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Reina J, Iglesias C. [Nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir (Paxlovid) a potent SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro protease inhibitor combination]. REVISTA ESPANOLA DE QUIMIOTERAPIA : PUBLICACION OFICIAL DE LA SOCIEDAD ESPANOLA DE QUIMIOTERAPIA 2022; 35:236-240. [PMID: 35183067 PMCID: PMC9134883 DOI: 10.37201/req/002.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
All coronavirus, including SARS-CoV-2, encode two proteases needed for the processing of PP1A and PP1AB polyproteins. The main protease 3CL (chemotripsine-like) gives rise to the formation of NSP11/16 proteins. The 3CL protease has been constituted as one of the possible therapeutic targets for the development of antiviral drugs against SARS-COV-2 due to its highly conserved sequence and structure among all coronaviruses. During the SARS-COV-1 pandemic, a hydroxymethyl ketone derivative (PF-00835231) was identified with an intense inhibitory activity against the 3CL protease. Subsequent chemical modifications gave rise to derivative PF-07321332 (nirmatrelvir) which has shown a high antiviral efficacy against SARS-COV-2. The company's data indicate that it is capable of reducing 89% the risk of hospitalization and death of patients infected with hardly adverse effects. Its effectiveness improves if it is administered orally in the first 24-48 hours and the duration of treatment has been established between 3-5 days. The commercial form has been associated with the antiviral ritonavir that has shown the metabolism of nirmatrelvir, lengthening its average life. This antiviral would be effective against current and future viral variants, since 3CL is not modified in them. The FDA approved this antiviral in November 2021 and EMA is in the final evaluation phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Reina
- Jordi Reina, Unidad de Virología, Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Son Espases, Facultad de Medicina (UIB). Carretera Valldemossa 79, 07120 Palma de Mallorca. Spain.
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2
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Mujwar S, Sun L, Fidan O. In silico evaluation of food-derived carotenoids against SARS-CoV-2 drug targets: Crocin is a promising dietary supplement candidate for COVID-19. J Food Biochem 2022; 46:e14219. [PMID: 35545850 PMCID: PMC9348094 DOI: 10.1111/jfbc.14219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The current COVID‐19 pandemic is severely threatening public healthcare systems around the globe. Some supporting therapies such as remdesivir, favipiravir, and ivermectin are still under the process of a clinical trial, it is thus urgent to find alternative treatment and prevention options for SARS‐CoV‐2. In this regard, although many natural products have been tested and/or suggested for the treatment and prophylaxis of COVID‐19, carotenoids as an important class of natural products were underexplored. The dietary supplementation of some carotenoids was already suggested to be potentially effective in the treatment of COVID‐19 due to their strong antioxidant properties. In this study, we performed an in silico screening of common food‐derived carotenoids against druggable target proteins of SARS‐CoV‐2 including main protease, helicase, replication complex, spike protein and its mutants for the recent variants of concern, and ADP‐ribose phosphatase. Molecular docking results revealed that some of the carotenoids had low binding energies toward multiple receptors. Particularly, crocin had the strongest binding affinity (−10.5 kcal/mol) toward the replication complex of SARS‐CoV‐2 and indeed possessed quite low binding energy scores for other targets as well. The stability of crocin in the corresponding receptors was confirmed by molecular dynamics simulations. Our study, therefore, suggests that carotenoids, especially crocin, can be considered an effective alternative therapeutics and a dietary supplement candidate for the prophylaxis and treatment of SARS‐CoV‐2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Somdutt Mujwar
- M.M. College of Pharmacy, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Ambala, India
| | - Lei Sun
- School of Life Sciences and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Second Normal University, Nanjing, P.R. China
| | - Ozkan Fidan
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Life and Natural Sciences, Abdullah Gül University, Kayseri, Turkey
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3
