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Chen A, Fang N, Zhang Z, Wen Y, Shen Y, Zhang Y, Zhang L, Zhao G, Ding J, Li J. Structural basis of the monkeypox virus mRNA cap N7 methyltransferase complex. Emerg Microbes Infect 2024; 13:2369193. [PMID: 38873898 PMCID: PMC11212559 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2024.2369193] [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: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
The global outbreak of Mpox, caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), has attracted international attention and become another major infectious disease event after COVID-19. The mRNA cap N7 methyltransferase (RNMT) of MPXV methylates the N7 position of the added guanosine to the 5'-cap structure of mRNAs and plays a vital role in evading host antiviral immunity. MPXV RNMT is composed of the large subunit E1 and the small subunit E12. How E1 and E12 of MPXV assembly remains unclear. Here, we report the crystal structures of E12, the MTase domain of E1 with E12 (E1CTD-E12) complex, and the E1CTD-E12-SAM ternary complex, revealing the detailed conformations of critical residues and the structural changes upon E12 binding to E1. Functional studies suggest that E1CTD N-terminal extension (Asp545-Arg562) and the small subunit E12 play an essential role in the binding process of SAM. Structural comparison of the AlphaFold2-predicted E1, E1CTD-E12 complex, and the homologous D1-D12 complex of vaccinia virus (VACV) indicates an allosteric activating effect of E1 in MPXV. Our findings provide the structural basis for the MTase activity stimulation of the E1-E12 complex and suggest a potential interface for screening the anti-poxvirus inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anke Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences and Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microorganisms, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ning Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences and Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microorganisms, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhifei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences and Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microorganisms, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yiqing Wen
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences and Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microorganisms, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yajie Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences and Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microorganisms, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yanjie Zhang
- Clinical Cancer Institute, Center for Translational Medicine, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Guoping Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jin Ding
- Clinical Cancer Institute, Center for Translational Medicine, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jixi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences and Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microorganisms, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
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Dulay ANG, de Guzman JCC, Marquez ZYD, Santana ESD, Arce J, Orosco FL. The potential of Chlorella spp. as antiviral source against African swine fever virus through a virtual screening pipeline. J Mol Graph Model 2024; 132:108846. [PMID: 39151375 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2024.108846] [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: 04/01/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 08/02/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024]
Abstract
African swine fever (ASF) causes high mortality in pigs and threatens global swine production. There is still a lack of therapeutics available, with two vaccines under scrutiny and no approved small-molecule drugs. Eleven (11) viral proteins were used to identify potential antivirals in in silico screening of secondary metabolites (127) from Chlorella spp. The metabolites were screened for affinity and binding selectivity. High-scoring compounds were assessed through in silico ADMET (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, Toxicity) predictions, compared to structurally similar drugs, and checked for off-target docking with prepared swine receptors. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations determined binding stability while binding energy was measured in Molecular Mechanics - Generalized Born Surface Area (MMGBSA) or Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MMPBSA). Only six (6) compounds passed until MD analyses, of which five (5) were stable after 100 ns of MD runs. Of these five compounds, only three had binding affinities that were comparable to or stronger than controls. Specifically, phytosterols 24,25-dihydrolanosterol and CID 4206521 that interact with the RNA capping enzyme (pNP868R), and ergosterol which bound to the Erv-like thioreductase (pB119L). The compounds identified in this study can be used as a theoretical basis for in vitro screening to develop potent antiviral drugs against ASFV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Neil G Dulay
- Virology and Vaccine Research Program, Industrial Technology Development Institute, Department of Science and Technology, Taguig, 1632, Philippines
| | - John Christian C de Guzman
- Virology and Vaccine Research Program, Industrial Technology Development Institute, Department of Science and Technology, Taguig, 1632, Philippines
| | - Zyra Ysha D Marquez
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines - Manila, Manila, 1000, Philippines
| | - Elisha Sofia D Santana
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines - Manila, Manila, 1000, Philippines
| | - Jessamine Arce
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines - Manila, Manila, 1000, Philippines
| | - Fredmoore L Orosco
- Virology and Vaccine Research Program, Industrial Technology Development Institute, Department of Science and Technology, Taguig, 1632, Philippines; Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines - Manila, Manila, 1000, Philippines; S&T Fellows Program, Department of Science and Technology, Taguig, 1632, Philippines.
