1
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Wralstad EC, Sayers J, Raines RT. Bayesian Inference Elucidates the Catalytic Competency of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease 3CL pro. Anal Chem 2023; 95:14981-14989. [PMID: 37750823 PMCID: PMC10662973 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c02459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
The main protease of SARS-CoV-2, 3CLpro, is a dimeric enzyme that is indispensable to viral replication and presents an attractive opportunity for therapeutic intervention. Previous reports regarding the key properties of 3CLpro and its highly similar SARS-CoV homologue conflict dramatically. Values of the dimeric Kd and enzymic kcat/KM differ by 106- and 103-fold, respectively. Establishing a confident benchmark of the intrinsic capabilities of this enzyme is essential for combating the current pandemic as well as potential future outbreaks. Here, we use enzymatic methods to characterize the dimerization and catalytic efficiency of the authentic protease from SARS-CoV-2. Specifically, we use the rigor of Bayesian inference in a Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis of progress curves to circumvent the limitations of traditional Michaelis-Menten initial rate analysis. We report that SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro forms a dimer at pH 7.5 that has Kd = 16 ± 4 nM and is capable of catalysis with kcat = 9.9 ± 1.5 s-1, KM = 0.23 ± 0.01 mM, and kcat/KM = (4.3 ± 0.7) × 104 M-1 s-1. We also find that enzymatic activity decreases substantially in solutions of high ionic strength, largely as a consequence of impaired dimerization. We conclude that 3CLpro is a more capable catalyst than appreciated previously, which has important implications for the design of antiviral therapeutic agents that target 3CLpro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evans C Wralstad
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Jessica Sayers
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Ronald T Raines
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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2
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Li F, Fang T, Guo F, Zhao Z, Zhang J. Comprehensive Understanding of the Kinetic Behaviors of Main Protease from SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV: New Data and Comparison to Published Parameters. Molecules 2023; 28:4605. [PMID: 37375160 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28124605] [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: 04/09/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The main protease (Mpro) is a promising drug target for inhibiting the coronavirus due to its conserved properties and lack of homologous genes in humans. However, previous studies on Mpro's kinetic parameters have been confusing, hindering the selection of accurate inhibitors. Therefore, obtaining a clear view of Mpro's kinetic parameters is necessary. In our study, we investigated the kinetic behaviors of Mpro from SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV using both FRET-based cleavage assay and the LC-MS method, respectively. Our findings indicate that the FRET-based cleavage assay could be used for preliminary screening of Mpro inhibitors, while the LC-MS method should be applied to select the effective inhibitors with higher reliability. Furthermore, we constructed the active site mutants (H41A and C145A) and measured the kinetic parameters to gain a deeper understanding of the atomic-level enzyme efficiency reduction compared to the wild type. Overall, our study provides valuable insights for inhibitor screening and design by offering a comprehensive understanding of Mpro's kinetic behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangya Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Tingting Fang
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Feng Guo
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Zipeng Zhao
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Jianyu Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
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3
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Ramli S, Wu YS, Batumalaie K, Guad RM, Choy KW, Kumar A, Gopinath SCB, Rahman Sarker MM, Subramaniyan V, Sekar M, Fuloria NK, Fuloria S, Chinni SV, Ramachawolran G. Phytochemicals of Withania somnifera as a Future Promising Drug against SARS-CoV-2: Pharmacological Role, Molecular Mechanism, Molecular Docking Evaluation, and Efficient Delivery. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11041000. [PMID: 37110423 PMCID: PMC10142625 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11041000] [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: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has killed millions of people since first reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Intriguingly, Withania somnifera (WS) has shown promising antiviral effects against numerous viral infections, including SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, which are contributed by its phytochemicals. This review focused on the updated testing of therapeutic efficacy and associated molecular mechanisms of WS extracts and their phytochemicals against SARS-CoV-2 infection in preclinical and clinical studies with the aim to develop a long-term solution against COVID-19. It also deciphered the current use of the in silico molecular docking approach in developing potential inhibitors from WS targeting SARS-CoV-2 and host cell receptors that may aid the development of targeted therapy against SARS-CoV-2 ranging from prior to viral entry until acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This review also discussed nanoformulations or nanocarriers in achieving effective WS delivery to enhance its bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy, consequently preventing the emergence of drug resistance, and eventually therapeutic failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suaidah Ramli
- Department of Pharmacy, Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah, Kuala Terengganu 20400, Malaysia
| | - Yuan Seng Wu
- Centre for Virus and Vaccine Research, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia
| | - Kalaivani Batumalaie
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Asia Metropolitan University, Johor Bahru 81750, Malaysia
| | - Rhanye Mac Guad
- Department of Biomedical Science and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Malaysia
| | - Ker Woon Choy
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh 47000, Malaysia
| | - Ashok Kumar
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Subash C B Gopinath
- Centre of Excellence (CoE), Faculty of Chemical Engineering & Technology & Micro System Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Arau 02600, Malaysia
- Institute of Nano Electronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Kangar 01000, Malaysia
| | - Md Moklesur Rahman Sarker
- Department of Pharmacy, State University of Bangladesh, 77 Satmasjid Road, Dhanmondi, Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh
- Health Med Science Research Network, 3/1, Block F, Lalmatia, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh
| | - Vetriselvan Subramaniyan
- Pharmacology Unit, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, MONASH University, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Bioscience and Nursing, MAHSA University, Subang Jaya 42610, Malaysia
| | - Mahendran Sekar
- School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia
| | - Neeraj Kumar Fuloria
- Centre of Excellence for Biomaterials Engineering & Faculty of Pharmacy, AIMST University, Bedong 08100, Malaysia
- Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Department of Pharmacology, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha University, Chennai 600077, India
| | - Shivkanya Fuloria
- Faculty of Pharmacy, AIMST University, Semeling, Bedong 08100, Malaysia
| | - Suresh V Chinni
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Bioscience, and Nursing, MAHSA University, Jenjarom 42610, Malaysia
- Department of Periodontics, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Chennai 600077, India
| | - Gobinath Ramachawolran
- Department of Foundation, RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus, No 4, Jalan Sepoy Lines, Georgetown 10450, Malaysia
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4
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Paciaroni A, Libera V, Ripanti F, Orecchini A, Petrillo C, Francisci D, Schiaroli E, Sabbatini S, Gidari A, Bianconi E, Macchiarulo A, Hussain R, Silvestrini L, Moretti P, Belhaj N, Vercelli M, Roque Y, Mariani P, Comez L, Spinozzi F. Stabilization of the Dimeric State of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease by GC376 and Nirmatrelvir. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24076062. [PMID: 37047038 PMCID: PMC10093836 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The main protease (Mpro or 3CLpro) is an enzyme that is evolutionarily conserved among different genera of coronaviruses. As it is essential for processing and maturing viral polyproteins, Mpro has been identified as a promising target for the development of broad-spectrum drugs against coronaviruses. Like SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, the mature and active form of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro is a dimer composed of identical subunits, each with a single active site. Individual monomers, however, have very low or no catalytic activity. As such, inhibition of Mpro can be achieved by molecules that target the substrate binding pocket to block catalytic activity or target the dimerization process. In this study, we investigated GC376, a transition-state analog inhibitor of the main protease of feline infectious peritonitis coronavirus, and Nirmatrelvir (NMV), an oral, bioavailable SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitor with pan-human coronavirus antiviral activity. Our results show that both GC376 and NMV are capable of strongly binding to SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and altering the monomer-dimer equilibrium by stabilizing the dimeric state. This behavior is proposed to be related to a structured hydrogen-bond network established at the Mpro active site, where hydrogen bonds between Ser1' and Glu166/Phe140 are formed in addition to those achieved by the latter residues with GC376 or NMV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Paciaroni
- Department of Physics and Geology, University of Perugia, Via Alessandro Pascoli, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Valeria Libera
- Department of Physics and Geology, University of Perugia, Via Alessandro Pascoli, 06123 Perugia, Italy
- Istituto Officina dei Materiali-IOM, National Research Council-CNR, Via Alessandro Pascoli, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Francesca Ripanti
- Department of Physics and Geology, University of Perugia, Via Alessandro Pascoli, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Andrea Orecchini
- Department of Physics and Geology, University of Perugia, Via Alessandro Pascoli, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Caterina Petrillo
- Department of Physics and Geology, University of Perugia, Via Alessandro Pascoli, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Daniela Francisci
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Clinic of Infectious Diseases, University of Perugia, Piazzale Gambuli, 06129 Perugia, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Schiaroli
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Clinic of Infectious Diseases, University of Perugia, Piazzale Gambuli, 06129 Perugia, Italy
| | - Samuele Sabbatini
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Medical Microbiology Section, University of Perugia, Piazzale Gambuli, 06129 Perugia, Italy
| | - Anna Gidari
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Clinic of Infectious Diseases, University of Perugia, Piazzale Gambuli, 06129 Perugia, Italy
| | - Elisa Bianconi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Via del Liceo, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Antonio Macchiarulo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Via del Liceo, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Rohanah Hussain
- Diamond Light Source Ltd., Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Lucia Silvestrini
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 12, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Paolo Moretti
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 12, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Norhan Belhaj
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 12, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Matteo Vercelli
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 12, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Yessica Roque
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 12, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Paolo Mariani
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 12, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Lucia Comez
- Istituto Officina dei Materiali-IOM, National Research Council-CNR, Via Alessandro Pascoli, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Francesco Spinozzi
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 12, 60131 Ancona, Italy
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5
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Charles S, Edgar MP, Mahapatra RK. Artificial intelligence based virtual screening study for competitive and allosteric inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:15286-15304. [PMID: 36943715 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2188419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 is a highly contagious and dangerous coronavirus that first appeared in late 2019 causing COVID-19, a pandemic of acute respiratory illnesses that is still a threat to health and the general public safety. We performed deep docking studies of 800 M unique compounds in both the active and allosteric sites of the SARS-COV-2 Main Protease (Mpro) and the 15 M and 13 M virtual hits obtained were further taken for conventional docking and molecular dynamic (MD) studies. The best XP Glide docking scores obtained were -14.242 and -12.059 kcal/mol by CHEMBL591669 and the highest binding affinities were -10.5 kcal/mol (from 444215) and -11.2 kcal/mol (from NPC95421) for active and allosteric sites, respectively. Some hits can bind both sites making them a great area of concern. Re-docking of 8 random allosteric complexes in the active site shows a significant reduction in docking scores with a t-test P value of 2.532 × 10-11 at 95% confidence. Some specific interactions have higher elevations in docking scores. MD studies on 15 complexes show that single-ligand systems are stable as compared to double-ligand systems, and the allosteric binders identified are shown to modulate the active site binding as evidenced by the changes in the interaction patterns and stability of ligands and active site residues. When an allosteric complex was docked to the second monomer to check for homodimer formation, the validated homodimer could not be re-established, further supporting the potential of the identified allosteric binders. These findings could be important in developing novel therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ssemuyiga Charles
- School of Biotechnology, KIIT Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
- Department of Microbiology, Biotechnology and Plant Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Mulumba Pius Edgar