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Zakharova MY, Kuznetsova AA, Uvarova VI, Fomina AD, Kozlovskaya LI, Kaliberda EN, Kurbatskaia IN, Smirnov IV, Bulygin AA, Knorre VD, Fedorova OS, Varnek A, Osolodkin DI, Ishmukhametov AA, Egorov AM, Gabibov AG, Kuznetsov NA. Pre-Steady-State Kinetics of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease as a Powerful Tool for Antiviral Drug Discovery. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:773198. [PMID: 34938188 PMCID: PMC8686763 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.773198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The design of effective target-specific drugs for COVID-19 treatment has become an intriguing challenge for modern science. The SARS-CoV-2 main protease, Mpro, responsible for the processing of SARS-CoV-2 polyproteins and production of individual components of viral replication machinery, is an attractive candidate target for drug discovery. Specific Mpro inhibitors have turned out to be promising anticoronaviral agents. Thus, an effective platform for quantitative screening of Mpro-targeting molecules is urgently needed. Here, we propose a pre-steady-state kinetic analysis of the interaction of Mpro with inhibitors as a basis for such a platform. We examined the kinetic mechanism of peptide substrate binding and cleavage by wild-type Mpro and by its catalytically inactive mutant C145A. The enzyme induces conformational changes of the peptide during the reaction. The inhibition of Mpro by boceprevir, telaprevir, GC-376, PF-00835231, or thimerosal was investigated. Detailed pre-steady-state kinetics of the interaction of the wild-type enzyme with the most potent inhibitor, PF-00835231, revealed a two-step binding mechanism, followed by covalent complex formation. The C145A Mpro mutant interacts with PF-00835231 approximately 100-fold less effectively. Nevertheless, the binding constant of PF-00835231 toward C145A Mpro is still good enough to inhibit the enzyme. Therefore, our results suggest that even noncovalent inhibitor binding due to a fine conformational fit into the active site is sufficient for efficient inhibition. A structure-based virtual screening and a subsequent detailed assessment of inhibition efficacy allowed us to select two compounds as promising noncovalent inhibitor leads of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Yu Zakharova
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Moscow, Russia.,Institute of Translational Medicine, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexandra A Kuznetsova
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Branch (SB) of RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Victoria I Uvarova
- FSASI "Chumakov FSC R&D IBP RAS" (Institute of Poliomyelitis), Moscow, Russia
| | - Anastasiia D Fomina
- FSASI "Chumakov FSC R&D IBP RAS" (Institute of Poliomyelitis), Moscow, Russia.,Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Liubov I Kozlovskaya
- FSASI "Chumakov FSC R&D IBP RAS" (Institute of Poliomyelitis), Moscow, Russia.,Institute of Translational Medicine and Biotechnology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Elena N Kaliberda
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Moscow, Russia
| | - Inna N Kurbatskaia
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Moscow, Russia
| | - Ivan V Smirnov
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Moscow, Russia.,Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Anatoly A Bulygin
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Branch (SB) of RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Vera D Knorre
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Moscow, Russia
| | - Olga S Fedorova
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Branch (SB) of RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Alexandre Varnek
- Laboratoire de Chémoinformatique, UMR 7140 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Dmitry I Osolodkin
- FSASI "Chumakov FSC R&D IBP RAS" (Institute of Poliomyelitis), Moscow, Russia.,Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.,Institute of Translational Medicine and Biotechnology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Aydar A Ishmukhametov
- FSASI "Chumakov FSC R&D IBP RAS" (Institute of Poliomyelitis), Moscow, Russia.,Institute of Translational Medicine and Biotechnology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexey M Egorov
- FSASI "Chumakov FSC R&D IBP RAS" (Institute of Poliomyelitis), Moscow, Russia.,Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexander G Gabibov
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Moscow, Russia.,Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.,Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Nikita A Kuznetsov