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Hagoss YT, Shen D, Wang W, Zhang Z, Li F, Sun E, Zhu Y, Ge J, Guo Y, Bu Z, Zhao D. African swine fever virus pCP312R interacts with host RPS27A to shut off host protein translation and promotes viral replication. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 277:134213. [PMID: 39069039 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.134213] [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: 03/29/2024] [Revised: 07/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
African swine fever virus (ASFV) severely threatens the global economy and food security. ASFV encodes >150 genes, but the functions of most of them have yet to be characterized in detail. Here we explored the function of the ASFV CP312R gene and found that CP312R plays an essential role in ASFV replication. Knockout of the CP312R gene terminated viral replication and CP312R knockdown substantially suppressed ASFV infection in vitro. Furthermore, we resolved the crystal structure of pCP312R to 2.3 Å resolution and found that pCP312R has the potential to bind nucleic acids. LC-MS analysis and co-immunoprecipitation assay revealed that pCP312R interacts with RPS27A, a component of the 40S ribosomal subunit. Confocal microscopy showed the interaction between pCP312R and RPS27A leaded to a modification in the subcellular localization of this host protein, which suppresses host protein translation. Renilla-Glo luciferase assay and Ribopuromycylation analysis evidenced that knockout of RPS27A completely aborted the shutoff activity of pCP312R, and trans-complementation of RPS27A recovered pCP312R shutoff activity in RPS27A-knockout cells. Our findings shed light on the function of ASFV CP312R gene in virus infection, which triggers inhibition of host protein synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yibrah Tekle Hagoss
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, National High Containment Facilities for Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150069, China; Department of Animal Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Raya University, Maichew, P.O. Box 92, Ethiopia
| | - Dongdong Shen
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, National High Containment Facilities for Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150069, China; College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Wenming Wang
- Institute of Molecular Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Zhenjiang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, National High Containment Facilities for Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150069, China
| | - Fang Li
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, National High Containment Facilities for Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150069, China
| | - Encheng Sun
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, National High Containment Facilities for Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150069, China
| | - Yuanmao Zhu
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, National High Containment Facilities for Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150069, China
| | - Junwei Ge
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Yu Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology and College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China.
| | - Zhigao Bu
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, National High Containment Facilities for Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150069, China.
| | - Dongming Zhao
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, National High Containment Facilities for Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150069, China.
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Pilotto S, Sýkora M, Cackett G, Dulson C, Werner F. Structure of the recombinant RNA polymerase from African Swine Fever Virus. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1606. [PMID: 38383525 PMCID: PMC10881513 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45842-7] [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] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
African Swine Fever Virus is a Nucleo-Cytoplasmic Large DNA Virus that causes an incurable haemorrhagic fever in pigs with a high impact on global food security. ASFV replicates in the cytoplasm of the infected cell and encodes its own transcription machinery that is independent of cellular factors, however, not much is known about how this system works at a molecular level. Here, we present methods to produce recombinant ASFV RNA polymerase, functional assays to screen for inhibitors, and high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy structures of the ASFV RNAP in different conformational states. The ASFV RNAP bears a striking resemblance to RNAPII with bona fide homologues of nine of its twelve subunits. Key differences include the fusion of the ASFV assembly platform subunits RPB3 and RPB11, and an unusual C-terminal domain of the stalk subunit vRPB7 that is related to the eukaryotic mRNA cap 2´-O-methyltransferase 1. Despite the high degree of structural conservation with cellular RNA polymerases, the ASFV RNAP is resistant to the inhibitors rifampicin and alpha-amanitin. The cryo-EM structures and fully recombinant RNAP system together provide an important tool for the design, development, and screening of antiviral drugs in a low biosafety containment environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Pilotto
- Institute for Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Biosciences, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Michal Sýkora
- Institute for Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Biosciences, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Gwenny Cackett
- Institute for Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Biosciences, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher Dulson
- Institute for Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Biosciences, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Finn Werner
- Institute for Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Biosciences, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.