- School of Biotechnology, KIIT Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
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6
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Santos LH, Kronenberger T, Almeida RG, Silva EB, Rocha REO, Oliveira JC, Barreto LV, Skinner D, Fajtová P, Giardini MA, Woodworth B, Bardine C, Lourenço AL, Craik CS, Poso A, Podust LM, McKerrow JH, Siqueira-Neto JL, O’Donoghue AJ, da Silva
Júnior EN, Ferreira RS. Structure-Based Identification of Naphthoquinones and Derivatives as Novel Inhibitors of Main Protease M pro and Papain-like Protease PL pro of SARS-CoV-2. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:6553-6573. [PMID: 35960688 PMCID: PMC9397563 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 urgently demands novel direct antiviral treatments. The main protease (Mpro) and papain-like protease (PLpro) are attractive drug targets among coronaviruses due to their essential role in processing the polyproteins translated from the viral RNA. In this study, we virtually screened 688 naphthoquinoidal compounds and derivatives against Mpro of SARS-CoV-2. Twenty-four derivatives were selected and evaluated in biochemical assays against Mpro using a novel fluorogenic substrate. In parallel, these compounds were also assayed with SARS-CoV-2 PLpro. Four compounds inhibited Mpro with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values between 0.41 μM and 9.0 μM. In addition, three compounds inhibited PLpro with IC50 ranging from 1.9 μM to 3.3 μM. To verify the specificity of Mpro and PLpro inhibitors, our experiments included an assessment of common causes of false positives such as aggregation, high compound fluorescence, and inhibition by enzyme oxidation. Altogether, we confirmed novel classes of specific Mpro and PLpro inhibitors. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest stable binding modes for Mpro inhibitors with frequent interactions with residues in the S1 and S2 pockets of the active site. For two PLpro inhibitors, interactions occur in the S3 and S4 pockets. In summary, our structure-based computational and biochemical approach identified novel naphthoquinonal scaffolds that can be further explored as SARS-CoV-2 antivirals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucianna H. Santos
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology,
Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas
Gerais 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Thales Kronenberger
- Department of Oncology and Pneumonology, Internal
Medicine VIII, University Hospital Tübingen,
Otfried-Müller-Straße 10, DE72076 Tübingen,
Germany
- School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences,
University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio,
Finland
- Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical/Medicinal
Chemistry and Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery (TüCAD2),
Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der
Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Renata G. Almeida
- Institute of Exact Sciences, Department of Chemistry,
Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas
Gerais 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Elany B. Silva
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La
Jolla, California 92093-0657, United States
| | - Rafael E. O. Rocha
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology,
Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas
Gerais 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Joyce C. Oliveira
- Institute of Exact Sciences, Department of Chemistry,
Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas
Gerais 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Luiza V. Barreto
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology,
Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas
Gerais 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Danielle Skinner
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La
Jolla, California 92093-0657, United States
| | - Pavla Fajtová
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La
Jolla, California 92093-0657, United States
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry,
Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 16610 Prague,
Czech Republic
| | - Miriam A. Giardini
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La
Jolla, California 92093-0657, United States
| | - Brendon Woodworth
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious
Diseases, University of California San Diego, La Jolla,
California 92093, United States
| | - Conner Bardine
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry,
University of California San Francisco, San Francisco,
California 94143, United States
| | - André L. Lourenço
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry,
University of California San Francisco, San Francisco,
California 94143, United States
| | - Charles S. Craik
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry,
University of California San Francisco, San Francisco,
California 94143, United States
| | - Antti Poso
- Department of Oncology and Pneumonology, Internal
Medicine VIII, University Hospital Tübingen,
Otfried-Müller-Straße 10, DE72076 Tübingen,
Germany
- School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences,
University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio,
Finland
| | - Larissa M. Podust
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La
Jolla, California 92093-0657, United States
| | - James H. McKerrow
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La
Jolla, California 92093-0657, United States
| | - Jair L. Siqueira-Neto
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La
Jolla, California 92093-0657, United States
| | - Anthony J. O’Donoghue
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La
Jolla, California 92093-0657, United States
| | - Eufrânio N. da Silva
Júnior
- Institute of Exact Sciences, Department of Chemistry,
Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas
Gerais 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Rafaela S. Ferreira
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology,
Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas
Gerais 31270-901, Brazil
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7
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Boonamnaj P, Pandey R, Sompornpisut P. Effect of pH on stability of dimer structure of the main protease of coronavirus-2. Biophys Chem 2022; 287:106829. [PMID: 35635893 PMCID: PMC9119281 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2022.106829] [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: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
The viral main protease (Mpro) from a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a key enzyme essential for viral replication and has become an attractive target for antiviral drug development. The Mpro forms a functional dimer and exhibits a pH-dependent enzyme activity and dimerization. Here, we report a molecular dynamics (MD) investigation to gain insights into the structural stability of the enzyme dimer at neutral and acidic pH. Our data shows larger changes in structure of the protein with the acidic pH than that with the neutral pH. Structural analysis of MD trajectories reveals a substantial increase in intersubunit separation, the loss of domain contacts, binding free energy and interaction energy of the dimer which implies the protein instability and tendency of dimer dissociation at acidic pH. The loss in the interaction energy is mainly driven by electrostatic interactions. We have identified the intersubunit hydrogen-bonding residues involved in the decreased dimer stability. These findings may be helpful for rational drug design and target evaluation against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panisak Boonamnaj
- The Center of Excellence in Computational Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - R.B. Pandey
- School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA
| | - Pornthep Sompornpisut
- The Center of Excellence in Computational Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand,Corresponding author
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8
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Kandagalla S, Rimac H, Gurushankar K, Novak J, Grishina M, Potemkin V. Withasomniferol C, a new potential SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitor from the Withania somnifera plant proposed by in silico approaches. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13374. [PMID: 35673392 PMCID: PMC9167582 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13374] [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: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Exploring potent herbal medicine candidates is a promising strategy for combating a pandemic in the present global health crisis. In Ayurveda (a traditional medicine system in India), Withania somnifera (WS) is one of the most important herbs and it has been used for millennia as Rasayana (a type of juice) for its wide-ranging health benefits. WS phytocompounds display a broad spectrum of biological activities (such as antioxidant, anticancer and antimicrobial) modulate detoxifying enzymes, and enhance immunity. Inspired by the numerous biological actions of WS phytocompounds, the present investigation explored the potential of the WS phytocompounds against the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (3CLpro). We selected 11 specific withanolide compounds, such as withaphysalin, withasomniferol, and withafastuosin, through manual literature curation against 3CLpro. A molecular similarity analysis showed their similarity with compounds that have an established inhibitory activity against the SARS-CoV-2. In silico molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations elucidated withasomniferol C (WS11) as a potential candidate against SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro. Additionally, the present work also presents a new method of validating docking poses using the AlteQ method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivananada Kandagalla
- Higher Medical & Biological School, Laboratory of Computational Modeling of Drugs, South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk, Chelyabinsk, Russia
| | - Hrvoje Rimac
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Krishnamoorthy Gurushankar
- Higher Medical & Biological School, Laboratory of Computational Modeling of Drugs, South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk, Chelyabinsk, Russia,Department of Physics, Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education, Krishnankoil, Tamilnadu, India
| | - Jurica Novak
- Higher Medical & Biological School, Laboratory of Computational Modeling of Drugs, South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk, Chelyabinsk, Russia
| | - Maria Grishina
- Higher Medical & Biological School, Laboratory of Computational Modeling of Drugs, South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk, Chelyabinsk, Russia
| | - Vladimir Potemkin
- Higher Medical & Biological School, Laboratory of Computational Modeling of Drugs, South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk, Chelyabinsk, Russia
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9
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Ferreira JC, Fadl S, Rabeh WM. Key dimer interface residues impact the catalytic activity of 3CLpro, the main protease of SARS-CoV-2. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102023. [PMID: 35568197 PMCID: PMC9091064 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
3C-like protease (3CLpro) is one of two proteases that process and liberate functional viral proteins essential for the maturation and infectivity of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for COVID-19. It has been suggested that 3CLpro is catalytically active as a dimer, making the dimerization interface a target for antiviral development. Guided by structural analysis, here we introduced single amino acid substitutions at nine residues at three key sites of the dimer interface to assess their impact on dimerization and activity. We show that at site 1, alanine substitution of S1 or E166 increased by 2-fold or reduced relative activity, respectively. At site 2, alanine substitution of S10 or E14 eliminated activity, whereas K12A exhibited ∼60% relative activity. At site 3, alanine substitution of R4, E290, or Q299 eliminated activity, whereas S139A exhibited 46% relative activity. We further found the oligomerization states of the dimer interface mutants varied; the inactive mutants R4A, R4Q, S10A/C, E14A/D/Q/S, E290A, and Q299A/E were present as dimers, demonstrating that dimerization is not an indication of catalytically active 3CLpro. In addition, present mostly as monomers, K12A displayed residual activity, which could be attributed to the conspicuous amount of dimer present. Finally, differential scanning calorimetry did not reveal a direct relationship between the thermodynamic stability of mutants with oligomerization or catalytic activity. These results provide insights on two allosteric sites, R4/E290 and S10/E14, that may promote the design of antiviral compounds that target the dimer interface rather than the active site of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana C Ferreira
- Science Division, New York University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Samar Fadl
- Science Division, New York University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Wael M Rabeh
- Science Division, New York University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
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10
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Campitelli P, Lu J, Ozkan SB. Dynamic Allostery Highlights the Evolutionary Differences between the CoV-1 and CoV-2 Main Proteases. Biophys J 2022; 121:1483-1492. [PMID: 35300968 PMCID: PMC8920573 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has become one of the most immediate and widely-studied systems since its identification and subsequent global outbreak from 2019-2021. In an effort to understand the biophysical changes as a result of mutations, the mechanistic details of multiple different proteins within the SARS-CoV-2 virus have been studied and compared with SARS-CoV-1. Focusing on the main protease (mPro), we first explored the long-range dynamics using the Dynamic Coupling Index (DCI) to investigate the dynamic coupling between the catalytic site residues and the rest of the protein, both inter and intra chain, for the CoV-1 and CoV-2 mPro. We found that there is significant cross-chain coupling between these active sites and specific distal residues in the CoV-2 mPro not present in CoV-1. The enhanced long distance interactions, particularly between the two chains, suggest subsequently enhanced cooperativity for CoV-2. A further comparative analysis of the dynamic flexibility using the Dynamic Flexibility Index (DFI) between the CoV-1 and CoV-2 mPros shows that the inhibitor binding near active sites induces change in flexibility to a distal region of the protein, opposite in behavior between the two systems; this region becomes more flexible upon inhibitor binding in CoV-1 while it becomes less flexible in the CoV-2 mPro. Upon inspection, we show that, on average, the dynamic flexibility of the sites substituted from CoV-1 to CoV-2 changes significantly less than the average calculated across all residues within the structure, indicating that the differences in behaviors between the two systems is likely the result of allosteric influence, where the new substitutions in CoV-2 induce flexibility and dynamical changes elsewhere in the structure.
