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Aida-Ficken V, Kelly JA, Chatterjee P, Jenks MH, McMullan LK, Albariño CG, Montgomery JM, Seley-Radtke KL, Spiropoulou CF, Flint M. Identification of a macrocyclic compound targeting the lassa virus polymerase. Antiviral Res 2024; 228:105923. [PMID: 38844175 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2024.105923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
There are no approved vaccines or therapeutics for Lassa virus (LASV) infections. To identify compounds with anti-LASV activity, we conducted a cell-based screening campaign at biosafety level 4 and tested almost 60,000 compounds for activity against an infectious reporter LASV. Hits from this screen included several structurally related macrocycles. The most potent, Mac128, had a sub-micromolar EC50 against the reporter virus, inhibited wild-type clade IV LASV, and reduced viral titers by 4 orders of magnitude. Mechanistic studies suggested that Mac128 inhibited viral replication at the level of the polymerase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia Aida-Ficken
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA; Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Jamie A Kelly
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Payel Chatterjee
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - M Harley Jenks
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Laura K McMullan
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - César G Albariño
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Joel M Montgomery
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Katherine L Seley-Radtke
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Christina F Spiropoulou
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Mike Flint
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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2
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Zhao BQ, Chen J, Chen JX, Cheng Y, Zhou JF, Bai JS, Mao DY, Zhou B. Classical swine fever virus non-structural protein 4A recruits dihydroorotate dehydrogenase to facilitate viral replication. J Virol 2024; 98:e0049424. [PMID: 38757985 PMCID: PMC11237749 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00494-24] [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: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria are energy producers in cells, which can affect viral replication by regulating the host innate immune signaling pathways, and the changes in their biological functions are inextricably linked the viral life cycle. In this study, we screened a library of 382 mitochondria-targeted compounds and identified the antiviral inhibitors of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), the rate-limiting enzyme in the de novo synthesis pathway of pyrimidine ribonucleotides, against classical swine fever virus (CSFV). Our data showed that the inhibitors interfered with viral RNA synthesis in a dose-dependent manner, with half-maximal effective concentrations (EC50) ranging from 0.975 to 26.635 nM. Remarkably, DHODH inhibitors obstructed CSFV replication by enhancing the innate immune response including the TBK1-IRF3-STAT1 and NF-κB signaling pathways. Furthermore, the data from a series of compound addition and supplementation trials indicated that DHODH inhibitors also inhibited CSFV replication by blocking the de novo pyrimidine synthesis. Remarkably, DHODH knockdown demonstrated that it was essential for CSFV replication. Mechanistically, confocal microscopy and immunoprecipitation assays showed that the non-structural protein 4A (NS4A) recruited and interacted with DHODH in the perinuclear. Notably, NS4A enhanced the DHODH activity and promoted the generation of UMP for efficient viral replication. Structurally, the amino acids 65-229 of DHODH and the amino acids 25-40 of NS4A were pivotal for this interaction. Taken together, our findings highlight the critical role of DHODH in the CSFV life cycle and offer a potential antiviral target for the development of novel therapeutics against CSF. IMPORTANCE Classical swine fever remains one of the most economically important viral diseases of domestic pigs and wild boar worldwide. dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) inhibitors have been shown to suppress the replication of several viruses in vitro and in vivo, but the effects on Pestivirus remain unknown. In this study, three specific DHODH inhibitors, including DHODH-IN-16, BAY-2402234, and Brequinar were found to strongly suppress classical swine fever virus (CSFV) replication. These inhibitors target the host DHODH, depleting the pyrimidine nucleotide pool to exert their antiviral effects. Intriguingly, we observed that the non-structural protein 4A of CSFV induced DHODH to accumulate around the nucleus in conjunction with mitochondria. Moreover, NS4A exhibited a strong interaction with DHODH, enhancing its activity to promote efficient CSFV replication. In conclusion, our findings enhance the understanding of the pyrimidine synthesis in CSFV infection and expand the novel functions of CSFV NS4A in viral replication, providing a reference for further exploration of antiviral targets against CSFV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing-qian Zhao
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jing Chen
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jin-Xia Chen
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yan Cheng
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jiang-fei Zhou
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ji-shan Bai
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ding-yi Mao
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Bin Zhou
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Key Laboratory of Animal Bacteriology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
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3
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He Y, Zhou J, Gao H, Liu C, Zhan P, Liu X. Broad-spectrum antiviral strategy: Host-targeting antivirals against emerging and re-emerging viruses. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 265:116069. [PMID: 38160620 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.116069] [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: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Viral infections are amongst the most prevalent diseases that pose a significant threat to human health. Targeting viral proteins or host factors represents two primary strategies for the development of antiviral drugs. In contrast to virus-targeting antivirals (VTAs), host-targeting antivirals (HTAs) offer advantages in terms of overcoming drug resistance and effectively combating a wide range of viruses, including newly emerging ones. Therefore, targeting host factors emerges as an extremely promising strategy with the potential to address critical challenges faced by VTAs. In recent years, extensive research has been conducted on the discovery and development of HTAs, leading to the approval of maraviroc, a chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5) antagonist used for the treatment of HIV-1 infected individuals, with several other potential treatments in various stages of development for different viral infections. This review systematically summarizes advancements made in medicinal chemistry regarding various host targets and classifies them into four distinct catagories based on their involvement in the viral life cycle: virus attachment and entry, biosynthesis, nuclear import and export, and viral release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong He
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250012, Shandong Province, PR China
| | - Jiahui Zhou
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250012, Shandong Province, PR China
| | - Huizhan Gao
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250012, Shandong Province, PR China
| | - Chuanfeng Liu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250012, Shandong Province, PR China
| | - Peng Zhan
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250012, Shandong Province, PR China.
| | - Xinyong Liu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250012, Shandong Province, PR China.
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Qin C, Xie T, Yeh WW, Savas AC, Feng P. Metabolic Enzymes in Viral Infection and Host Innate Immunity. Viruses 2023; 16:35. [PMID: 38257735 PMCID: PMC10820379 DOI: 10.3390/v16010035] [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: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Metabolic enzymes are central players for cell metabolism and cell proliferation. These enzymes perform distinct functions in various cellular processes, such as cell metabolism and immune defense. Because viral infections inevitably trigger host immune activation, viruses have evolved diverse strategies to blunt or exploit the host immune response to enable viral replication. Meanwhile, viruses hijack key cellular metabolic enzymes to reprogram metabolism, which generates the necessary biomolecules for viral replication. An emerging theme arising from the metabolic studies of viral infection is that metabolic enzymes are key players of immune response and, conversely, immune components regulate cellular metabolism, revealing unexpected communication between these two fundamental processes that are otherwise disjointed. This review aims to summarize our present comprehension of the involvement of metabolic enzymes in viral infections and host immunity and to provide insights for potential antiviral therapy targeting metabolic enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Qin
- Section of Infection and Immunity, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | | | | | | | - Pinghui Feng
- Section of Infection and Immunity, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
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5
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Sotorilli GE, Gravina HD, de Carvalho AC, Shimizu JF, Fontoura MA, Melo-Hanchuk TD, Cordeiro AT, Marques RE. Phenotypical Screening of an MMV Open Box Library and Identification of Compounds with Antiviral Activity against St. Louis Encephalitis Virus. Viruses 2023; 15:2416. [PMID: 38140657 PMCID: PMC10747599 DOI: 10.3390/v15122416] [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: 10/14/2023] [Revised: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) is a neglected mosquito-borne Flavivirus that may cause severe neurological disease in humans and other animals. There are no specific treatments against SLEV infection or disease approved for human use, and drug repurposing may represent an opportunity to accelerate the development of treatments against SLEV. Here we present a scalable, medium-throughput phenotypic cell culture-based screening assay on Vero CCL81 cells to identify bioactive compounds that could be repurposed against SLEV infection. We screened eighty compounds from the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) COVID Box library to identify nine (11%) compounds that protected cell cultures from SLEV-induced cytopathic effects, with low- to mid-micromolar potencies. We validated six hit compounds using viral plaque-forming assays to find that the compounds ABT-239, Amiodarone, Fluphenazine, Posaconazole, Triparanol, and Vidofludimus presented varied levels of antiviral activity and selectivity depending on the mammalian cell type used for testing. Importantly, we identified and validated the antiviral activity of the anti-flavivirus nucleoside analog 7DMA against SLEV. Triparanol and Fluphenazine reduced infectious viral loads in both Vero CCL81 and HBEC-5i cell cultures and, similar to the other validated compounds, are likely to exert antiviral activity through a molecular target in the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuliana Eboli Sotorilli
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas 13083-100, Brazil; (G.E.S.); (H.D.G.); (A.C.d.C.); (J.F.S.); (M.A.F.); (T.D.M.-H.); (A.T.C.)
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas 13083-100, Brazil
| | - Humberto Doriguetto Gravina
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas 13083-100, Brazil; (G.E.S.); (H.D.G.); (A.C.d.C.); (J.F.S.); (M.A.F.); (T.D.M.-H.); (A.T.C.)
| | - Ana Carolina de Carvalho
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas 13083-100, Brazil; (G.E.S.); (H.D.G.); (A.C.d.C.); (J.F.S.); (M.A.F.); (T.D.M.-H.); (A.T.C.)
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas 13083-100, Brazil
| | - Jacqueline Farinha Shimizu
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas 13083-100, Brazil; (G.E.S.); (H.D.G.); (A.C.d.C.); (J.F.S.); (M.A.F.); (T.D.M.-H.); (A.T.C.)
| | - Marina Alves Fontoura
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas 13083-100, Brazil; (G.E.S.); (H.D.G.); (A.C.d.C.); (J.F.S.); (M.A.F.); (T.D.M.-H.); (A.T.C.)
- Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas 13083-100, Brazil
| | - Talita Diniz Melo-Hanchuk
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas 13083-100, Brazil; (G.E.S.); (H.D.G.); (A.C.d.C.); (J.F.S.); (M.A.F.); (T.D.M.-H.); (A.T.C.)
| | - Artur Torres Cordeiro
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas 13083-100, Brazil; (G.E.S.); (H.D.G.); (A.C.d.C.); (J.F.S.); (M.A.F.); (T.D.M.-H.); (A.T.C.)
| | - Rafael Elias Marques
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas 13083-100, Brazil; (G.E.S.); (H.D.G.); (A.C.d.C.); (J.F.S.); (M.A.F.); (T.D.M.-H.); (A.T.C.)
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6
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Luganini A, Sibille G, Pavan M, Mello Grand M, Sainas S, Boschi D, Lolli ML, Chiorino G, Gribaudo G. Mechanisms of antiviral activity of the new hDHODH inhibitor MEDS433 against respiratory syncytial virus replication. Antiviral Res 2023; 219:105734. [PMID: 37852322 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2023.105734] [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: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important cause of acute lower respiratory infections, for which no effective drugs are currently available. The development of new effective anti-RSV agents is therefore an urgent priority, and Host-Targeting Antivirals (HTAs) can be considered to target RSV infections. As a contribution to this antiviral avenue, we have characterized the molecular mechanisms of the anti-RSV activity of MEDS433, a new inhibitor of human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (hDHODH), a key cellular enzyme of de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis. MEDS433 was found to exert a potent antiviral activity against RSV-A and RSV-B in the one-digit nanomolar range. Analysis of the RSV replication cycle in MEDS433-treated cells, revealed that the hDHODH inhibitor suppressed the synthesis of viral genome, consistently with its ability to specifically target hDHODH enzymatic activity. Then, the capability of MEDS433 to induce the expression of antiviral proteins encoded by Interferon-Stimulated Genes (ISGs) was identified as a second mechanism of its antiviral activity against RSV. Indeed, MEDS433 stimulated secretion of IFN-β and IFN-λ1 that, in turn, induced the expression of some ISG antiviral proteins, such as IFI6, IFITM1 and IRF7. Singly expression of these ISG proteins reduced RSV-A replication, thus likely contributing to the overall anti-RSV activity of MEDS433. Lastly, MEDS433 proved to be effective against RSV-A replication even in a primary human small airway epithelial cell model. Taken as a whole, these observations provide new insights for further development of MEDS433, as a promising candidate to develop new strategies for treatment of RSV infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Luganini
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, 10123, Torino, Italy
| | - Giulia Sibille
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, 10123, Torino, Italy
| | - Marta Pavan
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, 10123, Torino, Italy
| | | | - Stefano Sainas
- Department of Drug Sciences and Technology, University of Torino, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - Donatella Boschi
- Department of Drug Sciences and Technology, University of Torino, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - Marco L Lolli
- Department of Drug Sciences and Technology, University of Torino, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | | | - Giorgio Gribaudo
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, 10123, Torino, Italy.
