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Krejčová K, Krafcikova P, Klima M, Chalupska D, Chalupsky K, Zilecka E, Boura E. Structural and functional insights in flavivirus NS5 proteins gained by the structure of Ntaya virus polymerase and methyltransferase. Structure 2024; 32:1099-1109.e3. [PMID: 38781970 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2024.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Flaviviruses are single-stranded positive-sense RNA (+RNA) viruses that are responsible for several (re)emerging diseases such as yellow, dengue, or West Nile fevers. The Zika epidemic highlighted their dangerousness when a relatively benign virus known since the 1950s turned into a deadly pathogen. The central protein for their replication is NS5 (non-structural protein 5), which is composed of the N-terminal methyltransferase (MTase) domain and the C-terminal RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase (RdRp) domain. It is responsible for both RNA replication and installation of the 5' RNA cap. We structurally and biochemically analyzed the Ntaya virus MTase and RdRp domains and we compared their properties to other flaviviral NS5s. The enzymatic centers are well conserved across Flaviviridae, suggesting that the development of drugs targeting all flaviviruses is feasible. However, the enzymatic activities of the isolated proteins were significantly different for the MTase domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kateřina Krejčová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i, Flemingovo nám. 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic; Faculty of Sciences, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 00 Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Petra Krafcikova
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i, Flemingovo nám. 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Klima
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i, Flemingovo nám. 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Dominika Chalupska
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i, Flemingovo nám. 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Karel Chalupsky
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i, Flemingovo nám. 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Eva Zilecka
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i, Flemingovo nám. 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Evzen Boura
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i, Flemingovo nám. 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
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2
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Sukumaran SY, Herrscher C, Rasol NE, Othman MA, Liew SY, Ismail NH, Séron K, Litaudon M, Awang K, El Kalamouni C, Apel C, Zahari A. Targeted Isolation of Antiviral Labdane Diterpenes from the Bark of Neo-uvaria foetida (Annonaceae) using LC-MS/MS-Based Molecular Networking. JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS 2024. [PMID: 39028935 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.4c00342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/21/2024]
Abstract
In the search of new inhibitors for human coronavirus (HCoV), we screened extracts of endemic Annonaceae plants on an assay using a cellular model of Huh-7 cells infected with the human alphacoronavirus HCoV-229E. The EtOAc bark extract of the rare Southeast Asian plant Neo-uvaria foetida exhibited inhibition of HCoV-229E and SARS-CoV-2 viruses with IC50 values of 3.8 and 7.8 μg/mL, respectively. Using LC-MS/MS and molecular networking analysis guided isolation, we discovered two new labdane-type diterpenoids, 8-epi-acuminolide (1) and foetidalabdane A (4), and three known labdane diterpenoids, acuminolide (2), 17-O-acetylacuminolide (3), and spiroacuminolide (5). A new norlabdane diterpene, 16-foetinorlabdoic acid (6), was also isolated and identified. Excluding compounds 5 and 6, all other metabolites were active against the virus HCoV-229E. Terpenoids 1 and 4 presented antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 with IC50 values of 63.3 and 93.5 μM, respectively, indicating lower potency. Additionally, virological assays demonstrated that compounds 1, 2, and 3 exert antiviral effects against Zika virus by specifically interfering with the late stage of its infectious cycle with IC50 values of 76.0, 31.9, and 14.9 μM, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Yaallini Sukumaran
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Charline Herrscher
- Unité Mixte Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical, Université de la Réunion, INSERM U1187, CNRS UMR 9192, IRD UMR 249, Plateforme Technologique CYROI, Sainte Clotilde 94791, France
| | - Nurulfazlina Edayah Rasol
- Atta-ur-Rahman Institute for Natural Product Discovery, Level 9 FF3, Universiti Teknologi MARA Puncak Alam Campus, Bandar Puncak Alam 42300, Malaysia
| | - Muhamad Aqmal Othman
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Sook Yee Liew
- Chemistry Division, Centre for Foundation Studies in Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Nor Hadiani Ismail
- Atta-ur-Rahman Institute for Natural Product Discovery, Level 9 FF3, Universiti Teknologi MARA Puncak Alam Campus, Bandar Puncak Alam 42300, Malaysia
| | - Karin Séron
- Université de Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019-UMR9017-Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille (CIIL), Lille F-59000, France
| | - Marc Litaudon
- Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, CNRS, UPR 2301, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France
| | - Khalijah Awang
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Chaker El Kalamouni
- Unité Mixte Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical, Université de la Réunion, INSERM U1187, CNRS UMR 9192, IRD UMR 249, Plateforme Technologique CYROI, Sainte Clotilde 94791, France
| | - Cécile Apel
- Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, CNRS, UPR 2301, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France
| | - Azeana Zahari
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
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3
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Feng Y. Recent advances in the study of zika virus structure, drug targets, and inhibitors. Front Pharmacol 2024; 15:1418516. [PMID: 39011504 PMCID: PMC11246971 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1418516] [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: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Zika Virus (ZIKV) is a positive-strand RNA virus that can lead to Guillain-Barré syndrome or encephalitis in some individuals and hence presents a serious public health risk. Since the first outbreak of ZIKV in Brazil in 2015, no effective clinical inhibitors have been developed, making the development of effective ZIKV drugs an urgent issue that needs to be addressed. ZIKV belongs to the Flaviviridae family, and its structure includes three structural proteins, namely, capsular (C), premembrane (prM), and envelope (E) proteins, as well as seven nonstructural proteins, namely, NS1, NS2A, NS2B, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, and NS5. To provide a reference for the development of future ZIKV drugs, this paper reviews the structure of the ZIKV based on recent literature reports, analyzes the potential therapeutic targets of various proteins, and proposes feasible drug design strategies. Additionally, this paper reviews and classifies the latest research progress on several protease inhibitors, such as E protein inhibitors, NS2B-NS3 inhibitors, and NS5 inhibitors, so that researchers can quickly understand the current status of development and the interconnections among these inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingqi Feng
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Green Catalysis and Separation and Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Materials Science & Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
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4
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Kumaree KK, Anthikapalli NVA, Prasansuklab A. In silico screening for potential inhibitors from the phytocompounds of Carica papaya against Zika virus NS5 protein. F1000Res 2024; 12:655. [PMID: 39132582 PMCID: PMC11310656 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.134956.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The Zika virus (ZIKV) infection has emerged as a global health threat. The causal reasoning is that Zika infection is linked to the development of microcephaly in newborns and Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults. With no clinically approved antiviral treatment for ZIKV, the need for the development of potential inhibitors against the virus is essential. In this study, we aimed to screen phytochemicals from papaya ( Carica papaya L.) against NS5 protein domains of ZIKV. Methods Approximately 193 phytochemicals from an online database (IMPACT) were subjected to molecular docking using AutoDock Vina against the NS5-MTase protein domain (5WXB) and -RdRp domain (5U04). Results Our results showed that β-sitosterol, carpaine, violaxanthin, pseudocarpaine, Δ7-avenasterols, Rutin, and cis-β-carotene had the highest binding affinity to both protein domains, with β-sitosterol having the most favorable binding energy. Furthermore, ADMET analysis revealed that selected compounds had good pharmacokinetic properties and were nontoxic. Conclusions Our findings suggest that papaya-derived phytochemicals could be potential candidates for developing antiviral drugs against ZIKV. However, further experimental studies using cell lines and in vivo models are needed to validate their efficacy and safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kishore Krishna Kumaree
- College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
- Natural Products for Neuroprotection and Anti-Ageing Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | | | - Anchalee Prasansuklab
- College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
- Natural Products for Neuroprotection and Anti-Ageing Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
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5
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Fiorucci D, Meaccini M, Poli G, Stincarelli MA, Vagaggini C, Giannecchini S, Sutto-Ortiz P, Canard B, Decroly E, Dreassi E, Brai A, Botta M. Identification of Novel Non-Nucleoside Inhibitors of Zika Virus NS5 Protein Targeting MTase Activity. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2437. [PMID: 38397115 PMCID: PMC10888717 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a positive-sense single-stranded virus member of the Flaviviridae family. Among other arboviruses, ZIKV can cause neurological disorders such as Guillain Barré syndrome, and it can have congenital neurological manifestations and affect fertility. ZIKV nonstructural protein 5 (NS5) is essential for viral replication and limiting host immune detection. Herein, we performed virtual screening to identify novel small-molecule inhibitors of the ZIKV NS5 methyltransferase (MTase) domain. Compounds were tested against the MTases of both ZIKV and DENV, demonstrating good inhibitory activities against ZIKV MTase. Extensive molecular dynamic studies conducted on the series led us to identify other derivatives with improved activity against the MTase and limiting ZIKV infection with an increased selectivity index. Preliminary pharmacokinetic parameters have been determined, revealing excellent stability over time. Preliminary in vivo toxicity studies demonstrated that the hit compound 17 is well tolerated after acute administration. Our results provide the basis for further optimization studies on novel non-nucleoside MTase inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Fiorucci
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Micaela Meaccini
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Giulio Poli
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Maria Alfreda Stincarelli
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 48, 50134 Florence, Italy; (M.A.S.); (S.G.)
| | - Chiara Vagaggini
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Simone Giannecchini
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 48, 50134 Florence, Italy; (M.A.S.); (S.G.)
| | - Priscila Sutto-Ortiz
- AFMB, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, UMR 7257, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy, Cedex 09, 13288 Marseille, France; (P.S.-O.)
| | - Bruno Canard
- AFMB, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, UMR 7257, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy, Cedex 09, 13288 Marseille, France; (P.S.-O.)
| | - Etienne Decroly
- AFMB, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, UMR 7257, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy, Cedex 09, 13288 Marseille, France; (P.S.-O.)
