermore, it protected mice from infection by the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant and HCoV-OC43. Importantly, the half-life of FL-EK1 (30 h) is about 15.7-fold longer than that of EK1 (1.8 h). These results suggest that FL-EK1 is a promising candidate for the development of a pan-CoV fusion inhibitor-based long-acting antiviral drug for preventing and treating infection by current and future SARS-CoV-2 variants, as well as other HCoVs.
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Jana ID, Bhattacharya P, Mayilsamy K, Banerjee S, Bhattacharje G, Das S, Aditya S, Ghosh A, McGill AR, Srikrishnan S, Das AK, Basak A, Mohapatra SS, Chandran B, Bhimsaria D, Mohapatra S, Roy A, Mondal A. Targeting an evolutionarily conserved "E-L-L" motif in the spike protein to develop a small molecule fusion inhibitor against SARS-CoV-2. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2022:2022.03.16.484554. [PMID: 35313575 PMCID: PMC8936095 DOI: 10.1101/2022.03.16.484554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
As newer variants of SARS-CoV-2 continue to pose major threats to global human health and economy, identifying novel druggable antiviral targets is the key towards sustenance. Here, we identify an evolutionary conserved E-L-L motif present within the HR2 domain of all human and non-human coronavirus spike (S) proteins that play a crucial role in stabilizing the post-fusion six-helix bundle (6-HB) structure and thus, fusion-mediated viral entry. Mutations within this motif reduce the fusogenicity of the S protein without affecting its stability or membrane localization. We found that posaconazole, an FDA-approved drug, binds to this E-L-L motif resulting in effective inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 infection in cells. While posaconazole exhibits high efficacy towards blocking S protein-mediated viral entry, mutations within the E-L-L motif rendered the protein completely resistant to the drug, establishing its specificity towards this motif. Our data demonstrate that posaconazole restricts early stages of infection through specific inhibition of membrane fusion and viral genome release into the host cell and is equally effective towards all major variants of concerns of SARS-CoV-2 including beta, kappa, delta, and omicron. Together, we show that this conserved essential E-L-L motif is an ideal target for the development of prophylactic and therapeutic interventions against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indrani Das Jana
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India
| | | | - Karthick Mayilsamy
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs, James A Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, USA
| | - Saptarshi Banerjee
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India
| | - Gourab Bhattacharje
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India
| | - Sayan Das
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India
| | - Seemanti Aditya
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India
| | - Anandita Ghosh
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA
| | - Andrew R. McGill
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs, James A Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, USA
| | | | - Amit Kumar Das
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India
| | - Amit Basak
- Division of Chemical Science, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, India
| | - Shyam S. Mohapatra
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs, James A Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, USA
| | - Bala Chandran
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA
| | | | - Subhra Mohapatra
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs, James A Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, USA
| | - Arunava Roy
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA
| | - Arindam Mondal
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India
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Abstract
Most of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) targeted the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein. However, mutations at RBD sequences found in the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants greatly reduced the effectiveness of nAbs. Here we showed that four nAbs, S2-4D, S2-5D, S2-8D, and S2-4A, which recognized a conserved epitope in the S2 subunit of the S protein, can inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection through blocking the S protein-mediated membrane fusion. Notably, these four nAbs exhibited broadly neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2 Alpha, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon variants. Antisera collected from mice immunized with the identified epitope peptides of these four nAbs also exhibited potent virus neutralizing activity. Discovery of the S2-specific nAbs and their unique antigenic epitopes paves a new path for development of COVID-19 therapeutics and vaccines. IMPORTANCE The spike (S) protein on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 mediates receptor binding and virus-host cell membrane fusion during virus entry. Many neutralizing antibodies (nAbs), which targeted the receptor binding domain (RBD) of S protein, lost the neutralizing activity against the newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants with sequence mutations at the RBD. In contrast, the nAb against the highly conserved S2 subunit, which plays the key role in virus–host cell membrane fusion, was poorly discovered. We showed that four S2-specific nAbs, S2-4D, S2-5D, S2-8D, and S2-4A, inhibited SARS-CoV-2 infection through blocking the S protein-mediated membrane fusion. These nAbs exhibited broadly neutralizing activity against Alpha, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon variants. Antisera induced by the identified epitope peptides also possessed potent neutralizing activity. This work not only unveiled the S2-specific nAbs but also discovered an immunodominant epitope in the S2 subunit that can be rationally designed as the broad-spectrum vaccine against the SARS-like coronaviruses.
