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Martino SD, Petri GL, De Rosa M. Hepatitis C: The Story of a Long Journey through First, Second, and Third Generation NS3/4A Peptidomimetic Inhibitors. What Did We Learn? J Med Chem 2024; 67:885-921. [PMID: 38179950 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection is the leading cause of liver failure and still represents a global health burden. Over the past decade, great advancements made HCV curable, and sustained viral remission significantly improved to more than 98%. Historical treatment with pegylated interferon alpha and ribavirin has been displaced by combinations of direct-acting antivirals. These regimens include drugs targeting different stages of the HCV life cycle. However, the emergence of viral resistance remains a big concern. The design of peptidomimetic inhibitors (PIs) able to fit and fill the conserved substrate envelope region within the active site helped avoid contact with the vulnerable sites of the most common resistance-associated substitutions Arg155, Ala156, and Asp168. Herein, we give an overview of HCV NS3 PIs discovered during the past decade, and we deeply discuss the rationale behind the structural optimization efforts essential to achieve pangenotypic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Di Martino
- Drug Discovery Unit, Medicinal Chemistry Group, Ri.MED Foundation, Palermo 90133, Italy
| | - Giovanna Li Petri
- Drug Discovery Unit, Medicinal Chemistry Group, Ri.MED Foundation, Palermo 90133, Italy
| | - Maria De Rosa
- Drug Discovery Unit, Medicinal Chemistry Group, Ri.MED Foundation, Palermo 90133, Italy
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2
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Abstract
Flaviviruses such as dengue, Japanese encephalitis, West Nile, Yellow Fever and Zika virus, cause viral hemorrhagic fever and encephalitis in humans. However, antiviral therapeutics to treat or prevent flavivirus infections are not yet available. Thus, there is pressing need to develop therapeutics and vaccines that target flavivirus infections. All flaviviruses carry a positive-sense single-stranded RNA genome, which encodes ten proteins; three structural proteins form the virus shell, and seven nonstructural (NS) proteins are involved in replication of the viral genome. While all NS proteins (NS1, NS2A, NS2B, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, and NS5) are part of a functional membrane-bound replication complex, enzymatic activities required for flaviviral replication reside in only two NS proteins, NS3 and NS5. NS3 functions as a protease, helicase, and triphosphatase, and NS5 as a capping enzyme, methyltransferase, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. In this chapter, we provide an overview of viral replication focusing on the structure and function of NS3 and NS5 replicases. We further describe strategies and examples of current efforts to identify potential flavivirus inhibitors against NS3 and NS5 enzymatic activities that can be developed as therapeutic agents to combat flavivirus infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Knyazhanskaya
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Marc C Morais
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Kyung H Choi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States.
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3
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Kasprzyk R, Jemielity J. Enzymatic Assays to Explore Viral mRNA Capping Machinery. Chembiochem 2021; 22:3236-3253. [PMID: 34291555 PMCID: PMC8426721 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
In eukaryotes, mRNA is modified by the addition of the 7-methylguanosine (m7 G) 5' cap to protect mRNA from premature degradation, thereby enhancing translation and enabling differentiation between self (endogenous) and non-self RNAs (e. g., viral ones). Viruses often develop their own mRNA capping pathways to augment the expression of their proteins and escape host innate immune response. Insights into this capping system may provide new ideas for therapeutic interventions and facilitate drug discovery, e. g., against viruses that cause pandemic outbreaks, such as beta-coronaviruses SARS-CoV (2002), MARS-CoV (2012), and the most recent SARS-CoV-2. Thus, proper methods for the screening of large compound libraries are required to identify lead structures that could serve as a basis for rational antiviral drug design. This review summarizes the methods that allow the monitoring of the activity and inhibition of enzymes involved in mRNA capping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Kasprzyk
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2c, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland.,College of Inter-Faculty Individual Studies in Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2c, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jacek Jemielity
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2c, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
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Du Pont KE, Davidson RB, McCullagh M, Geiss BJ. Motif V regulates energy transduction between the flavivirus NS3 ATPase and RNA-binding cleft. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:1551-1564. [PMID: 31914411 PMCID: PMC7008374 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.011922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 12/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The unwinding of dsRNA intermediates is critical for the replication of flavivirus RNA genomes. This activity is provided by the C-terminal helicase domain of viral nonstructural protein 3 (NS3). As a member of the superfamily 2 (SF2) helicases, NS3 requires the binding and hydrolysis of ATP/NTP to translocate along and unwind double-stranded nucleic acids. However, the mechanism of energy transduction between the ATP- and RNA-binding pockets is not well-understood. Previous molecular dynamics simulations conducted by our group have identified Motif V as a potential "communication hub" for this energy transduction pathway. To investigate the role of Motif V in this process, here we combined molecular dynamics, biochemistry, and virology approaches. We tested Motif V mutations in both the replicon and recombinant protein systems to investigate viral genome replication, RNA-binding affinity, ATP hydrolysis activity, and helicase-mediated unwinding activity. We found that the T407A and S411A substitutions in NS3 reduce viral replication and increase the helicase-unwinding turnover rates by 1.7- and 3.5-fold, respectively, suggesting that flaviviruses may use suboptimal NS3 helicase activity for optimal genome replication. Additionally, we used simulations of each mutant to probe structural changes within NS3 caused by each mutation. These simulations indicate that Motif V controls communication between the ATP-binding pocket and the helical gate. These results help define the linkage between ATP hydrolysis and helicase activities within NS3 and provide insight into the biophysical mechanisms for ATPase-driven NS3 helicase function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly E Du Pont
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523; Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523
| | - Russell B Davidson
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523
| | - Martin McCullagh
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523.
| | - Brian J Geiss
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523; School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523.