| | - Elena Dreassi
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Annalaura Brai
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Maurizio Botta
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
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Mirza AH, Bram Y, Schwartz RE, Jaffrey SR. SCARPET: site-specific quantification of methylated and nonmethylated adenosines reveals m 6A stoichiometry. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2024; 30:308-324. [PMID: 38190635 PMCID: PMC10870371 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079776.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
m6A has different stoichiometry at different positions in different mRNAs. However, the exact stoichiometry of m6A is difficult to measure. Here, we describe SCARPET (site-specific cleavage and radioactive-labeling followed by purification, exonuclease digestion, and thin-layer chromatography), a simple and streamlined biochemical assay for quantifying m6A at any specific site in any mRNA. SCARPET involves a site-specific cleavage of mRNA immediately 5' of an adenosine site in an mRNA. This site is radiolabeled with 32P, and after a series of steps to purify the RNA and to remove nonspecific signals, the nucleotide is resolved by TLC to visualize A and m6A at this site. Quantification of these spots reveals the m6A stoichiometry at the site of interest. SCARPET can be applied to poly(A)-enriched RNA, or preferably purified mRNA, which produces more accurate m6A stoichiometry measurements. We show that sample processing steps of SCARPET can be performed in a single day, and results in a specific and accurate measurement of m6A stoichiometry at specific sites in mRNA. Using SCARPET, we measure exact m6A stoichiometries in specific mRNAs and show that Zika genomic RNA lacks m6A at previously mapped sites. SCARPET will be useful for testing specific sites for their m6A stoichiometry and to assess how m6A stoichiometry changes in different conditions and cellular contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aashiq H Mirza
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Yaron Bram
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Robert E Schwartz
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, New York 10065, USA
- Department of Physiology Biophysics and Systems Biology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Samie R Jaffrey
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, New York 10065, USA
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7
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Ahmed-Belkacem R, Sutto-Ortiz P, Delpal A, Troussier J, Canard B, Vasseur JJ, Decroly E, Debart F. 5'-cap RNA/SAM mimetic conjugates as bisubstrate inhibitors of viral RNA cap 2'-O-methyltransferases. Bioorg Chem 2024; 143:107035. [PMID: 38199140 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.107035] [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: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Viral RNA cap 2'-O-methyltransferases are considered promising therapeutic targets for antiviral treatments, as they play a key role in the formation of viral RNA cap-1 structures to escape the host immune system. A better understanding of how they interact with their natural substrates (RNA and the methyl donor SAM) would enable the rational development of potent inhibitors. However, as few structures of 2'-O-MTases in complex with RNA have been described, little is known about substrate recognition by these MTases. For this, chemical tools mimicking the state in which the cap RNA substrate and SAM cofactor are bound in the enzyme's catalytic pocket may prove useful. In this work, we designed and synthesized over 30 RNA conjugates that contain a short oligoribonucleotide (ORN with 4 or 6 nucleotides) with the first nucleotide 2'-O-attached to an adenosine by linkers of different lengths and containing S or N-heteroatoms, or a 1,2,3-triazole ring. These ORN conjugates bearing or not a cap structure at 5'-extremity mimic the methylation transition state with RNA substrate/SAM complex as bisubstrates of 2'-O-MTases. The ORN conjugates were synthesized either by the incorporation of a dinucleoside phosphoramidite during RNA elongation or by click chemistry performed on solid-phase post-RNA elongation. Their ability to inhibit the activity of the nsp16/nsp10 complex of SARS-CoV-2 and the NS5 protein of dengue and Zika viruses was assessed. Significant submicromolar IC50 values and Kd values in the µM range were found, suggesting a possible interaction of some ORN conjugates with these viral 2'-O-MTases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Adrien Delpal
- AFMB, University of Aix-Marseille, CNRS, Marseille, France
| | - Joris Troussier
- IBMM, University of Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
| | - Bruno Canard
- AFMB, University of Aix-Marseille, CNRS, Marseille, France
| | | | | | - Françoise Debart
- IBMM, University of Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France.
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8
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Tsukamoto Y, Igarashi M, Kato H. Targeting cap1 RNA methyltransferases as an antiviral strategy. Cell Chem Biol 2024; 31:86-99. [PMID: 38091983 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2023.11.011] [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: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
Methylation is one of the critical modifications that regulates numerous biological processes. Guanine capping and methylation at the 7th position (m7G) have been shown to mature mRNA for increased RNA stability and translational efficiency. The m7G capped cap0 RNA remains immature and requires additional methylation at the first nucleotide (N1-2'-O-Me), designated as cap1, to achieve full maturation. This cap1 RNA with N1-2'-O-Me prevents its recognition by innate immune sensors as non-self. Viruses have also evolved various strategies to produce self-like capped RNAs with the N1-2'-O-Me that potentially evades the antiviral response and establishes an efficient replication. In this review, we focus on the importance of the presence of N1-2'-O-Me in viral RNAs and discuss the potential for drug development by targeting host and viral N1-2'-O-methyltransferases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuta Tsukamoto
- Institute of Cardiovascular Immunology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Manabu Igarashi
- Division of Global Epidemiology, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan; International Collaboration Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Hiroki Kato
- Institute of Cardiovascular Immunology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
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9
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Delgado-Maldonado T, Gonzalez-Morales LD, Juarez-Saldivar A, Lara-Ramírez EE, Rojas-Verde G, Moreno-Rodriguez A, Bandyopadhyay D, Rivera G. Structure-based Virtual Screening from Natural Products as Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein and ACE2 Receptor Binding and their Biological Evaluation In vitro. Med Chem 2024; 20:546-553. [PMID: 38204279 DOI: 10.2174/0115734064279323231206091314] [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: 08/26/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the last years, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused more than 760 million infections and 6.9 million deaths. Currently, remains a public health problem with limited pharmacological treatments. Among the virus drug targets, the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein attracts the development of new anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents. OBJECTIVE The aim of this work was to identify new compounds derived from natural products (BIOFACQUIM and Selleckchem databases) as potential inhibitors of the spike receptor binding domain (RBD)-ACE2 binding complex. METHODS Molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and ADME-Tox analysis were performed to screen and select the potential inhibitors. ELISA-based enzyme assay was done to confirm our predictive model. RESULTS Twenty compounds were identified as potential binders of RBD of the spike protein. In vitro assay showed compound B-8 caused 48% inhibition at 50 μM, and their binding pattern exhibited interactions via hydrogen bonds with the key amino acid residues present on the RBD. CONCLUSION Compound B-8 can be used as a scaffold to develop new and more efficient antiviral drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timoteo Delgado-Maldonado
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 88710 Reynosa, México
| | - Luis Donaldo Gonzalez-Morales
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 88710 Reynosa, México
| | - Alfredo Juarez-Saldivar
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 88710 Reynosa, México
| | - Edgar E Lara-Ramírez
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 88710 Reynosa, México
| | - Guadalupe Rojas-Verde
- Instituto de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Nuevo León CP. 66451, México
| | - Adriana Moreno-Rodriguez
- Laboratorio de Estudios Epidemiológicos, Clínicos, Diseños Experimentales e Investigación, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma "Benito Juárez" de Oaxaca, Avenida Universidad S/N, Ex Hacienda Cinco Señores, Oaxaca 68120, México
| | - Debasish Bandyopadhyay
- School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences (SIBCS) and School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences (SEEMS), University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, Texas 78539, United States of America
| | - Gildardo Rivera
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 88710 Reynosa, México
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10
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Shen S, Zhang LS. The regulation of antiviral innate immunity through non-m 6A RNA modifications. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1286820. [PMID: 37915585 PMCID: PMC10616867 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1286820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The post-transcriptional RNA modifications impact the dynamic regulation of gene expression in diverse biological and physiological processes. Host RNA modifications play an indispensable role in regulating innate immune responses against virus infection in mammals. Meanwhile, the viral RNAs can be deposited with RNA modifications to interfere with the host immune responses. The N6-methyladenosine (m6A) has boosted the recent emergence of RNA epigenetics, due to its high abundance and a transcriptome-wide widespread distribution in mammalian cells, proven to impact antiviral innate immunity. However, the other types of RNA modifications are also involved in regulating antiviral responses, and the functional roles of these non-m6A RNA modifications have not been comprehensively summarized. In this Review, we conclude the regulatory roles of 2'-O-methylation (Nm), 5-methylcytidine (m5C), adenosine-inosine editing (A-to-I editing), pseudouridine (Ψ), N1-methyladenosine (m1A), N7-methylguanosine (m7G), N6,2'-O-dimethyladenosine (m6Am), and N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C) in antiviral innate immunity. We provide a systematic introduction to the biogenesis and functions of these non-m6A RNA modifications in viral RNA, host RNA, and during virus-host interactions, emphasizing the biological functions of RNA modification regulators in antiviral responses. Furthermore, we discussed the recent research progress in the development of antiviral drugs through non-m6A RNA modifications. Collectively, this Review conveys knowledge and inspiration to researchers in multiple disciplines, highlighting the challenges and future directions in RNA epitranscriptome, immunology, and virology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shenghai Shen
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Li-Sheng Zhang
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
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11
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Mensah IK, Norvil AB, He M, Lendy E, Hjortland N, Tan H, Pomerantz RT, Mesecar A, Gowher H. Development of a sensitive microplate assay for characterizing RNA methyltransferase activity: Implications for epitranscriptomics and drug development. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:105257. [PMID: 37716702 PMCID: PMC10582764 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA methylation is a ubiquitous post-transcriptional modification found in diverse RNA classes and is a critical regulator of gene expression. In this study, we used Zika virus RNA methyltransferase (MTase) to develop a highly sensitive microplate assay that uses a biotinylated RNA substrate and radiolabeled AdoMet coenzyme. The assay is fast, highly reproducible, exhibits linear progress-curve kinetics under multiple turnover conditions, has high sensitivity in competitive inhibition assays, and significantly lower background levels compared with the currently used method. Using our newly developed microplate assay, we observed no significant difference in the catalytic constants of the full-length nonstructural protein 5 enzyme and the truncated MTase domain. These data suggest that, unlike the Zika virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity, the MTase activity is unaffected by RNA-dependent RNA polymerase-MTase interdomain interaction. Given its quantitative nature and accuracy, this method can be used to characterize various RNA MTases, and, therefore, significantly contribute to the field of epitranscriptomics and drug development against infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaiah K Mensah
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Allison B Norvil
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Ming He
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Emma Lendy
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Nicole Hjortland
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Hern Tan
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Richard T Pomerantz
- Department Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Andrew Mesecar
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Humaira Gowher
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.