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Cao J, Liu Y, Zhou M, Dong S, Hou Y, Jia X, Lan X, Zhang Y, Guo J, Xiao G, Wang W. Screening of Botanical Drugs against SARS-CoV-2 Entry Reveals Novel Therapeutic Agents to Treat COVID-19. Viruses 2022; 14:v14020353. [PMID: 35215943 PMCID: PMC8877376 DOI: 10.3390/v14020353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
An escalating pandemic caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has severely impacted global health. There is a severe lack of specific treatment options for diseases caused by SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we used a pseudotype virus (pv) containing the SARS-CoV-2 S glycoprotein to screen a botanical drug library containing 1037 botanical drugs to identify agents that prevent SARS-CoV-2 entry into the cell. Our study identified four hits, including angeloylgomisin O, schisandrin B, procyanidin, and oleanonic acid, as effective SARS-CoV-2 S pv entry inhibitors in the micromolar range. A mechanistic study revealed that these four agents inhibited SARS-CoV-2 S pv entry by blocking spike (S) protein-mediated membrane fusion. Furthermore, angeloylgomisin O and schisandrin B inhibited authentic SARS-CoV-2 with a high selective index (SI; 50% cytotoxic concentration/50% inhibition concentration). Our drug combination studies performed in cellular antiviral assays revealed that angeloylgomisin O has synergistic effects in combination with remdesivir, a drug widely used to treat SARS-CoV-2-mediated infections. We also showed that two hits could inhibit the newly emerged alpha (B.1.1.7) and beta (B.1.351) variants. Our findings collectively indicate that angeloylgomisin O and schisandrin B could inhibit SARS-CoV-2 efficiently, thereby making them potential therapeutic agents to treat the coronavirus disease of 2019.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyuan Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China; (J.C.); (Y.L.); (M.Z.); (S.D.); (Y.H.); (X.J.); (X.L.); (Y.Z.); (J.G.); (G.X.)
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China; (J.C.); (Y.L.); (M.Z.); (S.D.); (Y.H.); (X.J.); (X.L.); (Y.Z.); (J.G.); (G.X.)
| | - Minmin Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China; (J.C.); (Y.L.); (M.Z.); (S.D.); (Y.H.); (X.J.); (X.L.); (Y.Z.); (J.G.); (G.X.)
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Siqi Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China; (J.C.); (Y.L.); (M.Z.); (S.D.); (Y.H.); (X.J.); (X.L.); (Y.Z.); (J.G.); (G.X.)
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yuxia Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China; (J.C.); (Y.L.); (M.Z.); (S.D.); (Y.H.); (X.J.); (X.L.); (Y.Z.); (J.G.); (G.X.)
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiaoying Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China; (J.C.); (Y.L.); (M.Z.); (S.D.); (Y.H.); (X.J.); (X.L.); (Y.Z.); (J.G.); (G.X.)
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiaohao Lan
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China; (J.C.); (Y.L.); (M.Z.); (S.D.); (Y.H.); (X.J.); (X.L.); (Y.Z.); (J.G.); (G.X.)
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Yueli Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China; (J.C.); (Y.L.); (M.Z.); (S.D.); (Y.H.); (X.J.); (X.L.); (Y.Z.); (J.G.); (G.X.)
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Jiao Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China; (J.C.); (Y.L.); (M.Z.); (S.D.); (Y.H.); (X.J.); (X.L.); (Y.Z.); (J.G.); (G.X.)
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Gengfu Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China; (J.C.); (Y.L.); (M.Z.); (S.D.); (Y.H.); (X.J.); (X.L.); (Y.Z.); (J.G.); (G.X.)
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China; (J.C.); (Y.L.); (M.Z.); (S.D.); (Y.H.); (X.J.); (X.L.); (Y.Z.); (J.G.); (G.X.)