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5
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Yerukhimovich MM, Marohnic CC, Frick DN. Role of the Conserved DECH-Box Cysteine in Coupling Hepatitis C Virus Helicase-Catalyzed ATP Hydrolysis to RNA Unwinding. Biochemistry 2018; 57:6247-6255. [PMID: 30281972 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.8b00796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
DECH-box proteins are a subset of DExH/D-box superfamily 2 helicases possessing a conserved Asp-Glu-Cys-His motif in their ATP binding site. The conserved His helps position the Asp and Glu residues, which coordinate the divalent metal cation that connects the protein to ATP and activate the water molecule needed for ATP hydrolysis, but the role of the Cys is still unclear. This study uses site-directed mutants of the model DECH-box helicase encoded by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) to examine the role of the Cys in helicase action. Proteins lacking a Cys unwound DNA less efficiently than wild-type proteins did. For example, at low protein concentrations, a helicase harboring a Gly instead of the DECH-box Cys unwound DNA more slowly than the wild-type helicase did, but at higher protein concentrations, the two proteins unwound DNA at similar rates. All HCV proteins analyzed had similar affinities for ATP and nucleic acids and hydrolyzed ATP in the presence of RNA at similar rates. However, in the absence of RNA, all proteins lacking a DECH-box cysteine hydrolyzed ATP 10-15 times faster with higher Km values, and lower apparent affinities for metal ions, compared to those observed with wild-type proteins. These differences were observed with proteins isolated from HCV genotypes 2a and 1b, suggesting that this role is conserved. These data suggest the helicase needs Cys292 to bind ATP in a state where ATP is not hydrolyzed until RNA binds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark M Yerukhimovich
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry , University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee , Milwaukee , Wisconsin 53211 , United States
| | - Christopher C Marohnic
- Abbott Laboratories , 100 Abbott Park Road , Abbott Park , Illinois 60064 , United States
| | - David N Frick
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry , University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee , Milwaukee , Wisconsin 53211 , United States
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6
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Bassetto M, Leyssen P, Neyts J, Yerukhimovich MM, Frick DN, Courtney-Smith M, Brancale A. In silico identification, design and synthesis of novel piperazine-based antiviral agents targeting the hepatitis C virus helicase. Eur J Med Chem 2016; 125:1115-1131. [PMID: 27810598 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2016.10.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Revised: 10/17/2016] [Accepted: 10/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
A structure-based virtual screening of commercial compounds was carried out on the HCV NS3 helicase structure, with the aim to identify novel inhibitors of HCV replication. Among a selection of 13 commercial structures, one compound was found to inhibit the subgenomic HCV replicon in the low micromolar range. Different series of new piperazine-based analogues were designed and synthesised, and among them, several novel structures exhibited antiviral activity in the HCV replicon assay. Some of the new compounds were also found to inhibit HCV NS3 helicase function in vitro, and one directly bound NS3 with a dissociation constant of 570 ± 270 nM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcella Bassetto
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF103NB, UK.
| | - Pieter Leyssen
- Rega Institute for Medical Research, University of Leuven, Belgium
| | - Johan Neyts
- Rega Institute for Medical Research, University of Leuven, Belgium
| | - Mark M Yerukhimovich
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211, United States
| | - David N Frick
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211, United States
| | - Matthew Courtney-Smith
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF103NB, UK
| | - Andrea Brancale
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF103NB, UK
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7
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Computer-aided identification, synthesis and evaluation of substituted thienopyrimidines as novel inhibitors of HCV replication. Eur J Med Chem 2016; 123:31-47. [PMID: 27474921 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2016.07.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2016] [Revised: 06/24/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
A structure-based virtual screening technique was applied to the study of the HCV NS3 helicase, with the aim to find novel inhibitors of the HCV replication. A library of ∼450000 commercially available compounds was analysed in silico and 21 structures were selected for biological evaluation in the HCV replicon assay. One hit characterized by a substituted thieno-pyrimidine scaffold was found to inhibit the viral replication with an EC50 value in the sub-micromolar range and a good selectivity index. Different series of novel thieno-pyrimidine derivatives were designed and synthesised; several new structures showed antiviral activity in the low or sub-micromolar range.