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12
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Samrat SK, Bashir Q, Huang Y, Trieshmann CW, Tharappel AM, Zhang R, Chen K, Geoge Zheng Y, Li Z, Li H. Broad-Spectrum Small-Molecule Inhibitors Targeting the SAM-Binding Site of Flavivirus NS5 Methyltransferase. ACS Infect Dis 2023; 9:1319-1333. [PMID: 37348028 PMCID: PMC10436986 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.2c00571] [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] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
Flavivirus infections, such as those caused by dengue virus (DENV), West Nile virus (WNV), yellow fever virus (YFV), and Zika virus (ZIKV), pose a rising threat to global health. There are no FDA-approved drugs for flaviviruses, although a small number of flaviviruses have vaccines. For flaviviruses or unknown viruses that may appear in the future, it is particularly desirable to identify broad-spectrum inhibitors. The NS5 protein is regarded as one of the most promising flavivirus drug targets because it is conserved across flaviviruses. In this study, we used FL-NAH, a fluorescent analog of the methyl donor S-adenosyl methionine (SAM), to develop a fluorescence polarization (FP)-based high throughput screening (HTS) assay to specifically target methyltransferase (MTase), a vital enzyme for flaviviruses that methylates the N7 and 2'-O positions of the viral 5'-RNA cap. Pilot screening identified two candidate MTase inhibitors, NSC 111552 and 288387. The two compounds inhibited the FL-NAH binding to the DENV3 MTase with low micromolar IC50. Functional assays verified the inhibitory potency of these molecules for the flavivirus MTase activity. Binding studies indicated that these molecules are bound directly to the DENV3 MTase with similar low micromolar affinity. Furthermore, we showed that these compounds greatly reduced ZIKV replication in cell-based experiments at dosages that did not cause cytotoxicity. Finally, docking studies revealed that these molecules bind to the SAM-binding region on the DENV3 MTase, and further mutagenesis studies verified residues important for the binding of these compounds. Overall, these compounds are innovative and attractive candidates for the development of broad-spectrum inhibitors for the treatment of flavivirus infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subodh Kumar Samrat
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, 1703 E Mabel St, Tucson AZ, 85721-0207, USA
| | - Qamar Bashir
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, 1703 E Mabel St, Tucson AZ, 85721-0207, USA
| | - Yiding Huang
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, 1703 E Mabel St, Tucson AZ, 85721-0207, USA
| | - Carl William Trieshmann
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602, USA
| | - Anil Mathew Tharappel
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, 1703 E Mabel St, Tucson AZ, 85721-0207, USA
| | - Ran Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, 1703 E Mabel St, Tucson AZ, 85721-0207, USA
| | - Ke Chen
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, 1703 E Mabel St, Tucson AZ, 85721-0207, USA
| | - Y. Geoge Zheng
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, 1703 E Mabel St, Tucson AZ, 85721-0207, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602, USA
| | - Zhong Li
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, 1703 E Mabel St, Tucson AZ, 85721-0207, USA
| | - Hongmin Li
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, 1703 E Mabel St, Tucson AZ, 85721-0207, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Science & College of Medicine, The University of Arizona, Tucson AZ, 85721, USA
- The BIO5 Institute, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
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13
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Shukla R, Chandra A, Kumar A, Kandpal P, Avashthi H, Goel VK, Qamar I, Singh N, Kelvin DJ, Singh TR. Repurposing of drugs against methyltransferase as potential Zika virus therapies. Sci Rep 2023; 13:7870. [PMID: 37188743 PMCID: PMC10184974 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33341-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, the outbreak of infectious disease caused by Zika Virus (ZIKV) has posed a major threat to global public health, calling for the development of therapeutics to treat ZIKV disease. Several possible druggable targets involved in virus replication have been identified. In search of additional potential inhibitors, we screened 2895 FDA-approved compounds using Non-Structural Protein 5 (NS5) as a target utilizing virtual screening of in-silco methods. The top 28 compounds with the threshold of binding energy -7.2 kcal/mol value were selected and were cross-docked on the three-dimensional structure of NS5 using AutoDock Tools. Of the 2895 compounds screened, five compounds (Ceforanide, Squanavir, Amcinonide, Cefpiramide, and Olmesartan_Medoxomil) ranked highest based on filtering of having the least negative interactions with the NS5 and were selected for Molecular Dynamic Simulations (MDS) studies. Various parameters such as RMSD, RMSF, Rg, SASA, PCA and binding free energy were calculated to validate the binding of compounds to the target, ZIKV-NS5. The binding free energy was found to be -114.53, -182.01, -168.19, -91.16, -122.56, and -150.65 kJ mol-1 for NS5-SFG, NS5-Ceforanide, NS5-Squanavir, NS5-Amcinonide, NS5-Cefpiramide, and NS5-Ol_Me complexes respectively. The binding energy calculations suggested Cefpiramide and Olmesartan_Medoxomil (Ol_Me) as the most stable compounds for binding to NS5, indicating a strong rationale for their use as lead compounds for development of ZIKV inhibitors. As these drugs have been evaluated on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics parameters only, in vitro and in vivo testing and their impact on Zika viral cell culture may suggest their clinical trials on ZIKV patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohit Shukla
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Jaypee University of Information Technology (JUIT), Waknaghat, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, 173234, India
- Centre for Excellence in Healthcare Technologies and Informatics (CEHTI), Jaypee University of Information Technology (JUIT), Waknaghat, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, 173234, India
| | - Anshuman Chandra
- School of Biotechnology, Gautam Buddha University, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 201312, India
- School of Physical Science, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Anuj Kumar
- Laboratory of Immunity, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, IWK Health Center, Canadian Centre for Vaccinology CCfV, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, IWK Health Center, Canadian Centre for Vaccinology CCfV, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
- European Virus Bioinformatics Center, Leutragraben 1, Jena, Germany
| | | | - Himanshu Avashthi
- Division of Agricultural Bioinformatics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi, India
| | - Vijay Kumar Goel
- School of Physical Science, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Imteyaz Qamar
- School of Biotechnology, Gautam Buddha University, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 201312, India
| | - Nagendra Singh
- School of Biotechnology, Gautam Buddha University, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 201312, India.
| | - David J Kelvin
- Laboratory of Immunity, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, IWK Health Center, Canadian Centre for Vaccinology CCfV, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.
- Department of Pediatrics, IWK Health Center, Canadian Centre for Vaccinology CCfV, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.
| | - Tiratha Raj Singh
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Jaypee University of Information Technology (JUIT), Waknaghat, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, 173234, India.
- Centre for Excellence in Healthcare Technologies and Informatics (CEHTI), Jaypee University of Information Technology (JUIT), Waknaghat, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, 173234, India.
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14
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Decombe A, El Kazzi P, Decroly E. Interplay of RNA 2'-O-methylations with viral replication. Curr Opin Virol 2023; 59:101302. [PMID: 36764118 DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2023.101302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Viral RNAs (vRNAs) are decorated by post-transcriptional modifications, including methylation of nucleotides. Methylations regulate biological functions linked to the sequence, structure, and protein interactome of RNA. Several RNA viruses were found to harbor 2'-O-methylations, affecting the ribose moiety of RNA. This mark was initially shown to target the first and second nucleotides of the 5'-end cap structure of mRNA. More recently, nucleotides within vRNA were also reported to carry 2'-O-methylations. The consequences of such methylations are still puzzling since they were associated with both proviral and antiviral effects. Here, we focus on the mechanisms governing vRNA 2'-O-methylation and we explore the possible roles of this epitranscriptomic modification for viral replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Decombe
- AFMB, CNRS, Aix-Marseille University, UMR 7257, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
| | - Priscila El Kazzi
- AFMB, CNRS, Aix-Marseille University, UMR 7257, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
| | - Etienne Decroly
- AFMB, CNRS, Aix-Marseille University, UMR 7257, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France.
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15
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Chan YT, Cheok YY, Cheong HC, Tang TF, Sulaiman S, Hassan J, Looi CY, Tan KK, AbuBakar S, Wong WF. Immune Recognition versus Immune Evasion Systems in Zika Virus Infection. Biomedicines 2023; 11:biomedicines11020642. [PMID: 36831177 PMCID: PMC9952926 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11020642] [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: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The reemergence of the Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in recent years has posed a serious threat to global health. Despite being asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic in a majority of infected individuals, ZIKV infection can result in severe manifestations including neurological complications in adults and congenital abnormalities in newborns. In a human host, ZIKV is primarily recognized by RIG-like receptors and Toll-like receptors that elicit anti-viral immunity through the secretion of type I interferon (IFN) to limit viral survival, replication, and pathogenesis. Intriguingly, ZIKV evades its host immune system through various immune evasion strategies, including suppressing the innate immune receptors and signaling pathways, mutation of viral structural and non-structural proteins, RNA modulation, or alteration of cellular pathways. Here, we present an overview of ZIKV recognition by the host immune system and the evasion strategies employed by ZIKV. Characterization of the host-viral interaction and viral disease mechanism provide a platform for the rational design of novel prophylactic and therapeutic strategies against ZIKV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yee Teng Chan
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Yi Ying Cheok
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Heng Choon Cheong
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Ting Fang Tang
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Sofiah Sulaiman
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Jamiyah Hassan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Chung Yeng Looi
- School of Biosciences, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, Taylor’s University, 1, Jalan Taylors, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia
| | - Kim-Kee Tan
- Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre (TIDREC), Higher Education Center of Excellence (HICoE), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Sazaly AbuBakar
- Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre (TIDREC), Higher Education Center of Excellence (HICoE), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Won Fen Wong
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +60-(3)-7967-6672
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16
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Furtado ND, de Mello IS, de Godoy AS, Noske GD, Oliva G, Canard B, Decroly E, Bonaldo MC. Amino Acid Polymorphisms on the Brazilian Strain of Yellow Fever Virus Methyltransferase Are Related to the Host's Immune Evasion Mediated by Type I Interferon. Viruses 2023; 15:191. [PMID: 36680231 PMCID: PMC9863089 DOI: 10.3390/v15010191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Since late 2016, a yellow fever virus (YFV) variant carrying a set of nine amino acid variations has circulated in South America. Three of them were mapped on the methyltransferase (MTase) domain of viral NS5 protein. To assess whether these changes affected viral infectivity, we synthesized YFV carrying the MTase of circulating lineage as well as its isoform with the residues of the previous strains (NS5 K101R, NS5 V138I, and NS5 G173S). We observed a slight difference in viral growth properties and plaque phenotype between the two synthetic YFVs. However, the MTase polymorphisms associated with the Brazilian strain of YFV (2016-2019) confer more susceptibility to the IFN-I. In addition, in vitro MTase assay revealed that the interaction between the YFV MTase and the methyl donor molecule (SAM) is altered in the Brazilian MTase variant. Altogether, the results reported here describe that the MTase carrying the molecular signature of the Brazilian YFV circulating since 2016 might display a slight decrease in its catalytic activity but virtually no effect on viral fitness in the parameters comprised in this study. The most marked influence of these residues stands in the immune escape against the antiviral response mediated by IFN-I.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathália Dias Furtado
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Flavivírus, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Brazil
| | - Iasmim Silva de Mello
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Flavivírus, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Brazil
| | - Andre Schutzer de Godoy
- Centro de Pesquisa e Inovação em Biodiversidade e Fármacos, Instituto de Física de São Carlos-USP, São Paulo 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Dias Noske
- Centro de Pesquisa e Inovação em Biodiversidade e Fármacos, Instituto de Física de São Carlos-USP, São Paulo 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Glaucius Oliva
- Centro de Pesquisa e Inovação em Biodiversidade e Fármacos, Instituto de Física de São Carlos-USP, São Paulo 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Bruno Canard
- Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques, Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, UMR7257, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - Etienne Decroly
- Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques, Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, UMR7257, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - Myrna C. Bonaldo
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Flavivírus, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Brazil
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17
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The RNA polymerase of cytoplasmically replicating Zika virus binds with chromatin DNA in nuclei and regulates host gene transcription. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2205013119. [PMID: 36442102 PMCID: PMC9894162 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2205013119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) targets the neural progenitor cells (NPCs) in brain during intrauterine infections and consequently causes severe neurological disorders, such as microcephaly in neonates. Although replicating in the cytoplasm, ZIKV dysregulates the expression of thousands of host genes, yet the detailed mechanism remains elusive. Herein, we report that ZIKV encodes a unique DNA-binding protein to regulate host gene transcription in the nucleus. We found that ZIKV NS5, the viral RNA polymerase, associates tightly with host chromatin DNA through its methyltransferase domain and this interaction could be specifically blocked by GTP. Further study showed that expression of ZIKV NS5 in human NPCs markedly suppressed the transcription of its target genes, especially the genes involved in neurogenesis. Mechanistically, ZIKV NS5 binds onto the gene body of its target genes and then blocks their transcriptional elongation. The utero electroporation in pregnant mice showed that NS5 expression significantly disrupts the neurogenesis by reducing the number of Sox2- and Tbr2-positive cells in the fetal cortex. Together, our findings demonstrate a molecular clue linking to the abnormal neurodevelopment caused by ZIKV infection and also provide intriguing insights into the interaction between the host cell and the pathogenic RNA virus, where the cytoplasmic RNA virus encodes a DNA-binding protein to control the transcription of host cell in the nuclei.