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11
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Structure-based inhibitor design and repurposing clinical drugs to target SARS-CoV-2 proteases. Biochem Soc Trans 2022; 50:151-165. [PMID: 35015073 DOI: 10.1042/bst20211180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the current COVID-19 pandemic, encodes two proteases, 3CLpro and PLpro, two of the main antiviral research targets. Here we provide an overview of the structures and functions of 3CLpro and PLpro and examine strategies of structure-based drug designing and drug repurposing against these proteases. Rational structure-based drug design enables the generation of potent and target-specific antivirals. Drug repurposing offers an attractive prospect with an accelerated turnaround. Thus far, several protease inhibitors have been identified, and some candidates are undergoing trials that may well prove to be effective antivirals against SARS-CoV-2.
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12
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Novak J, Potemkin VA. A new glimpse on the active site of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro, coupled with drug repurposing study. Mol Divers 2022; 26:2631-2645. [PMID: 35001230 PMCID: PMC8743077 DOI: 10.1007/s11030-021-10355-8] [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: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Its main protease, 3C-like protease (3CLpro), is an attractive target for drug design, due to its importance in virus replication. The analysis of the radial distribution function of 159 3CLpro structures reveals a high similarity index. A study of the catalytic pocket of 3CLpro with bound inhibitors reveals that the influence of the inhibitors is local, perturbing dominantly only residues in the active pocket. A machine learning based model with high predictive ability against SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro is designed and validated. The model is used to perform a drug-repurposing study, with the main aim to identify existing drugs with the highest 3CLpro inhibition power. Among antiviral agents, lopinavir, idoxuridine, paritaprevir, and favipiravir showed the highest inhibition potential. Enzyme - ligand interactions as a key ingredient for successful drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jurica Novak
- Higher Medical and Biological School, Laboratory of Computational Modeling of Drugs, South Ural State University, Tchaikovsky Str. 20-A, Chelyabinsk, 454080, Russia.
| | - Vladimir A Potemkin
- Higher Medical and Biological School, Laboratory of Computational Modeling of Drugs, South Ural State University, Tchaikovsky Str. 20-A, Chelyabinsk, 454080, Russia
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13
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Santos LH, Kronenberger T, Almeida RG, Silva EB, Rocha REO, Oliveira JC, Barreto LV, Skinner D, Fajtová P, Giardini MA, Woodworth B, Bardine C, Lourenço AL, Craik CS, Poso A, Podust LM, McKerrow JH, Siqueira-Neto JL, O'Donoghue AJ, da Silva Júnior EN, Ferreira RS. Structure-based identification of naphthoquinones and derivatives as novel inhibitors of main protease Mpro and papain-like protease PLpro of SARS-CoV-2. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2022:2022.01.05.475095. [PMID: 35018373 PMCID: PMC8750648 DOI: 10.1101/2022.01.05.475095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 urgently demands novel direct antiviral treatments. The main protease (Mpro) and papain-like protease (PLpro) are attractive drug targets among coronaviruses due to their essential role in processing the polyproteins translated from the viral RNA. In the present work, we virtually screened 688 naphthoquinoidal compounds and derivatives against Mpro of SARS-CoV-2. Twenty-four derivatives were selected and evaluated in biochemical assays against Mpro using a novel fluorogenic substrate. In parallel, these compounds were also assayed with SARS-CoV-2 PLpro. Four compounds inhibited Mpro with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) values between 0.41 µM and 66 µM. In addition, eight compounds inhibited PLpro with IC 50 ranging from 1.7 µM to 46 µM. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest stable binding modes for Mpro inhibitors with frequent interactions with residues in the S1 and S2 pockets of the active site. For two PLpro inhibitors, interactions occur in the S3 and S4 pockets. In summary, our structure-based computational and biochemical approach identified novel naphthoquinonal scaffolds that can be further explored as SARS-CoV-2 antivirals.
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14
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Abstract
The main protease (Mpro) plays a crucial role in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) replication and is highly conserved, rendering it one of the most attractive therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2 inhibition. Currently, although two drug candidates targeting SARS-CoV-2 Mpro designed by Pfizer are under clinical trials, no SARS-CoV-2 medication is approved due to the long period of drug development. Here, we collect a comprehensive list of 817 available SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV Mpro inhibitors from the literature or databases and analyze their molecular mechanisms of action. The structure-activity relationships (SARs) among each series of inhibitors are discussed. Additionally, we broadly examine available antiviral activity, ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity), and animal tests of these inhibitors. We comment on their druggability or drawbacks that prevent them from becoming drugs. This Perspective sheds light on the future development of Mpro inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 and future coronavirus diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaifu Gao
- Department of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Rui Wang
- Department of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Jiahui Chen
- Department of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Jetze J Tepe
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacology & Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Faqing Huang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39406, United States
| | - Guo-Wei Wei
- Department of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
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15
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Kidera A, Moritsugu K, Ekimoto T, Ikeguchi M. Allosteric Regulation of 3CL Protease of SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV Observed in the Crystal Structure Ensemble. J Mol Biol 2021; 433:167324. [PMID: 34717972 PMCID: PMC8550881 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 10/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The 3C-like protease (3CLpro) of SARS-CoV-2 is a potential therapeutic target for COVID-19. Importantly, it has an abundance of structural information solved as a complex with various drug candidate compounds. Collecting these crystal structures (83 Protein Data Bank (PDB) entries) together with those of the highly homologous 3CLpro of SARS-CoV (101 PDB entries), we constructed the crystal structure ensemble of 3CLpro to analyze the dynamic regulation of its catalytic function. The structural dynamics of the 3CLpro dimer observed in the ensemble were characterized by the motions of four separate loops (the C-loop, E-loop, H-loop, and Linker) and the C-terminal domain III on the rigid core of the chymotrypsin fold. Among the four moving loops, the C-loop (also known as the oxyanion binding loop) causes the order (active)-disorder (collapsed) transition, which is regulated cooperatively by five hydrogen bonds made with the surrounding residues. The C-loop, E-loop, and Linker constitute the major ligand binding sites, which consist of a limited variety of binding residues including the substrate binding subsites. Ligand binding causes a ligand size dependent conformational change to the E-loop and Linker, which further stabilize the C-loop via the hydrogen bond between the C-loop and E-loop. The T285A mutation from SARS-CoV 3CLpro to SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro significantly closes the interface of the domain III dimer and allosterically stabilizes the active conformation of the C-loop via hydrogen bonds with Ser1 and Gly2; thus, SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro seems to have increased activity relative to that of SARS-CoV 3CLpro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akinori Kidera
- Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, 1-7-29 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan.
| | - Kei Moritsugu
- Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, 1-7-29 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan
| | - Toru Ekimoto
- Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, 1-7-29 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan
| | - Mitsunori Ikeguchi
- Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, 1-7-29 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan
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16
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Sharma A, Mishra RK, Goud KY, Mohamed MA, Kummari S, Tiwari S, Li Z, Narayan R, Stanciu LA, Marty JL. Optical Biosensors for Diagnostics of Infectious Viral Disease: A Recent Update. Diagnostics (Basel) 2021; 11:2083. [PMID: 34829430 PMCID: PMC8625106 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11112083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The design and development of biosensors, analytical devices used to detect various analytes in different matrices, has emerged. Biosensors indicate a biorecognition element with a physicochemical analyzer or detector, i.e., a transducer. In the present scenario, various types of biosensors have been deployed in healthcare and clinical research, for instance, biosensors for blood glucose monitoring. Pathogenic microbes are contributing mediators of numerous infectious diseases that are becoming extremely serious worldwide. The recent outbreak of COVID-19 is one of the most recent examples of such communal and deadly diseases. In efforts to work towards the efficacious treatment of pathogenic viral contagions, a fast and precise detection method is of the utmost importance in biomedical and healthcare sectors for early diagnostics and timely countermeasures. Among various available sensor systems, optical biosensors offer easy-to-use, fast, portable, handy, multiplexed, direct, real-time, and inexpensive diagnosis with the added advantages of specificity and sensitivity. Many progressive concepts and extremely multidisciplinary approaches, including microelectronics, microelectromechanical systems (MEMSs), nanotechnologies, molecular biology, and biotechnology with chemistry, are used to operate optical biosensors. A portable and handheld optical biosensing device would provide fast and reliable results for the identification and quantitation of pathogenic virus particles in each sample. In the modern day, the integration of intelligent nanomaterials in the developed devices provides much more sensitive and highly advanced sensors that may produce the results in no time and eventually help clinicians and doctors enormously. This review accentuates the existing challenges engaged in converting laboratory research to real-world device applications and optical diagnostics methods for virus infections. The review's background and progress are expected to be insightful to the researchers in the sensor field and facilitate the design and fabrication of optical sensors for life-threatening viruses with broader applicability to any desired pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atul Sharma
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, SGT College of Pharmacy, SGT University, Budhera, Gurugram 122505, Haryana, India;
| | - Rupesh Kumar Mishra
- Bindley Bio-Science Center, Lab 222, 1203 W. State St., Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
- School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, 701 West Stadium Avenue, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - K. Yugender Goud
- Department of NanoEngineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Mona A. Mohamed
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, National Organization for Drug Control and Research (NODCAR), Egyptian Drug Authority, Giza 99999, Egypt;
| | - Shekher Kummari
- Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology, Warangal 506004, Telangana, India;
| | - Swapnil Tiwari
- School of Studies in Chemistry, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur 492010, Chattisgarh, India;
| | - Zhanhong Li
- School of Medical Instrument and Food Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, 516 Jungong Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai 200093, China;
| | - Roger Narayan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA;
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Lia A. Stanciu
- School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, 701 West Stadium Avenue, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Jean Louis Marty