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8
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Ndjomou J, Corby MJ, Sweeney NL, Hanson AM, Aydin C, Ali A, Schiffer CA, Li K, Frankowski KJ, Schoenen FJ, Frick DN. Simultaneously Targeting the NS3 Protease and Helicase Activities for More Effective Hepatitis C Virus Therapy. ACS Chem Biol 2015; 10:1887-96. [PMID: 25961497 PMCID: PMC4546510 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.5b00101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
This study examines the specificity and mechanism of action of a recently reported hepatitis C virus (HCV) nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) helicase-protease inhibitor (HPI), and the interaction of HPI with the NS3 protease inhibitors telaprevir, boceprevir, danoprevir, and grazoprevir. HPI most effectively reduced cellular levels of subgenomic genotype 4a replicons, followed by genotypes 3a and 1b replicons. HPI had no effect on HCV genotype 2a or dengue virus replicon levels. Resistance evolved more slowly to HPI than telaprevir, and HPI inhibited telaprevir-resistant replicons. Molecular modeling and analysis of the ability of HPI to inhibit peptide hydrolysis catalyzed by a variety of wildtype and mutant NS3 proteins suggested that HPI forms a bridge between the NS3 RNA-binding cleft and an allosteric site previously shown to bind other protease inhibitors. In most combinations, the antiviral effect of HPI was additive with telaprevir and boceprevir, minor synergy was observed with danoprevir, and modest synergy was observed with grazoprevir.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Ndjomou
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, United States
| | - M. Josie Corby
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, United States
| | - Noreena L. Sweeney
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, United States
| | - Alicia M. Hanson
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, United States
| | - Cihan Aydin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605, United States
| | - Akbar Ali
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605, United States
| | - Celia A. Schiffer
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605, United States
| | - Kelin Li
- University of Kansas Specialized Chemistry Center, University of Kansas, 2034 Becker Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66047, United States
| | - Kevin J. Frankowski
- University of Kansas Specialized Chemistry Center, University of Kansas, 2034 Becker Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66047, United States
| | - Frank J. Schoenen
- University of Kansas Specialized Chemistry Center, University of Kansas, 2034 Becker Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66047, United States
| | - David N. Frick
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, United States
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9
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Sweeney NL, Hanson AM, Mukherjee S, Ndjomou J, Geiss BJ, Steel JJ, Frankowski KJ, Li K, Schoenen FJ, Frick DN. Benzothiazole and Pyrrolone Flavivirus Inhibitors Targeting the Viral Helicase. ACS Infect Dis 2015; 1:140-148. [PMID: 26029739 DOI: 10.1021/id5000458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The flavivirus nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) is a protease and helicase, and on the basis of its similarity to its homologue encoded by the hepatitis C virus (HCV), the flavivirus NS3 might be a promising drug target. Few flavivirus helicase inhibitors have been reported, in part, because few specific inhibitors have been identified when nucleic acid unwinding assays have been used to screen for helicase inhibitors. To explore the possibility that compounds inhibiting NS3-catalyzed ATP hydrolysis might function as antivirals even if they do not inhibit RNA unwinding in vitro, we designed a robust dengue virus (DENV) NS3 ATPase assay suitable for high-throughput screening. Members of two classes of inhibitory compounds were further tested in DENV helicase-catalyzed RNA unwinding assays, assays monitoring HCV helicase action, subgenomic DENV replicon assays, and cell viability assays and for their ability to inhibit West Nile virus (Kunjin subtype) replication in cells. The first class contained analogues of NIH molecular probe ML283, a benzothiazole oligomer derived from the dye primuline, and they also inhibited HCV helicase and DENV NS3-catalyzed RNA unwinding. The most intriguing ML283 analogue inhibited DENV NS3 with an IC50 value of 500 nM and was active against the DENV replicon. The second class contained specific DENV ATPase inhibitors that did not inhibit DENV RNA unwinding or reactions catalyzed by HCV helicase. Members of this class contained a 4-hydroxy-3-(5-methylfuran-2-carbonyl)-2H-pyrrol-5-one scaffold, and about 20 μM of the most potent pyrrolone inhibited both DENV replicons and West Nile virus replication in cells by 50%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noreena L. Sweeney
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, 3210 North Cramer Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, United States
| | - Alicia M. Hanson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, 3210 North Cramer Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, United States
| | - Sourav Mukherjee
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, 3210 North Cramer Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, United States
| | - Jean Ndjomou
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, 3210 North Cramer Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, United States
| | - Brian J. Geiss
- Department
of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, 1682 Campus Delivery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
| | - J. Jordan Steel
- Department
of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, 1682 Campus Delivery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
| | - Kevin J. Frankowski
- Specialized
Chemistry Center, University of Kansas, 2034 Becker Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66047, United States
| | - Kelin Li
- Specialized
Chemistry Center, University of Kansas, 2034 Becker Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66047, United States
| | - Frank J. Schoenen
- Specialized
Chemistry Center, University of Kansas, 2034 Becker Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66047, United States
| | - David N. Frick
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, 3210 North Cramer Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, United States
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