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7
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Garrett O, Whalen KE. A bacterial quorum sensing signal is a potent inhibitor of de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis in the globally abundant Emiliania huxleyi. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1266972. [PMID: 37869665 PMCID: PMC10587436 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1266972] [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: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Interactions between marine phytoplankton, viruses, and bacteria drive biogeochemical cycling, shape marine trophic structures, and impact global climate. Microbially produced compounds have emerged as key players in influencing eukaryotic organismal physiology, and in turn, remodel microbial community structure. This work aimed to reveal the molecular mechanism by which the bacterial quorum sensing molecule 2-heptyl-4-quinolone (HHQ), produced by the marine gammaproteobacterium Pseudoalteromonas spp., arrests cell division and confers protection from virus-induced mortality in the bloom-forming coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi. Previous work has established alkylquinolones as inhibitors of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), a fundamental enzyme catalyzing the fourth step in pyrimidine biosynthesis and a potential antiviral drug target. An N-terminally truncated version of E. huxleyi DHODH was heterologously expressed in E. coli, purified, and kinetically characterized. Here, we show HHQ is a potent inhibitor (Ki of 2.3 nM) of E. huxleyi DHODH. E. huxleyi cells exposed to brequinar, the canonical human DHODH inhibitor, experienced immediate, yet reversible cellular arrest, an effect which mirrors HHQ-induced cellular stasis previously observed. However, brequinar treatment lacked other notable effects observed in HHQ-exposed E. huxleyi including significant changes in cell size, chlorophyll fluorescence, and protection from virus-induced lysis, indicating HHQ has additional as yet undiscovered physiological targets. Together, these results suggest a novel and intricate role of bacterial quorum sensing molecules in tripartite interdomain interactions in marine ecosystems, opening new avenues for exploring the role of microbial chemical signaling in algal bloom regulation and host-pathogen dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kristen E. Whalen
- Department of Biology, Haverford College, Haverford, PA, United States
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8
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Chilingaryan G, Izmailyan R, Grigoryan R, Shavina A, Arabyan E, Khachatryan H, Abelyan N, Matevosyan M, Harutyunyan V, Manukyan G, Hietel B, Shtro A, Danilenko D, Zakaryan H. Advanced virtual screening enables the discovery of a host-targeting and broad-spectrum antiviral agent. Antiviral Res 2023; 217:105681. [PMID: 37499699 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2023.105681] [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: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
We employed an advanced virtual screening (AVS) approach to identify potential inhibitors of human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), a validated target for development of broad-spectrum antivirals. We screened a library of 495118 compounds and identified 495 compounds that exhibited better binding scores than the reference ligands involved in the screening. From the top 100 compounds, we selected 28 based on their consensus docking scores and structural novelty. Then, we conducted in vitro experiments to investigate the antiviral activity of selected compounds on HSV-1 infection, which is susceptible to DHODH inhibitors. Among the tested compounds, seven displayed statistically significant antiviral effects, with Comp 19 being the most potent inhibitor. We found that Comp 19 exerted its antiviral effect in a dose-dependent manner (IC50 = 1.1 μM) and exhibited the most significant antiviral effect when added before viral infection. In the biochemical assay, Comp 19 inhibited human DHODH in a dose-dependent manner with the IC50 value of 7.3 μM. Long-timescale molecular dynamics simulations (1000 ns) revealed that Comp 19 formed a very stable complex with human DHODH. Comp 19 also displayed broad-spectrum antiviral activity and suppressed cytokine production in THP-1 cells. Overall, our study provides evidence that AVS could be successfully implemented to discover novel DHODH inhibitors with broad-spectrum antiviral activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garri Chilingaryan
- Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Discovery, Institute of Molecular Biology of NAS, 0014, Yerevan, Armenia; Biocentric.AI, 0051, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Roza Izmailyan
- Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Discovery, Institute of Molecular Biology of NAS, 0014, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Rafayela Grigoryan
- Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Discovery, Institute of Molecular Biology of NAS, 0014, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Anastasiya Shavina
- Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Discovery, Institute of Molecular Biology of NAS, 0014, Yerevan, Armenia; Denovo Sciences Inc., Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Erik Arabyan
- Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Discovery, Institute of Molecular Biology of NAS, 0014, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Hamlet Khachatryan
- Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Discovery, Institute of Molecular Biology of NAS, 0014, Yerevan, Armenia; Denovo Sciences Inc., Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Narek Abelyan
- Biocentric.AI, 0051, Yerevan, Armenia; Institute of Biomedicine and Pharmacy, Russian-Armenian University, 0051, Yerevan, Armenia
| | | | | | - Gayane Manukyan
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Immunology, Institute of Molecular Biology of NAS, 0014, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Benjamin Hietel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI Department of Drug Design and Target Validation MWT Biocenter, Weinbergweg 22, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Anna Shtro
- Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza, 197376, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Daria Danilenko
- Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza, 197376, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Hovakim Zakaryan
- Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Discovery, Institute of Molecular Biology of NAS, 0014, Yerevan, Armenia; Denovo Sciences Inc., Yerevan, Armenia.
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9
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Martin HJ, Melo-Filho CC, Korn D, Eastman RT, Rai G, Simeonov A, Zakharov AV, Muratov E, Tropsha A. Small molecule antiviral compound collection (SMACC): A comprehensive, highly curated database to support the discovery of broad-spectrum antiviral drug molecules. Antiviral Res 2023; 217:105620. [PMID: 37169224 PMCID: PMC11069349 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2023.105620] [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: 02/18/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Diseases caused by new viruses cost thousands if not millions of human lives and trillions of dollars. We have identified, collected, curated, and integrated all chemogenomics data from ChEMBL for 13 emerging viruses that hold the greatest potential threat to global human health. By identifying and solving several challenges related to data annotation accuracy, we developed a highly curated and thoroughly annotated database of compounds tested in both phenotypic and target-based assays for these viruses that we dubbed SMACC (Small Molecule Antiviral Compound Collection). The pilot version of the SMACC database contains over 32,500 entries for 13 viruses. By analyzing data in SMACC, we have identified ∼50 compounds with polyviral inhibition profile, mostly covering flavi- and coronaviruses. The SMACC database may serve as a reference for virologists and medicinal chemists working on the development of novel BSA agents in preparation for future viral outbreaks. SMACC is publicly available at https://smacc.mml.unc.edu.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holli-Joi Martin
- UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Cleber C Melo-Filho
- UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Daniel Korn
- UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Richard T Eastman
- Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA
| | - Ganesha Rai
- Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA
| | - Anton Simeonov
- Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA
| | - Alexey V Zakharov
- Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA.
| | - Eugene Muratov
- UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| | - Alexander Tropsha
- UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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10
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Teixeira O, Martins IBS, Froes TQ, de Araújo AS, Nonato MC. Kinetic and structural studies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis dihydroorotate dehydrogenase reveal new insights into class 2 DHODH inhibition. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2023; 1867:130378. [PMID: 37150227 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2023.130378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of death worldwide. TB represents a serious public health threat, and it is characterized by high transmission rates, prevalence in impoverished regions, and high co-infection rates with HIV. Moreover, the serious side effects of long-term treatment that decrease patient adherence, and the emergence of multi-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causing agent of TBs, pose several challenges for its eradication. The search for a new TB treatment is necessary and urgent. Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) is responsible for the stereospecific oxidation of (S)-dihydroorotate (DHO) to orotate during the fourth and only redox step of the de novo pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthetic pathway. DHODH has been considered an attractive target against infectious diseases. As a first step towards exploiting DHODH as a drug target against TB, we performed a full kinetic characterization of both bacterial MtDHODH and its human ortholog (HsDHDOH) using both substrates coenzyme Q0 (Q0) and vitamin K3 (K3). MtDHODH follows a ping-pong mechanism of catalysis and shares similar catalytic parameters with the human enzyme. Serendipitously, Q0 was found to inhibit MtDHODH (KI (Q0) = 138 ± 31 μM). To the best of our knowledge, Q0 is the first non-orotate like dihydroorotate-competitive inhibitor for class 2 DHODHs ever described. Molecular dynamics simulations along with in silico solvent mapping allowed us to successfully probe protein flexibility and correlate it with the druggability of binding sites. Together, our results provide the starting point for the design of a new generation of potent and selective inhibitors against MtDHODH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olívia Teixeira
- Laboratório de Cristalografia de Proteínas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14040-903, Brazil; Center for the Research and Advancement in Fragments and molecular Targets (CRAFT), Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14040-903, Brazil
| | - Ingrid Bernardes Santana Martins
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil; Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Departamento de Física, UNESP, 15054-000 São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Thamires Quadros Froes
- Laboratório de Cristalografia de Proteínas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14040-903, Brazil; Center for the Research and Advancement in Fragments and molecular Targets (CRAFT), Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14040-903, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Suman de Araújo
- Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Departamento de Física, UNESP, 15054-000 São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Maria Cristina Nonato
- Laboratório de Cristalografia de Proteínas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14040-903, Brazil; Center for the Research and Advancement in Fragments and molecular Targets (CRAFT), Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14040-903, Brazil.