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Branch (SB) of RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia.,Department of Natural Sciences, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
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4
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Ngo BT, Marik P, Kory P, Shapiro L, Thomadsen R, Iglesias J, Ditmore S, Rendell M, Varon J, Dubé M, Nanda N, In G, Arkfeld D, Chaudhary P, Campese VM, Hanna DL, Sawcer DE, Ehresmann G, Peng D, Smogorewski M, Armstrong A, Dasgupta R, Sattler F, Brennan-Rieder D, Mussini C, Mitja O, Soriano V, Peschanski N, Hayem G, Confalonieri M, Piccirillo MC, Lobo-Ferreira A, Bello Rivero I, Turkia M, Vingevoll EH, Griffin D, Hung IF. The time to offer treatments for COVID-19. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2021; 30:505-518. [PMID: 33721548 PMCID: PMC8074648 DOI: 10.1080/13543784.2021.1901883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Background: COVID-19 has several overlapping phases. Treatments to date have focused on the late stage of disease in hospital. Yet, the pandemic is by propagated by the viral phase in out-patients. The current public health strategy relies solely on vaccines to prevent disease.Methods: We searched the major national registries, pubmed.org, and the preprint servers for all ongoing, completed and published trial results.Results: As of 2/15/2021, we found 111 publications reporting findings on 14 classes of agents, and 9 vaccines. There were 62 randomized controlled studies, the rest retrospective observational analyses. Only 21 publications dealt with outpatient care. Remdesivir and high titer convalescent plasma have emergency use authorization for hospitalized patients in the U.S.A. There is also support for glucocorticoid treatment of the COVID-19 respiratory distress syndrome. Monoclonal antibodies are authorized for outpatients, but supply is inadequate to treat all at time of diagnosis. Favipiravir, ivermectin, and interferons are approved in certain countries.Expert Opinion: Vaccines and antibodies are highly antigen specific, and new SARS-Cov-2 variants are appearing. We call on public health authorities to authorize treatments with known low-risk and possible benefit for outpatients in parallel with universal vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binh T. Ngo
- Department of Internal Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Norfolk, USA
- The Rose Salter Medical Research Foundation, Newport Coast, USA
| | - Paul Marik
- Department of Internal Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Norfolk, USA
| | - Pierre Kory
- Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center, Milwaukee, USA
| | - Leland Shapiro
- Department of Internal Medicine, Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Aurora, CO and University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, CO Supported by the Emily Foundation, Boston, USA
| | | | - Jose Iglesias
- Department of Internal Medicine, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall, Neptune, USA
| | | | - Marc Rendell
- The Rose Salter Medical Research Foundation, Newport Coast, USA
| | - Joseph Varon
- United Memorial Medical Center, University of Texas School of Medicine, Houston, USA
| | - Michael Dubé
- Department of Internal Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Norfolk, USA
| | - Neha Nanda
- Department of Internal Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Norfolk, USA
| | - Gino In
- Department of Internal Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Norfolk, USA
| | - Daniel Arkfeld
- Department of Internal Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Norfolk, USA
| | - Preet Chaudhary
- Department of Internal Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Norfolk, USA
| | - Vito M. Campese
- Department of Internal Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Norfolk, USA
| | - Diana L. Hanna
- Department of Internal Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Norfolk, USA
| | - David E. Sawcer
- Department of Internal Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Norfolk, USA
| | - Glenn Ehresmann
- Department of Internal Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Norfolk, USA
| | - David Peng
- Department of Internal Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Norfolk, USA
| | - Miroslaw Smogorewski
- Department of Internal Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Norfolk, USA
| | - April Armstrong
- Department of Internal Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Norfolk, USA
| | - Rajkumar Dasgupta
- Department of Internal Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Norfolk, USA