- BAE-LBBM Laboratory, University of Perpignan via Domitia, 52 Avenue Paul Alduy, CEDEX 9, 66860 Perpignan, France
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17
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Botta L, Cesarini S, Zippilli C, Bizzarri BM, Fanelli A, Saladino R. Multicomponent reactions in the synthesis of antiviral compounds. Curr Med Chem 2021; 29:2013-2050. [PMID: 34620058 DOI: 10.2174/0929867328666211007121837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Multicomponent reactions are one-pot processes for the synthesis of highly functionalized hetero-cyclic and hetero-acyclic compounds, often endowed with biological activity. OBJECTIVE Multicomponent reactions are considered green processes with high atom economy. In addition, they present advantages compared to the classic synthetic methods such as high efficiency and low wastes production. METHOD In these reactions two or more reagents are combined together in the same flask to yield a product containing almost all the atoms of the starting materials. RESULTS The scope of this review is to present an overview of the application of multicomponent reactions in the synthesis of compounds endowed with antiviral activity. The syntheses are classified depending on the viral target. CONCLUSION Multicomponent reactions can be applied to all the stages of the drug discovery and development process making them very useful in the search for new agents active against emerging (viral) pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Botta
- Department Biological and Ecological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Viterbo. Italy
| | - Silvia Cesarini
- Department Biological and Ecological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Viterbo. Italy
| | - Claudio Zippilli
- Department Biological and Ecological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Viterbo. Italy
| | | | - Angelica Fanelli
- Department Biological and Ecological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Viterbo. Italy
| | - Raffaele Saladino
- Department Biological and Ecological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Viterbo. Italy
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18
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Ferreira GM, Kronenberger T, Tonduru AK, Hirata RDC, Hirata MH, Poso A. SARS-COV-2 M pro conformational changes induced by covalently bound ligands. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2021; 40:12347-12357. [PMID: 34516349 PMCID: PMC8442757 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.1970626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2's main protease (Mpro) interaction with ligands has been explored with a myriad of crystal structures, most of the monomers. Nonetheless, Mpro is known to be active as a dimer but the relevance of the dimerization in the ligand-induced conformational changes has not been fully elucidated. We systematically simulated different Mpro-ligand complexes aiming to study their conformational changes and interactions, through molecular dynamics (MD). We focused on covalently bound ligands (N1 and N3, ∼9 μs per system both monomers and dimers) and compared these trajectories against the apostructure. Our results suggest that the monomeric simulations led to an unrealistically flexible active site. In contrast, the Mpro dimer displayed a stable oxyanion-loop conformation along the trajectory. Also, ligand interactions with residues His41, Gly143, His163, Glu166 and Gln189 are postulated to impact the ligands' inhibitory activity significantly. In dimeric simulations, especially Gly143 and His163 have increased interaction frequencies. In conclusion, long-timescale MD is a more suitable tool for exploring in silico the activity of bioactive compounds that potentially inhibit the dimeric form of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glaucio Monteiro Ferreira
- Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analyses, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Oncology and Pneumonology, Internal Medicine VIII, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Thales Kronenberger
- Department of Oncology and Pneumonology, Internal Medicine VIII, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Arun Kumar Tonduru
- School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Rosario Dominguez Crespo Hirata
- Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analyses, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mario Hiroyuki Hirata
- Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analyses, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Antti Poso
- Department of Oncology and Pneumonology, Internal Medicine VIII, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
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19
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Target-Based In Silico Screening for Phytoactive Compounds Targeting SARS-CoV-2. Interdiscip Sci 2021; 14:64-79. [PMID: 34308530 PMCID: PMC8310681 DOI: 10.1007/s12539-021-00461-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Abstract Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), resulting from infection by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), can cause severe and fatal pneumonia along with other life-threatening complications. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the healthcare system globally and has hit the economy hard in all affected countries. As a result, there is an unmet medical need for both the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 infection. Several herbal remedies have claimed to show promising clinical results, but the mechanisms of action are not clear. We set out to identify the anti-viral natural products of these herbal remedies that presumably inhibit the life cycle of SARS-CoV-2. Particularly we chose four key SARS-CoV-2 viral enzymes as targets: Papain-like protease, Main protease, RNA dependent RNA polymerase, and 2’-O-ribose methyltransferase, which were subjected to an unbiased in silico screening against a small molecule library of 33,765 compounds originating from herbs and medicinal plants. The small molecules were then ranked based on their free energy of fitting into the “druggable” pockets on the surface of each target protein. We have analyzed the best “fit” molecules and annotated them according to their plant sources and pharmacokinetic properties. Here we present a list of potential anti-viral ingredients of herbal remedies targeting SARS-CoV-2 and explore the potential mechanisms of action of these compounds as a framework for further development of chemoprophylaxis agents against COVID-19. Graphic abstract ![]()
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12539-021-00461-4.
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20
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Sohrabi F, Saeidifard S, Ghasemi M, Asadishad T, Hamidi SM, Hosseini SM. Role of plasmonics in detection of deadliest viruses: a review. EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL PLUS 2021; 136:675. [PMID: 34178567 PMCID: PMC8214556 DOI: 10.1140/epjp/s13360-021-01657-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Viruses have threatened animal and human lives since a long time ago all over the world. Some of these tiny particles have caused disastrous pandemics that killed a large number of people with subsequent economic downturns. In addition, the quarantine situation itself encounters the challenges like the deficiency in the online educational system, psychiatric problems and poor international relations. Although viruses have a rather simple protein structure, they have structural heterogeneity with a high tendency to mutation that impedes their study. On top of the breadth of such worldwide worrying issues, there are profound scientific gaps, and several unanswered questions, like lack of vaccines or antivirals to combat these pathogens. Various detection techniques like the nucleic acid test, immunoassay, and microscopy have been developed; however, there is a tradeoff between their advantages and disadvantages like safety in sample collecting, invasiveness, sensitivity, response time, etc. One of the highly resolved techniques that can provide early-stage detection with fast experiment duration is plasmonics. This optical technique has the capability to detect viral proteins and genomes at the early stage via highly sensitive interaction between the biological target and the plasmonic chip. The efficiency of this technique could be proved using commercialized techniques like reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques. In this study, we aim to review the role of plasmonic technique in the detection of 11 deadliest viruses besides 2 common genital viruses for the human being. This is a rapidly moving topic of research, and a review article that encompasses the current findings may be useful for guiding strategies to deal with the pandemics. By investigating the potential aspects of this technique, we hope that this study could open new avenues toward the application of point-of-care techniques for virus detection at early stage that may inhibit the progressively hygienic threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Foozieh Sohrabi
- Magneto-Plasmonic Lab, Laser and Plasma Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Daneshju Boulevard, 1983969411 Tehran, Iran
| | - Sajede Saeidifard
- Magneto-Plasmonic Lab, Laser and Plasma Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Daneshju Boulevard, 1983969411 Tehran, Iran
| | - Masih Ghasemi
- Magneto-Plasmonic Lab, Laser and Plasma Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Daneshju Boulevard, 1983969411 Tehran, Iran
| | - Tannaz Asadishad
- Magneto-Plasmonic Lab, Laser and Plasma Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Daneshju Boulevard, 1983969411 Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyedeh Mehri Hamidi
- Magneto-Plasmonic Lab, Laser and Plasma Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Daneshju Boulevard, 1983969411 Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Masoud Hosseini
- Department of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Evin, Tehran, Iran
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21
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The dimer-monomer equilibrium of SARS-CoV-2 main protease is affected by small molecule inhibitors. Sci Rep 2021; 11:9283. [PMID: 33927258 PMCID: PMC8085067 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88630-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The maturation of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which is the etiological agent at the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, requires a main protease Mpro to cleave the virus-encoded polyproteins. Despite a wealth of experimental information already available, there is wide disagreement about the Mpro monomer-dimer equilibrium dissociation constant. Since the functional unit of Mpro is a homodimer, the detailed knowledge of the thermodynamics of this equilibrium is a key piece of information for possible therapeutic intervention, with small molecules interfering with dimerization being potential broad-spectrum antiviral drug leads. In the present study, we exploit Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) to investigate the structural features of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro in solution as a function of protein concentration and temperature. A detailed thermodynamic picture of the monomer-dimer equilibrium is derived, together with the temperature-dependent value of the dissociation constant. SAXS is also used to study how the Mpro dissociation process is affected by small inhibitors selected by virtual screening. We find that these inhibitors affect dimerization and enzymatic activity to a different extent and sometimes in an opposite way, likely due to the different molecular mechanisms underlying the two processes. The Mpro residues that emerge as key to optimize both dissociation and enzymatic activity inhibition are discussed.
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22
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QSAR Modelling of Peptidomimetic Derivatives towards HKU4-CoV 3CLpro Inhibitors against MERS-CoV. CHEMISTRY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/chemistry3010029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In this paper, we report the relationship between the anti-MERS-CoV activities of the HKU4 derived peptides for some peptidomimetic compounds and various descriptors using the quantitative structure activity relationships (QSAR) methods. The used descriptors were computed using ChemSketch, Marvin Sketch and ChemOffice software. The principal components analysis (PCA) and the multiple linear regression (MLR) methods were used to propose a model with reliable predictive capacity. The original data set of 41 peptidomimetic derivatives was randomly divided into training and test sets of 34 and 7 compounds, respectively. The predictive ability of the best MLR model was assessed by determination coefficient R2 = 0.691, cross-validation parameter Q2cv = 0.528 and the external validation parameter R2test = 0.794.