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-87198232
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Jawalagatti V, Kirthika P, Park JY, Hewawaduge C, Lee JH. Highly feasible immunoprotective multicistronic SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate blending novel eukaryotic expression and Salmonella bactofection. J Adv Res 2022; 36:211-222. [PMID: 35116175 PMCID: PMC8295050 DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2021.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 07/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants has raised concerns on future vaccine efficacy as most vaccines target only the spike protein. Hence, vaccines targeting multiple SARS-CoV-2 proteins will offer broader protection and improve our preparedness to combat the pandemic. Objectives The study aimed to develop a novel vaccine strategy by combining a eukaryotic vector expressing multiple SARS-CoV-2 genes and Salmonella-mediated in vivo DNA delivery. Methods The eukaryotic vector was designed to function as a DNA-launched RNA replicon in a self-replicating and self-amplifying mRNA mechanism. By exploiting the self-cleaving peptide, P2A, we fused four SARS-CoV-2 targets, including receptor-binding domain (RBD), heptad repeat domain (HR), membrane protein (M) and epitopes of nsp13, in a single open reading frame. Western blot and immunofluorescence assays were used to determine protein expression. In mice, the vaccine's safety and immunogenicity were investigated. Results Western blot analysis revealed co-expression all four proteins from the vaccine construct, confirming the efficiency of Salmonella-mediated gene delivery and protein expression. The vaccine candidate was safe and elicited robust antigen-specific antibody titers in mice, and a recall response from splenocytes revealed induction of strong cell-mediated immunity. Flow cytometry demonstrated an increase in sub-populations of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells with the highest CD4+ and CD8+ T cells recorded for HR and RBD, respectively. Overall, humoral and cellular immune response data suggested the induction of both Th1 and Th2 immunity with polarization towards an antiviral Th1 response. We recorded a potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody titers in the immunized mice sera. Conclusions The Salmonella bactofection ensured optimum in vivo gene delivery, and through a P2A-enabled efficient multicistronic expression, the vaccine candidate elicited potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 immune responses. These findings provide important insight into development of an effective multivalent vaccine to combat SARS-CoV-2 and its variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijayakumar Jawalagatti
- Department of Veterinary Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan Campus, 54596, Republic of Korea
| | - Perumalraja Kirthika
- Department of Veterinary Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan Campus, 54596, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji-Young Park
- Department of Veterinary Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan Campus, 54596, Republic of Korea
| | - Chamith Hewawaduge
- Department of Veterinary Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan Campus, 54596, Republic of Korea
| | - John Hwa Lee
- Department of Veterinary Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan Campus, 54596, Republic of Korea
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47
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Essa RZ, Wu YS, Batumalaie K, Sekar M, Poh CL. Antiviral peptides against SARS-CoV-2: therapeutic targets, mechanistic antiviral activity, and efficient delivery. Pharmacol Rep 2022; 74:1166-1181. [PMID: 36401119 PMCID: PMC9676828 DOI: 10.1007/s43440-022-00432-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The global pandemic of COVID-19 is a serious public health concern. Over 625 million confirmed cases and more than 6 million deaths have been recorded worldwide. Although several vaccines and antiviral medications have been developed, their efficacy is limited by the emerging new SARS-CoV-2 strains. Peptide-based therapeutics is a fast-growing class of new drugs and have unique advantages over large proteins and small molecules. Antiviral peptides (AVPs) are short polycationic antivirals with broad-spectrum effects, which have been shown to exert both prophylactic and therapeutic actions against reported coronaviruses. The potential therapeutic targets of AVPs are located either on the virus (e.g., E-protein and S-protein) to prohibit viral binding or host cells, particularly, those present on the cell surface (e.g., ACE2 and TMPRSS2). Despite AVPs having promising antiviral effects, their efficacy is limited by low bioavailability. Thus, nanoformulation is a prerequisite for prolonged bioavailability and efficient delivery. This review aimed to present an insight into the therapeutic AVP targets on both virus and host cells by discussing their antiviral activities and associated molecular mechanisms. Besides, it described the technique for discovering and developing possible AVPs based on their targets, as well as the significance of using nanotechnology for their efficient delivery against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raahilah Zahir Essa
- Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, 47500 Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Yuan-seng Wu
- Centre for Virus and Vaccine Research, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, 47500 Selangor, Malaysia ,Department of Biological Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, 47500 Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Kalaivani Batumalaie