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11
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Ogorek TJ, Golden JE. Advances in the Development of Small Molecule Antivirals against Equine Encephalitic Viruses. Viruses 2023; 15:413. [PMID: 36851628 PMCID: PMC9958955 DOI: 10.3390/v15020413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Revised: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Venezuelan, western, and eastern equine encephalitic alphaviruses (VEEV, WEEV, and EEEV, respectively) are arboviruses that are highly pathogenic to equines and cause significant harm to infected humans. Currently, human alphavirus infection and the resulting diseases caused by them are unmitigated due to the absence of approved vaccines or therapeutics for general use. These circumstances, combined with the unpredictability of outbreaks-as exemplified by a 2019 EEE surge in the United States that claimed 19 patient lives-emphasize the risks posed by these viruses, especially for aerosolized VEEV and EEEV which are potential biothreats. Herein, small molecule inhibitors of VEEV, WEEV, and EEEV are reviewed that have been identified or advanced in the last five years since a comprehensive review was last performed. We organize structures according to host- versus virus-targeted mechanisms, highlight cellular and animal data that are milestones in the development pipeline, and provide a perspective on key considerations for the progression of compounds at early and later stages of advancement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler J. Ogorek
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Jennifer E. Golden
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
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12
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de Mariz E Miranda LS. The synergy between nucleotide biosynthesis inhibitors and antiviral nucleosides: New opportunities against viral infections? Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2023; 356:e2200217. [PMID: 36122181 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.202200217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
5'-Phosphorylated nucleoside derivatives are molecules that can be found in all living organisms and viruses. Over the last century, the development of structural analogs that could disrupt the transcription and translation of genetic information culminated in the development of clinically relevant anticancer and antiviral drugs. However, clinically effective broad-spectrum antiviral compounds or treatments are lacking. This viewpoint proposes that molecules that inhibit nucleotide biosynthesis may sensitize virus-infected cells toward direct-acting antiviral nucleosides. Such potentially synergistic combinations might allow the repurposing of drugs, leading to the development of new combination therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leandro S de Mariz E Miranda
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Chemistry Institute, Biocatalysis and Organic Synthesis Group, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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13
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Sibille G, Luganini A, Sainas S, Boschi D, Lolli ML, Gribaudo G. The Novel hDHODH Inhibitor MEDS433 Prevents Influenza Virus Replication by Blocking Pyrimidine Biosynthesis. Viruses 2022; 14:v14102281. [PMID: 36298835 PMCID: PMC9611833 DOI: 10.3390/v14102281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The pharmacological management of influenza virus (IV) infections still poses a series of challenges due to the limited anti-IV drug arsenal. Therefore, the development of new anti-influenza agents effective against antigenically different IVs is therefore an urgent priority. To meet this need, host-targeting antivirals (HTAs) can be evaluated as an alternative or complementary approach to current direct-acting agents (DAAs) for the therapy of IV infections. As a contribution to this antiviral strategy, in this study, we characterized the anti-IV activity of MEDS433, a novel small molecule inhibitor of the human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (hDHODH), a key cellular enzyme of the de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway. MEDS433 exhibited a potent antiviral activity against IAV and IBV replication, which was reversed by the addition of exogenous uridine and cytidine or the hDHODH product orotate, thus indicating that MEDS433 targets notably hDHODH activity in IV-infected cells. When MEDS433 was used in combination either with dipyridamole (DPY), an inhibitor of the pyrimidine salvage pathway, or with an anti-IV DAA, such as N4-hydroxycytidine (NHC), synergistic anti-IV activities were observed. As a whole, these results indicate MEDS433 as a potential HTA candidate to develop novel anti-IV intervention approaches, either as a single agent or in combination regimens with DAAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Sibille
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, 10123 Torino, Italy
| | - Anna Luganini
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, 10123 Torino, Italy
| | - Stefano Sainas
- Department of Sciences and Drug Technology, University of Torino, 10125 Torino, Italy
| | - Donatella Boschi
- Department of Sciences and Drug Technology, University of Torino, 10125 Torino, Italy
| | - Marco Lucio Lolli
- Department of Sciences and Drug Technology, University of Torino, 10125 Torino, Italy
| | - Giorgio Gribaudo
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, 10123 Torino, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-011-6704648
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14
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Mashayekh S, Stunkard LM, Kienle M, Mathews II, Khosla C. Structure-Based Prototyping of Allosteric Inhibitors of Human Uridine/Cytidine Kinase 2 (UCK2). Biochemistry 2022; 61:2261-2266. [PMID: 36190114 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.2c00451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis in humans is a promising chemotherapeutic target for infectious diseases caused by RNA viruses. Because mammalian cells derive pyrimidine ribonucleotides through a combination of de novo biosynthesis and salvage, combined inhibition of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH; the first committed step in de novo pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis) and uridine/cytidine kinase 2 (UCK2; the first step in salvage of exogenous nucleosides) strongly attenuates viral replication in infected cells. However, while several pharmacologically promising inhibitors of human DHODH are known, to date there are no reports of medicinally viable leads against UCK2. Here, we use structure-based drug prototyping to identify two classes of promising leads that noncompetitively inhibit UCK2 activity. In the process, we have identified a hitherto unknown allosteric site at the intersubunit interface of this homotetrameric enzyme. By reducing the kcat of human UCK2 without altering its KM, these new inhibitors have the potential to enable systematic dialing of the fractional inhibition of pyrimidine salvage to achieve the desired antiviral effect with minimal host toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siavash Mashayekh
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Lee M Stunkard
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Maryline Kienle
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Irimpan I Mathews
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Menlo Park, California 94025, United States
| | - Chaitan Khosla
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States.,Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States.,Sarafan ChEM-H, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
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15
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The Combined Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 and Tryptophan Treatment Modulates Immune and Metabolome Responses to Human Rotavirus Infection in a Human Infant Fecal Microbiota-Transplanted Malnourished Gnotobiotic Pig Model. mSphere 2022; 7:e0027022. [PMID: 36073800 PMCID: PMC9599269 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00270-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Human rotavirus (HRV) is a major cause of childhood diarrhea in developing countries where widespread malnutrition contributes to the decreased oral vaccine efficacy and increased prevalence of other enteric infections, which are major concerns for global health. Neonatal gnotobiotic (Gn) piglets closely resemble human infants in their anatomy, physiology, and outbred status, providing a unique model to investigate malnutrition, supplementations, and HRV infection. To understand the molecular signatures associated with immune enhancement and reduced diarrheal severity by Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) and tryptophan (TRP), immunological responses and global nontargeted metabolomics and lipidomics approaches were investigated on the plasma and fecal contents of malnourished pigs transplanted with human infant fecal microbiota and infected with virulent (Vir) HRV. Overall, EcN + TRP combined (rather than individual supplement action) promoted greater and balanced immunoregulatory/immunostimulatory responses associated with greater protection against HRV infection and disease in malnourished humanized piglets. Moreover, EcN + TRP treatment upregulated the production of several metabolites with immunoregulatory/immunostimulatory properties: amino acids (N-acetylserotonin, methylacetoacetyl-CoA), lipids (gamma-butyrobetaine, eicosanoids, cholesterol-sulfate, sphinganine/phytosphingosine, leukotriene), organic compound (biliverdin), benzenoids (gentisic acid, aminobenzoic acid), and nucleotides (hypoxathine/inosine/xanthine, cytidine-5'-monophosphate). Additionally, the levels of several proinflammatory metabolites of organic compounds (adenosylhomocysteine, phenylacetylglycine, urobilinogen/coproporphyrinogen) and amino acid (phenylalanine) were reduced following EcN + TRP treatment. These results suggest that the EcN + TRP effects on reducing HRV diarrhea in neonatal Gn pigs were at least in part due to altered metabolites, those involved in lipid, amino acid, benzenoids, organic compounds, and nucleotide metabolism. Identification of these important mechanisms of EcN/TRP prevention of HRV diarrhea provides novel targets for therapeutics development. IMPORTANCE Human rotavirus (HRV) is the most common cause of viral gastroenteritis in children, especially in developing countries, where the efficacy of oral HRV vaccines is reduced. Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) is used to treat enteric infections and ulcerative colitis while tryptophan (TRP) is a biomarker of malnutrition, and its supplementation can alleviate intestinal inflammation and normalize intestinal microbiota in malnourished hosts. Supplementation of EcN + TRP to malnourished humanized gnotobiotic piglets enhanced immune responses and resulted in greater protection against HRV infection and diarrhea. Moreover, EcN + TRP supplementation increased the levels of immunoregulatory/immunostimulatory metabolites while decreasing the production of proinflammatory metabolites in plasma and fecal samples. Profiling of immunoregulatory and proinflammatory biomarkers associated with HRV perturbations will aid in the identification of treatments against HRV and other enteric diseases in malnourished children.
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16
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Demarest JF, Kienle M, Boytz R, Ayres M, Kim EJ, Patten JJ, Chung D, Gandhi V, Davey R, Sykes DB, Shohdy N, Pottage JC, Kumar VS. Brequinar and dipyridamole in combination exhibits synergistic antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro: Rationale for a host-acting antiviral treatment strategy for COVID-19. Antiviral Res 2022; 206:105403. [PMID: 36041646 PMCID: PMC9420051 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2022.105403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the associated global pandemic resulting in >400 million infections worldwide and several million deaths. The continued evolution of SARS-CoV-2 to potentially evade vaccines and monoclonal antibody (mAb)-based therapies and the limited number of authorized small-molecule antivirals necessitates the need for development of new drug treatments. There remains an unmet medical need for effective and convenient treatment options for SARS-CoV-2 infection. SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus that depends on host intracellular ribonucleotide pools for its replication. Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) is a ubiquitous host enzyme that is required for de novo pyrimidine synthesis. The inhibition of DHODH leads to a depletion of intracellular pyrimidines, thereby impacting viral replication in vitro. Brequinar (BRQ) is an orally available, selective, and potent low nanomolar inhibitor of human DHODH that has been shown to exhibit broad spectrum inhibition of RNA virus replication. However, host cell nucleotide salvage pathways can maintain intracellular pyrimidine levels and compensate for BRQ-mediated DHODH inhibition. In this report, we show that the combination of BRQ and the salvage pathway inhibitor dipyridamole (DPY) exhibits strong synergistic antiviral activity in vitro against SARS-CoV-2 by enhanced depletion of the cellular pyrimidine nucleotide pool. The combination of BRQ and DPY showed antiviral activity against the prototype SARS-CoV-2 as well as the Beta (B.1.351) and Delta (B.1.617.2) variants. These data support the continued evaluation of the combination of BRQ and DPY as a broad-spectrum, host-acting antiviral strategy to treat SARS-CoV-2 and potentially other RNA virus infections.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Mary Ayres
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | | | | | - Varsha Gandhi
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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17
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Martin H, Melo-filho CC, Korn D, Eastman RT, Rai G, Simeonov A, Zakharov AV, Muratov E, Tropsha A. Small Molecule Antiviral Compound Collection (SMACC): a database to support the discovery of broad-spectrum antiviral drug molecules.. [PMID: 35860225 PMCID: PMC9298133 DOI: 10.1101/2022.07.09.499397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Diseases caused by new viruses costs thousands if not millions of human lives and trillions of dollars in damage to the global economy. Despite the rapid development of vaccines for SARS-CoV-2, the lack of small molecule antiviral drugs that work against multiple viral families (broad-spectrum antivirals; BSAs) has left the entire world’s human population vulnerable to the infection between the beginning of the outbreak and the widespread availability of vaccines. Developing BSAs is an attractive, yet challenging, approach that could prevent the next, inevitable, viral outbreak from becoming a global catastrophe. To explore whether historical medicinal chemistry efforts suggest the possibility of discovering novel BSAs, we (i) identified, collected, curated, and integrated all chemical bioactivity data available in ChEMBL for molecules tested in respective assays for 13 emerging viruses that, based on published literature, hold the greatest potential threat to global human health; (ii) identified and solved the challenges related to data annotation accuracy including assay description ambiguity, missing cell or target information, and incorrect BioAssay Ontology (BAO) annotations; (iii) developed a highly curated and thoroughly annotated database of compounds tested in both phenotypic (21,392 entries) and target-based (11,123 entries) assays for these viruses; and (iv) identified a subset of compounds showing BSA activity. For the latter task, we eliminated inconclusive and annotated duplicative entries by checking the concordance between multiple assay results and identified eight compounds active against 3–4 viruses from the phenotypic data, 16 compounds active against two viruses from the target-based data, and 35 compounds active in at least one phenotypic and one target-based assay. The pilot version of our SMACC (Small Molecule Antiviral Compound Collection) database contains over 32,500 entries for 13 viruses. Our analysis indicates that previous research yielded very small number of BSA compounds. We posit that focused and coordinated efforts strategically targeting the discovery of such agents must be established and maintained going forward. The SMACC database publicly available at https://smacc.mml.unc.edu may serve as a reference for virologists and medicinal chemists working on the development of novel BSA agents in preparation for future viral outbreaks.