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23
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Roe MK, Junod NA, Young AR, Beachboard DC, Stobart CC. Targeting novel structural and functional features of coronavirus protease nsp5 (3CL pro, M pro) in the age of COVID-19. J Gen Virol 2021; 102:001558. [PMID: 33507143 PMCID: PMC8515871 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus protease nsp5 (Mpro, 3CLpro) remains a primary target for coronavirus therapeutics due to its indispensable and conserved role in the proteolytic processing of the viral replicase polyproteins. In this review, we discuss the diversity of known coronaviruses, the role of nsp5 in coronavirus biology, and the structure and function of this protease across the diversity of known coronaviruses, and evaluate past and present efforts to develop inhibitors to the nsp5 protease with a particular emphasis on new and mostly unexplored potential targets of inhibition. With the recent emergence of pandemic SARS-CoV-2, this review provides novel and potentially innovative strategies and directions to develop effective therapeutics against the coronavirus protease nsp5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly K. Roe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Butler University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Nathan A. Junod
- Department of Biological Sciences, Butler University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Audrey R. Young
- Department of Biological Sciences, Butler University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
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24
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Anirudhan V, Lee H, Cheng H, Cooper L, Rong L. Targeting SARS-CoV-2 viral proteases as a therapeutic strategy to treat COVID-19. J Med Virol 2021; 93:2722-2734. [PMID: 33475167 PMCID: PMC8014870 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.26814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The 21st century has witnessed three outbreaks of coronavirus (CoVs) infections caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)‐CoV, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)‐CoV, and SARS‐CoV‐2. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), caused by SARS‐CoV‐2, spreads rapidly and since the discovery of the first COVID‐19 infection in December 2019, has caused 1.2 million deaths worldwide and 226,777 deaths in the United States alone. The high amino acid similarity between SARS‐CoV and SARS‐CoV‐2 viral proteins supports testing therapeutic molecules that were designed to treat SARS infections during the 2003 epidemic. In this review, we provide information on possible COVID‐19 treatment strategies that act via inhibition of the two essential proteins of the virus, 3C‐like protease (3CLpro) or papain‐like protease (PLpro). This highlights the importance of 3CLpro and PLpro as theraputic targets for drug design and development of SARS‐CoV‐2 inhibitors to prevent COVID‐19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varada Anirudhan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Hyun Lee
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Center for Biomolecular Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Biophysics Core at Research Resources Center, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Han Cheng
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Laura Cooper
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Lijun Rong
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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25
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Tekpinar M, Yildirim A. Impact of dimerization and N3 binding on molecular dynamics of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 main proteases. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2021; 40:6243-6254. [PMID: 33525993 PMCID: PMC7869440 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.1880481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 main protease is one of the major targets in drug development efforts against Covid-19. Even though several structures were reported to date, its dynamics is not understood well. In particular, impact of dimerization and ligand binding on the dynamics is an important issue to investigate. In this study, we performed molecular dynamics simulations of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 main proteases to investigate influence of dimerization on the dynamics by modeling monomeric and dimeric apo and holo forms. The dimerization causes an organization of the interdomain dynamics as well as some local structural changes. Moreover, we investigated impact of a peptide mimetic (N3) on the dynamics of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. The ligand binding to the dimeric forms causes some key local changes at the dimer interface and it causes an allosteric interaction between the active sites of two protomers. Our results support the idea that only one protomer is active on SARS-CoV-2 due to this allosteric interaction. Additionally, we analyzed the molecular dynamics trajectories from graph theoretical perspective and found that the most influential residues – as measured by eigenvector centrality – are a group of residues in active site and dimeric interface of the protease. This study may form a bridge between what we know about the dynamics of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. We think that enlightening allosteric communication of the active sites and the role of dimerization in SARS-CoV-2 Mpro can contribute to development of novel drugs against this global health problem as well as other similar proteases. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma
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Affiliation(s)
- Mustafa Tekpinar
- Unit of Structural Dynamics of Biological Macromolecules, Pasteur Institute, UMR 3528 CNRS, Paris, France
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26
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Xiong M, Su H, Zhao W, Xie H, Shao Q, Xu Y. What coronavirus 3C-like protease tells us: From structure, substrate selectivity, to inhibitor design. Med Res Rev 2021; 41:1965-1998. [PMID: 33460213 PMCID: PMC8014231 DOI: 10.1002/med.21783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of a variety of coronaviruses (CoVs) in the last decades has posed huge threats to human health. Especially, the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to more than 70 million infections and over 1.6 million of deaths worldwide in the past few months. None of the efficacious antiviral agents against human CoVs have been approved yet. 3C-like protease (3CLpro ) is an attractive target for antiviral intervention due to its essential role in processing polyproteins translated from viral RNA, and its conserved structural feature and substrate specificity among CoVs in spite of the sequence variation. This review focuses on all available crystal structures of 12 CoV 3CLpro s and their inhibitors, and intends to provide a comprehensive understanding of this protease from multiple aspects including its structural features, substrate specificity, inhibitor binding modes, and more importantly, to recapitulate the similarity and diversity among different CoV 3CLpro s and the structure-activity relationship of various types of inhibitors. Such an attempt could gain a deep insight into the inhibition mechanisms and drive future structure-based drug discovery targeting 3CLpro s.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muya Xiong
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Haixia Su
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenfeng Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Hang Xie
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Qiang Shao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yechun Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China
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27
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Abstract
Herein, we investigate the structure and flexibility of the hydrated SARS-CoV-2 main protease by means of 2.0 μs molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in explicit solvent. After having performed electrostatic pKa calculations on several X-ray structures, we consider both the native (unbound) configuration of the enzyme and its noncovalent complex with a model peptide, Ace-Ala-Val-Leu-Gln∼Ser-Nme, which mimics the polyprotein sequence recognized at the active site. For each configuration, we also study their monomeric and homodimeric forms. The simulations of the unbound systems show that the relative orientation of domain III is not stable in the monomeric form and provide further details about interdomain motions, protomer-protomer interactions, inter-residue contacts, accessibility at the catalytic site, etc. In the presence of the peptide substrate, the monomeric protease exhibits a stable interdomain arrangement, but the relative orientation between the scissile peptide bond and the catalytic dyad is not favorable for catalysis. By means of comparative analysis, we further assess the catalytic impact of the enzyme dimerization, the actual flexibility of the active site region, and other structural effects induced by substrate binding. Overall, our computational results complement previous crystallographic studies on the SARS-CoV-2 enzyme and, together with other simulation studies, should contribute to outline useful structure-activity relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimas Suárez
- Departamento de Química
Física y Analítica, Universidad
de Oviedo, Avda. Julián Clavería 8,
33006 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
| | - Natalia Díaz
- Departamento de Química
Física y Analítica, Universidad
de Oviedo, Avda. Julián Clavería 8,
33006 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
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28
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Alhalaili B, Popescu IN, Kamoun O, Alzubi F, Alawadhia S, Vidu R. Nanobiosensors for the Detection of Novel Coronavirus 2019-nCoV and Other Pandemic/Epidemic Respiratory Viruses: A Review. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2020; 20:E6591. [PMID: 33218097 PMCID: PMC7698809 DOI: 10.3390/s20226591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is considered a public health emergency of international concern. The 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that caused this pandemic has spread rapidly to over 200 countries, and has drastically affected public health and the economies of states at unprecedented levels. In this context, efforts around the world are focusing on solving this problem in several directions of research, by: (i) exploring the origin and evolution of the phylogeny of the SARS-CoV-2 viral genome; (ii) developing nanobiosensors that could be highly effective in detecting the new coronavirus; (iii) finding effective treatments for COVID-19; and (iv) working on vaccine development. In this paper, an overview of the progress made in the development of nanobiosensors for the detection of human coronaviruses (SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is presented, along with specific techniques for modifying the surface of nanobiosensors. The newest detection methods of the influenza virus responsible for acute respiratory syndrome were compared with conventional methods, highlighting the newest trends in diagnostics, applications, and challenges of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19 causative virus) nanobiosensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Badriyah Alhalaili
- Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials Program, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box 24885, Safat 13109, Kuwait; (B.A.); (F.A.); (S.A.)
| | - Ileana Nicoleta Popescu
- Faculty of Materials Engineering and Mechanics, Valahia University of Targoviste, 13 Aleea Sinaia Street, 130004 Targoviste, Romania
| | - Olfa Kamoun
- Physics of Semiconductor Devices Unit, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, Tunis El Manar University, Tunis 1068, Tunisia;
| | - Feras Alzubi
- Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials Program, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box 24885, Safat 13109, Kuwait; (B.A.); (F.A.); (S.A.)
| | - Sami Alawadhia
- Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials Program, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box 24885, Safat 13109, Kuwait; (B.A.); (F.A.); (S.A.)
| | - Ruxandra Vidu
- Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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29
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Antiochia R. Developments in biosensors for CoV detection and future trends. Biosens Bioelectron 2020; 173:112777. [PMID: 33189015 PMCID: PMC7591947 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2020.112777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 10/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
This review summarizes the state of art of biosensor technology for Coronavirus (CoV) detection, the current challenges and the future perspectives. Three categories of affinity-based biosensors (ABBs) have been developed, depending on their transduction mechanism, namely electrochemical, optical and piezoelectric biosensors. The biorecognition elements include antibodies and DNA, which undergo important non-covalent binding interactions, with the formation of antigen-antibody and ssDNA/oligonucleotide-complementary strand complexes in immuno- and DNA-sensors, respectively. The analytical performances, the advantages and drawbacks of each type of biosensor are highlighted, discussed, and compared to traditional methods. It is hoped that this review will encourage scientists and academics to design and develop new biosensing platforms for point-of-care (POC) diagnostics to manage the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, providing interesting reference for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccarda Antiochia
- Department of Chemistry and Drug Technologies, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy.