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Pandarangga P, Simarmata YTRMR, Liu ABH, Haryati DAF. In silico simulation of hyperoside, isoquercetin, quercetin, and quercitrin as potential antivirals against the pNP868R protein of African swine fever virus. Vet World 2024; 17:171-178. [PMID: 38406373 PMCID: PMC10884570 DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2024.171-178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Background and Aim African swine fever (ASF) causes disease in pigs with up to 100% mortality rates. There is no effective vaccine to protect against it. This study aimed to perform in silico docking of ASF virus (ASFV) pNP868R protein with potential flavonoid ligands to identify ligands that interfere with mRNA cap formation. Materials and Methods The ASFV pNP868R protein was tested with hyperoside, isoquercetin, quercetin, and quercitrin in this in silico simulation. ASFV pNP868R protein was extracted from the Research Collaboration for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB) database with PDB ID 7D8U (https://www.rcsb.org/structure/7D8U). Standard ligands were separated from proteins using UCSF Chimera 1.13. The standard ligand was redocked to protein using AutoDockTools 1.5.6 with the AutoDock4 method for validation. In the docking process, the grid box size was 40 × 40 × 40 Å3 with x, y, and z coordinates of 16.433, -43.826, and -9.496, respectively. The molecular docking process of the proposed ligand-protein complex can proceed if the standard ligand position is not significantly different from its original position in the viral protein's pocket. The root mean square deviation (RMSD), root mean square fluctuation (RMSF), and radius of gyration (RoG) of the hyperoside with the lowest energy binding need to be analyzed with molecular dynamics using Groningen machine for chemical simulation 5.1.1. Results Molecular docking and dynamic simulation revealed that hyperoside had the most stable and compact binding to the pNP868R protein. Hyperoside binds to the protein at the minimum energy of -9.07 KJ/mol. The RMSD, RMSF, and RoG values of 0.281 nm, 0.2 nm, and 2.175 nm, respectively, indicate the stability and compactness of this binding. Conclusion Hyperoside is the most likely antiviral candidate to bind to the pNP868R protein in silico. Therefore, it is necessary to test whether this flavonoid can inhibit mRNA capping in vitro and elicit the host immune response against uncapped viral mRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Putri Pandarangga
- Department of Clinic, Reproduction, Pathology, and Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Nusa Cendana, Kupang, 85001, Indonesia
| | - Yohanes T. R. M. R. Simarmata
- Department of Clinic, Reproduction, Pathology, and Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Nusa Cendana, Kupang, 85001, Indonesia
| | - Adi Berci Handayani Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Math and Science, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, 55281, Indonesia
| | - Dwi Ari Fitri Haryati
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Math and Science, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, 55281, Indonesia
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Li S, Ge H, Li Y, Zhang K, Yu S, Cao H, Wang Y, Deng H, Li J, Dai J, Li LF, Luo Y, Sun Y, Geng Z, Dong Y, Zhang H, Qiu HJ. The E301R protein of African swine fever virus functions as a sliding clamp involved in viral genome replication. mBio 2023; 14:e0164523. [PMID: 37772878 PMCID: PMC10653895 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01645-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Sliding clamp is a highly conserved protein in the evolution of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. The sliding clamp is required for genomic replication as a critical co-factor of DNA polymerases. However, the sliding clamp analogs in viruses remain largely unknown. We found that the ASFV E301R protein (pE301R) exhibited a sliding clamp-like structure and similar functions during ASFV replication. Interestingly, pE301R is assembled into a unique ring-shaped homotetramer distinct from sliding clamps or proliferating cell nuclear antigens (PCNAs) from other species. Notably, the E301R gene is required for viral life cycle, but the pE301R function can be partially restored by the porcine PCNA. This study not only highlights the functional role of the ASFV pE301R as a viral sliding clamp analog, but also facilitates the dissection of the complex replication mechanism of ASFV, which provides novel clues for developing antivirals against ASF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Su Li
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, National African Swine Fever Para-Reference Laboratory, National High-Containment Facilities for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Hailiang Ge
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, National African Swine Fever Para-Reference Laboratory, National High-Containment Facilities for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
- College of Animal Sciences, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
| | - Yanhua Li
- Multidiscipline Research Center, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Kehui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, National African Swine Fever Para-Reference Laboratory, National High-Containment Facilities for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Shaoxiong Yu