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18
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Roney M, Huq AKMM, Rullah K, Hamid HA, Imran S, Islam MA, Mohd Aluwi MFF. Virtual Screening-Based Identification of Potent DENV-3 RdRp Protease Inhibitors via In-House Usnic Acid Derivative Database. JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL BIOPHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY 2021. [DOI: 10.1142/s2737416521500496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Dengue virus (DENV) is the causative agent of dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic disease and dengue shock syndrome (DSS), transmitted predominantly in tropical and subtropical regions by Aedes aegypti. It infects millions of people and causes thousands of deaths each year, but there is no antiviral drug against DENV. Usnic acid lately piqued the interest of researchers for extraordinary biological characteristics, including antiviral activity. Based on high larvicidal activities against Aedes aegypti, this study aims to search usnic acid derivatives as novel anti-DENV agents through a combination of ligand-based and pharmacophore-based virtual screening. One hundred and sixteen (116) usnic acid derivatives were obtained from a database of 428 in-house usnic acid derivatives through pharmacophore filtering steps. Subsequent docking simulation on DENV-3 NS-5 RdRp afforded 41 compounds with a strong binding affinity towards the enzyme. The pharmacokinetics and drug likeness prediction resulted in seven hit compounds, which eventually undergo cytochrome P450 enzyme screening to obtain the lead compound, labelled as 362. In addition, molecular dynamic (MD) simulation of lead compound 362 was performed to verify the stability of the docked complex and the binding posture acquired in docking experiments. Overall, the lead compounds have shown a high fit value of pharmacophore, strong binding affinity towards RdRp enzyme, good pharmacokinetics, and drug likeness properties. The discovery of a new usnic acid derivative as a novel anti-DENV agent targeting RdRp could lead to further drug development and optimization to treat dengue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miah Roney
- Faculty of Industrial Sciences and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Lebuhraya Tun Razak, 26300 Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang Darul Makmur, Malaysia
- Centre for Bio-Aromatic Research, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Lebuhraya Tun Razak, 26300 Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang Darul Makmur, Malaysia
| | - AKM Moyeenul Huq
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Asia Pacific, 74/A, Green Road, Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh
| | - Kamal Rullah
- Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia
| | - Hazrulrizawati Abd Hamid
- Faculty of Industrial Sciences and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Lebuhraya Tun Razak, 26300 Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang Darul Makmur, Malaysia
| | - Syahrul Imran
- Atta-ur-Rahman Institute for Natural Product Discovery, UiTM Selangor, Kampus Puncak Alam, 42300 Bandar Puncak Alam, Malaysia
| | - Md. Alimul Islam
- Department of Microbiology and Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University Mymensingh 2202, Bangladesh
| | - Mohd Fadhlizil Fasihi Mohd Aluwi
- Faculty of Industrial Sciences and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Lebuhraya Tun Razak, 26300 Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang Darul Makmur, Malaysia
- Centre for Bio-Aromatic Research, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Lebuhraya Tun Razak, 26300 Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang Darul Makmur, Malaysia
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19
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Calistri A, Luganini A, Mognetti B, Elder E, Sibille G, Conciatori V, Del Vecchio C, Sainas S, Boschi D, Montserrat N, Mirazimi A, Lolli ML, Gribaudo G, Parolin C. The New Generation hDHODH Inhibitor MEDS433 Hinders the In Vitro Replication of SARS-CoV-2 and Other Human Coronaviruses. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9081731. [PMID: 34442810 PMCID: PMC8398173 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9081731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Although coronaviruses (CoVs) have long been predicted to cause zoonotic diseases and pandemics with high probability, the lack of effective anti-pan-CoVs drugs rapidly usable against the emerging SARS-CoV-2 actually prevented a promptly therapeutic intervention for COVID-19. Development of host-targeting antivirals could be an alternative strategy for the control of emerging CoVs infections, as they could be quickly repositioned from one pandemic event to another. To contribute to these pandemic preparedness efforts, here we report on the broad-spectrum CoVs antiviral activity of MEDS433, a new inhibitor of the human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (hDHODH), a key cellular enzyme of the de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway. MEDS433 inhibited the in vitro replication of hCoV-OC43 and hCoV-229E, as well as of SARS-CoV-2, at low nanomolar range. Notably, the anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of MEDS433 against SARS-CoV-2 was also observed in kidney organoids generated from human embryonic stem cells. Then, the antiviral activity of MEDS433 was reversed by the addition of exogenous uridine or the product of hDHODH, the orotate, thus confirming hDHODH as the specific target of MEDS433 in hCoVs-infected cells. Taken together, these findings suggest MEDS433 as a potential candidate to develop novel drugs for COVID-19, as well as broad-spectrum antiviral agents exploitable for future CoVs threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna Calistri
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, 35121 Padua, Italy; (A.C.); (V.C.); (C.D.V.); (C.P.)
| | - Anna Luganini
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, 10123 Turin, Italy; (A.L.); (B.M.); (G.S.)
| | - Barbara Mognetti
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, 10123 Turin, Italy; (A.L.); (B.M.); (G.S.)
| | - Elizabeth Elder
- Public Health Agency of Sweden, 17182 Solna, Sweden; (E.E.); (A.M.)
| | - Giulia Sibille
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, 10123 Turin, Italy; (A.L.); (B.M.); (G.S.)
| | - Valeria Conciatori
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, 35121 Padua, Italy; (A.C.); (V.C.); (C.D.V.); (C.P.)
| | - Claudia Del Vecchio
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, 35121 Padua, Italy; (A.C.); (V.C.); (C.D.V.); (C.P.)
| | - Stefano Sainas
- Department of Sciences and Drug Technology, University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy; (S.S.); (D.B.); (M.L.L.)
| | - Donatella Boschi
- Department of Sciences and Drug Technology, University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy; (S.S.); (D.B.); (M.L.L.)
| | - Nuria Montserrat
- Pluripotency for Organ Regeneration, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Technology (BIST), 08028 Barcelona, Spain;
- Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Ali Mirazimi
- Public Health Agency of Sweden, 17182 Solna, Sweden; (E.E.); (A.M.)
- Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Unit of Clinical Microbiology, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
- National Veterinary Institute, 75189 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Marco Lucio Lolli
- Department of Sciences and Drug Technology, University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy; (S.S.); (D.B.); (M.L.L.)
| | - Giorgio Gribaudo
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, 10123 Turin, Italy; (A.L.); (B.M.); (G.S.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-011-6704648
| | - Cristina Parolin
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, 35121 Padua, Italy; (A.C.); (V.C.); (C.D.V.); (C.P.)
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20
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Jin L, Li Y, Pu F, Wang H, Zhang D, Bai J, Shang Y, Ma Z, Ma XX. Inhibiting pyrimidine biosynthesis impairs Peste des Petits Ruminants Virus replication through depletion of nucleoside pools and activation of cellular immunity. Vet Microbiol 2021; 260:109186. [PMID: 34333402 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2021.109186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Replication of peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) strongly depends on the cellular environment and resources of host cells including nucleoside pool. Thus, enzymes involved in nucleoside biosynthesis (such as pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway) are regarded as attractive targets for antiviral drug development. Here, we demonstrate that brequinar (BQR) and leflunomide (LFM) which are two specific inhibitors of DHODH enzyme and 6-azauracil (6-AU) which is an ODase enzyme inhibitor robustly inhibit PPRV replication in HEK293T cell line as well as in peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from goat. We further demonstrate that these agents exert anti-PPRV activity via the depletion of purimidine nucleotide. Interestingly, these inhibitors can trigger the transcription of antiviral interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). However, the induction of ISGs is largely independent of the classical JAK-STAT pathway. Combination of BQR with interferons (IFNs) exerts enhanced ISG induction and anti-PPRV activity. Taken together, this study reveals an unconventional novel mechanism of crosstalk between nucleotide biosynthesis pathways and cellular antiviral immunity in inhibiting PPRV replication. In conclusion, targeting pyrimidine biosynthesis represents a potential strategy for developing antiviral strategies against PPRV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Jin
- Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Yicong Li
- Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Feiyang Pu
- Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Huihui Wang
- Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Derong Zhang
- Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jialin Bai
- Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Youjun Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Zhongren Ma
- Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Xia Ma
- Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
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21
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Screening and Identification of Lujo Virus Inhibitors Using a Recombinant Reporter Virus Platform. Viruses 2021; 13:v13071255. [PMID: 34203149 PMCID: PMC8310135 DOI: 10.3390/v13071255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Lujo virus (LUJV), a highly pathogenic arenavirus, was first identified in 2008 in Zambia. To aid the identification of effective therapeutics for LUJV, we developed a recombinant reporter virus system, confirming reporter LUJV comparability with wild-type virus and its utility in high-throughput antiviral screening assays. Using this system, we evaluated compounds with known and unknown efficacy against related arenaviruses, with the aim of identifying LUJV-specific and potential new pan-arenavirus antivirals. We identified six compounds demonstrating robust anti-LUJV activity, including several compounds with previously reported activity against other arenaviruses. These data provide critical evidence for developing broad-spectrum antivirals against high-consequence arenaviruses.
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22
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Ahmed SK, Haese NN, Cowan JT, Pathak V, Moukha-Chafiq O, Smith VJ, Rodzinak KJ, Ahmad F, Zhang S, Bonin KM, Streblow AD, Streblow CE, Kreklywich CN, Morrison C, Sarkar S, Moorman N, Sander W, Allen R, DeFilippis V, Tekwani BL, Wu M, Hirsch AJ, Smith JL, Tower NA, Rasmussen L, Bostwick R, Maddry JA, Ananthan S, Gerdes JM, Augelli-Szafran CE, Suto MJ, Morrison TE, Heise MT, Streblow DN, Pathak AK. Targeting Chikungunya Virus Replication by Benzoannulene Inhibitors. J Med Chem 2021; 64:4762-4786. [PMID: 33835811 PMCID: PMC9774970 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c02183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
A benzo[6]annulene, 4-(tert-butyl)-N-(3-methoxy-5,6,7,8-tetrahydronaphthalen-2-yl) benzamide (1a), was identified as an inhibitor against Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) with antiviral activity EC90 = 1.45 μM and viral titer reduction (VTR) of 2.5 log at 10 μM with no observed cytotoxicity (CC50 = 169 μM) in normal human dermal fibroblast cells. Chemistry efforts to improve potency, efficacy, and drug-like properties of 1a resulted in a novel lead compound 8q, which possessed excellent cellular antiviral activity (EC90 = 270 nM and VTR of 4.5 log at 10 μM) and improved liver microsomal stability. CHIKV resistance to an analog of 1a, compound 1c, tracked to a mutation in the nsP3 macrodomain. Further mechanism of action studies showed compounds working through inhibition of human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase in addition to CHIKV nsP3 macrodomain. Moderate efficacy was observed in an in vivo CHIKV challenge mouse model for compound 8q as viral replication was rescued from the pyrimidine salvage pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jaden T. Cowan
- Drug Discovery Division, Southern Research, Birmingham, Alabama 35205, United States
| | - Vibha Pathak
- Drug Discovery Division, Southern Research, Birmingham, Alabama 35205, United States
| | - Omar Moukha-Chafiq
- Drug Discovery Division, Southern Research, Birmingham, Alabama 35205, United States
| | - Valerie J. Smith
- Drug Discovery Division, Southern Research, Birmingham, Alabama 35205, United States
| | - Kevin J. Rodzinak
- Drug Discovery Division, Southern Research, Birmingham, Alabama 35205, United States
| | - Fahim Ahmad
- Drug Discovery Division, Southern Research, Birmingham, Alabama 35205, United States
| | - Sixue Zhang
- Drug Discovery Division, Southern Research, Birmingham, Alabama 35205, United States
| | - Kiley M. Bonin
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon 97006, United States
| | - Aaron D. Streblow
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon 97006, United States
| | - Cassilyn E. Streblow
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon 97006, United States
| | - Craig N. Kreklywich
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon 97006, United States
| | - Clayton Morrison
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Sanjay Sarkar
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Nathaniel Moorman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Wes Sander
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Robbie Allen
- Oregon Translational Research and Development Institute, Portland, Oregon 97239, United States
| | - Victor DeFilippis
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon 97006, United States
| | - Babu L. Tekwani
- Drug Discovery Division, Southern Research, Birmingham, Alabama 35205, United States
| | - Mousheng Wu
- Drug Discovery Division, Southern Research, Birmingham, Alabama 35205, United States
| | - Alec J. Hirsch
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon 97006, United States
| | - Jessica L. Smith
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon 97006, United States
| | - Nichole A. Tower
- Drug Discovery Division, Southern Research, Birmingham, Alabama 35205, United States
| | - Lynn Rasmussen
- Drug Discovery Division, Southern Research, Birmingham, Alabama 35205, United States
| | - Robert Bostwick
- Drug Discovery Division, Southern Research, Birmingham, Alabama 35205, United States
| | - Joseph A. Maddry
- Drug Discovery Division, Southern Research, Birmingham, Alabama 35205, United States
| | - Subramaniam Ananthan
- Drug Discovery Division, Southern Research, Birmingham, Alabama 35205, United States
| | - John M Gerdes
- Drug Discovery Division, Southern Research, Birmingham, Alabama 35205, United States
| | | | - Mark J. Suto
- Drug Discovery Division, Southern Research, Birmingham, Alabama 35205, United States
| | - Thomas E. Morrison
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado 80045, United States
| | - Mark T. Heise
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Daniel N. Streblow
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon 97006, United States
| | - Ashish K. Pathak
- Drug Discovery Division, Southern, Research, Birmingham, Alabama 35205, United States
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23
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Zhi HY, Zhao L, Lee CC, Chen CYC. A Novel Graph Neural Network Methodology to Investigate Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase Inhibitors in Small Cell Lung Cancer. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11030477. [PMID: 33806898 PMCID: PMC8005042 DOI: 10.3390/biom11030477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a particularly aggressive tumor subtype, and dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) has been demonstrated to be a therapeutic target for SCLC. Network pharmacology analysis and virtual screening were utilized to find out related proteins and investigate candidates with high docking capacity to multiple targets. Graph neural networks (GNNs) and machine learning were used to build reliable predicted models. We proposed a novel concept of multi-GNNs, and then built three multi-GNN models called GIAN, GIAT, and SGCA, which achieved satisfactory results in our dataset containing 532 molecules with all R^2 values greater than 0.92 on the training set and higher than 0.8 on the test set. Compared with machine learning algorithms, random forest (RF), and support vector regression (SVR), multi-GNNs had a better modeling effect and higher precision. Furthermore, the long-time 300 ns molecular dynamics simulation verified the stability of the protein–ligand complexes. The result showed that ZINC8577218, ZINC95618747, and ZINC4261765 might be the potentially potent inhibitors for DHODH. Multi-GNNs show great performance in practice, making them a promising field for future research. We therefore suggest that this novel concept of multi-GNNs is a promising protocol for drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Yi Zhi
- Artificial Intelligence Medical Center, School of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 510275, China; (H.-Y.Z.); (L.Z.)
| | - Lu Zhao
- Artificial Intelligence Medical Center, School of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 510275, China; (H.-Y.Z.); (L.Z.)