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30
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Amamuddy OS, Verkhivker GM, Bishop ÖT. Impact of Early Pandemic Stage Mutations on Molecular Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 M pro. J Chem Inf Model 2020; 60:5080-5102. [PMID: 32853525 PMCID: PMC7496595 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.0c00634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
A new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is a global threat to world health and economy. Its dimeric main protease (Mpro), which is required for the proteolytic cleavage of viral precursor proteins, is a good candidate for drug development owing to its conservation and the absence of a human homolog. Improving our understanding of Mpro behavior can accelerate the discovery of effective therapies to reduce mortality. All-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations (100 ns) of 50 mutant Mpro dimers obtained from filtered sequences from the GISAID database were analyzed using root-mean-square deviation, root-mean-square fluctuation, Rg, averaged betweenness centrality, and geometry calculations. The results showed that SARS-CoV-2 Mpro essentially behaves in a similar manner to its SAR-CoV homolog. However, we report the following new findings from the variants: (1) Residues GLY15, VAL157, and PRO184 have mutated more than once in SARS CoV-2; (2) the D48E variant has lead to a novel "TSEEMLN"" loop at the binding pocket; (3) inactive apo Mpro does not show signs of dissociation in 100 ns MD; (4) a non-canonical pose for PHE140 widens the substrate binding surface; (5) dual allosteric pockets coinciding with various stabilizing and functional components of the substrate binding pocket were found to display correlated compaction dynamics; (6) high betweenness centrality values for residues 17 and 128 in all Mpro samples suggest their high importance in dimer stability-one such consequence has been observed for the M17I mutation whereby one of the N-fingers was highly unstable. (7) Independent coarse-grained Monte Carlo simulations suggest a relationship between the rigidity/mutability and enzymatic function. Our entire approach combining database preparation, variant retrieval, homology modeling, dynamic residue network (DRN), relevant conformation retrieval from 1-D kernel density estimates from reaction coordinates to other existing approaches of structural analysis, and data visualization within the coronaviral Mpro is also novel and is applicable to other coronaviral proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Sheik Amamuddy
- Research Unit in Bioinformatics, Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa
| | - Gennady M. Verkhivker
- Graduate Program in Computational and Data Sciences, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Irvine, CA 92618, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Özlem Tastan Bishop
- Research Unit in Bioinformatics, Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa
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31
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Cross TJ, Takahashi GR, Diessner EM, Crosby MG, Farahmand V, Zhuang S, Butts CT, Martin RW. Sequence Characterization and Molecular Modeling of Clinically Relevant Variants of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease. Biochemistry 2020; 59:3741-3756. [PMID: 32931703 PMCID: PMC7518256 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 09/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) is essential to viral replication and cleaves highly specific substrate sequences, making it an obvious target for inhibitor design. However, as for any virus, SARS-CoV-2 is subject to constant neutral drift and selection pressure, with new Mpro mutations arising over time. Identification and structural characterization of Mpro variants is thus critical for robust inhibitor design. Here we report sequence analysis, structure predictions, and molecular modeling for seventy-nine Mpro variants, constituting all clinically observed mutations in this protein as of April 29, 2020. Residue substitution is widely distributed, with some tendency toward larger and more hydrophobic residues. Modeling and protein structure network analysis suggest differences in cohesion and active site flexibility, revealing patterns in viral evolution that have relevance for drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Cross
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-2025, United States
| | - Gemma R Takahashi
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-3900, United States
| | - Elizabeth M Diessner
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-2025, United States
- California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-3900, United States
| | - Marquise G Crosby
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-3900, United States
| | - Vesta Farahmand
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-2025, United States
| | - Shannon Zhuang
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-2025, United States
| | - Carter T Butts
- California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-3900, United States
- Departments of Sociology, Statistics, Computer Science, and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-3900, United States
| | - Rachel W Martin
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-2025, United States
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-3900, United States
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32
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Goyal B, Goyal D. Targeting the Dimerization of the Main Protease of Coronaviruses: A Potential Broad-Spectrum Therapeutic Strategy. ACS COMBINATORIAL SCIENCE 2020; 22:297-305. [PMID: 32402186 PMCID: PMC7252589 DOI: 10.1021/acscombsci.0c00058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 204] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
A new coronavirus (CoV) caused a pandemic named COVID-19, which has become a global health care emergency in the present time. The virus is referred to as SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2) and has a genome similar (∼82%) to that of the previously known SARS-CoV (SARS coronavirus). An attractive therapeutic target for CoVs is the main protease (Mpro) or 3-chymotrypsin-like cysteine protease (3CLpro), as this enzyme plays a key role in polyprotein processing and is active in a dimeric form. Further, Mpro is highly conserved among various CoVs, and a mutation in Mpro is often lethal to the virus. Thus, drugs targeting the Mpro enzyme significantly reduce the risk of mutation-mediated drug resistance and display broad-spectrum antiviral activity. The combinatorial design of peptide-based inhibitors targeting the dimerization of SARS-CoV Mpro represents a potential therapeutic strategy. In this regard, we have compiled the literature reports highlighting the effect of mutations and N-terminal deletion of residues of SARS-CoV Mpro on its dimerization and, thus, catalytic activity. We believe that the present review will stimulate research in this less explored yet quite significant area. The effect of the COVID-19 epidemic and the possibility of future CoV outbreaks strongly emphasize the urgent need for the design and development of potent antiviral agents against CoV infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhupesh Goyal
- School of Chemistry & Biochemistry,
Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology,
Patiala-147004, Punjab, India
| | - Deepti Goyal
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Basic and Applied
Sciences, Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University, Fatehgarh
Sahib-140406, Punjab, India
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33
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Sudeep HV, Gouthamchandra K, Shyamprasad K. Molecular docking analysis of Withaferin A from Withania somnifera with the Glucose regulated protein 78 (GRP78) receptor and the SARS-CoV-2 main protease. Bioinformation 2020; 16:411-417. [PMID: 32831523 PMCID: PMC7434955 DOI: 10.6026/97320630016411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Design and development of an effective compound to combat COVID-19 is clearly critical in the current circumstances. Therefore, it is of interest to document the molecular docking analysis data of the cellular receptor Glucose regulated protein 78 (GRP78) with Withaferin A from Withania somnifera in the context of COVID-19 pandemic for further consideration. Here, we report the optimal interaction features of withaferin A, artemisinin, curcumin and andrographolide with the GRP78 receptor having low binding energies (-8.7, -7.89, -6.21 and -6.17 kcal/mol respectively) in this report. In order to gain additional insights, the interaction pattern of compounds with SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) was studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- HV Sudeep
- R and D Center for Excellence, Vidya Herbs Pvt. Ltd, #14A, Jigani I phase, Bangalore- 560 105, Karnataka, India
| | - K Gouthamchandra
- R and D Center for Excellence, Vidya Herbs Pvt. Ltd, #14A, Jigani I phase, Bangalore- 560 105, Karnataka, India
| | - K Shyamprasad
- R and D Center for Excellence, Vidya Herbs Pvt. Ltd, #14A, Jigani I phase, Bangalore- 560 105, Karnataka, India
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34
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Wang H, He S, Deng W, Zhang Y, Li G, Sun J, Zhao W, Guo Y, Yin Z, Li D, Shang L. Comprehensive Insights into the Catalytic Mechanism of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome 3C-Like Protease and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 3C-Like Protease. ACS Catal 2020; 10:5871-5890. [PMID: 32391184 PMCID: PMC7202269 DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.0c00110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Coronavirus 3C-like protease (3CLPro) is a highly conserved cysteine protease employing a catalytic dyad for its functions. 3CLPro is essential to the viral life cycle and, therefore, is an attractive target for developing antiviral agents. However, the detailed catalytic mechanism of coronavirus 3CLPro remains largely unknown. We took an integrated approach of employing X-ray crystallography, mutational studies, enzyme kinetics study, and inhibitors to gain insights into the mechanism. Such experimental work is supplemented by computational studies, including the prereaction state analysis, the ab initio calculation of the critical catalytic step, and the molecular dynamic simulation of the wild-type and mutant enzymes. Taken together, such studies allowed us to identify a residue pair (Glu-His) and a conserved His as critical for binding; a conserved GSCGS motif as important for the start of catalysis, a partial negative charge cluster (PNCC) formed by Arg-Tyr-Asp as essential for catalysis, and a conserved water molecule mediating the remote interaction between PNCC and catalytic dyad. The data collected and our insights into the detailed mechanism have allowed us to achieve a good understanding of the difference in catalytic efficiency between 3CLPro from SARS and MERS, conduct mutational studies to improve the catalytic activity by 8-fold, optimize existing inhibitors to improve the potency by 4-fold, and identify a potential allosteric site for inhibitor design. All such results reinforce each other to support the overall catalytic mechanism proposed herein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal
Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy and KLMDASR of Tianjin,
Nankai University, No. 38 Tongyan
Road, Haihe Education Park, Tianjin 300350, People’s
Republic of China
- Drug Discovery Center for Infectious
Disease, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan
Road, Haihe Education Park, Tianjin 300350, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Shuai He
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal
Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy and KLMDASR of Tianjin,
Nankai University, No. 38 Tongyan
Road, Haihe Education Park, Tianjin 300350, People’s
Republic of China
- Drug Discovery Center for Infectious
Disease, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan
Road, Haihe Education Park, Tianjin 300350, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Weilong Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal
Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy and KLMDASR of Tianjin,
Nankai University, No. 38 Tongyan
Road, Haihe Education Park, Tianjin 300350, People’s
Republic of China
- Drug Discovery Center for Infectious
Disease, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan
Road, Haihe Education Park, Tianjin 300350, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Laboratory of Structural Biological
& Ministry of Education and Laboratory of Protein Science, School
of Medicine and Life Sciences, Tsinghua
University, Beijing 100084,
People’s Republic of China
| | - Guobang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal
Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy and KLMDASR of Tianjin,
Nankai University, No. 38 Tongyan
Road, Haihe Education Park, Tianjin 300350, People’s
Republic of China
- Drug Discovery Center for Infectious
Disease, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan
Road, Haihe Education Park, Tianjin 300350, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Jixue Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal
Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy and KLMDASR of Tianjin,
Nankai University, No. 38 Tongyan
Road, Haihe Education Park, Tianjin 300350, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Wei Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal
Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy and KLMDASR of Tianjin,
Nankai University, No. 38 Tongyan
Road, Haihe Education Park, Tianjin 300350, People’s
Republic of China
- Drug Discovery Center for Infectious
Disease, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan
Road, Haihe Education Park, Tianjin 300350, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Yu Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal
Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy and KLMDASR of Tianjin,
Nankai University, No. 38 Tongyan
Road, Haihe Education Park, Tianjin 300350, People’s
Republic of China
- Drug Discovery Center for Infectious
Disease, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan
Road, Haihe Education Park, Tianjin 300350, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Zheng Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal
Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy and KLMDASR of Tianjin,
Nankai University, No. 38 Tongyan
Road, Haihe Education Park, Tianjin 300350, People’s
Republic of China
- Drug Discovery Center for Infectious
Disease, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan
Road, Haihe Education Park, Tianjin 300350, People’s
Republic of China
- Center of Basic Molecular Science,
Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua
University, Beijing 100084,
People’s Republic of China
| | - Dongmei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal
Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy and KLMDASR of Tianjin,
Nankai University, No. 38 Tongyan
Road, Haihe Education Park, Tianjin 300350, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Luqing Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal
Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy and KLMDASR of Tianjin,
Nankai University, No. 38 Tongyan
Road, Haihe Education Park, Tianjin 300350, People’s
Republic of China