| | - Fred Sattler
- Department of Internal Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Norfolk, USA
| | | | - Cristina Mussini
- Department of Infectious Disease, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Oriol Mitja
- Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias I Pujol, Badalona, Spain
| | - Vicente Soriano
- Director, Centro Medico, UNIR Health Sciences School & Medical Center, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nicolas Peschanski
- Department of Emergency Medicine, UniversityHospital of Rennes, Rennes, France
| | - Gilles Hayem
- Department of Rheumatology, Hôpital Paris Saint-Joseph, Paris, France
| | - Marco Confalonieri
- Department of Respiratory Diseases, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Trieste, Trieste, Italia
| | | | - Antonio Lobo-Ferreira
- Unidade De Investigação Cardiovascular (Unic), Faculdade De Medicina, Da Universidade Do Porto, Centro Hospitalar Universitário De São João, Porto, and Hospital Rainha Santa Isabel, Marco De Canaveses, Portugal
| | - Iraldo Bello Rivero
- Department of Clinical Investigations, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Havana, Cuba
| | | | | | - Daniel Griffin
- Department of Internal Medicine, Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Aurora, CO and University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, CO Supported by the Emily Foundation, Boston, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, ProHEALTH, an OPTUM Company, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, USA
| | - Ivan Fn Hung
- Department of Internal Medicine, Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Aurora, CO and University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, CO Supported by the Emily Foundation, Boston, USA
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5
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A comparative analysis of SARS-CoV-2 antivirals characterizes 3CL pro inhibitor PF-00835231 as a potential new treatment for COVID-19. J Virol 2021; 95:JVI.01819-20. [PMID: 33622961 PMCID: PMC8139662 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01819-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the etiological agent of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). There is a dire need for novel effective antivirals to treat COVID-19, as the only approved direct-acting antiviral to date is remdesivir, targeting the viral polymerase complex. A potential alternate target in the viral life cycle is the main SARS-CoV-2 protease 3CLpro (Mpro). The drug candidate PF-00835231 is the active compound of the first anti-3CLpro regimen in clinical trials. Here, we perform a comparative analysis of PF-00835231, the pre-clinical 3CLpro inhibitor GC-376, and the polymerase inhibitor remdesivir, in alveolar basal epithelial cells modified to express ACE2 (A549+ACE2 cells). We find PF-00835231 with at least similar or higher potency than remdesivir or GC-376. A time-of-drug-addition approach delineates the timing of early SARS-CoV-2 life cycle steps in A549+ACE2 cells and validates PF-00835231's early time of action. In a model of the human polarized airway epithelium, both PF-00835231 and remdesivir potently inhibit SARS-CoV-2 at low micromolar concentrations. Finally, we show that the efflux transporter P-glycoprotein, which was previously suggested to diminish PF-00835231's efficacy based on experiments in monkey kidney Vero E6 cells, does not negatively impact PF-00835231 efficacy in either A549+ACE2 cells or human polarized airway epithelial cultures. Thus, our study provides in vitro evidence for the potential of PF-00835231 as an effective SARS-CoV-2 antiviral and addresses concerns that emerged based on prior studies in non-human in vitro models.Importance:The arsenal of SARS-CoV-2 specific antiviral drugs is extremely limited. Only one direct-acting antiviral drug is currently approved, the viral polymerase inhibitor remdesivir, and it has limited efficacy. Thus, there is a substantial need to develop additional antiviral compounds with minimal side effects and alternate viral targets. One such alternate target is its main protease, 3CLpro (Mpro), an essential component of the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle processing the viral polyprotein into the components of the viral polymerase complex. In this study, we characterize a novel antiviral drug, PF-00835231, which is the active component of the first-in-class 3CLpro-targeting regimen in clinical trials. Using 3D in vitro models of the human airway epithelium, we demonstrate the antiviral potential of PF-00835231 for inhibition of SARS-CoV-2.