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - Cheng-Chun Lee
- Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan;
| | - Calvin Yu-Chian Chen
- Artificial Intelligence Medical Center, School of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 510275, China; (H.-Y.Z.); (L.Z.)
- Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan;
- Department of Bioinformatics and Medical Engineering, Asia University, Taichung 41354, Taiwan
- Correspondence:
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24
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Berber B, Doluca O. A comprehensive drug repurposing study for COVID19 treatment: novel putative dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitors show association to serotonin-dopamine receptors. Brief Bioinform 2021; 22:1023-1037. [PMID: 33406218 PMCID: PMC7929379 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbaa379] [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: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) is a key enzyme required for de novo pyrimidine synthesis and it is suggested as a target for COVID19 treatment due to high pyrimidine demand by the virus replication in the infected host cells as well as its proven effect of blocking of cytokine release by the immune cells to prevent inflammation leading to acute respiratory distress. There are a number of clinical trials underway for COVID19 treatment using DHODH inhibitors; however, there are only a small number of known DHODH antagonists available for testing. Here, we have applied a methodology to identify DHODH antagonist candidates, and compared them using in silico target prediction tools. A large set of 7900 FDA-approved and clinical stage drugs obtained from DrugBank were docked against 20 different structures DHODH available in PDB. Drugs were eliminated according to their predicted affinities by Autodock Vina. About 28 FDA-approved and 79 clinical trial ongoing drugs remained. The mode of interaction of these molecules was analyzed by repeating docking using Autodock 4 and DS Visualiser. Finally, the target region predictions of 28 FDA-approved drugs were determined through PASS and SwissTargetPrediction tools. Interestingly, the analysis of in silico target predictions revealed that serotonin-dopamine receptor antagonists could also be potential DHODH inhibitors. Our candidates shared a common attribute, a possible interaction with serotonin-dopamine receptors as well as other oxidoreductases, like DHODH. Moreover, the Bruton Tyrosine Kinase-inhibitor acalabrutunib and serotonin-dopamine receptor inhibitor drugs on our list have been found in the literature that have shown to be effective against Sars-CoV-2, while the path of activity is yet to be identified. Identifying an effective drug that can suppress both inflammation and virus proliferation will play a crucial role in the treatment of COVID. Therefore, we suggest experimental investigation of the 28 FDA-approved drugs on DHODH activity and Sars-CoV-2 virus proliferation. Those who are found experimentally effective can play an important role in COVID19 treatment. Moreover, we suggest investigating COVID19 case conditions in patients using schizophrenia and depression drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Burak Berber
- Eskisehir Technical University, Department of Biology
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25
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Effective deploying of a novel DHODH inhibitor against herpes simplex type 1 and type 2 replication. Antiviral Res 2021; 189:105057. [PMID: 33716051 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2021.105057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Emergence of drug resistance and adverse effects often affect the efficacy of nucleoside analogues in the therapy of Herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2) infections. Host-targeting antivirals could therefore be considered as an alternative or complementary strategy in the management of HSV infections. To contribute to this advancement, here we report on the ability of a new generation inhibitor of a key cellular enzyme of de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis, the dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), to inhibit HSV-1 and HSV-2 in vitro replication, with a potency comparable to that of the reference drug acyclovir. Analysis of the HSV replication cycle in MEDS433-treated cells revealed that it prevented the accumulation of viral genomes and reduced late gene expression, thus suggesting an impairment at a stage prior to viral DNA replication consistent with the ability of MEDS433 to inhibit DHODH activity. In fact, the anti-HSV activity of MEDS433 was abrogated by the addition of exogenous uridine or of the product of DHODH, the orotate, thus confirming DHODH as the MEDS433 specific target in HSV-infected cells. A combination of MEDS433 with dipyridamole (DPY), an inhibitor of the pyrimidine salvage pathway, was then observed to be effective in inhibiting HSV replication even in the presence of exogenous uridine, thus mimicking in vivo conditions. Finally, when combined with acyclovir and DPY in checkerboard experiments, MEDS433 exhibited highly synergistic antiviral activity. Taken together, these findings suggest that MEDS433 is a promising candidate as either single agent or in combination regimens with existing direct-acting anti-HSV drugs to develop new strategies for treatment of HSV infections.
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26
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Maddipati VC, Mittal L, Mantipally M, Asthana S, Bhattacharyya S, Gundla R. A Review on the Progress and Prospects of Dengue Drug Discovery Targeting NS5 RNA- Dependent RNA Polymerase. Curr Pharm Des 2021; 26:4386-4409. [PMID: 32445444 DOI: 10.2174/1381612826666200523174753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Dengue virus (DENV) infection threatens the health and wellbeing of almost 100 million people in the world. Vectored by mosquitoes, DENV may cause a severe disease in human hosts called Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF)/Dengue shock syndrome (DSS), which is not preventable by any known drug. In the absence of a universally-accepted vaccine, a drug capable of inhibiting DENV multiplication is an urgent and unmet clinical need. Here we summarize inhibitory strategies by targeting either host biochemical pathways or virus-encoded proteins. A variety of approaches have been generated to design Directly-acting anti-virals or DAAs targeting different DENV proteins, with diverse success. Among them, DAAs targeting genome replicating viral enzymes have proven effective against many viruses including, Human Immuno-deficiency Virus and Hepatitis C Virus. DAAs may be derived either from existing compound libraries of novel molecules and plant secondary metabolites or devised through Computer-aided Drug design (CADD) methods. Here, we focus on compounds with reported DAA-activity against the DENV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), which replicate the viral RNA genome. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) and toxicity of the natural compounds, including secondary plant metabolites, have been discussed in detail. We have also tabulated novel compounds with known anti-RdRp activity. We concluded with a list of DAAs for which a co-crystal structure with RdRp is reported. Promising hit compounds are often discarded due to poor selectivity or unsuitable pharmacokinetics. We hope this review will provide a useful reference for further studies on the development of an anti-DENV drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venkatanarayana C Maddipati
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, GITAM (Deemed to be University), Hyderabad 502329, Telangana, India
| | - Lovika Mittal
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), NCR Biotech Science Cluster, 3rdMilestone, Faridabad-Gurugram Expressway, Faridabad - 121001, Haryana, India
| | - Manohar Mantipally
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, GITAM (Deemed to be University), Hyderabad 502329, Telangana, India
| | - Shailendra Asthana
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), NCR Biotech Science Cluster, 3rdMilestone, Faridabad-Gurugram Expressway, Faridabad - 121001, Haryana, India
| | - Sankar Bhattacharyya
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), NCR Biotech Science Cluster, 3rdMilestone, Faridabad-Gurugram Expressway, Faridabad - 121001, Haryana, India
| | - Rambabu Gundla
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, GITAM (Deemed to be University), Hyderabad 502329, Telangana, India
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27
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Li Y, Yi L, Cheng S, Wang Y, Wang J, Sun J, Zhang Q, Xu X. Inhibition of canine distemper virus replication by blocking pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis with A77 1726, the active metabolite of the anti-inflammatory drug leflunomide. J Gen Virol 2021; 102. [PMID: 33416466 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Canine distemper virus (CDV) is the aetiological agent that causes canine distemper (CD). Currently, no antiviral drugs have been approved for CD treatment. A77 1726 is the active metabolite of the anti-rheumatoid arthritis (RA) drug leflunomide. It inhibits the activity of Janus kinases (JAKs) and dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHO-DHase), a rate-limiting enzyme in de novo pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis. A77 1726 also inhibits the activity of p70 S6 kinase (S6K1), a serine/threonine kinase that phosphorylates and activates carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase (CAD), a second rate-limiting enzyme in the de novo pathway of pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis. Our present study focuses on the ability of A77 1726 to inhibit CDV replication and its underlying mechanisms. Here we report that A77 1726 decreased the levels of the N and M proteins of CDV and lowered the virus titres in the conditioned media of CDV-infected Vero cells. CDV replication was not inhibited by Ruxolitinib (Rux), a JAK-specific inhibitor, but by brequinar sodium (BQR), a DHO-DHase-specific inhibitor, and PF-4708671, an S6K1-specific inhibitor. Addition of exogenous uridine, which restores intracellular pyrimidine nucleotide levels, blocked the antiviral activity of A77 1726, BQR and PF-4708671. A77 1726 and PF-4708671 inhibited the activity of S6K1 in CDV-infected Vero cells, as evidenced by the decreased levels of CAD and S6 phosphorylation. S6K1 knockdown suppressed CDV replication and enhanced the antiviral activity of A77 1726. These observations collectively suggest that the antiviral activity of A77 1726 against CDV is mediated by targeting pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis via inhibiting DHO-DHase activity and S6K1-mediated CAD activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Comparative Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, Jiangsu Province, PR China
| | - Li Yi
- State Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Special Economic Animals, Institute of Special Economic Animals and Plant Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, PR China
| | - Sipeng Cheng
- State Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Special Economic Animals, Institute of Special Economic Animals and Plant Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, PR China
| | - Yongshan Wang
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biological Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, National Center for Engineering Research of Veterinary Bio-products, Nanjing 210014, PR China
| | - Jiongjiong Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Comparative Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, Jiangsu Province, PR China
| | - Jing Sun
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Comparative Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, Jiangsu Province, PR China
| | - Quan Zhang
- Institutes of Agricultural Science and Technology Development, Yangzhou University Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, PR China.,Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, Jiangsu Province, PR China.,College of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Comparative Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, Jiangsu Province, PR China
| | - Xiulong Xu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Comparative Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, Jiangsu Province, PR China.,Institutes of Agricultural Science and Technology Development, Yangzhou University Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, PR China.,Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, Jiangsu Province, PR China
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28
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Huang T, Sun L, Kang D, Poongavanam V, Liu X, Zhan P, Menéndez-Arias L. Search, Identification, and Design of Effective Antiviral Drugs Against Pandemic Human Coronaviruses. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1322:219-260. [PMID: 34258743 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-16-0267-2_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Recent coronavirus outbreaks of SARS-CoV-1 (2002-2003), MERS-CoV (since 2012), and SARS-CoV-2 (since the end of 2019) are examples of how viruses can damage health care and generate havoc all over the world. Coronavirus can spread quickly from person to person causing high morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, the antiviral armamentarium is insufficient to fight these infections. In this chapter, we provide a detailed summary of the current situation in the development of drugs directed against pandemic human coronaviruses. Apart from the recently licensed remdesivir, other antiviral agents discussed in this review include molecules targeting viral components (e.g., RNA polymerase inhibitors, entry inhibitors, or protease inhibitors), compounds interfering with virus-host interactions, and drugs identified in large screening assays, effective against coronavirus replication, but with an uncertain mechanism of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianguang Huang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Lin Sun
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Dongwei Kang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | | | - Xinyong Liu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Peng Zhan
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Luis Menéndez-Arias
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa", Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas & Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
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29
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Delattre H, Sasidharan K, Soyer OS. Inhibiting the reproduction of SARS-CoV-2 through perturbations in human lung cell metabolic network. Life Sci Alliance 2021; 4:e202000869. [PMID: 33234678 PMCID: PMC7723300 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202000869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Viruses rely on their host for reproduction. Here, we made use of genomic and structural information to create a biomass function capturing the amino and nucleic acid requirements of SARS-CoV-2. Incorporating this biomass function into a stoichiometric metabolic model of the human lung cell and applying metabolic flux balance analysis, we identified host-based metabolic perturbations inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 reproduction. Our results highlight reactions in the central metabolism, as well as amino acid and nucleotide biosynthesis pathways. By incorporating host cellular maintenance into the model based on available protein expression data from human lung cells, we find that only few of these metabolic perturbations are able to selectively inhibit virus reproduction. Some of the catalysing enzymes of such reactions have demonstrated interactions with existing drugs, which can be used for experimental testing of the presented predictions using gene knockouts and RNA interference techniques. In summary, the developed computational approach offers a platform for rapid, experimentally testable generation of drug predictions against existing and emerging viruses based on their biomass requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kalesh Sasidharan
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, UK
- Bio-Electrical Engineering Innovation Hub, University of Warwick, UK
| | - Orkun S Soyer
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, UK
- Bio-Electrical Engineering Innovation Hub, University of Warwick, UK
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30
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Fu H, Zhang Z, Dai Y, Liu S, Fu E. Brequinar inhibits enterovirus replication by targeting biosynthesis pathway of pyrimidines. Am J Transl Res 2020; 12:8247-8255. [PMID: 33437396 PMCID: PMC7791496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Infection of human enteroviruses could cause diverse diseases ranging from mild respiratory symptoms to neurological complications, and even death. Currently, no-FDA approved antiviral drug is available for clinical treatment of human enteroviruses infection. Brequinar is an immunosuppressive drug currently being used for the prevention of organ graft rejection. The drug repurposing studies show that Brequinar exhibits potent antiviral activity against diverse viruses, including flaviviruses, alphavirus, rhabdovirus, and influenza viruses. The antiviral effect of Brequinar on human enterovirus infection has not been investigated yet. Here, the in vitro study shows that Brequinar potently inhibited EV71, EV70, and CVB3 replication at 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 82.40 nM, 29.26 nM, and 35.14 nM, respectively. The antiviral activity of Brequinar was reversed by supplement exogenous pyrimidines, indicating that the antiviral effect of Brequinar against enterovirus relies on the inhibition of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) activity, which is responsible for the de novo biosynthesis of pyrimidines. These data extend the antiviral spectrum of Brequinar and indicate that Brequinar could serve as a promising antiviral drug to treat EV71 and other enterovirus infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Fu
- Department of Clinical Diagnosis, TangDu Hospital, The Air Force Medical UniversityXi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Zhe Zhang
- Department of Clinical Diagnosis, TangDu Hospital, The Air Force Medical UniversityXi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Ying Dai
- Department of Clinical Diagnosis, TangDu Hospital, The Air Force Medical UniversityXi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Shunmin Liu