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18
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Ferrero DS, Albentosa-González L, Mas A, Verdaguer N. Structure and function of the NS5 methyltransferase domain from Usutu virus. Antiviral Res 2022; 208:105460. [DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2022.105460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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19
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Kazzi PE, Rabah N, Chamontin C, Poulain L, Ferron F, Debart F, Canard B, Missé D, Coutard B, Nisole S, Decroly E. Internal RNA 2′O-methylation in the HIV-1 genome counteracts ISG20 nuclease-mediated antiviral effect. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 51:2501-2515. [PMID: 36354007 PMCID: PMC10085690 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
RNA 2′O-methylation is a ‘self’ epitranscriptomic modification allowing discrimination between host and pathogen. Indeed, human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) induces 2′O-methylation of its genome by recruiting the cellular FTSJ3 methyltransferase, thereby impairing detection by RIG-like receptors. Here, we show that RNA 2′O-methylations interfere with the antiviral activity of interferon-stimulated gene 20-kDa protein (ISG20). Biochemical experiments showed that ISG20-mediated degradation of 2′O-methylated RNA pauses two nucleotides upstream of and at the methylated residue. Structure-function analysis indicated that this inhibition is due to steric clash between ISG20 R53 and D90 residues and the 2′O-methylated nucleotide. We confirmed that hypomethylated HIV-1 genomes produced in FTSJ3-KO cells were more prone to in vitro degradation by ISG20 than those produced in cells expressing FTSJ3. Finally, we found that reverse-transcription of hypomethylated HIV-1 was impaired in T cells by interferon-induced ISG20, demonstrating the direct antagonist effect of 2′O-methylation on ISG20-mediated antiviral activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscila El Kazzi
- AFMB, CNRS, Aix-Marseille University , UMR 7257, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy , 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
| | - Nadia Rabah
- AFMB, CNRS, Aix-Marseille University , UMR 7257, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy , 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
- Université de Toulon , 83130 La Garde , France
| | - Célia Chamontin
- IRIM, CNRS UMR9004, Université de Montpellier , Montpellier , France
| | - Lina Poulain
- AFMB, CNRS, Aix-Marseille University , UMR 7257, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy , 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
| | - François Ferron
- AFMB, CNRS, Aix-Marseille University , UMR 7257, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy , 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
- European Virus Bioinformatics Center , Leutragraben 1, 07743 Jena , Germany
| | - Françoise Debart
- IBMM, UMR 5247 CNRS, Université de Montpellier , ENSCM, Montpellier , France
| | - Bruno Canard
- AFMB, CNRS, Aix-Marseille University , UMR 7257, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy , 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
| | - Dorothée Missé
- MIVEGEC, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS , IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Bruno Coutard
- Unité des Virus Émergents (UVE: Aix-Marseille Univ-IRD 190-Inserm 1207) , Marseille , France
| | - Sébastien Nisole
- IRIM, CNRS UMR9004, Université de Montpellier , Montpellier , France
| | - Etienne Decroly
- AFMB, CNRS, Aix-Marseille University , UMR 7257, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy , 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
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20
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Ezeh M, Okonkwo OE, Okpoli IN, Orji CE, Modozie BU, Onyema AC, Ezebuo FC. Chemoinformatic Design and Profiling of Derivatives of Dasabuvir, Efavirenz, and Tipranavir as Potential Inhibitors of Zika Virus RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase and Methyltransferase. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:33330-33348. [PMID: 36157724 PMCID: PMC9494688 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c03945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) infection is one of the mosquito-borne flaviviruses of human importance with more than 2 million suspected cases and more than 1 million people infected in about 30 countries. There are reported inhibitors of the zika virus replication machinery, but no approved effective antiviral therapy including vaccines directed against the virus for treatment or prevention is currently available. The study investigated the chemoinformatic design and profiling of derivatives of dasabuvir, efavirenz, and tipranavir as potential inhibitors of the zika virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) and/or methyltransferase (MTase). The three-dimensional (3D) coordinates of dasabuvir, efavirenz, and tipranavir were obtained from the PubChem database, and their respective derivatives were designed with DataWarrior-5.2.1 using an evolutionary algorithm. Derivatives that were not mutagenic, tumorigenic, or irritant were selected; docked into RdRP and MTase; and further subjected to absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) evaluation with Swiss-ADME and pkCSM web tools. Some of the designed compounds are Lipinski's rule-of-five compliant, with good synthetic accessibilities. Compounds 20d, 21d, 22d, and 1e are nontoxic with the only limitation of CYP1A2, CYP2C19, and/or CYP2C9 inhibition. Replacements of -CH3 and -NH- in the methanesulfonamide moiety of dasabuvir with -OH and -CH2- or -CH2CH2-, respectively, improved the safety/toxicity profile. Hepatotoxicity in 5d, 4d, and 18d is likely due to -NH- in their methanesulfonamide/sulfamic acid moieties. These compounds are potent inhibitors of N-7 and 2'-methylation activities of ZIKV methyltransferase and/or RNA synthesis through interactions with amino acid residues in the priming loop/"N-pocket" in the virus RdRP. Synthesis of these compounds and wet laboratory validation against ZIKV are recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine
I. Ezeh
- Department
of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, PMB 5025, Awka 420110, Anambra
State, Nigeria
| | - Onyinyechi E. Okonkwo
- Department
of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, PMB 5025, Awka 420110, Anambra
State, Nigeria
| | - Innocent N. Okpoli
- Department
of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, PMB 5025, Awka 420110, Anambra
State, Nigeria
- Drug
Design and Informatics Group, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, PMB 5025, Awka 420110, Anambra State, Nigeria
| | - Chima E. Orji
- Department
of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, PMB 5025, Awka 420110, Anambra State, Nigeria
| | - Benjamin U. Modozie
- Department
of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, PMB 5025, Awka 420110, Anambra
State, Nigeria
| | - Augustine C. Onyema
- Department
of Biochemistry, Graduate Center, City University
of New York (CUNY), New York, New York 10016, United States
| | - Fortunatus C. Ezebuo
- Department
of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, PMB 5025, Awka 420110, Anambra
State, Nigeria
- Drug
Design and Informatics Group, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, PMB 5025, Awka 420110, Anambra State, Nigeria
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21
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Fong YD, Chu JJH. Natural products as Zika antivirals. Med Res Rev 2022; 42:1739-1780. [PMID: 35593443 PMCID: PMC9540820 DOI: 10.1002/med.21891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) is an arbovirus belonging to the flavivirus genus and is transmitted in Aedes mosquito vectors. Since its discovery in humans in 1952 in Uganda, ZIKV has been responsible for many outbreaks in South America, Africa, and Asia. Patients infected with ZIKV are usually asymptomatic; mild symptoms include fever, joint and muscle pain, and fatigue. However, severe infections may have neurological implications, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome and fetal microcephaly. To date, there are no existing approved therapeutic drugs or vaccines against ZIKV infections; treatments mainly target the symptoms of infection. Preventive measures against mosquito breeding are the main strategy for limiting the spread of the virus. Antiviral drug research for the treatment of ZIKV infection has been rapidly developing, with many drug candidates emerging from drug repurposing studies, and compound screening. In particular, several studies have demonstrated the potential of natural products as antivirals for ZIKV infection. Hence, this paper will review recent advances in natural products in ZIKV antiviral drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhui Deborah Fong
- Integrative Sciences and Engineering Programme (ISEP), NUS Graduate School (NUSGS), National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Laboratory of Molecular RNA Virology and Antiviral Strategies, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Justin Jang Hann Chu
- Integrative Sciences and Engineering Programme (ISEP), NUS Graduate School (NUSGS), National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Laboratory of Molecular RNA Virology and Antiviral Strategies, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Collaborative and Translation Unit for HFMD, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
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22
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Evidence that untranslated genomic sequences are key determinants of insect-specific flavivirus host restriction. Virology 2022; 574:102-114. [DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2022.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 07/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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23
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Exploring the structure, binding mode, flexibility and toxicity nature for Sinefungin molecule: a theoretical approach. RESEARCH ON CHEMICAL INTERMEDIATES 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11164-022-04714-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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24
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Fischer TR, Meidner L, Schwickert M, Weber M, Zimmermann RA, Kersten C, Schirmeister T, Helm M. Chemical biology and medicinal chemistry of RNA methyltransferases. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:4216-4245. [PMID: 35412633 PMCID: PMC9071492 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA methyltransferases (MTases) are ubiquitous enzymes whose hitherto low profile in medicinal chemistry, contrasts with the surging interest in RNA methylation, the arguably most important aspect of the new field of epitranscriptomics. As MTases become validated as drug targets in all major fields of biomedicine, the development of small molecule compounds as tools and inhibitors is picking up considerable momentum, in academia as well as in biotech. Here we discuss the development of small molecules for two related aspects of chemical biology. Firstly, derivates of the ubiquitous cofactor S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) are being developed as bioconjugation tools for targeted transfer of functional groups and labels to increasingly visible targets. Secondly, SAM-derived compounds are being investigated for their ability to act as inhibitors of RNA MTases. Drug development is moving from derivatives of cosubstrates towards higher generation compounds that may address allosteric sites in addition to the catalytic centre. Progress in assay development and screening techniques from medicinal chemistry have led to recent breakthroughs, e.g. in addressing human enzymes targeted for their role in cancer. Spurred by the current pandemic, new inhibitors against coronaviral MTases have emerged at a spectacular rate, including a repurposed drug which is now in clinical trial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim R Fischer
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128Mainz, Germany
| | - Laurenz Meidner
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128Mainz, Germany
| | - Marvin Schwickert
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128Mainz, Germany
| | - Marlies Weber
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128Mainz, Germany
| | - Robert A Zimmermann
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128Mainz, Germany
| | - Christian Kersten
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128Mainz, Germany
| | - Tanja Schirmeister
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128Mainz, Germany
| | - Mark Helm
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128Mainz, Germany
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25
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Du Pont KE, McCullagh M, Geiss BJ. Conserved motifs in the flavivirus NS3 RNA helicase enzyme. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. RNA 2022; 13:e1688. [PMID: 34472205 PMCID: PMC8888775 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Flaviviruses are a major health concern because over half of the world population is at risk of infection and there are very few antiviral therapeutics to treat diseases resulting from infection. Replication is an essential part of the flavivirus survival. One of the viral proteins, NS3 helicase, is critical for unwinding the double stranded RNA intermediate during flaviviral replication. The helicase performs the unwinding of the viral RNA intermediate structure in an ATP-dependent manner. NS3 helicase is a member of the Viral/DEAH-like subfamily of the superfamily 2 helicase containing eight highly conserved structural motifs (I, Ia, II, III, IV, IVa, V, and VI) localized between the ATP-binding and RNA-binding pockets. Of these structural motifs only three are well characterized for function in flaviviruses (I, II, and VI). The roles of the other structural motifs are not well understood for NS3 helicase function, but comparison of NS3 with other superfamily 2 helicases within the viral/DEAH-like, DEAH/RHA, and DEAD-box subfamilies can be used to elucidate the roles of these structural motifs in the flavivirus NS3 helicase. This review aims to summarize the role of each conserved structural motif within flavivirus NS3 in RNA helicase function. This article is categorized under: RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein-RNA Interactions: Functional Implications RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly E. Du Pont
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Martin McCullagh
- Department of Chemistry, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Brian J. Geiss
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA,Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA,School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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26
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Hooda P, Ishtikhar M, Saraswat S, Bhatia P, Mishra D, Trivedi A, Kulandaisamy R, Aggarwal S, Munde M, Ali N, AlAsmari AF, Rauf MA, Inampudi KK, Sehgal D. Biochemical and Biophysical Characterisation of the Hepatitis E Virus Guanine-7-Methyltransferase. Molecules 2022; 27:1505. [PMID: 35268608 PMCID: PMC8911963 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27051505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an understudied pathogen that causes infection through fecal contaminated drinking water and is prominently found in South Asian countries. The virus affects ~20 million people annually, leading to ~60,000 infections per year. The positive-stranded RNA genome of the HEV genotype 1 has four conserved open reading frames (ORFs), of which ORF1 encodes a polyprotein of 180 kDa in size, which is processed into four non-structural enzymes: methyltransferase (MTase), papain-like cysteine protease, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and RNA helicase. MTase is known to methylate guanosine triphosphate at the 5'-end of viral RNA, thereby preventing its degradation by host nucleases. In the present study, we cloned, expressed, and purified MTase spanning 33-353 amino acids of HEV genotype 1. The activity of the purified enzyme and the conformational changes were established through biochemical and biophysical studies. The binding affinity of MTase with magnesium ions (Mg2+) was studied by isothermal calorimetry (ITC), microscale thermophoresis (MST), far-UV CD analysis and, fluorescence quenching. In summary, a short stretch of nucleotides has been cloned, coding for the HEV MTase of 37 kDa, which binds Mg2+ and modulate its activity. The chelation of magnesium reversed the changes, confirming its role in enzyme activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Preeti Hooda
- Virology Lab, Department of Life Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida 201314, India; (P.H.); (M.I.); (S.S.); (P.B.); (D.M.); (A.T.)