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6
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de Vries M, Mohamed AS, Prescott RA, Valero-Jimenez AM, Desvignes L, O’Connor R, Steppan C, Devlin JC, Ivanova E, Herrera A, Schinlever A, Loose P, Ruggles K, Koralov SB, Anderson AS, Binder J, Dittmann M. A comparative analysis of SARS-CoV-2 antivirals in human airway models characterizes 3CL pro inhibitor PF-00835231 as a potential new treatment for COVID-19. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2021:2020.08.28.272880. [PMID: 32869028 PMCID: PMC7457613 DOI: 10.1101/2020.08.28.272880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the etiological agent of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). There is a dire need for novel effective antivirals to treat COVID-19, as the only approved direct-acting antiviral to date is remdesivir, targeting the viral polymerase complex. A potential alternate target in the viral life cycle is the main SARS-CoV-2 protease 3CLpro (Mpro). The drug candidate PF-00835231 is the active compound of the first anti-3CLpro regimen in clinical trials. Here, we perform a comparative analysis of PF-00835231, the pre-clinical 3CLpro inhibitor GC-376, and the polymerase inhibitor remdesivir, in alveolar basal epithelial cells modified to express ACE2 (A549+ACE2 cells). We find PF-00835231 with at least similar or higher potency than remdesivir or GC-376. A time-of-drug-addition approach delineates the timing of early SARS-CoV-2 life cycle steps in A549+ACE2 cells and validates PF-00835231's early time of action. In a model of the human polarized airway epithelium, both PF-00835231 and remdesivir potently inhibit SARS-CoV-2 at low micromolar concentrations. Finally, we show that the efflux transporter P-glycoprotein, which was previously suggested to diminish PF-00835231's efficacy based on experiments in monkey kidney Vero E6 cells, does not negatively impact PF-00835231 efficacy in either A549+ACE2 cells or human polarized airway epithelial cultures. Thus, our study provides in vitro evidence for the potential of PF-00835231 as an effective SARS-CoV-2 antiviral and addresses concerns that emerged based on prior studies in non-human in vitro models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maren de Vries
- Department of Microbiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York 10016, USA
| | - Adil S Mohamed
- Department of Microbiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York 10016, USA
| | - Rachel A Prescott
- Department of Microbiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York 10016, USA
- Vilcek Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York 10016, USA
| | - Ana M Valero-Jimenez
- Department of Microbiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York 10016, USA
| | - Ludovic Desvignes
- Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York 10016, USA
- Office of Science & Research, NYU Langone Health, New York 10016, USA
| | | | | | - Joseph C Devlin
- Vilcek Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York 10016, USA
- Institute of Systems Genetics, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York 10016, USA
| | - Ellie Ivanova
- Department of Pathology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York 10016, USA
| | - Alberto Herrera
- Department of Pathology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York 10016, USA
| | - Austin Schinlever
- Department of Microbiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York 10016, USA
- Vilcek Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York 10016, USA
| | - Paige Loose
- Department of Microbiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York 10016, USA
| | - Kelly Ruggles
- Institute of Systems Genetics, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York 10016, USA
| | - Sergei B Koralov
- Department of Pathology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York 10016, USA
| | | | - Joseph Binder
- Pfizer Oncology Research and Development, San Diego, CA 92128, USA
| | - Meike Dittmann
- Department of Microbiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York 10016, USA
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7
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Chitranshi N, Gupta VK, Rajput R, Godinez A, Pushpitha K, Shen T, Mirzaei M, You Y, Basavarajappa D, Gupta V, Graham SL. Evolving geographic diversity in SARS-CoV2 and in silico analysis of replicating enzyme 3CL pro targeting repurposed drug candidates. J Transl Med 2020; 18:278. [PMID: 32646487 PMCID: PMC7344048 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-020-02448-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has been initiating pandemics since the beginning of the century. In December 2019, the world was hit again by a devastating SARS episode that has so far infected almost four million individuals worldwide, with over 200,000 fatalities having already occurred by mid-April 2020, and the infection rate continues to grow exponentially. SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a single stranded RNA pathogen which is characterised by a high mutation rate. It is vital to explore the mutagenic capability of the viral genome that enables SARS-CoV-2 to rapidly jump from one host immunity to another and adapt to the genetic pool of local populations. Methods For this study, we analysed 2301 complete viral sequences reported from SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. SARS-CoV-2 host genomes were collected from The Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) database containing 9 genomes from pangolin-CoV origin and 3 genomes from bat-CoV origin, Wuhan SARS-CoV2 reference genome was collected from GeneBank database. The Multiple sequence alignment tool, Clustal Omega was used for genomic sequence alignment. The viral replicating enzyme, 3-chymotrypsin-like cysteine protease (3CLpro) that plays a key role in its pathogenicity was used to assess its affinity with pharmacological inhibitors and repurposed drugs such as anti-viral flavones, biflavanoids, anti-malarial drugs and vitamin supplements. Results Our results demonstrate that bat-CoV shares > 96% similar identity, while pangolin-CoV shares 85.98% identity with Wuhan SARS-CoV-2 genome. This in-depth analysis has identified 12 novel recurrent mutations in South American and African viral genomes out of which 3 were unique in South America, 4 unique in Africa and 5 were present in-patient isolates from both populations. Using state of the art in silico approaches, this study further investigates the interaction of repurposed drugs with the SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro enzyme, which regulates viral replication machinery. Conclusions Overall, this study provides insights into the evolving mutations, with implications to understand viral pathogenicity and possible new strategies for repurposing compounds to combat the nCovid-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nitin Chitranshi
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, F10A, 2 Technology Place, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia.