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, National African Swine Fever Para-Reference Laboratory, National High-Containment Facilities for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Hongwei Cao
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, National African Swine Fever Para-Reference Laboratory, National High-Containment Facilities for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Yanjin Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, National African Swine Fever Para-Reference Laboratory, National High-Containment Facilities for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Hao Deng
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, National African Swine Fever Para-Reference Laboratory, National High-Containment Facilities for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Jiaqi Li
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, National African Swine Fever Para-Reference Laboratory, National High-Containment Facilities for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Jingwen Dai
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, National African Swine Fever Para-Reference Laboratory, National High-Containment Facilities for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Lian-Feng Li
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, National African Swine Fever Para-Reference Laboratory, National High-Containment Facilities for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Yuzi Luo
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, National African Swine Fever Para-Reference Laboratory, National High-Containment Facilities for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Yuan Sun
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, National African Swine Fever Para-Reference Laboratory, National High-Containment Facilities for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Zhi Geng
- Multidiscipline Research Center, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yuhui Dong
- Multidiscipline Research Center, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Heng Zhang
- Multidiscipline Research Center, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hua-Ji Qiu
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, National African Swine Fever Para-Reference Laboratory, National High-Containment Facilities for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
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Ornelas MY, Thomas AY, Johnson Rosas LI, Medina GN, Mehta AP. Characterization, Directed Evolution, and Targeting of DNA Virus-Encoded RNA Capping Enzymes Using Phenotypic Yeast Platforms. ACS Chem Biol 2023; 18:1808-1820. [PMID: 37498174 PMCID: PMC11024868 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.3c00243] [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: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
The constant and the sudden emergence of zoonotic human and animal viruses is a significant threat to human health, the world economy, and the world food supply. This has necessitated the development of broad-spectrum therapeutic strategies to combat these emerging pathogens. Mechanisms that are essential for viral replication and propagation have been successfully targeted in the past to develop broad-spectrum therapeutics that can be readily repurposed to combat new zoonotic pathogens. Because of the importance of viral RNA capping enzymes to viral replication and pathogenesis, as well as their presence in both DNA and RNA viruses, these viral proteins have been a long-standing therapeutic target. Here, we use genome sequencing information and yeast-based platforms (YeRC0M) to identify, characterize, and target viral genome-encoded essential RNA capping enzymes from emerging strains of DNA viruses, i.e., Monkeypox virus and African Swine Fever Virus, which are a significant threat to human and domestic animal health. We first identified and biochemically characterized these viral RNA capping enzymes and their necessary protein domains. We observed significant differences in functional protein domains and organization for RNA capping enzymes from emerging DNA viruses in comparison to emerging RNA viruses. We also observed several differences in the biochemical properties of these viral RNA capping enzymes using our phenotypic yeast-based approaches (YeRC0M) as compared to the previous in vitro studies. Further, using directed evolution, we were able to identify inactivation and attenuation mutations in these essential viral RNA capping enzymes; these data could have implications on virus biocontainment as well as live attenuated vaccine development. We also developed methods that would facilitate high-throughput phenotypic screening to identify broad-spectrum inhibitors that selectively target viral RNA capping enzymes over host RNA capping enzymes. As demonstrated here, our approaches to identify, characterize, and target viral genome-encoded essential RNA capping enzymes are highly modular and can be readily adapted for targeting emerging viral pathogens as well as their variants that emerge in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marya Y Ornelas
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 S Matthews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Angela Y Thomas
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 S Matthews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - L Idalee Johnson Rosas