| | - Mohd Ishtikhar
- Virology Lab, Department of Life Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida 201314, India; (P.H.); (M.I.); (S.S.); (P.B.); (D.M.); (A.T.)
| | - Shweta Saraswat
- Virology Lab, Department of Life Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida 201314, India; (P.H.); (M.I.); (S.S.); (P.B.); (D.M.); (A.T.)
| | - Pooja Bhatia
- Virology Lab, Department of Life Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida 201314, India; (P.H.); (M.I.); (S.S.); (P.B.); (D.M.); (A.T.)
| | - Deepali Mishra
- Virology Lab, Department of Life Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida 201314, India; (P.H.); (M.I.); (S.S.); (P.B.); (D.M.); (A.T.)
| | - Aditya Trivedi
- Virology Lab, Department of Life Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida 201314, India; (P.H.); (M.I.); (S.S.); (P.B.); (D.M.); (A.T.)
| | - Rajkumar Kulandaisamy
- Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi 110029, India;
| | - Soumya Aggarwal
- School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi 110067, India; (S.A.); (M.M.)
| | - Manoj Munde
- School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi 110067, India; (S.A.); (M.M.)
| | - Nemat Ali
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 55760, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (N.A.); (A.F.A.)
| | - Abdullah F. AlAsmari
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 55760, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (N.A.); (A.F.A.)
| | - Mohd A. Rauf
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA;
| | - Krishna K. Inampudi
- Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi 110029, India;
| | - Deepak Sehgal
- Virology Lab, Department of Life Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida 201314, India; (P.H.); (M.I.); (S.S.); (P.B.); (D.M.); (A.T.)
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27
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Vicenti I, Martina MG, Boccuto A, De Angelis M, Giavarini G, Dragoni F, Marchi S, Trombetta CM, Crespan E, Maga G, Eydoux C, Decroly E, Montomoli E, Nencioni L, Zazzi M, Radi M. System-oriented optimization of multi-target 2,6-diaminopurine derivatives: Easily accessible broad-spectrum antivirals active against flaviviruses, influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2. Eur J Med Chem 2021; 224:113683. [PMID: 34273661 PMCID: PMC8255191 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The worldwide circulation of different viruses coupled with the increased frequency and diversity of new outbreaks, strongly highlight the need for new antiviral drugs to quickly react against potential pandemic pathogens. Broad-spectrum antiviral agents (BSAAs) represent the ideal option for a prompt response against multiple viruses, new and re-emerging. Starting from previously identified anti-flavivirus hits, we report herein the identification of promising BSAAs by submitting the multi-target 2,6-diaminopurine chemotype to a system-oriented optimization based on phenotypic screening on cell cultures infected with different viruses. Among the synthesized compounds, 6i showed low micromolar potency against Dengue, Zika, West Nile and Influenza A viruses (IC50 = 0.5-5.3 μM) with high selectivity index. Interestingly, 6i also inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication in different cell lines, with higher potency on Calu-3 cells that better mimic the SARS-CoV-2 infection in vivo (IC50 = 0.5 μM, SI = 240). The multi-target effect of 6i on flavivirus replication was also analyzed in whole cell studies (in vitro selection and immunofluorescence) and against isolated host/viral targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Vicenti
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Martina
- Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Parma, Viale delle Scienze, 27/A, 43124, Parma, Italy
| | - Adele Boccuto
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Marta De Angelis
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Giorgia Giavarini
- Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Parma, Viale delle Scienze, 27/A, 43124, Parma, Italy
| | - Filippo Dragoni
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Serena Marchi
- Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | | | - Emmanuele Crespan
- Istituto di Genetica Molecolare, IGM-CNR "Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza", Via Abbiategrasso 207, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Giovanni Maga
- Istituto di Genetica Molecolare, IGM-CNR "Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza", Via Abbiategrasso 207, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Cecilia Eydoux
- AFMB, CNRS, Université Aix-Marseille, UMR 7257, Marseille, France
| | - Etienne Decroly
- AFMB, CNRS, Université Aix-Marseille, UMR 7257, Marseille, France
| | - Emanuele Montomoli
- Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, Siena, Italy; VisMederi s.r.l, Strada del Petriccio e Belriguardo 35, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Lucia Nencioni
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Maurizio Zazzi
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Marco Radi
- Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Parma, Viale delle Scienze, 27/A, 43124, Parma, Italy.
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28
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Fernandes PO, Chagas MA, Rocha WR, Moraes AH. Non-structural protein 5 (NS5) as a target for antiviral development against established and emergent flaviviruses. Curr Opin Virol 2021; 50:30-39. [PMID: 34340199 DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2021.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Flaviviruses are among the most critical pathogens in tropical regions and cause a growing number of severe diseases in developing countries. The development of antiviral therapeutics is crucial for managing flavivirus outbreaks. Among the ten proteins encoded in the flavivirus RNA, non-structural protein 5, NS5, is a promising drug target. NS5 plays a fundamental role in flavivirus replication, viral RNA methylation, RNA polymerization, and host immune system evasion. Most of the NS5 inhibitor candidates target NS5 active sites. However, the similarity of NS5 activity sites with human enzymes can cause side effects. Identifying new allosteric sites in NS5 can contribute enormously to antiviral development. The NS5 structural characterization enabled exploring new regions, such as the residues involved in MTase-RdRp interaction, NS5 oligomerization, and NS5 interaction with other viral and host-cell proteins. Targeting NS5 critical interactions might lead to new compounds and overcomes the toxicity of current NS5-inhibitor candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipe O Fernandes
- Departamento de Produtos Farmacêuticos, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Marcelo A Chagas
- Departamento de Química, Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Willian R Rocha
- Departamento de Química, Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Adolfo H Moraes
- Departamento de Química, Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Department of NMR-based Structural Biology, Max-Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany.
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29
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Abstract
The OC43 coronavirus is a human pathogen that usually causes only the common cold. One of its key enzymes, similar to other coronaviruses, is the 2'-O-RNA methyltransferase (MTase), which is essential for viral RNA stability and expression. Here, we report the crystal structure of the 2'-O-RNA MTase in a complex with the pan-methyltransferase inhibitor sinefungin solved at 2.2-Å resolution. The structure reveals an overall fold consistent with the fold observed in other coronaviral MTases. The major differences are in the conformation of the C terminus of the nsp16 subunit and an additional helix in the N terminus of the nsp10 subunits. The structural analysis also revealed very high conservation of the S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) binding pocket, suggesting that the SAM pocket is a suitable spot for the design of antivirals effective against all human coronaviruses. IMPORTANCE Some coronaviruses are dangerous pathogens, while some cause only common colds. The reasons are not understood, although the spike proteins probably play an important role. However, to understand the coronaviral biology in sufficient detail, we need to compare the key enzymes from different coronaviruses. We solved the crystal structure of 2'-O-RNA methyltransferase of the OC43 coronavirus, a virus that usually causes mild colds. The structure revealed some differences in the overall fold but also revealed that the SAM binding site is conserved, suggesting that development of antivirals against multiple coronaviruses is feasible.
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30
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Salgado-Albarrán M, Navarro-Delgado EI, Del Moral-Morales A, Alcaraz N, Baumbach J, González-Barrios R, Soto-Reyes E. Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals key epigenetic targets in SARS-CoV-2 infection. NPJ Syst Biol Appl 2021; 7:21. [PMID: 34031419 PMCID: PMC8144203 DOI: 10.1038/s41540-021-00181-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 is an infection caused by SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2), which has caused a global outbreak. Current research efforts are focused on the understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection in order to propose drug-based therapeutic options. Transcriptional changes due to epigenetic regulation are key host cell responses to viral infection and have been studied in SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV; however, such changes are not fully described for SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we analyzed multiple transcriptomes obtained from cell lines infected with MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2, and from COVID-19 patient-derived samples. Using integrative analyses of gene co-expression networks and de-novo pathway enrichment, we characterize different gene modules and protein pathways enriched with Transcription Factors or Epifactors relevant for SARS-CoV-2 infection. We identified EP300, MOV10, RELA, and TRIM25 as top candidates, and more than 60 additional proteins involved in the epigenetic response during viral infection that has therapeutic potential. Our results show that targeting the epigenetic machinery could be a feasible alternative to treat COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marisol Salgado-Albarrán
- grid.7220.70000 0001 2157 0393Departamento de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Cuajimalpa (UAM-C), Mexico City, Mexico ,grid.6936.a0000000123222966Chair of Experimental Bioinformatics, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Erick I. Navarro-Delgado
- grid.419167.c0000 0004 1777 1207Unidad de Investigación Biomédica en Cáncer, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Aylin Del Moral-Morales
- grid.7220.70000 0001 2157 0393Departamento de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Cuajimalpa (UAM-C), Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Nicolas Alcaraz
- grid.5254.60000 0001 0674 042XThe Bioinformatics Centre, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jan Baumbach
- grid.9026.d0000 0001 2287 2617Chair of Computational Systems Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany ,grid.10825.3e0000 0001 0728 0170Computational BioMedicine Lab, Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Rodrigo González-Barrios
- grid.419167.c0000 0004 1777 1207Unidad de Investigación Biomédica en Cáncer, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Ernesto Soto-Reyes
- grid.7220.70000 0001 2157 0393Departamento de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Cuajimalpa (UAM-C), Mexico City, Mexico
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31
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Sutto-Ortiz P, Tcherniuk S, Ysebaert N, Abeywickrema P, Noël M, Decombe A, Debart F, Vasseur JJ, Canard B, Roymans D, Rigaux P, Eléouët JF, Decroly E. The methyltransferase domain of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus L protein catalyzes cap N7 and 2'-O-methylation. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009562. [PMID: 33956914 PMCID: PMC8130918 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a negative sense single-stranded RNA virus and one of the main causes of severe lower respiratory tract infections in infants and young children. RSV RNA replication/transcription and capping are ensured by the viral Large (L) protein. The L protein contains a polymerase domain associated with a polyribonucleotidyl transferase domain in its N-terminus, and a methyltransferase (MTase) domain followed by the C-terminal domain (CTD) enriched in basic amino acids at its C-terminus. The MTase-CTD of Mononegavirales forms a clamp to accommodate RNA that is subsequently methylated on the cap structure and depending on the virus, on internal positions. These enzymatic activities are essential for efficient viral mRNA translation into proteins, and to prevent the recognition of uncapped viral RNA by innate immunity sensors. In this work, we demonstrated that the MTase-CTD of RSV, as well as the full-length L protein in complex with phosphoprotein (P), catalyzes the N7- and 2’-O-methylation of the cap structure of a short RNA sequence that corresponds to the 5’ end of viral mRNA. Using different experimental systems, we showed that the RSV MTase-CTD methylates the cap structure with a preference for N7-methylation as first reaction. However, we did not observe cap-independent internal methylation, as recently evidenced for the Ebola virus MTase. We also found that at μM concentrations, sinefungin, a S-adenosylmethionine analogue, inhibits the MTase activity of the RSV L protein and of the MTase-CTD domain. Altogether, these results suggest that the RSV MTase domain specifically recognizes viral RNA decorated by a cap structure and catalyzes its methylation, which is required for translation and innate immune system subversion. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is responsible of infant bronchiolitis and severe lower respiratory tract infections in infants and young children, and the leading cause of hospitalization in children under one year of age. However, we still lack a vaccine and therapeutics against this important pathogen. The main enzymatic activities involved in RSV propagation are embedded in the Large (L) protein that contains the polymerase domain and also all the activities required for RNA cap structure synthesis and methylation. These post-transcriptional RNA modifications play a key role in virus replication because cap N7-methylation is required for viral RNA translation into proteins, and 2’-O-methylation hides viral RNA from innate immunity detection. Viral methyltransferase (MTase) activities are now considered potential antiviral targets because their inhibition might limit the virus production and strengthen early virus detection by innate immunity sensors. In this work, we compared the enzymatic activities of the MTase expressed as a single domain or in the context of the full-length L protein. We demonstrated that the MTase protein catalyzes the specific methylation of the cap structure at both N7- and 2’-O-positions, and we obtained the proof of concept that a S-adenosylmethionine analogue can inhibit the MTase activity of the L protein.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sergey Tcherniuk
- Unité de Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, INRAE, Université Paris Saclay, Jouy en Josas, France
| | - Nina Ysebaert
- Janssen Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Beerse, Belgium
| | | | - Mathieu Noël
- IBMM, Université de Montpellier, ENSCM, CNRS, UMR 5247, Montpellier, France
| | - Alice Decombe
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, AFMB UMR 7257, Marseille, France
| | - Françoise Debart
- IBMM, Université de Montpellier, ENSCM, CNRS, UMR 5247, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Bruno Canard
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, AFMB UMR 7257, Marseille, France
| | - Dirk Roymans
- Janssen Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Beerse, Belgium
| | - Peter Rigaux
- Janssen Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Beerse, Belgium
| | - Jean-François Eléouët
- Unité de Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, INRAE, Université Paris Saclay, Jouy en Josas, France
| | - Etienne Decroly
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, AFMB UMR 7257, Marseille, France
- * E-mail:
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Structures of flavivirus RNA promoters suggest two binding modes with NS5 polymerase. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2530. [PMID: 33953197 PMCID: PMC8100141 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22846-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Flaviviruses use a ~70 nucleotide stem-loop structure called stem-loop A (SLA) at the 5' end of the RNA genome as a promoter for RNA synthesis. Flaviviral polymerase NS5 specifically recognizes SLA to initiate RNA synthesis and methylate the 5' guanosine cap. We report the crystal structures of dengue (DENV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) SLAs. DENV and ZIKV SLAs differ in the relative orientations of their top stem-loop helices to bottom stems, but both form an intermolecular three-way junction with a neighboring SLA molecule. To understand how NS5 engages SLA, we determined the SLA-binding site on NS5 and modeled the NS5-SLA complex of DENV and ZIKV. Our results show that the gross conformational differences seen in DENV and ZIKV SLAs can be compensated by the differences in the domain arrangements in DENV and ZIKV NS5s. We describe two binding modes of SLA and NS5 and propose an SLA-mediated RNA synthesis mechanism.