| | - Vivek K Gupta
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, F10A, 2 Technology Place, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia.
| | - Rashi Rajput
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, F10A, 2 Technology Place, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Angela Godinez
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, F10A, 2 Technology Place, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Kanishka Pushpitha
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, F10A, 2 Technology Place, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Ting Shen
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, F10A, 2 Technology Place, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Mehdi Mirzaei
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, F10A, 2 Technology Place, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia.,Australian Proteome Analysis Facility, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Yuyi You
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, F10A, 2 Technology Place, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Devaraj Basavarajappa
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, F10A, 2 Technology Place, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Veer Gupta
- School of Medicine, Deakin University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Stuart L Graham
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, F10A, 2 Technology Place, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia.,Save Sight Institute, Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia
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8
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Canuti M, Kroyer ANK, Ojkic D, Whitney HG, Robertson GJ, Lang AS. Discovery and Characterization of Novel RNA Viruses in Aquatic North American Wild Birds. Viruses 2019; 11:E768. [PMID: 31438486 PMCID: PMC6784231 DOI: 10.3390/v11090768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Revised: 08/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Wild birds are recognized viral reservoirs but our understanding about avian viral diversity is limited. We describe here three novel RNA viruses that we identified in oropharyngeal/cloacal swabs collected from wild birds. The complete genome of a novel gull metapneumovirus (GuMPV B29) was determined. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that this virus could represent a novel avian metapneumovirus (AMPV) sub-group, intermediate between AMPV-C and the subgroup of the other AMPVs. This virus was detected in an American herring (1/24, 4.2%) and great black-backed (4/26, 15.4%) gulls. A novel gull coronavirus (GuCoV B29) was detected in great black-backed (3/26, 11.5%) and American herring (2/24, 8.3%) gulls. Phylogenetic analyses of GuCoV B29 suggested that this virus could represent a novel species within the genus Gammacoronavirus, close to other recently identified potential novel avian coronaviral species. One GuMPV-GuCoV co-infection was detected. A novel duck calicivirus (DuCV-2 B6) was identified in mallards (2/5, 40%) and American black ducks (7/26, 26.9%). This virus, of which we identified two different types, was fully sequenced and was genetically closest to other caliciviruses identified in Anatidae, but more distant to other caliciviruses from birds in the genus Anas. These discoveries increase our knowledge about avian virus diversity and host distributions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Canuti
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Ave., St. John's, NL A1B 3X9, Canada.
| | - Ashley N K Kroyer
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Ave., St. John's, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Davor Ojkic
- Animal Health Laboratory, Laboratory Services Division, University of Guelph, 419 Gordon St., Guelph, ON N1H 6R8, Canada
| | - Hugh G Whitney
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Ave., St. John's, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Gregory J Robertson
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 6 Bruce Street, Mount Pearl, NL A1N 4T3, Canada
| | - Andrew S Lang
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Ave., St. John's, NL A1B 3X9, Canada.