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Asia Metropolitan University, 81750 Johor, Malaysia
| | - Mahendran Sekar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Royal College of Medicine Perak, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, 30450 Ipoh, Perak Malaysia
| | - Chit-laa Poh
- Centre for Virus and Vaccine Research, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, 47500 Selangor, Malaysia
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48
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Wang H, Wang C. Peptide-Based Dual HIV and Coronavirus Entry Inhibitors. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2022; 1366:87-100. [DOI: 10.1007/978-981-16-8702-0_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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49
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Granados-Ramírez CG, Carbajal-Tinoco MD. Knowledge-Based Atomic Polarizabilities Used to Model Circular Dichroism Spectra of Proteins. J Phys Chem B 2021; 126:80-92. [PMID: 34971307 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c08183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We present a model of circular dichroism for proteins, which is mainly based on both the classical theory of optical activity and a series of effective atomic polarizabilities. Such polarizabilities are extracted from the analysis of a set of synchrotron radiation circular dichroism spectra and their corresponding three-dimensional structures from the Protein Data Bank. Each modeled spectrum is obtained from the protein atomic coordinates and the identification of its secondary structure elements. The resulting spectra are in good agreement with additional experimental data and also with the predictions of some other models. Among them, only our approach is able to describe the effect of d-amino acids. Moreover, our model is also utilized to evaluate protein reconstructions as well as structural changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Giovana Granados-Ramírez
- Facultad de Ciencias y Educación PCLQ, Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, Car. 3 No. 26A - 40, C.P. 110311 Bogotá D.C., Colombia
| | - Mauricio D Carbajal-Tinoco
- Departamento de Física, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Av. IPN No. 2508, Col. San Pedro Zacatenco, C.P. 07360 Cd. de México, Mexico
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50
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Su X, Hu L, You Z, Hu P, Wang L, Zhao B. A deep learning method for repurposing antiviral drugs against new viruses via multi-view nonnegative matrix factorization and its application to SARS-CoV-2. Brief Bioinform 2021; 23:6489102. [PMID: 34965582 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbab526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The outbreak of COVID-19 caused by SARS-coronavirus (CoV)-2 has made millions of deaths since 2019. Although a variety of computational methods have been proposed to repurpose drugs for treating SARS-CoV-2 infections, it is still a challenging task for new viruses, as there are no verified virus-drug associations (VDAs) between them and existing drugs. To efficiently solve the cold-start problem posed by new viruses, a novel constrained multi-view nonnegative matrix factorization (CMNMF) model is designed by jointly utilizing multiple sources of biological information. With the CMNMF model, the similarities of drugs and viruses can be preserved from their own perspectives when they are projected onto a unified latent feature space. Based on the CMNMF model, we propose a deep learning method, namely VDA-DLCMNMF, for repurposing drugs against new viruses. VDA-DLCMNMF first initializes the node representations of drugs and viruses with their corresponding latent feature vectors to avoid a random initialization and then applies graph convolutional network to optimize their representations. Given an arbitrary drug, its probability of being associated with a new virus is computed according to their representations. To evaluate the performance of VDA-DLCMNMF, we have conducted a series of experiments on three VDA datasets created for SARS-CoV-2. Experimental results demonstrate that the promising prediction accuracy of VDA-DLCMNMF. Moreover, incorporating the CMNMF model into deep learning gains new insight into the drug repurposing for SARS-CoV-2, as the results of molecular docking experiments reveal that four antiviral drugs identified by VDA-DLCMNMF have the potential ability to treat SARS-CoV-2 infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaorui Su
- Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.,Xinjiang Laboratory of Minority Speech and Language Information Processing, Urumqi, 830011, China
| | - Lun Hu
- Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.,Xinjiang Laboratory of Minority Speech and Language Information Processing, Urumqi, 830011, China
| | - Zhuhong You
- School of Computer Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, 710129, China
| | - Pengwei Hu
- Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.,Xinjiang Laboratory of Minority Speech and Language Information Processing, Urumqi, 830011, China
| | - Lei Wang
- Big Data and Intelligent Computing Research Center, Guangxi Academy of Science, Nanning, 530007, China
| | - Bowei Zhao
- Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.,Xinjiang Laboratory of Minority Speech and Language Information Processing, Urumqi, 830011, China
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