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Evaluation of Conserved RNA Secondary Structures within and between Geographic Lineages of Zika Virus. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11040344. [PMID: 33919874 PMCID: PMC8070784 DOI: 10.3390/life11040344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV), without a vaccine or an effective treatment approved to date, has globally spread in the last century. The infection caused by ZIKV in humans has changed progressively from mild to subclinical in recent years, causing epidemics with greater infectivity, tropism towards new tissues and other related symptoms as a product of various emergent ZIKV–host cell interactions. However, it is still unknown why or how the RNA genome structure impacts those interactions in differential evolutionary origin strains. Moreover, the genomic comparison of ZIKV strains from the sequence-based phylogenetic analysis is well known, but differences from RNA structure comparisons have barely been studied. Thus, in order to understand the RNA genome variability of lineages of various geographic distributions better, 410 complete genomes in a phylogenomic scanning were used to study the conservation of structured RNAs. Our results show the contemporary landscape of conserved structured regions with unique conserved structured regions in clades or in lineages within circulating ZIKV strains. We propose these structures as candidates for further experimental validation to establish their potential role in vital functions of the viral cycle of ZIKV and their possible associations with the singularities of different outbreaks that lead to ZIKV populations to acquire nucleotide substitutions, which is evidence of the local structure genome differentiation.
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Wichit S, Gumpangseth N, Hamel R, Yainoy S, Arikit S, Punsawad C, Missé D. Chikungunya and Zika Viruses: Co-Circulation and the Interplay between Viral Proteins and Host Factors. Pathogens 2021; 10:448. [PMID: 33918691 PMCID: PMC8068860 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10040448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Revised: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Chikungunya and Zika viruses, both transmitted by mosquito vectors, have globally re-emerged over for the last 60 years and resulted in crucial social and economic concerns. Presently, there is no specific antiviral agent or vaccine against these debilitating viruses. Understanding viral-host interactions is needed to develop targeted therapeutics. However, there is presently limited information in this area. In this review, we start with the updated virology and replication cycle of each virus. Transmission by similar mosquito vectors, frequent co-circulation, and occurrence of co-infection are summarized. Finally, the targeted host proteins/factors used by the viruses are discussed. There is an urgent need to better understand the virus-host interactions that will facilitate antiviral drug development and thus reduce the global burden of infections caused by arboviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sineewanlaya Wichit
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Applied Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand; (N.G.); (S.Y.)
- School of Medicine, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80160, Thailand;
| | - Nuttamonpat Gumpangseth
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Applied Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand; (N.G.); (S.Y.)
| | - Rodolphe Hamel
- MIVEGEC, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France; (R.H.); (D.M.)
| | - Sakda Yainoy
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Applied Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand; (N.G.); (S.Y.)
| | - Siwaret Arikit
- Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture at Kamphaeng Saen, Kasetsart University Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Nakhon Pathom 73140, Thailand;
| | - Chuchard Punsawad
- School of Medicine, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80160, Thailand;
| | - Dorothée Missé
- MIVEGEC, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France; (R.H.); (D.M.)
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Song W, Zhang H, Zhang Y, Chen Y, Lin Y, Han Y, Jiang J. Identification and Characterization of Zika Virus NS5 Methyltransferase Inhibitors. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:665379. [PMID: 33898335 PMCID: PMC8058401 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.665379] [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: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The recurring outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV) worldwide makes an emergent demand for novel, safe and efficacious anti-ZIKV agents. ZIKV non-structural protein 5 (NS5) methyltransferase (MTase), which is essential for viral replication, is regarded as a potential drug target. In our study, a luminescence-based methyltransferase assay was used to establish the ZIKV NS5 MTase inhibitor screening model. Through screening a natural product library, we found theaflavin, a polyphenol derived from tea, could inhibit ZIKV NS5 MTase activity with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 10.10 μM. Molecular docking and site-directed mutagenesis analyses identified D146 as the key amino acid in the interaction between ZIKV NS5 MTase and theaflavin. The SPR assay indicated that theaflavin had a stronger binding activity with ZIKV NS5 wild-type (WT)-MTase than it with D146A-MTase. Moreover, theaflavin exhibited a dose dependent inhibitory effect on ZIKV replication with a 50% effective concentration (EC50) of 8.19 μM. All these results indicate that theaflavin is likely to be a promising lead compound against ZIKV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weibao Song
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Function of Natural Medicine, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Hongjuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Function of Natural Medicine, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Function of Natural Medicine, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Function of Natural Medicine, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Function of Natural Medicine, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yanxing Han
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Function of Natural Medicine, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jiandong Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Function of Natural Medicine, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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36
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Zika Virus Pathogenesis: A Battle for Immune Evasion. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9030294. [PMID: 33810028 PMCID: PMC8005041 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9030294] [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: 02/13/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) infection and its associated congenital and other neurological disorders, particularly microcephaly and other fetal developmental abnormalities, constitute a World Health Organization (WHO) Zika Virus Research Agenda within the WHO’s R&D Blueprint for Action to Prevent Epidemics, and continue to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) today. ZIKV pathogenicity is initiated by viral infection and propagation across multiple placental and fetal tissue barriers, and is critically strengthened by subverting host immunity. ZIKV immune evasion involves viral non-structural proteins, genomic and non-coding RNA and microRNA (miRNA) to modulate interferon (IFN) signaling and production, interfering with intracellular signal pathways and autophagy, and promoting cellular environment changes together with secretion of cellular components to escape innate and adaptive immunity and further infect privileged immune organs/tissues such as the placenta and eyes. This review includes a description of recent advances in the understanding of the mechanisms underlying ZIKV immune modulation and evasion that strongly condition viral pathogenesis, which would certainly contribute to the development of anti-ZIKV strategies, drugs, and vaccines.