- Department of Respiratory Occupational Diseases, 521 Hospital of Norinco GroupXi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Enqing Fu
- Department of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, TangDu Hospital, The Air Force Military Medical UniversityXi’an, Shaanxi, China
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31
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IMU-838, a Developmental DHODH Inhibitor in Phase II for Autoimmune Disease, Shows Anti-SARS-CoV-2 and Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Efficacy In Vitro. Viruses 2020; 12:v12121394. [PMID: 33291455 PMCID: PMC7762174 DOI: 10.3390/v12121394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The ongoing pandemic spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) demands skillful strategies for novel drug development, drug repurposing and cotreatments, in particular focusing on existing candidates of host-directed antivirals (HDAs). The developmental drug IMU-838, currently being investigated in a phase 2b trial in patients suffering from autoimmune diseases, represents an inhibitor of human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) with a recently proven antiviral activity in vitro and in vivo. Here, we established an analysis system for assessing the antiviral potency of IMU-838 and DHODH-directed back-up drugs in cultured cell-based infection models. By the use of SARS-CoV-2-specific immunofluorescence, Western blot, in-cell ELISA, viral yield reduction and RT-qPCR methods, we demonstrated the following: (i) IMU-838 and back-ups show anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity at several levels of viral replication, i.e., protein production, double-strand RNA synthesis, and release of infectious virus; (ii) antiviral efficacy in Vero cells was demonstrated in a micromolar range (IMU-838 half-maximal effective concentration, EC50, of 7.6 ± 5.8 µM); (iii) anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity was distinct from cytotoxic effects (half-cytotoxic concentration, CC50, >100 µM); (iv) the drug in vitro potency was confirmed using several Vero lineages and human cells; (v) combination with remdesivir showed enhanced anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity; (vi) vidofludimus, the active determinant of IMU-838, exerted a broad-spectrum activity against a selection of major human pathogenic viruses. These findings strongly suggest that developmental DHODH inhibitors represent promising candidates for use as anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics.
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32
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Coelho AR, Oliveira PJ. Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitors in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Eur J Clin Invest 2020; 50:e13366. [PMID: 32735689 PMCID: PMC7435507 DOI: 10.1111/eci.13366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ana R Coelho
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, UC-Biotech, University of Coimbra, Cantanhede, Portugal
| | - Paulo J Oliveira
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, UC-Biotech, University of Coimbra, Cantanhede, Portugal
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33
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Xiong R, Zhang L, Li S, Sun Y, Ding M, Wang Y, Zhao Y, Wu Y, Shang W, Jiang X, Shan J, Shen Z, Tong Y, Xu L, Chen Y, Liu Y, Zou G, Lavillete D, Zhao Z, Wang R, Zhu L, Xiao G, Lan K, Li H, Xu K. Novel and potent inhibitors targeting DHODH are broad-spectrum antivirals against RNA viruses including newly-emerged coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Protein Cell 2020; 11:723-739. [PMID: 32754890 DOI: 10.1101/2020.03.11.983056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/05/2020] [Indexed: 05/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Emerging and re-emerging RNA viruses occasionally cause epidemics and pandemics worldwide, such as the on-going outbreak of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Herein, we identified two potent inhibitors of human DHODH, S312 and S416, with favorable drug-likeness and pharmacokinetic profiles, which all showed broad-spectrum antiviral effects against various RNA viruses, including influenza A virus, Zika virus, Ebola virus, and particularly against SARS-CoV-2. Notably, S416 is reported to be the most potent inhibitor so far with an EC50 of 17 nmol/L and an SI value of 10,505.88 in infected cells. Our results are the first to validate that DHODH is an attractive host target through high antiviral efficacy in vivo and low virus replication in DHODH knock-out cells. This work demonstrates that both S312/S416 and old drugs (Leflunomide/Teriflunomide) with dual actions of antiviral and immuno-regulation may have clinical potentials to cure SARS-CoV-2 or other RNA viruses circulating worldwide, no matter such viruses are mutated or not.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Xiong
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Leike Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Shiliang Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yuan Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Minyi Ding
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yongliang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Weijuan Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Xiaming Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Jiwei Shan
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Zihao Shen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yi Tong
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Liuxin Xu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yingle Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Gang Zou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Dimitri Lavillete
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Zhenjiang Zhao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Rui Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Lili Zhu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Gengfu Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Ke Lan
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Honglin Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China.
| | - Ke Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China.
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China.
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34
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Troost B, Smit JM. Recent advances in antiviral drug development towards dengue virus. Curr Opin Virol 2020; 43:9-21. [PMID: 32795907 DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2020.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Despite the high disease burden of dengue virus, there is no approved antiviral treatment or broadly applicable vaccine to treat or prevent dengue virus infection. In the last decade, many antiviral compounds have been identified but only few have been further evaluated in pre-clinical or clinical trials. This review will give an overview of the direct-acting and host-directed antivirals identified to date. Furthermore, important parameters for further development that is, drug properties including efficacy, specificity and stability, pre-clinical animal testing, and combinational drug therapy will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berit Troost
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jolanda M Smit
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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35
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Xiong R, Zhang L, Li S, Sun Y, Ding M, Wang Y, Zhao Y, Wu Y, Shang W, Jiang X, Shan J, Shen Z, Tong Y, Xu L, Chen Y, Liu Y, Zou G, Lavillete D, Zhao Z, Wang R, Zhu L, Xiao G, Lan K, Li H, Xu K. Novel and potent inhibitors targeting DHODH are broad-spectrum antivirals against RNA viruses including newly-emerged coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Protein Cell 2020; 11:723-739. [PMID: 32754890 PMCID: PMC7402641 DOI: 10.1007/s13238-020-00768-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging and re-emerging RNA viruses occasionally cause epidemics and pandemics worldwide, such as the on-going outbreak of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Herein, we identified two potent inhibitors of human DHODH, S312 and S416, with favorable drug-likeness and pharmacokinetic profiles, which all showed broad-spectrum antiviral effects against various RNA viruses, including influenza A virus, Zika virus, Ebola virus, and particularly against SARS-CoV-2. Notably, S416 is reported to be the most potent inhibitor so far with an EC50 of 17 nmol/L and an SI value of 10,505.88 in infected cells. Our results are the first to validate that DHODH is an attractive host target through high antiviral efficacy in vivo and low virus replication in DHODH knock-out cells. This work demonstrates that both S312/S416 and old drugs (Leflunomide/Teriflunomide) with dual actions of antiviral and immuno-regulation may have clinical potentials to cure SARS-CoV-2 or other RNA viruses circulating worldwide, no matter such viruses are mutated or not.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Xiong
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Leike Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Shiliang Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yuan Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Minyi Ding
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yongliang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Weijuan Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Xiaming Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Jiwei Shan
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Zihao Shen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yi Tong
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Liuxin Xu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yingle Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Gang Zou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Dimitri Lavillete
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Zhenjiang Zhao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Rui Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Lili Zhu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Gengfu Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Ke Lan
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Honglin Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China.
| | - Ke Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China.
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China.
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36
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Wang J, Sun J, Hu J, Wang C, Prinz RA, Peng D, Liu X, Xu X. A77 1726, the active metabolite of the anti-rheumatoid arthritis drug leflunomide, inhibits influenza A virus replication in vitro and in vivo by inhibiting the activity of Janus kinases. FASEB J 2020; 34:10132-10145. [PMID: 32598086 DOI: 10.1096/fj.201902793rr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The newly reassorted IAV subtypes from zoonotic reservoirs respond poorly to current vaccines and antiviral therapy. There is an unmet need in developing novel antiviral drugs for better control of IAV infection. The cellular factors that are crucial for virus replication have been sought as novel molecular targets for antiviral therapy. Recent studies have shown that Janus kinases (JAK), JAK1, and JAK2, play an important role in IAV replication. Leflunomide is an anti-inflammatory drug primarily used for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Prior studies suggest that A77 1726, the active metabolite of leflunomide, inhibits the activity of JAK1 and JAK3. Our current study aims to determine if A77 1726 can function as a JAK inhibitor to control IAV infection. Here, we report that A77 1726 inhibited the replication of three IAV subtypes(H5N1, H1N1, H9N2)in three cell types (chicken embryonic fibroblasts, A549, and MDCK). A77 1726 inhibited JAK1, JAK2, and STAT3 tyrosine phosphorylation. Similar observations were made with Ruxolitinib (Rux), a JAK-specific inhibitor. JAK2 overexpression enhanced H5N1 virus replication and compromised the antiviral activity of A77 1726. Leflunomide inhibited virus replication in the lungs of IAV-infected mice, alleviated their body weight loss, and prolonged their survival. Our study demonstrates for the first time the ability of A77 1726 to inhibit JAK2 activity and suggests that inhibition of JAK activity contributes to its antiviral activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiongjiong Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Jing Sun
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, P.R. China.,Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology Development, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Jiao Hu
- Animal Infectious Disease Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Chengming Wang
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Richard A Prinz
- Department of Surgery, NorthShore University Health System, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Daxin Peng
- Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology Development, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Animal Infectious Disease Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Xiufan Liu
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Animal Infectious Disease Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Xiulong Xu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, P.R. China.,Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology Development, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
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37
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Liu Q, Gupta A, Okesli-Armlovich A, Qiao W, Fischer CR, Smith M, Carette JE, Bassik MC, Khosla C. Enhancing the Antiviral Efficacy of RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase Inhibition by Combination with Modulators of Pyrimidine Metabolism. Cell Chem Biol 2020; 27:668-677.e9. [PMID: 32442424 PMCID: PMC7241336 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2020.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Genome-wide analysis of the mode of action of GSK983, a potent antiviral agent, led to the identification of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase as its target along with the discovery that genetic knockdown of pyrimidine salvage sensitized cells to GSK983. Because GSK983 is an ineffective antiviral in the presence of physiological uridine concentrations, we explored combining GSK983 with pyrimidine salvage inhibitors. We synthesized and evaluated analogs of cyclopentenyl uracil (CPU), an inhibitor of uridine salvage. We found that CPU was converted into its triphosphate in cells. When combined with GSK983, CPU resulted in large drops in cellular UTP and CTP pools. Consequently, CPU-GSK983 suppressed dengue virus replication in the presence of physiological concentrations of uridine. In addition, the CPU-GSK983 combination markedly enhanced the effect of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibition on viral infection. Our findings highlight a new host-targeting strategy for potentiating the antiviral activity of RdRp inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Chemistry, Engineering and Medicine for Human Health (ChEM-H), Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Amita Gupta
- Stanford Chemistry, Engineering and Medicine for Human Health (ChEM-H), Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Ayse Okesli-Armlovich
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Chemistry, Engineering and Medicine for Human Health (ChEM-H), Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Wenjie Qiao
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Curt R Fischer
- Stanford Chemistry, Engineering and Medicine for Human Health (ChEM-H), Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Mark Smith
- Stanford Chemistry, Engineering and Medicine for Human Health (ChEM-H), Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jan E Carette
- Stanford Chemistry, Engineering and Medicine for Human Health (ChEM-H), Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Michael C Bassik
- Stanford Chemistry, Engineering and Medicine for Human Health (ChEM-H), Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Chaitan Khosla
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Chemistry, Engineering and Medicine for Human Health (ChEM-H), Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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38
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Li X, Sun J, Prinz RA, Liu X, Xu X. Inhibition of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) replication by A77 1726 through targeting JAK and Src tyrosine kinases. Virology 2020; 551:75-83. [PMID: 32829915 PMCID: PMC7301827 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2020.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Revised: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus (PEDV) is a coronavirus that primarily infects porcine intestinal epithelial cells and causes severe diarrhea and high fatality in piglets. A77 1726 is the active metabolite of leflunomide, a clinically approved anti-rheumatoid arthritis (RA) drug. A77 1726 inhibits the activity of protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs), p70 S6 kinase (S6K1), and dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHO-DHase). Whether A77 1726 can control coronavirus infections has not been investigated. Here we report that A77 1726 effectively restricted PEDV replication by inhibiting Janus kinases (JAKs) and Src kinase activities but not by inhibiting DHO-DHase and S6K1 activities. Overexpression of Src, JAK2 or its substrate STAT3 enhanced PEDV replication and attenuated the antiviral activity of A77 1726. Our study demonstrates for the first time the ability of A77 1726 to control coronavirus replication by inhibiting PTK activities. Leflunomide has potential therapeutic value for the control of PEDV and other coronavirus infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaomei Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, PR China
| | - Jing Sun
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, PR China; Institute of Comparative Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, PR China
| | - Richard A Prinz
- Department of Surgery, NorthShore University Health System, Evanston, IL60201, USA
| | - Xiufan Liu
- Animal Infectious Disease Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, PR China
| | - Xiulong Xu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, PR China; Institute of Comparative Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, PR China; Institutes of Agricultural Science and Technology Development, Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, PR China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, PR China.