- Drug Discovery Center for Infectious
Disease, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan
Road, Haihe Education Park, Tianjin 300350, People’s
Republic of China
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35
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Pillaiyar T, Manickam M, Namasivayam V, Hayashi Y, Jung SH. An Overview of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) 3CL Protease Inhibitors: Peptidomimetics and Small Molecule Chemotherapy. J Med Chem 2016; 59:6595-628. [PMID: 26878082 PMCID: PMC7075650 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5b01461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 509] [Impact Index Per Article: 63.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is caused by a newly emerged coronavirus that infected more than 8000 individuals and resulted in more than 800 (10-15%) fatalities in 2003. The causative agent of SARS has been identified as a novel human coronavirus (SARS-CoV), and its viral protease, SARS-CoV 3CL(pro), has been shown to be essential for replication and has hence been recognized as a potent drug target for SARS infection. Currently, there is no effective treatment for this epidemic despite the intensive research that has been undertaken since 2003 (over 3500 publications). This perspective focuses on the status of various efficacious anti-SARS-CoV 3CL(pro) chemotherapies discovered during the last 12 years (2003-2015) from all sources, including laboratory synthetic methods, natural products, and virtual screening. We describe here mainly peptidomimetic and small molecule inhibitors of SARS-CoV 3CL(pro). Attempts have been made to provide a complete description of the structural features and binding modes of these inhibitors under many conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thanigaimalai Pillaiyar
- Pharmaceutical
Institute, Pharmaceutical Chemistry I, University
of Bonn, An der Immenburg
4, D-53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - Manoj Manickam
- College
of Pharmacy and Institute of Drug Research and Development, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, South Korea
| | - Vigneshwaran Namasivayam
- Pharmaceutical
Institute, Pharmaceutical Chemistry I, University
of Bonn, An der Immenburg
4, D-53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - Yoshio Hayashi
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Tokyo University
of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Tokyo 192-0392, Japan
| | - Sang-Hun Jung
- College
of Pharmacy and Institute of Drug Research and Development, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, South Korea
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36
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Chen L, Chen S, Gui C, Shen J, Shen X, Jiang H. Discovering Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 3CL Protease Inhibitors: Virtual Screening, Surface Plasmon Resonance, and Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer Assays. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 11:915-21. [PMID: 17092912 PMCID: PMC9050464 DOI: 10.1177/1087057106293295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
An integrated system has been developed for discovering potent inhibitors of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 3C-like protease (SARS-CoV 3CLpro) by virtual screening correlating with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technologies-based assays. The authors screened 81,287 small molecular compounds against SPECS database by virtual screening; 256 compounds were subsequently selected for biological evaluation. Through SPR technology-based assay, 52 from these 256 compounds were discovered to show binding to SARS-CoV 3CLpro. The enzymatic inhibition activities of these 52 SARS-CoV 3CLpro binders were further applied to FRET-based assay, and IC50 values were determined. Based on this integrated assay platform, 8 new SARS-CoV 3CLpro inhibitors were discovered. The fact that the obtained IC50 values for the inhibitors are in good accordance with the discovered dissociation equilibrium constants (KDs) assayed by SPR implied the reliability of this platform. Our current work is hoped to supply a powerful approach in the discovery of potent SARS-CoV 3CLpro inhibitors, and the determined inhibitors could be used as possible lead compounds for further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Chen
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Shuai Chen
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Chunshan Gui
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianhua Shen
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xu Shen
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- Address reprint requests to: Xu Shen Drug Discovery and Design Center State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203 E-mail: or
| | - Hualiang Jiang
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
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37
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Liu T, Lu D, Zhang H, Zheng M, Yang H, Xu Y, Luo C, Zhu W, Yu K, Jiang H. Applying high-performance computing in drug discovery and molecular simulation. Natl Sci Rev 2016; 3:49-63. [PMID: 32288960 PMCID: PMC7107815 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nww003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2015] [Revised: 01/03/2016] [Accepted: 01/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent decades, high-performance computing (HPC) technologies and supercomputers in China have significantly advanced, resulting in remarkable achievements. Computational drug discovery and design, which is based on HPC and combines pharmaceutical chemistry and computational biology, has become a critical approach in drug research and development and is financially supported by the Chinese government. This approach has yielded a series of new algorithms in drug design, as well as new software and databases. This review mainly focuses on the application of HPC to the fields of drug discovery and molecular simulation at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, including virtual drug screening, molecular dynamics simulation, and protein folding. In addition, the potential future application of HPC in precision medicine is briefly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Dong Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Hao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Mingyue Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Huaiyu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yechun Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Cheng Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Weiliang Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Kunqian Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Hualiang Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
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38
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Srinivasan B, Tung S. Development and Applications of Portable Biosensors. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 20:365-89. [DOI: 10.1177/2211068215581349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2014] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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39
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EGCG reverses human neutrophil elastase-induced migration in A549 cells by directly binding to HNE and by regulating α1-AT. Sci Rep 2015; 5:11494. [PMID: 26177797 PMCID: PMC4503950 DOI: 10.1038/srep11494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2014] [Accepted: 05/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Lung carcinogenesis is a complex process that occurs in unregulated inflammatory environment. EGCG has been extensively investigated as a multi-targeting anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory compound. In this study, we demonstrated a novel mechanism by which EGCG reverses the neutrophil elastase-induced migration of A549 cells. We found that neutrophil elastase directly triggered human adenocarcinoma A549 cell migration and that EGCG suppressed the elevation of tumor cell migration induced by neutrophil elastase. We observed that EGCG directly binds to neutrophil elastase and inhibits its enzymatic activity based on the CDOCKER algorithm, MD stimulation by GROMACS, SPR assay and elastase enzymatic activity assay. As the natural inhibitor of neutrophil elastase, α1-antitrypsin is synthesized in tumor cells. We further demonstrated that the expression of α1-antitrypsin was up-regulated after EGCG treatment in neutrophil elastase-treated A549 cells. We preliminarily discovered that the EGCG-mediated induction of α1-antitrypsin expression might be correlated with the regulatory effect of EGCG on the PI3K/Akt pathway. Overall, our results suggest that EGCG ameliorates the neutrophil elastase-induced migration of A549 cells. The mechanism underlying this effect may include two processes: EGCG directly binds to neutrophil elastase and inhibits its enzymatic activity; EGCG enhances the expression of α1-antitrypsin by regulating the PI3K/AKT pathway.
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40
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Lim L, Shi J, Mu Y, Song J. Dynamically-driven enhancement of the catalytic machinery of the SARS 3C-like protease by the S284-T285-I286/A mutations on the extra domain. PLoS One 2014; 9:e101941. [PMID: 25036652 PMCID: PMC4103764 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0101941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2014] [Accepted: 06/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Previously we revealed that the extra domain of SARS 3CLpro mediated the catalysis via different mechanisms. While the R298A mutation completely abolished the dimerization, thus resulting in the inactive catalytic machinery, N214A inactivated the enzyme by altering its dynamics without significantly perturbing its structure. Here we studied another mutant with S284-T285-I286 replaced by Ala (STI/A) with a 3.6-fold activity increase and slightly enhanced dimerization. We determined its crystal structure, which still adopts the dimeric structure almost identical to that of the wild-type (WT), except for slightly tighter packing between two extra-domains. We then conducted 100-ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for both STI/A and WT, the longest reported so far for 3CLpro. In the simulations, two STI/A extra domains become further tightly packed, leading to a significant volume reduction of the nano-channel formed by residues from both catalytic and extra domains. The enhanced packing appears to slightly increase the dynamic stability of the N-finger and the first helix residues, which subsequently triggers the redistribution of dynamics over residues directly contacting them. This ultimately enhances the dynamical stability of the residues constituting the catalytic dyad and substrate-binding pockets. Further correlation analysis reveals that a global network of the correlated motions exists in the protease, whose components include all residues identified so far to be critical for the dimerization and catalysis. Most strikingly, the N214A mutation globally decouples this network while the STI/A mutation alters the correlation pattern. Together with previous results, the present study establishes that besides the classic structural allostery, the dynamic allostery also operates in the SARS 3CLpro, which is surprisingly able to relay the perturbations on the extra domain onto the catalytic machinery to manifest opposite catalytic effects. Our results thus imply a promising avenue to design specific inhibitors for 3CL proteases by disrupting their dynamic correlation network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liangzhong Lim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Jiahai Shi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Yuguang Mu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Jianxing Song
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
- * E-mail:
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41
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Boeri Erba E, Barylyuk K, Yang Y, Zenobi R. Quantifying Protein–Protein Interactions Within Noncovalent Complexes Using Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry. Anal Chem 2011; 83:9251-9. [DOI: 10.1021/ac201576e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Boeri Erba
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Konstantin Barylyuk
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Yang Yang
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Renato Zenobi
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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42
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Mukherjee P, Shah F, Desai P, Avery M. Inhibitors of SARS-3CLpro: virtual screening, biological evaluation, and molecular dynamics simulation studies. J Chem Inf Model 2011; 51:1376-92. [PMID: 21604711 PMCID: PMC3929308 DOI: 10.1021/ci1004916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
SARS-CoV from the coronaviridae family has been identified as the etiological agent of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a highly contagious upper respiratory disease that reached epidemic status in 2002. SARS-3CL(pro), a cysteine protease indispensible to the viral life cycle, has been identified as one of the key therapeutic targets against SARS. A combined ligand and structure-based virtual screening was carried out against the Asinex Platinum collection. Multiple low micromolar inhibitors of the enzyme were identified through this search, one of which also showed activity against SARS-CoV in a whole cell CPE assay. Furthermore, multinanosecond explicit solvent simulations were carried out using the docking poses of the identified hits to study the overall stability of the binding site interactions as well as identify important changes in the interaction profile that were not apparent from the docking study. Cumulative analysis of the evaluated compounds and the simulation studies led to the identification of certain protein-ligand interaction patterns which would be useful in further structure based design efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Falgun Shah
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677
| | | | - Mitchell Avery
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677
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43
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Activation and maturation of SARS-CoV main protease. Protein Cell 2011; 2:282-90. [PMID: 21533772 PMCID: PMC4875205 DOI: 10.1007/s13238-011-1034-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2011] [Accepted: 04/07/2011] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The worldwide outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 was due to the transmission of SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV). The main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV is essential for the viral life cycle, and is considered to be an attractive target of anti-SARS drug development. As a key enzyme for proteolytic processing of viral polyproteins to produce functional non-structure proteins, Mpro is first auto-cleaved out of polyproteins. The monomeric form of Mpro is enzymatically inactive, and it is activated through homo-dimerization which is strongly affected by extra residues to both ends of the mature enzyme. This review provides a summary of the related literatures on the study of the quaternary structure, activation, and self-maturation of Mpro over the past years.