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Dissection of amino-terminal functional domains of murine coronavirus nonstructural protein 3. J Virol 2015; 89:6033-47. [PMID: 25810552 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00197-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2015] [Accepted: 03/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Coronaviruses, the largest RNA viruses, have a complex program of RNA synthesis that entails genome replication and transcription of subgenomic mRNAs. RNA synthesis by the prototype coronavirus mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) is carried out by a replicase-transcriptase composed of 16 nonstructural protein (nsp) subunits. Among these, nsp3 is the largest and the first to be inserted into the endoplasmic reticulum. nsp3 comprises multiple structural domains, including two papain-like proteases (PLPs) and a highly conserved ADP-ribose-1″-phosphatase (ADRP) macrodomain. We have previously shown that the ubiquitin-like domain at the amino terminus of nsp3 is essential and participates in a critical interaction with the viral nucleocapsid protein early in infection. In the current study, we exploited atypical expression schemes to uncouple PLP1 from the processing of nsp1 and nsp2 in order to investigate the requirements of nsp3 domains for viral RNA synthesis. In the first strategy, a mutant was created in which replicase polyprotein translation initiated with nsp3, thereby establishing that complete elimination of nsp1 and nsp2 does not abolish MHV viability. In the second strategy, a picornavirus autoprocessing element was used to separate a truncated nsp1 from nsp3. This provided a platform for further dissection of amino-terminal domains of nsp3. From this, we found that catalytic mutation of PLP1 or complete deletion of PLP1 and the adjacent ADRP domain was tolerated by the virus. These results showed that neither the PLP1 domain nor the ADRP domain of nsp3 provides integral activities essential for coronavirus genomic or subgenomic RNA synthesis. IMPORTANCE The largest component of the coronavirus replicase-transcriptase complex, nsp3, contains multiple modules, many of which do not have clearly defined functions in genome replication or transcription. These domains may play direct roles in RNA synthesis, or they may have evolved for other purposes, such as to combat host innate immunity. We initiated a dissection of MHV nsp3 aimed at identifying those activities or structures in this huge molecule that are essential to replicase activity. We found that both PLP1 and ADRP could be entirely deleted, provided that the requirement for proteolytic processing by PLP1 was offset by an alternative mechanism. This demonstrated that neither PLP1 nor ADRP plays an essential role in coronavirus RNA synthesis.
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10
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Coronavirus replicase-reporter fusions provide quantitative analysis of replication and replication complex formation. J Virol 2014; 88:5319-27. [PMID: 24623413 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00021-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED The replication of coronaviruses occurs in association with multiple virus-induced membrane structures that evolve during the course of infection; however, the dynamics of this process remain poorly understood. Previous studies of coronavirus replication complex organization and protein interactions have utilized protein overexpression studies and immunofluorescence of fixed cells. Additionally, live-imaging studies of coronavirus replicase proteins have used fluorescent reporter molecules fused to replicase proteins, but expressed from nonnative locations, mostly late-transcribed subgenomic mRNAs, in the presence or absence of the native protein. Thus, the timing and targeting of native replicase proteins expressed in real time from native locations in the genome remain unknown. In this study, we tested whether reporter molecules could be expressed from the replicase polyprotein of murine hepatitis virus as fusions with nonstructural protein 2 or 3 and whether such reporters could define the targeting and activity of replicase proteins during infection. We demonstrate that the fusion of green fluorescent protein and firefly luciferase with either nonstructural protein 2 or 3 is tolerated and that these reporter-replicase fusions can be used to quantitate replication complex formation and virus replication. The results show that the replicase gene has flexibility to accommodate a foreign gene addition and can be used directly to study replicase complex formation and evolution during infection as well as to provide highly sensitive and specific markers for protein translation and genome replication. IMPORTANCE Coronaviruses are a family of enveloped, positive-sense RNA viruses that are important agents of disease, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. Replication is associated with multiple virus-induced membrane structures that evolve during infection; however, the dynamics of this process remain poorly understood. In this study, we tested whether reporter molecules expressed from native locations within the replicase polyprotein of murine hepatitis virus as fusions with nonstructural proteins could define the expression and targeting of replicase proteins during infection in live cells. We demonstrate that the replicase gene tolerates the introduction of green fluorescent protein or firefly luciferase as fusions with replicase proteins. These viruses allow early quantitation of virus replication as well as real-time measurement of replication complexes.