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39
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Identification and Characterization of Novel Compounds with Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Activity against Influenza A and B Viruses. J Virol 2020; 94:JVI.02149-19. [PMID: 31941776 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02149-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 12/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Influenza A (IAV) and influenza B (IBV) viruses are highly contagious pathogens that cause fatal respiratory disease every year, with high economic impact. In addition, IAV can cause pandemic infections with great consequences when new viruses are introduced into humans. In this study, we evaluated 10 previously described compounds with antiviral activity against mammarenaviruses for their ability to inhibit IAV infection using our recently described bireporter influenza A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (PR8) H1N1 (BIRFLU). Among the 10 tested compounds, eight (antimycin A [AmA], brequinar [BRQ], 6-azauridine, azaribine, pyrazofurin [PF], AVN-944, mycophenolate mofetil [MMF], and mycophenolic acid [MPA]), but not obatoclax or Osu-03012, showed potent anti-influenza virus activity under posttreatment conditions [median 50% effective concentration (EC50) = 3.80 nM to 1.73 μM; selective index SI for 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, >28.90 to 13,157.89]. AmA, 6-azauridine, azaribine, and PF also showed potent inhibitory effect in pretreatment (EC50 = 0.14 μM to 0.55 μM; SI-MTT = 70.12 to >357.14) or cotreatment (EC50 = 34.69 nM to 7.52 μM; SI-MTT = 5.24 to > 1,441.33) settings. All of the compounds tested inhibited viral genome replication and gene transcription, and none of them affected host cellular RNA polymerase II activities. The antiviral activity of the eight identified compounds against BIRFLU was further confirmed with seasonal IAVs (A/California/04/2009 H1N1 and A/Wyoming/3/2003 H3N2) and an IBV (B/Brisbane/60/2008, Victoria lineage), demonstrating their broad-spectrum prophylactic and therapeutic activity against currently circulating influenza viruses in humans. Together, our results identified a new set of antiviral compounds for the potential treatment of influenza viral infections.IMPORTANCE Influenza viruses are highly contagious pathogens and are a major threat to human health. Vaccination remains the most effective tool to protect humans against influenza infection. However, vaccination does not always guarantee complete protection against drifted or, more noticeably, shifted influenza viruses. Although U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drugs are approved for the treatment of influenza infections, influenza viruses resistant to current FDA antivirals have been reported and continue to emerge. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find novel antivirals for the treatment of influenza viral infections in humans, a search that could be expedited by repurposing currently approved drugs. In this study, we assessed the influenza antiviral activity of 10 compounds previously shown to inhibit mammarenavirus infection. Among them, eight drugs showed antiviral activities, providing a new battery of drugs that could be used for the treatment of influenza infections.
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Löffler M, Carrey EA, Knecht W. The pathway to pyrimidines: The essential focus on dihydroorotate dehydrogenase, the mitochondrial enzyme coupled to the respiratory chain. NUCLEOSIDES NUCLEOTIDES & NUCLEIC ACIDS 2020; 39:1281-1305. [PMID: 32043431 DOI: 10.1080/15257770.2020.1723625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
This paper is based on the Anne Simmonds Memorial Lecture, given by Monika Löffler at the International Symposium on Purine and Pyrimidine Metabolism in Man, Lyon 2019. It is dedicated to H. Anne Simmonds (died 2010) - a founding member of the ESSPPMM, since 2003 Purine and Pyrimidine Society - and her outstanding contributions to the identification and study of inborn errors of purine and pyrimidine metabolism. The distinctive intracellular arrangement of pyrimidine de novo synthesis in higher eukaryotes is important to cells with a high demand for nucleic acid synthesis. The proximity of the enzyme active sites and the resulting channeling in CAD and UMP synthase is of kinetic benefit. The intervening enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) is located in the mitochondrion with access to the ubiquinone pool, thus ensuring efficient removal of redox equivalents through the constitutive activity of the respiratory chain, also a mechanism through which the input of 2 ATP for carbamylphosphate synthesis is balanced by Oxphos. The obligatory contribution of O2 to de novo UMP synthesis means that DHODH has a pivotal role in adapting the proliferative capacity of cells to different conditions of oxygenation, such as hypoxia in growing tumors. DHODH also is a validated drug target in inflammatory diseases. This survey of selected topics of personal interest and reflection spans some 40 years of our studies from tumor cell cultures under hypoxia to in vitro assays including purification from mitochondria, localization, cloning, expression, biochemical characterization, crystallisation, kinetics and inhibition patterns of eukaryotic DHODH enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Löffler
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | | | - Wolfgang Knecht
- Department of Biology & Lund Protein Production Platform, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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41
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42
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Abt ER, Rosser EW, Durst MA, Lok V, Poddar S, Le TM, Cho A, Kim W, Wei L, Song J, Capri JR, Xu S, Wu N, Slavik R, Jung ME, Damoiseaux R, Czernin J, Donahue TR, Lavie A, Radu CG. Metabolic Modifier Screen Reveals Secondary Targets of Protein Kinase Inhibitors within Nucleotide Metabolism. Cell Chem Biol 2019; 27:197-205.e6. [PMID: 31734178 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2019.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Revised: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Biosynthesis of the pyrimidine nucleotide uridine monophosphate (UMP) is essential for cell proliferation and is achieved by the activity of convergent de novo and salvage metabolic pathways. Here we report the development and application of a cell-based metabolic modifier screening platform that leverages the redundancy in pyrimidine metabolism for the discovery of selective UMP biosynthesis modulators. In evaluating a library of protein kinase inhibitors, we identified multiple compounds that possess nucleotide metabolism modifying activity. The JNK inhibitor JNK-IN-8 was found to potently inhibit nucleoside transport and engage ENT1. The PDK1 inhibitor OSU-03012 (also known as AR-12) and the RAF inhibitor TAK-632 were shown to inhibit the therapeutically relevant de novo pathway enzyme DHODH and their affinities were unambiguously confirmed through in vitro assays and co-crystallization with human DHODH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan R Abt
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ethan W Rosser
- Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Matthew A Durst
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; The Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Vincent Lok
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Soumya Poddar
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Thuc M Le
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Arthur Cho
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Woosuk Kim
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Liu Wei
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Janet Song
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Joseph R Capri
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Shili Xu
- Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Surgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nanping Wu
- Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Surgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Roger Slavik
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael E Jung
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Robert Damoiseaux
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; California NanoSystems Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Johannes Czernin
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Timothy R Donahue
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Surgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Arnon Lavie
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; The Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Caius G Radu
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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43
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Hayek S, Pietrancosta N, Hovhannisyan AA, Alves de Sousa R, Bekaddour N, Ermellino L, Tramontano E, Arnould S, Sardet C, Dairou J, Diaz O, Lotteau V, Nisole S, Melikyan G, Herbeuval JP, Vidalain PO. Cerpegin-derived furo[3,4-c]pyridine-3,4(1H,5H)-diones enhance cellular response to interferons by de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis inhibition. Eur J Med Chem 2019; 186:111855. [PMID: 31740051 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.111855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Revised: 11/02/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
There is an increasing interest in the field of cancer therapy for small compounds targeting pyrimidine biosynthesis, and in particular dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), the fourth enzyme of this metabolic pathway. Three available DHODH structures, featuring three different known inhibitors, were used as templates to screen in silico an original chemical library from Erevan University. This process led to the identification of P1788, a compound chemically related to the alkaloid cerpegin, as a new class of pyrimidine biosynthesis inhibitors. In line with previous reports, we investigated the effect of P1788 on the cellular innate immune response. Here we show that pyrimidine depletion by P1788 amplifies cellular response to both type-I and type II interferons, but also induces DNA damage as assessed by γH2AX staining. Moreover, the addition of inhibitors of the DNA damage response led to the suppression of the P1788 stimulatory effects on the interferon pathway. This demonstrates that components of the DNA damage response are bridging the inhibition of pyrimidine biosynthesis by P1788 to the interferon signaling pathway. Altogether, these results provide new insights on the mode of action of novel pyrimidine biosynthesis inhibitors and their development for cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Hayek
- Chimie et Biologie, Modélisation et Immunologie pour la Thérapie (CBMIT), Laboratoire de Chimie et Biochimie Pharmacologiques et Toxicologiques, Université Paris Descartes, CNRS UMR8601, Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Pietrancosta
- Chimie et Biologie, Modélisation et Immunologie pour la Thérapie (CBMIT), Laboratoire de Chimie et Biochimie Pharmacologiques et Toxicologiques, Université Paris Descartes, CNRS UMR8601, Paris, France
| | | | - Rodolphe Alves de Sousa
- Chimie et Biologie, Modélisation et Immunologie pour la Thérapie (CBMIT), Laboratoire de Chimie et Biochimie Pharmacologiques et Toxicologiques, Université Paris Descartes, CNRS UMR8601, Paris, France
| | - Nassima Bekaddour
- Chimie et Biologie, Modélisation et Immunologie pour la Thérapie (CBMIT), Laboratoire de Chimie et Biochimie Pharmacologiques et Toxicologiques, Université Paris Descartes, CNRS UMR8601, Paris, France
| | - Laura Ermellino
- Chimie et Biologie, Modélisation et Immunologie pour la Thérapie (CBMIT), Laboratoire de Chimie et Biochimie Pharmacologiques et Toxicologiques, Université Paris Descartes, CNRS UMR8601, Paris, France; Laboratory of Molecular Virology, Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Enzo Tramontano
- Laboratory of Molecular Virology, Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Stéphanie Arnould
- Institut de Recherche en Cancérologie de Montpellier, INSERM U1194, Université de Montpellier, Institut Régional du Cancer de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Claude Sardet
- Institut de Recherche en Cancérologie de Montpellier, INSERM U1194, Université de Montpellier, Institut Régional du Cancer de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Julien Dairou
- Chimie Bio-inorganique des Dérivés Soufrés et Pharmacochimie (CBDSP), Laboratoire de Chimie et Biochimie Pharmacologiques et Toxicologiques, Université Paris Descartes, CNRS UMR8601, Paris, France
| | - Olivier Diaz
- Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, INSERM U1111, CNRS UMR5308, Université Lyon 1, ENS de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Vincent Lotteau
- Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, INSERM U1111, CNRS UMR5308, Université Lyon 1, ENS de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Sébastien Nisole
- Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier, CNRS UMR9004, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Gagik Melikyan
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Yerevan State University, Yerevan, Armenia.
| | - Jean-Philippe Herbeuval
- Chimie et Biologie, Modélisation et Immunologie pour la Thérapie (CBMIT), Laboratoire de Chimie et Biochimie Pharmacologiques et Toxicologiques, Université Paris Descartes, CNRS UMR8601, Paris, France
| | - Pierre-Olivier Vidalain
- Chimie et Biologie, Modélisation et Immunologie pour la Thérapie (CBMIT), Laboratoire de Chimie et Biochimie Pharmacologiques et Toxicologiques, Université Paris Descartes, CNRS UMR8601, Paris, France.