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Valle C, Martin B, Ferron F, Roig-Zamboni V, Desmyter A, Debart F, Vasseur JJ, Canard B, Coutard B, Decroly E. First insights into the structural features of Ebola virus methyltransferase activities. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:1737-1748. [PMID: 33503246 PMCID: PMC7897494 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa1276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2020] [Revised: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The Ebola virus is a deadly human pathogen responsible for several outbreaks in Africa. Its genome encodes the 'large' L protein, an essential enzyme that has polymerase, capping and methyltransferase activities. The methyltransferase activity leads to RNA co-transcriptional modifications at the N7 position of the cap structure and at the 2'-O position of the first transcribed nucleotide. Unlike other Mononegavirales viruses, the Ebola virus methyltransferase also catalyses 2'-O-methylation of adenosines located within the RNA sequences. Herein, we report the crystal structure at 1.8 Å resolution of the Ebola virus methyltransferase domain bound to a fragment of a camelid single-chain antibody. We identified structural determinants and key amino acids specifically involved in the internal adenosine-2'-O-methylation from cap-related methylations. These results provide the first high resolution structure of an ebolavirus L protein domain, and the framework to investigate the effects of epitranscriptomic modifications and to design possible antiviral drugs against the Filoviridae family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coralie Valle
- AFMB, CNRS, Université Aix-Marseille, UMR 7257, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
| | - Baptiste Martin
- AFMB, CNRS, Université Aix-Marseille, UMR 7257, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
| | - François Ferron
- AFMB, CNRS, Université Aix-Marseille, UMR 7257, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
| | - Véronique Roig-Zamboni
- AFMB, CNRS, Université Aix-Marseille, UMR 7257, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
| | - Aline Desmyter
- AFMB, CNRS, Université Aix-Marseille, UMR 7257, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
| | - Françoise Debart
- IBMM, UMR 5247 CNRS, Université de Montpellier, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Bruno Canard
- AFMB, CNRS, Université Aix-Marseille, UMR 7257, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
| | - Bruno Coutard
- Unité des Virus Émergents (UVE: Aix-Marseille Univ-IRD 190-Inserm, 1207-IHU Méditerranée Infection) Marseille, France
| | - Etienne Decroly
- AFMB, CNRS, Université Aix-Marseille, UMR 7257, Case 925, 163 Avenue de Luminy, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
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Dinesh DC, Tamilarasan S, Rajaram K, Bouřa E. Antiviral Drug Targets of Single-Stranded RNA Viruses Causing Chronic Human Diseases. Curr Drug Targets 2021; 21:105-124. [PMID: 31538891 DOI: 10.2174/1389450119666190920153247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) viruses associated with chronic diseases in humans are major threats to public health causing high mortality globally. The high mutation rate of RNA viruses helps them to escape the immune response and also is responsible for the development of drug resistance. Chronic infections caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis viruses (HBV and HCV) lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and hepatocellular carcinoma respectively, which are one of the major causes of human deaths. Effective preventative measures to limit chronic and re-emerging viral infections are absolutely necessary. Each class of antiviral agents targets a specific stage in the viral life cycle and inhibits them from its development and proliferation. Most often, antiviral drugs target a specific viral protein, therefore only a few broad-spectrum drugs are available. This review will be focused on the selected viral target proteins of pathogenic viruses containing single-stranded (ss) RNA genome that causes chronic infections in humans (e.g. HIV, HCV, Flaviviruses). In the recent past, an exponential increase in the number of available three-dimensional protein structures (>150000 in Protein Data Bank), allowed us to better understand the molecular mechanism of action of protein targets and antivirals. Advancements in the in silico approaches paved the way to design and develop several novels, highly specific small-molecule inhibitors targeting the viral proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Selvaraj Tamilarasan
- Section of Microbial Biotechnology, Charles Tanford Protein Center, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Kaushik Rajaram
- Department of Microbiology, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur, India
| | - Evžen Bouřa
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
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Mwaliko C, Nyaruaba R, Zhao L, Atoni E, Karungu S, Mwau M, Lavillette D, Xia H, Yuan Z. Zika virus pathogenesis and current therapeutic advances. Pathog Glob Health 2021; 115:21-39. [PMID: 33191867 PMCID: PMC7850325 DOI: 10.1080/20477724.2020.1845005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging arthropod-borne flavivirus that, upon infection, results in teratogenic effects and neurological disorders. ZIKV infections pose serious global public health concerns, prompting scientists to increase research on antivirals and vaccines against the virus. These efforts are still ongoing as the pathogenesis and immune evasion mechanisms of ZIKV have not yet been fully elaborated. Currently, no specific vaccines or drugs have been approved for ZIKV; however, some are undergoing clinical trials. Notably, several strategies have been used to develop antivirals, including drugs that target viral and host proteins. Additionally, drug repurposing is preferred since it is less costly and takes less time than other strategies because the drugs used have already been approved for human use. Likewise, different platforms have been evaluated for the design of vaccines, including DNA, mRNA, peptide, protein, viral vectors, virus-like particles (VLPSs), inactivated-virus, and live-attenuated virus vaccines. These vaccines have been shown to induce specific humoral and cellular immune responses and reduce viremia and viral RNA both in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, most of these vaccines have entered clinical trials. Understanding the viral disease mechanism will provide better strategies for developing therapeutic agents against ZIKV. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the viral pathogenesis of ZIKV and current advancements in the development of vaccines and drugs against this virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Mwaliko
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,International College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China,Microbiology, Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Raphael Nyaruaba
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,International College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China,Microbiology, Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Lu Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,International College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Evans Atoni
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,International College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China,Microbiology, Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Samuel Karungu
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,International College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China,Microbiology, Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Matilu Mwau
- Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Control Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Dimitri Lavillette
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology & Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Han Xia
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,CONTACT Han Xia ; Zhiming Yuan Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhiming Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
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Ruggieri A, Helm M, Chatel-Chaix L. An epigenetic 'extreme makeover': the methylation of flaviviral RNA (and beyond). RNA Biol 2021; 18:696-708. [PMID: 33356825 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2020.1868150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Beyond their high clinical relevance worldwide, flaviviruses (comprising dengue and Zika viruses) are of particular interest to understand the spatiotemporal control of RNA metabolism. Indeed, their positive single-stranded viral RNA genome (vRNA) undergoes in the cytoplasm replication, translation and encapsidation, three steps of the flavivirus life cycle that are coordinated through a fine-tuned equilibrium. Over the last years, RNA methylation has emerged as a powerful mechanism to regulate messenger RNA metabolism at the posttranscriptional level. Not surprisingly, flaviviruses exploit RNA epigenetic strategies to control crucial steps of their replication cycle as well as to evade sensing by the innate immune system. This review summarizes the current knowledge about vRNA methylation events and their impacts on flavivirus replication and pathogenesis. We also address the important challenges that the field of epitranscriptomics faces in reliably and accurately identifying RNA methylation sites, which should be considered in future studies on viral RNA modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Ruggieri
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Molecular Virology, Centre for Integrative Infectious Disease Research University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mark Helm
- Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Mainz, Germany
| | - Laurent Chatel-Chaix
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, Québec, Canada
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Tharayil A, Rajakumari R, Kumar A, Choudhary MD, Palit P, Thomas S. New insights into application of nanoparticles in the diagnosis and screening of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). EMERGENT MATERIALS 2021; 4:101-117. [PMID: 33817553 PMCID: PMC8010296 DOI: 10.1007/s42247-021-00182-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is by far the worst pandemic disease in the current millennium. The first human-to-human transmission was observed in December 2019 in China and is caused by the highly contagious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which has infected millions of people within months across the globe. SARS-CoV-2 is a spike protein enveloped virus with particle-like characteristics and a diameter of 60-140 nm. Real-time PCR, reverse transcriptase PCR, isothermal PCR, immunological-based detection technique and nano-based diagnostic system have been explained for the identification and differentiation of different types of virus including SARS-COV-2. Synthetic nanoparticles can closely mimic the virus and interact strongly with its virulent proteins due to their morphological similarities. Some of the antiviral nanomaterials are also discussed, for example zinc oxide nanoparticle is an antiviral agent with a tetrapod morphology that mimics the cell surface by interacting with the viral capsid. It suppressed the viral proteins upon UV radiation due to reaction caused by photocatalysis. Hence, nanoparticle-based strategies for tackling viruses have immense potential. The second part of the review points to the latest in vitro and in vivo procedures for screening viral particles and the usage of nanoparticles in diagnostic and therapeutics. This would be beneficial for early detection and assists for the safe and effective therapeutic management of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhimanyu Tharayil
- School of Energy Materials, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, 686560 India
| | - R. Rajakumari
- International and Inter-University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, 686560 India
| | - Amresh Kumar
- Department of Life Sciences and Bioinformatics, Assam University, Silchar, India
| | | | - Parth Palit
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Assam University, Silchar, India
| | - Sabu Thomas
- School of Energy Materials, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, 686560 India
- School of Chemical Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, 686560 India
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42
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Liu XH, Zhang X, Lu ZH, Zhu YS, Wang T. Potential molecular targets of nonstructural proteins for the development of antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Biomed Pharmacother 2020; 133:111035. [PMID: 33254013 PMCID: PMC7671653 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2020.111035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 has posed significant threats to public health worldwide. Target-based drug development is a promising approach against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nonstructural proteins may play critical roles from drug design perspectives. Insights into NSPs of different viruses could streamline novel drug development.
Outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and SARS-CoV-2 have produced high pathogenicity and mortality rates in human populations. However, to meet the increasing demand for treatment of these pathogenic coronaviruses, accelerating novel antiviral drug development as much as possible has become a public concern. Target-based drug development may be a promising approach to achieve this goal. In this review, the relevant features of potential molecular targets in human coronaviruses (HCoVs) are highlighted, including the viral protease, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and methyltransferases. Additionally, recent advances in the development of antivirals based on these targets are summarized. This review is expected to provide new insights and potential strategies for the development of novel antiviral drugs to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Huan Liu
- School of Biological Science, Jining Medical University, Jining, China
| | - Xiao Zhang
- School of Biological Science, Jining Medical University, Jining, China
| | - Zhen-Hua Lu
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - You-Shuang Zhu
- School of Biological Science, Jining Medical University, Jining, China
| | - Tao Wang
- School of Biological Science, Jining Medical University, Jining, China.
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Mutations on VEEV nsP1 relate RNA capping efficiency to ribavirin susceptibility. Antiviral Res 2020; 182:104883. [PMID: 32750467 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2020.104883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Alphaviruses are arthropod-borne viruses of public health concern. To date no efficient vaccine nor antivirals are available for safe human use. During viral replication the nonstructural protein 1 (nsP1) catalyzes capping of genomic and subgenomic RNAs. The capping reaction is unique to the Alphavirus genus. The whole three-step process follows a particular order: (i) transfer of a methyl group from S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) onto a GTP forming m7GTP; (ii) guanylylation of the enzyme to form a m7GMP-nsP1adduct; (iii) transfer of m7GMP onto 5'-diphosphate RNA to yield capped RNA. Specificities of these reactions designate nsP1 as a promising target for antiviral drug development. In the current study we performed a mutational analysis on two nsP1 positions associated with Sindbis virus (SINV) ribavirin resistance in the Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) context through reverse genetics correlated to enzyme assays using purified recombinant VEEV nsP1 proteins. The results demonstrate that the targeted positions are strongly associated to the regulation of the capping reaction by increasing the affinity between GTP and nsP1. Data also show that in VEEV the S21A substitution, naturally occurring in Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), is a hallmark of ribavirin susceptibility. These findings uncover the specific mechanistic contributions of these residues to nsp1-mediated methyl-transfer and guanylylation reactions.
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Chagas M, Rocha W, Moraes A. Dynamics and allostery of Zika virus non-structural protein 5 methyltransferase. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2020; 39:5526-5538. [DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2020.1792343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Chagas
- Departamento de Química, ICEx, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Willian Rocha
- Departamento de Química, ICEx, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Adolfo Moraes
- Departamento de Química, ICEx, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Department of NMR-based Structural Biology, Max-Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
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Yun SI, Song BH, Woolley ME, Frank JC, Julander JG, Lee YM. Development, Characterization, and Application of Two Reporter-Expressing Recombinant Zika Viruses. Viruses 2020; 12:v12050572. [PMID: 32456014 PMCID: PMC7290298 DOI: 10.3390/v12050572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2020] [Revised: 05/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-borne transplacentally transmissible flavivirus, is an enveloped virus with an ~10.8 kb plus-strand RNA genome that can cause neurological disease. To facilitate the identification of potential antivirals, we developed two reporter-expressing ZIKVs, each capable of expressing an enhanced green fluorescent protein or an improved luminescent NanoLuc luciferase. First, a full-length functional ZIKV cDNA clone was engineered as a bacterial artificial chromosome, with each reporter gene under the cap-independent translational control of a cardiovirus-derived internal ribosome entry site inserted downstream of the single open reading frame of the viral genome. Two reporter-expressing ZIKVs were then generated by transfection of ZIKV-susceptible BHK-21 cells with infectious RNAs derived by in vitro run-off transcription from the respective cDNAs. As compared to the parental virus, the two reporter-expressing ZIKVs grew to lower titers with slower growth kinetics and formed smaller foci; however, they displayed a genome-wide viral protein expression profile identical to that of the parental virus, except for two previously unrecognized larger forms of the C and NS1 proteins. We then used the NanoLuc-expressing ZIKV to assess the in vitro antiviral activity of three inhibitors (T-705, NITD-008, and ribavirin). Altogether, our reporter-expressing ZIKVs represent an excellent molecular tool for the discovery of novel antivirals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sang-Im Yun
- Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA; (S.-I.Y.); (B.-H.S.); (M.E.W.); (J.C.F.); (J.G.J.)
| | - Byung-Hak Song
- Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA; (S.-I.Y.); (B.-H.S.); (M.E.W.); (J.C.F.); (J.G.J.)
| | - Michael E. Woolley
- Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA; (S.-I.Y.); (B.-H.S.); (M.E.W.); (J.C.F.); (J.G.J.)
| | - Jordan C. Frank
- Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA; (S.-I.Y.); (B.-H.S.); (M.E.W.); (J.C.F.); (J.G.J.)
| | - Justin G. Julander
- Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA; (S.-I.Y.); (B.-H.S.); (M.E.W.); (J.C.F.); (J.G.J.)