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Characterization of a critical interaction between the coronavirus nucleocapsid protein and nonstructural protein 3 of the viral replicase-transcriptase complex. J Virol 2013; 87:9159-72. [PMID: 23760243 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01275-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus nucleocapsid protein (N) plays an essential structural role in virions through a network of interactions with positive-strand viral genomic RNA, the envelope membrane protein (M), and other N molecules. Additionally, N protein participates in at least one stage of the complex mechanism of coronavirus RNA synthesis. We previously uncovered an unanticipated interaction between N and the largest subunit of the viral replicase-transcriptase complex, nonstructural protein 3 (nsp3). This was found through analysis of revertants of a severely defective mutant of murine hepatitis virus (MHV) in which the N gene was replaced with that of its close relative, bovine coronavirus (BCoV). In the work reported here, we constructed BCoV chimeras and other mutants of MHV nsp3 and obtained complementary genetic evidence for its association with N protein. We found that the N-nsp3 interaction maps to the amino-terminal ubiquitin-like domain of nsp3, which is essential for the virus. The interaction does not require the adjacent acidic domain of nsp3, which is dispensable. In addition, we demonstrated a complete correspondence between N-nsp3 genetic interactions and the ability of N protein to enhance the infectivity of transfected coronavirus genomic RNA. The latter function of N was shown to depend on both of the RNA-binding domains of N, as well as on the serine- and arginine-rich central region of N, which binds nsp3. Our results support a model in which the N-nsp3 interaction serves to tether the genome to the newly translated replicase-transcriptase complex at a very early stage of infection.
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Temperature-sensitive mutants and revertants in the coronavirus nonstructural protein 5 protease (3CLpro) define residues involved in long-distance communication and regulation of protease activity. J Virol 2012; 86:4801-10. [PMID: 22345451 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.06754-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Positive-strand RNA virus genomes are translated into polyproteins that are processed by viral proteases to yield functional intermediate and mature proteins. Coronaviruses (CoVs) carry genes that encode an nsp5 protease (also known as 3CLpro or Mpro) responsible for 11 maturation cleavages. The nsp5 structure contains two chymotrypsin-like domains (D1 and D2) and a unique domain (D3), and forms functional dimers. However, little is known of interactions or communication across the structure of the protease during nsp5 activity. Using reverse genetic mutagenesis of the CoV murine hepatitis virus (MHV) nsp5, we identified a new temperature-sensitive (ts) mutation in D2 of nsp5 (Ser133Ala) and confirmed a ts residue in D3 (Phe219Leu). Both D2-tsS133A and D3-tsF219L were impaired for viral replication and nsp5-mediated polyprotein processing at the nonpermissive temperature. Passage of tsS133A and tsF219L at the nonpermissive temperature resulted in emergence of multiple second-site suppressor mutations, singly and in combinations. Among the second-site mutations, a D2 His134Tyr change suppressed the ts phenotype of D2-tsS133A and D3-tsF219L, as well as the previously reported D2-tsV148A. Analysis of multiple CoV nsp5 structures, and alignment of nonredundant nsp5 primary sequences, demonstrated that ts and suppressor residues are not conserved across CoVs and are physically distant (>10 Å) from each other, from catalytic and substrate-binding residues, and from the nsp5 dimer interface. These findings demonstrate that long-distance communication pathways between multiple residues and domains of nsp5 play a significant role in nsp5 activity and viral replication, suggesting possible novel targets for non-active site inhibitors of nsp5.
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