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Li J, Han L, Hao Y, Yuan Y, Wang M, Xin X, Wang H, Yu F, Zheng C, Shen C. Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Different Host Cell Responses to Acute and Persistent Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Infection. Virol Sin 2019; 35:52-63. [PMID: 31512107 DOI: 10.1007/s12250-019-00155-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 02/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) rapidly causes cytopathic effects in susceptible cells. Incomplete viral clearance during the acute infection leads to persistent infection. The relationship between host gene expression and the persistent infection remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed the transcriptome profiles of BHK-21 cells acutely and persistently infected with FMDV to identify differences in gene expression. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses showed that the 8,378 differentially expressed genes were significantly enriched in categories including metabolism, biosynthesis, ribosome function, and endocytosis. In persistently infected BHK-21 cells, ribosome- and translation-related genes were significantly down-regulated. There were more differentially expressed immune-related genes during persistent infection than during acute infection. Two hundred and seventy-four genes were differentially expressed in both acutely and persistently infected BHK-21 cells. Among these genes, heat shock protein family B member 1 (Hspb1) knockdown significantly inhibited FMDV replication. Our research provides a basis for further research to understand the mechanisms of persistent FMDV infection including the genes involved in FMDV replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiadai Li
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Lingling Han
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yao Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yuncong Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Mingzhen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Xiu Xin
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Hailong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Fang Yu
- Department of Pathology, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Congyi Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China.,China Center for Type Culture Collection, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Chao Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China. .,China Center for Type Culture Collection, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China.
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45
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Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitors in anti-infective drug research. Eur J Med Chem 2019; 183:111681. [PMID: 31557612 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.111681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Revised: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Pyrimidines are essential for the cell survival and proliferation of living parasitic organisms, such as Helicobacter pylori, Plasmodium falciparum and Schistosoma mansoni, that are able to impact upon human health. Pyrimidine building blocks, in human cells, are synthesised via both de novo biosynthesis and salvage pathways, the latter of which is an effective way of recycling pre-existing nucleotides. As many parasitic organisms lack pyrimidine salvage pathways for pyrimidine nucleotides, blocking de novo biosynthesis is seen as an effective therapeutic means to selectively target the parasite without effecting the human host. Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), which is involved in the de novo biosynthesis of pyrimidines, is a validated target for anti-infective drug research. Recent advances in the DHODH microorganism field are discussed herein, as is the potential for the development of DHODH-targeted therapeutics.
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46
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Ahammad F, Tengku Abd Rashid TR, Mohamed M, Tanbin S, Ahmad Fuad FA. Contemporary Strategies and Current Trends in Designing Antiviral Drugs against Dengue Fever via Targeting Host-Based Approaches. Microorganisms 2019; 7:E296. [PMID: 31466307 PMCID: PMC6780377 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms7090296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Dengue virus (DENV) is an arboviral human pathogen transmitted through mosquito bite that infects an estimated ~400 million humans (~5% of the global population) annually. To date, no specific therapeutics have been developed that can prevent or treat infections resulting from this pathogen. DENV utilizes numerous host molecules and factors for transcribing the single-stranded ~11 kb positive-sense RNA genome. For example, the glycosylation machinery of the host is required for viral particles to assemble in the endoplasmic reticulum. Since a variety of host factors seem to be utilized by the pathogens, targeting these factors may result in DENV inhibitors, and will play an important role in attenuating the rapid emergence of other flaviviruses. Many experimental studies have yielded findings indicating that host factors facilitate infection, indicating that the focus should be given to targeting the processes contributing to pathogenesis along with many other immune responses. Here, we provide an extensive literature review in order to elucidate the progress made in the development of host-based approaches for DENV viral infections, focusing on host cellular mechanisms and factors responsible for viral replication, aiming to aid the potential development of host-dependent antiviral therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Foysal Ahammad
- Department of Biotechnology Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 50728, Malaysia
| | | | - Maizan Mohamed
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Locked Bag 36, Pengkalan Chepa, Kota Bharu 16100, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Suriyea Tanbin
- Department of Biotechnology Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 50728, Malaysia
| | - Fazia Adyani Ahmad Fuad
- Department of Biotechnology Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 50728, Malaysia.
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47
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Okesli-Armlovich A, Gupta A, Jimenez M, Auld D, Liu Q, Bassik MC, Khosla C. Discovery of small molecule inhibitors of human uridine-cytidine kinase 2 by high-throughput screening. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2019; 29:2559-2564. [PMID: 31420268 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2019.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2019] [Revised: 08/03/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Clinically relevant inhibitors of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), a rate-limiting enzyme in mammalian de novo pyrimidine synthesis, have strong antiviral and anticancer activity in vitro. However, they are ineffective in vivo due to efficient uridine salvage by infected or rapidly dividing cells. The pyrimidine salvage enzyme uridine-cytidine kinase 2 (UCK2), a ∼29 kDa protein that forms a tetramer in its active state, is necessary for uridine salvage. Notwithstanding the pharmacological potential of this target, no medicinally tractable inhibitors of the human enzyme have been reported to date. We therefore established and miniaturized an in vitro assay for UCK2 activity and undertook a high-throughput screen against a ∼40,000-compound library to generate drug-like leads. The structures, activities, and modes of inhibition of the most promising hits are described. Notably, our screen yielded non-competitive UCK2 inhibitors which were able to suppress nucleoside salvage in cells both in the presence and absence of DHODH inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayse Okesli-Armlovich
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford ChEM-H, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Amita Gupta
- Stanford ChEM-H, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Marta Jimenez
- Facilitated Access to Screening Technologies (FAST) Laboratory, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Douglas Auld
- Facilitated Access to Screening Technologies (FAST) Laboratory, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Qi Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford ChEM-H, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Michael C Bassik
- Stanford ChEM-H, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Chaitan Khosla
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford ChEM-H, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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48
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Zhou J, Wang D, Wong BHY, Li C, Poon VKM, Wen L, Zhao X, Chiu MC, Liu X, Ye Z, Yuan S, Sze KH, Chan JFW, Chu H, To KKW, Yuen KY. Identification and characterization of GLDC as host susceptibility gene to severe influenza. EMBO Mol Med 2019; 11:emmm.201809528. [PMID: 30498026 PMCID: PMC6328914 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.201809528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Glycine decarboxylase (GLDC) was prioritized as a candidate susceptibility gene to severe influenza in humans. The higher expression of GLDC derived from genetic variations may confer a higher risk to H7N9 and severe H1N1 infection. We sought to characterize GLDC as functional susceptibility gene that GLDC may intrinsically regulate antiviral response, thereby impacting viral replication and disease outcome. We demonstrated that GLDC inhibitor AOAA and siRNA depletion boosted IFNβ‐ and IFN‐stimulated genes (ISGs) in combination with PolyI:C stimulation. GLDC inhibition and depletion significantly amplified antiviral response of type I IFNs and ISGs upon viral infection and suppressed the replication of H1N1 and H7N9 viruses. Consistently, GLDC overexpression significantly promoted viral replication due to the attenuated antiviral responses. Moreover, GLDC inhibition in H1N1‐infected BALB/c mice recapitulated the amplified antiviral response and suppressed viral growth. AOAA provided potent protection to the infected mice from lethal infection, comparable to a standard antiviral against influenza viruses. Collectively, GLDC regulates cellular antiviral response and orchestrates viral growth. GLDC is a functional susceptibility gene to severe influenza in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Research Centre of Infection and Immunology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Dong Wang
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Bosco Ho-Yin Wong
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Cun Li
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | | | - Lei Wen
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Xiaoyu Zhao
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Man Chun Chiu
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Xiaojuan Liu
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Ziwei Ye
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Shuofeng Yuan
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Kong-Hung Sze
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Jasper Fuk-Woo Chan
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Research Centre of Infection and Immunology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Carol Yu Centre for Infection, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,The Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infection Control, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hin Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Research Centre of Infection and Immunology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Kelvin Kai-Wang To
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Research Centre of Infection and Immunology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Carol Yu Centre for Infection, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,The Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infection Control, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Kwok Yung Yuen
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong .,Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Research Centre of Infection and Immunology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Carol Yu Centre for Infection, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,The Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infection Control, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China
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Kim YJ, Cubitt B, Chen E, Hull MV, Chatterjee AK, Cai Y, Kuhn JH, de la Torre JC. The ReFRAME library as a comprehensive drug repurposing library to identify mammarenavirus inhibitors. Antiviral Res 2019; 169:104558. [PMID: 31302150 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2019.104558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Revised: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 07/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Several mammarenaviruses, chiefly Lassa virus (LASV) in Western Africa and Junín virus (JUNV) in the Argentine Pampas, cause severe disease in humans and pose important public health problems in their endemic regions. Moreover, mounting evidence indicates that the worldwide-distributed mammarenavirus lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) is a neglected human pathogen of clinical significance. The lack of licensed mammarenavirus vaccines and partial efficacy of current anti-mammarenavirus therapy limited to an off-label use of the nucleoside analog ribavirin underscore an unmet need for novel therapeutics to combat human pathogenic mammarenavirus infections. This task can be facilitated by the implementation of "drug repurposing" strategies to reduce the time and resources required to advance identified antiviral drug candidates into the clinic. We screened a drug repurposing library of 11,968 compounds (Repurposing, Focused Rescue and Accelerated Medchem [ReFRAME]) and identified several potent inhibitors of LCMV multiplication that had also strong anti-viral activity against LASV and JUNV. Our findings indicate that enzymes of the rate-limiting steps of pyrimidine and purine biosynthesis, the pro-viral MCL1 apoptosis regulator, BCL2 family member protein and the mitochondrial electron transport complex III, play critical roles in the completion of the mammarenavirus life cycle, suggesting they represent potential druggable targets to counter human pathogenic mammarenavirus infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Jin Kim
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Beatrice Cubitt
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Emily Chen
- California Institute for Biomedical Research, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Mitchell V Hull
- California Institute for Biomedical Research, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | | | - Yingyun Cai
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick (IRF-Frederick), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), B-8200 Research Plaza, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Jens H Kuhn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick (IRF-Frederick), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), B-8200 Research Plaza, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Juan C de la Torre
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.
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50
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Hepatitis E Virus Drug Development. Viruses 2019; 11:v11060485. [PMID: 31141919 PMCID: PMC6631701 DOI: 10.3390/v11060485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an underestimated disease, leading to estimated 20 million infections and up to 70,000 deaths annually. Infections are mostly asymptomatic but can reach mortality rates up to 25% in pregnant women or become chronic in immunocompromised patients. The current therapy options are limited to the unspecific antivirals Ribavirin (RBV) and pegylated Interferon-α (pegIFN-α). RBV leads to viral clearance in only 80% of patients treated, and is, similar to pegIFN-α, contraindicated in the major risk group of pregnant women, emphasizing the importance of new therapy options. In this review, we focus on the urgent need and current efforts in HEV drug development. We provide an overview of the current status of HEV antiviral research. Furthermore, we discuss strategies for drug development and the limitations of the approaches with respect to HEV.
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