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 S Matthews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Gisselle N Medina
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC), Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Greenport, New York 11944, United States
- National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), ARS, USDA, Manhattan, Kansas 66502, United States
| | - Angad P Mehta
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 S Matthews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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8
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Yang S, Miao C, Liu W, Zhang G, Shao J, Chang H. Structure and function of African swine fever virus proteins: Current understanding. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1043129. [PMID: 36846791 PMCID: PMC9950752 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1043129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a highly infectious and lethal double-stranded DNA virus that is responsible for African swine fever (ASF). ASFV was first reported in Kenya in 1921. Subsequently, ASFV has spread to countries in Western Europe, Latin America, and Eastern Europe, as well as to China in 2018. ASFV epidemics have caused serious pig industry losses around the world. Since the 1960s, much effort has been devoted to the development of an effective ASF vaccine, including the production of inactivated vaccines, attenuated live vaccines, and subunit vaccines. Progress has been made, but unfortunately, no ASF vaccine has prevented epidemic spread of the virus in pig farms. The complex ASFV structure, comprising a variety of structural and non-structural proteins, has made the development of ASF vaccines difficult. Therefore, it is necessary to fully explore the structure and function of ASFV proteins in order to develop an effective ASF vaccine. In this review, we summarize what is known about the structure and function of ASFV proteins, including the most recently published findings.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Wei Liu
- African Swine Fever Regional Laboratory of China (Lanzhou), State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Guanglei Zhang
- African Swine Fever Regional Laboratory of China (Lanzhou), State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
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9
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Complete Structural Predictions of the Proteome of African Swine Fever Virus Strain Georgia 2007. Microbiol Resour Announc 2022; 11:e0088122. [DOI: 10.1128/mra.00881-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Here, we announce the predicted structures of the 193 proteins encoded by African swine fever virus (ASFV) strain Georgia 2007 (ASFV-G). Previously, only the structures of 16 ASFV proteins were elucidated.
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10
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Shannon A, Sama B, Gauffre P, Guez T, Debart F, Vasseur JJ, Decroly E, Canard B, Ferron F. A second type of N7-guanine RNA cap methyltransferase in an unusual locus of a large RNA virus genome. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:11186-11198. [PMID: 36265859 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The order Nidovirales is a diverse group of (+)RNA viruses, with a common genome organization and conserved set of replicative and editing enzymes. In particular, RNA methyltransferases play a central role in mRNA stability and immune escape. However, their presence and distribution in different Nidovirales families is not homogeneous. In Coronaviridae, the best characterized family, two distinct methytransferases perform methylation of the N7-guanine and 2'-OH of the RNA-cap to generate a cap-1 structure (m7GpppNm). The genes of both of these enzymes are located in the ORF1b genomic region. While 2'-O-MTases can be identified for most other families based on conservation of both sequence motifs and genetic loci, identification of the N7-guanine methyltransferase has proved more challenging. Recently, we identified a putative N7-MTase domain in the ORF1a region (N7-MT-1a) of certain members of the large genome Tobaniviridae family. Here, we demonstrate that this domain indeed harbors N7-specific methyltransferase activity. We present its structure as the first N7-specific Rossmann-fold (RF) MTase identified for (+)RNA viruses, making it remarkably different from that of the known Coronaviridae ORF1b N7-MTase gene. We discuss the evolutionary implications of such an appearance in this unexpected location in the genome, which introduces a split-off in the classification of Tobaniviridae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashleigh Shannon
- Aix-Marseille Université and CNRS, Laboratoire Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques, UMR 7257, 13009, Marseille, France
| | - Bhawna Sama
- Aix-Marseille Université and CNRS, Laboratoire Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques, UMR 7257, 13009, Marseille, France
| | - Pierre Gauffre
- Aix-Marseille Université and CNRS, Laboratoire Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques, UMR 7257, 13009, Marseille, France
| | - Théo Guez
- IBMM, University of Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
| | - Françoise Debart
- IBMM, University of Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Etienne Decroly