- Institute for Antiviral Research, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Young-Min Lee
- Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA; (S.-I.Y.); (B.-H.S.); (M.E.W.); (J.C.F.); (J.G.J.)
- Veterinary Diagnostics and Infectious Diseases, Utah Science Technology and Research, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84341, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-435-797-9667
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Spizzichino S, Mattedi G, Lauder K, Valle C, Aouadi W, Canard B, Decroly E, Kaptein SJF, Neyts J, Graham C, Sule Z, Barlow DJ, Silvestri R, Castagnolo D. Design, Synthesis and Discovery of N,N'-Carbazoyl-aryl-urea Inhibitors of Zika NS5 Methyltransferase and Virus Replication. ChemMedChem 2020; 15:385-390. [PMID: 31805205 PMCID: PMC7106487 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201900533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Revised: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The recent outbreaks of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection worldwide make the discovery of novel antivirals against flaviviruses a research priority. This work describes the identification of novel inhibitors of ZIKV through a structure-based virtual screening approach using the ZIKV NS5-MTase. A novel series of molecules with a carbazoyl-aryl-urea structure has been discovered and a library of analogues has been synthesized. The new compounds inhibit ZIKV MTase with IC50 between 23-48 μM. In addition, carbazoyl-aryl-ureas also proved to inhibit ZIKV replication activity at micromolar concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Spizzichino
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical SciencesKing's College LondonLondonSE1 9NHUK
- Department of Drug Chemistry and TechnologiesSapienza University of RomeLaboratory Affiliated to Instituto Pasteur Italia – Fondazione Cenci BolognettiPiazzale Aldo Moro 500185RomaItaly
| | - Giulio Mattedi
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical SciencesKing's College LondonLondonSE1 9NHUK
| | - Kate Lauder
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical SciencesKing's College LondonLondonSE1 9NHUK
| | - Coralie Valle
- AFMB, CNRSAix-Marseille University UMR 7257, Case 925163 Avenue de Luminy13288Marseille Cedex 09France
| | - Wahiba Aouadi
- AFMB, CNRSAix-Marseille University UMR 7257, Case 925163 Avenue de Luminy13288Marseille Cedex 09France
| | - Bruno Canard
- AFMB, CNRSAix-Marseille University UMR 7257, Case 925163 Avenue de Luminy13288Marseille Cedex 09France
| | - Etienne Decroly
- AFMB, CNRSAix-Marseille University UMR 7257, Case 925163 Avenue de Luminy13288Marseille Cedex 09France
| | - Suzanne J. F. Kaptein
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation Rega Institute for Medical Research Laboratory of Virology and ChemotherapyKU LeuvenMinderbroedersstraat 103000LeuvenBelgium
| | - Johan Neyts
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation Rega Institute for Medical Research Laboratory of Virology and ChemotherapyKU LeuvenMinderbroedersstraat 103000LeuvenBelgium
| | - Carl Graham
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical SciencesKing's College LondonLondonSE1 9NHUK
| | - Zakary Sule
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical SciencesKing's College LondonLondonSE1 9NHUK
| | - David J. Barlow
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical SciencesKing's College LondonLondonSE1 9NHUK
| | - Romano Silvestri
- Department of Drug Chemistry and TechnologiesSapienza University of RomeLaboratory Affiliated to Instituto Pasteur Italia – Fondazione Cenci BolognettiPiazzale Aldo Moro 500185RomaItaly
| | - Daniele Castagnolo
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical SciencesKing's College LondonLondonSE1 9NHUK
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47
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Kesari AS, Heintz VJ, Poudyal S, Miller AS, Kuhn RJ, LaCount DJ. Zika virus NS5 localizes at centrosomes during cell division. Virology 2020; 541:52-62. [PMID: 32056715 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2019.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2019] [Revised: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) nonstructural protein 5 (NS5) plays a critical role in viral RNA replication and mediates key virus-host cell interactions. As with other flavivirus NS5 proteins, ZIKV NS5 is primarily found in the nucleus. We previously reported that the NS5 protein of dengue virus, another flavivirus, localized to centrosomes during cell division. Here we show that ZIKV NS5 also relocalizes from the nucleus to centrosomes during mitosis. In infected cells with supernumerary centrosomes, NS5 was present at all centrosomes. Transient expression of NS5 in uninfected cells confirmed that centrosomal localization was independent of other viral proteins. Live-cell imaging demonstrated that NS5-GFP accumulated at centrosomes shortly after break down of nuclear membrane and remained there through mitosis. Cells expressing NS5-GFP took longer to complete mitosis than control cells. Finally, an analysis of ZIKV NS5 binding partners revealed several centrosomal proteins, providing potential direct links between NS5 and centrosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditi S Kesari
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA; Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA; Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Veronica J Heintz
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA; Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA; Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Shishir Poudyal
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA; Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Andrew S Miller
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA; Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Richard J Kuhn
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA; Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Douglas J LaCount
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA; Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA; Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.
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48
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Li A, Wang W, Wang Y, Chen K, Xiao F, Hu D, Hui L, Liu W, Feng Y, Li G, Tan Q, Liu Y, Wu K, Wu J. NS5 Conservative Site Is Required for Zika Virus to Restrict the RIG-I Signaling. Front Immunol 2020; 11:51. [PMID: 32117232 PMCID: PMC7033454 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
During host-virus co-evolution, cells develop innate immune systems to inhibit virus invasion, while viruses employ strategies to suppress immune responses and maintain infection. Here, we reveal that Zika virus (ZIKV), a re-emerging arbovirus causing public concerns and devastating complications, restricts host immune responses through a distinct mechanism. ZIKV nonstructural protein 5 (NS5) interacts with the host retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I), an essential signaling molecule for defending pathogen infections. NS5 subsequently represses K63-linked polyubiquitination of RIG-I, attenuates the phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3), and inhibits the expression and production of interferon-β (IFN-β), thereby restricting the RIG-I signaling pathway. Interestingly, we demonstrate that the methyltransferase (MTase) domain of NS5 is required for the repression of RIG-I ubiquitination, IRF3 activation, and IFN-β production. Detailed studies further reveal that the conservative active site D146 of NS5 is critical for the suppression of the RIG-I signaling. Therefore, we uncover an essential role of NS5 conservative site D146 in ZIKV-mediated repression of innate immune system, illustrate a distinct mechanism by which ZIKV evades host immune responses, and discover a potential target for anti-viral infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aixin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Wenbiao Wang
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yingchong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Keli Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Feng Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Dingwen Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Lixia Hui
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Weiyong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yuqian Feng
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Geng Li
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qiuping Tan
- Guangdong LongFan Biological Science and Technology Company, Foshan, China
| | - Yingle Liu
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kailang Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jianguo Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
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49
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Santos FRS, Lima WG, Maia EHB, Assis LC, Davyt D, Taranto AG, Ferreira JMS. Identification of a Potential Zika Virus Inhibitor Targeting NS5 Methyltransferase Using Virtual Screening and Molecular Dynamics Simulations. J Chem Inf Model 2020; 60:562-568. [PMID: 31985225 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.9b00809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The NS5 methyltransferase (MTase) has been reported as an attractive molecular target for antivirals discovery against the Zika virus (ZIKV). Here, we report structure-based virtual screening of 42 390 structures from the Development Therapeutics Program (DTP) AIDS Antiviral Screen Database. Among the docked compounds, ZINC1652386 stood out due to its high affinity for MTase in comparison to the cocrystallized ligand MS2042, which interacts with the Asp146 residue in the MTase binding site by hydrogen bonding. Subsequent molecular dynamics simulations predicted that this compound forms a stable complex with MTase within 50 ns. Thus, ZINC1652386 may represent a promising ZIKV methyltransferase inhibitor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe R S Santos
- Laboratório de Microbiologia Médica , Universidade Federal de São João Del-Rei , Divinópolis , Minas Gerais , Brasil
| | - William G Lima
- Departamento de Produtos Farmacêuticos, Faculdade de Farmácia , Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais , Belo Horizonte , Minas Gerais , Brasil
| | - Eduardo H B Maia
- Laboratório de Quı́mica Farmacêutica Medicinal , Universidade Federal de São João Del-Rei , Minas Gerais , Divinópolis , Brasil
| | - Letícia C Assis
- Laboratório de Quı́mica Farmacêutica Medicinal , Universidade Federal de São João Del-Rei , Minas Gerais , Divinópolis , Brasil
| | - Danilo Davyt
- Departamento de Quı́mica Orgánica , Universidad de la República , Montevideo , Uruguay
| | - Alex Gutterres Taranto
- Laboratório de Quı́mica Farmacêutica Medicinal , Universidade Federal de São João Del-Rei , Minas Gerais , Divinópolis , Brasil
| | - Jaqueline M S Ferreira
- Laboratório de Microbiologia Médica , Universidade Federal de São João Del-Rei , Divinópolis , Minas Gerais , Brasil
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50
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Pramanik S, Thaker M, Perumal AG, Ekambaram R, Poondla N, Schmidt M, Kim PS, Kutzner A, Heese K. Proteomic Atomics Reveals a Distinctive Uracil-5-Methyltransferase. Mol Inform 2020; 39:e1900135. [PMID: 31943843 DOI: 10.1002/minf.201900135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Carbon (C), hydrogen (H), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), and sulfur (S) atoms intrigue as they are the foundation for amino acid (AA) composition and the folding and functions of proteins and thus define and control the survival of a cell, the smallest unit of life. Here, we calculated the proteomic atom distribution in >1500 randomly selected species across the entire current phylogenetic tree and identified uracil-5-methyltransferase (U5MTase) of the protozoan parasite Plasmodium falciparum (Pf, strain Pf3D7), with a distinct atom and AA distribution pattern. We determined its apicoplast location and in silico 3D protein structure to refocus attention exclusively on U5MTase with tremendous potential for therapeutic intervention in malaria. Around 300 million clinical cases of malaria occur each year in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, resulting in over one million deaths annually, placing malaria among the most serious infectious diseases. Genomic and proteomic research of the clades of parasites containing Pf is progressing slowly and the functions of most of the ∼5300 genes are still unknown. We applied a 'bottom-up' comparative proteomic atomics analysis across the phylogenetic tree to visualize a protein molecule on its actual basis - i. e., its atomic level. We identified a protruding Pf3D7-specific U5MTase, determined its 3D protein structure, and identified potential inhibitory drug molecules through in silico drug screening that might serve as possible remedies for the treatment of malaria. Besides, this atomic-based proteome map provides a unique approach for the identification of parasite-specific proteins that could be considered as novel therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subrata Pramanik
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 1, 33-791, Republic of Korea.,Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 3, Aachen, 52074, Germany
| | - Manisha Thaker
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ananda Gopu Perumal
- Technology Business Incubator, Periyar Maniammai Institute of Science and Technology, Vallam, Thanjavur, 613403, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Rajasekaran Ekambaram
- Department of Chemistry, V.S.B. Engineering College, 67 Covai Road, Karudayampalayam Post, Karur, 639111, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Naresh Poondla
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 1, 33-791, Republic of Korea
| | - Markus Schmidt
- Department of Information Systems, College of Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 133-791, Republic of Korea
| | - Pok-Son Kim
- Department of Mathematics, Kookmin University, 77 Jeongneung-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 1, 36-702, Republic of Korea
| | - Arne Kutzner
- Department of Information Systems, College of Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 133-791, Republic of Korea
| | - Klaus Heese
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 1, 33-791, Republic of Korea
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