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44
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Shi J, Han N, Lim L, Lua S, Sivaraman J, Wang L, Mu Y, Song J. Dynamically-driven inactivation of the catalytic machinery of the SARS 3C-like protease by the N214A mutation on the extra domain. PLoS Comput Biol 2011; 7:e1001084. [PMID: 21390281 PMCID: PMC3044768 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1001084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2010] [Accepted: 01/18/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite utilizing the same chymotrypsin fold to host the catalytic machinery, coronavirus 3C-like proteases (3CLpro) noticeably differ from picornavirus 3C proteases in acquiring an extra helical domain in evolution. Previously, the extra domain was demonstrated to regulate the catalysis of the SARS-CoV 3CLpro by controlling its dimerization. Here, we studied N214A, another mutant with only a doubled dissociation constant but significantly abolished activity. Unexpectedly, N214A still adopts the dimeric structure almost identical to that of the wild-type (WT) enzyme. Thus, we conducted 30-ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for N214A, WT, and R298A which we previously characterized to be a monomer with the collapsed catalytic machinery. Remarkably, three proteases display distinctive dynamical behaviors. While in WT, the catalytic machinery stably retains in the activated state; in R298A it remains largely collapsed in the inactivated state, thus implying that two states are not only structurally very distinguishable but also dynamically well separated. Surprisingly, in N214A the catalytic dyad becomes dynamically unstable and many residues constituting the catalytic machinery jump to sample the conformations highly resembling those of R298A. Therefore, the N214A mutation appears to trigger the dramatic change of the enzyme dynamics in the context of the dimeric form which ultimately inactivates the catalytic machinery. The present MD simulations represent the longest reported so far for the SARS-CoV 3CLpro, unveiling that its catalysis is critically dependent on the dynamics, which can be amazingly modulated by the extra domain. Consequently, mediating the dynamics may offer a potential avenue to inhibit the SARS-CoV 3CLpro. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is the first emerging infectious disease of the 21st century which has not only caused rapid infection and death, but also triggered a dramatic social crisis. Its 3C-like protease is crucial for reproducing virus and thus represents a top target for drug design. Interestingly, unlike 3C protease such as from picorovirus, the SARS protease evolutionarily acquired a C-terminal extra domain with previously-unknown function. Immediately after SARS outbreak, we revealed that the extra domain was able to regulate the catalysis by controlling the dimerization essential for activity. Here, we studied one mutant with only slightly-weakened dimerization but almost completely abolished activity. We determined its three-dimensional structure but very unexpectedly it is almost identical to that of the wild-type enzyme. Therefore, we initiated 30-ns molecular dynamic simulations for five forms of the enzyme and the results demonstrate that the dynamical changes in this mutant are responsible for its inactivation. Therefore, the extra domain can also control the catalysis by modulating the enzyme dynamics. This is not only of fundamental significance to understanding how enzymes evolve, but also implies a novel avenue for design of anti-SARS molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahai Shi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nanyu Han
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Liangzhong Lim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Shixiong Lua
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - J. Sivaraman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Lushan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Yuguang Mu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- * E-mail: (JS); (YM)
| | - Jianxing Song
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and National University of Singapore, Singapore
- * E-mail: (JS); (YM)
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45
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Steiner MS, Duerkop A. Luminescent ruthenium probe for the determination of acetyl phosphate in complex biological matrices. Analyst 2010; 136:148-54. [PMID: 20957243 DOI: 10.1039/c0an00439a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The first probe for the fluorogenic determination of acetyl phosphate (AcP), (bpy)(2)Ru(1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione dioxime) (RuPDO), was prepared and its reaction with AcP was studied in detail. The emission of the weakly luminescent RuPDO is red shifted and strongly enhanced upon reaction with AcP in the presence of metal cations like Zn(2+) or Cu(2+). The reaction occurs within 60 min incubation time under highly biocompatible conditions (aqueous buffer of pH 7, 37 °C). A linear dynamic range from 10 to 200 µmol L(-1) is observed with an LOD of AcP of 3.4 µmol L(-1) (for RuPDO-Zn). Other bio-phosphates studied show only weak interference. Furthermore, the applicability of the probe in complex biological matrices was evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark-Steven Steiner
- Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Chemo- and Biosensors, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
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46
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Barrila J, Gabelli SB, Bacha U, Amzel LM, Freire E. Mutation of Asn28 disrupts the dimerization and enzymatic activity of SARS 3CL(pro) . Biochemistry 2010; 49:4308-17. [PMID: 20420403 DOI: 10.1021/bi1002585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Coronaviruses are responsible for a significant proportion of annual respiratory and enteric infections in humans and other mammals. The most prominent of these viruses is the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) which causes acute respiratory and gastrointestinal infection in humans. The coronavirus main protease, 3CL(pro), is a key target for broad-spectrum antiviral development because of its critical role in viral maturation and high degree of structural conservation among coronaviruses. Dimerization is an indispensable requirement for the function of SARS 3CL(pro) and is regulated through mechanisms involving both direct and long-range interactions in the enzyme. While many of the binding interactions at the dimerization interface have been extensively studied, those that are important for long-range control are not well-understood. Characterization of these dimerization mechanisms is important for the structure-based design of new treatments targeting coronavirus-based infections. Here we report that Asn28, a residue 11 A from the closest residue in the opposing monomer, is essential for the enzymatic activity and dimerization of SARS 3CL(pro). Mutation of this residue to alanine almost completely inactivates the enzyme and results in a 19.2-fold decrease in the dimerization K(d). The crystallographic structure of the N28A mutant determined at 2.35 A resolution reveals the critical role of Asn28 in maintaining the structural integrity of the active site and in orienting key residues involved in binding at the dimer interface and substrate catalysis. These findings provide deeper insight into complex mechanisms regulating the activity and dimerization of SARS 3CL(pro).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Barrila
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
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47
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Zhang S, Zhong N, Xue F, Kang X, Ren X, Chen J, Jin C, Lou Z, Xia B. Three-dimensional domain swapping as a mechanism to lock the active conformation in a super-active octamer of SARS-CoV main protease. Protein Cell 2010; 1:371-383. [PMID: 21203949 PMCID: PMC4875095 DOI: 10.1007/s13238-010-0044-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2010] [Accepted: 03/18/2010] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Proteolytic processing of viral polyproteins is indispensible for the lifecycle of coronaviruses. The main protease (M(pro)) of SARS-CoV is an attractive target for anti-SARS drug development as it is essential for the polyprotein processing. M(pro) is initially produced as part of viral polyproteins and it is matured by autocleavage. Here, we report that, with the addition of an N-terminal extension peptide, M(pro) can form a domain-swapped dimer. After complete removal of the extension peptide from the dimer, the mature M(pro) self-assembles into a novel super-active octamer (AO-M(pro)). The crystal structure of AO-M(pro) adopts a novel fold with four domain-swapped dimers packing into four active units with nearly identical conformation to that of the previously reported M(pro) active dimer, and 3D domain swapping serves as a mechanism to lock the active conformation due to entanglement of polypeptide chains. Compared with the previously well characterized form of M(pro), in equilibrium between inactive monomer and active dimer, the stable AO-M(pro) exhibits much higher proteolytic activity at low concentration. As all eight active sites are bound with inhibitors, the polyvalent nature of the interaction between AO-M(pro) and its polyprotein substrates with multiple cleavage sites, would make AO-M(pro) functionally much more superior than the M(pro) active dimer for polyprotein processing. Thus, during the initial period of SARS-CoV infection, this novel active form AOM(pro) should play a major role in cleaving polyproteins as the protein level is extremely low. The discovery of AOM(pro) provides new insights about the functional mechanism of M(pro) and its maturation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengnan Zhang
- Beijing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China ,College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China
| | - Nan Zhong
- Beijing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China ,College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China
| | - Fei Xue
- Structural Biology Laboratory, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 China
| | - Xue Kang
- Beijing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China ,College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China
| | - Xiaobai Ren
- Beijing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China ,College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China
| | - Jiaxuan Chen
- Beijing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China ,College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China
| | - Changwen Jin
- Beijing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China ,College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China ,College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China
| | - Zhiyong Lou
- Structural Biology Laboratory, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 China
| | - Bin Xia
- Beijing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China ,College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China ,College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China
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Chen S, Jonas F, Shen C, Hilgenfeld R, Higenfeld R. Liberation of SARS-CoV main protease from the viral polyprotein: N-terminal autocleavage does not depend on the mature dimerization mode. Protein Cell 2010; 1:59-74. [PMID: 21203998 PMCID: PMC4875104 DOI: 10.1007/s13238-010-0011-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2009] [Accepted: 11/17/2009] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The main protease (Mpro) plays a vital role in proteolytic processing of the polyproteins in the replicative cycle of SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV). Dimerization of this enzyme has been shown to be indispensable for transcleavage activity. However, the auto-processing mechanism of Mpro, i.e. its own release from the polyproteins through autocleavage, remains unclear. This study elucidates the relationship between the N-terminal autocleavage activity and the dimerization of “immature” Mpro. Three residues (Arg4, Glu290, and Arg298), which contribute to the active dimer conformation of mature Mpro, are selected for mutational analyses. Surprisingly, all three mutants still perform N-terminal autocleavage, while the dimerization of mature protease and transcleavage activity following auto-processing are completely inhibited by the E290R and R298E mutations and partially so by the R4E mutation. Furthermore, the mature E290R mutant can resume N-terminal autocleavage activity when mixed with the “immature” C145A/E290R double mutant whereas its trans-cleavage activity remains absent. Therefore, the N-terminal auto-processing of Mpro appears to require only two “immature” monomers approaching one another to form an “intermediate” dimer structure and does not strictly depend on the active dimer conformation existing in mature protease. In conclusion, an auto-release model of Mpro from the polyproteins is proposed, which will help understand the auto-processing mechanism and the difference between the autocleavage and trans-cleavage proteolytic activities of SARS-CoV Mpro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Chen
- Institute of Biochemistry, Center for Structural and Cell Biology in Medicine, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
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Chang GG. Quaternary Structure of the SARS Coronavirus Main Protease. MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE SARS-CORONAVIRUS 2009. [PMCID: PMC7176230 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-03683-5_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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50
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Tian X, Lu G, Gao F, Peng H, Feng Y, Ma G, Bartlam M, Tian K, Yan J, Hilgenfeld R, Gao GF. Structure and cleavage specificity of the chymotrypsin-like serine protease (3CLSP/nsp4) of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV). J Mol Biol 2009; 392:977-93. [PMID: 19646449 PMCID: PMC7094510 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2009.07.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2009] [Revised: 07/19/2009] [Accepted: 07/22/2009] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Biogenesis and replication of the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) include the crucial step of replicative polyprotein processing by self-encoded proteases. Whole genome bioinformatics analysis suggests that nonstructural protein 4 (nsp4) is a 3C-like serine protease (3CLSP), responsible for most of the nonstructural protein processing. The gene encoding this protease was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli in order to confirm this prediction. The purified protein was crystallized, and the structure was solved at 1.9 A resolution. In addition, the crystal structure of the Ser118Ala mutant was determined at 2.0 A resolution. The monomeric enzyme folds into three domains, similar to that of the homologous protease of equine arteritis virus, which, like PRRSV, is a member of the family Arteriviridae in the order of Nidovirales. The active site of the PRRSV 3CLSP is located between domains I and II and harbors a canonical catalytic triad comprising Ser118, His39, and Asp64. The structure also shows an atypical oxyanion hole and a partially collapsed S1 specificity pocket. The proteolytic activity of the purified protein was assessed in vitro. Three sites joining nonstructural protein domains in the PRRSV replicative polyprotein are confirmed to be processed by the enzyme. Two of them, the nsp3/nsp4 and nsp11/nsp12 junctions, are shown to be cleaved in trans, while cis cleavage is demonstrated for the nsp4/nsp5 linker. Thus, we provide structural evidence as well as enzymatic proof of the nsp4 protein being a functional 3CLSP. We also show that the enzyme has a strong preference for glutamic acid at the P1 position of the substrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinsheng Tian
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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