- Aix-Marseille Université and CNRS, Laboratoire Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques, UMR 7257, 13009, Marseille, France
| | - Bruno Canard
- Aix-Marseille Université and CNRS, Laboratoire Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques, UMR 7257, 13009, Marseille, France.,European Virus Bioinformatics Center, Leutragraben 1, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - François Ferron
- Aix-Marseille Université and CNRS, Laboratoire Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques, UMR 7257, 13009, Marseille, France.,European Virus Bioinformatics Center, Leutragraben 1, 07743 Jena, Germany
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11
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Wang G, Xie M, Wu W, Chen Z. Structures and Functional Diversities of ASFV Proteins. Viruses 2021; 13:v13112124. [PMID: 34834930 PMCID: PMC8619059 DOI: 10.3390/v13112124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
African swine fever virus (ASFV), the causative pathogen of the recent ASF epidemic, is a highly contagious double-stranded DNA virus. Its genome is in the range of 170~193 kbp and encodes 68 structural proteins and over 100 non-structural proteins. Its high pathogenicity strains cause nearly 100% mortality in swine. Consisting of four layers of protein shells and an inner genome, its structure is obviously more complicated than many other viruses, and its multi-layered structures play different kinds of roles in ASFV replication and survival. Each layer possesses many proteins, but very few of the proteins have been investigated at a structural level. Here, we concluded all the ASFV proteins whose structures were unveiled, and explained their functions from the view of structures. Those structures include ASFV AP endonuclease, dUTPases (E165R), pS273R protease, core shell proteins p15 and p35, non-structural proteins pA151R, pNP868R (RNA guanylyltransferase), major capsid protein p72 (gene B646L), Bcl-2-like protein A179L, histone-like protein pA104R, sulfhydryl oxidase pB119L, polymerase X and ligase. These novel structural features, diverse functions, and complex molecular mechanisms promote ASFV to escape the host immune system easily and make this large virus difficult to control.
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12
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Wang Y, Kang W, Yang W, Zhang J, Li D, Zheng H. Structure of African Swine Fever Virus and Associated Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Infection and Immunosuppression: A Review. Front Immunol 2021; 12:715582. [PMID: 34552586 PMCID: PMC8450572 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.715582] [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: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
African swine fever (ASF) is an acute, highly contagious, and deadly infectious disease. The mortality rate of the most acute and acute ASF infection is almost 100%. The World Organization for Animal Health [Office International des épizooties (OIE)] lists it as a legally reported animal disease and China lists it as class I animal epidemic. Since the first diagnosed ASF case in China on August 3, 2018, it has caused huge economic losses to animal husbandry. ASF is caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV), which is the only member of Asfarviridae family. ASFV is and the only insect-borne DNA virus belonging to the Nucleocytoplasmic Large DNA Viruses (NCLDV) family with an icosahedral structure and an envelope. Till date, there are still no effective vaccines or antiviral drugs for the prevention or treatment of ASF. The complex viral genome and its sophisticated ability to regulate the host immune response may be the reason for the difficulty in developing an effective vaccine. This review summarizes the recent findings on ASFV structure, the molecular mechanism of ASFV infection and immunosuppression, and ASFV-encoded proteins to provide comprehensive proteomic information for basic research on ASFV. In addition, it also analyzes the results of previous studies and speculations on the molecular mechanism of ASFV infection, which aids the study of the mechanism of clinical pathological phenomena, and provides a possible direction for an intensive study of ASFV infection mechanism. By summarizing the findings on molecular mechanism of ASFV- regulated host cell immune response, this review provides orientations and ideas for fundamental research on ASFV and provides a theoretical basis for the development of protective vaccines against ASFV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology and OIE/National Foot and Mouth Disease Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Weifang Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology and OIE/National Foot and Mouth Disease Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Wenping Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology and OIE/National Foot and Mouth Disease Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology and OIE/National Foot and Mouth Disease Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Dan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology and OIE/National Foot and Mouth Disease Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Haixue Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology and OIE/National Foot and Mouth Disease Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
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