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Bonomini A, Felicetti T, Pacetti M, Bertagnin C, Coletti A, Giammarino F, De Angelis M, Poggialini F, Macchiarulo A, Sabatini S, Mercorelli B, Nencioni L, Vicenti I, Dreassi E, Cecchetti V, Tabarrini O, Loregian A, Massari S. Optimization of potent, broad-spectrum, and specific anti-influenza compounds targeting RNA polymerase PA-PB1 heterodimerization. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 277:116737. [PMID: 39153334 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2024] [Revised: 07/30/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024]
Abstract
Influenza viruses (IV) are single-stranded RNA viruses with a negative-sense genome and have the potential to cause pandemics. While vaccines exist for influenza, their protection is only partial. Additionally, there is only a limited number of approved anti-IV drugs, which are associated to emergence of drug resistance. To address these issues, for years we have focused on the development of small-molecules that can interfere with the heterodimerization of PA and PB1 subunits of the IV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP). In this study, starting from a cycloheptathiophene-3-carboxamide compound that we recently identified, we performed iterative cycles of medicinal chemistry optimization that led to the identification of compounds 43 and 45 with activity in the nanomolar range against circulating A and B strains of IV. Mechanistic studies demonstrated the ability of 43 and 45 to interfere with viral RdRP activity by disrupting PA-PB1 subunits heterodimerization and to bind to the PA C-terminal domain through biophysical assays. Most important, ADME studies of 45 also showed an improvement in the pharmacokinetic profile with respect to the starting hit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Bonomini
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, 35121, Padua, Italy
| | - Tommaso Felicetti
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, 06123, Perugia, Italy
| | - Martina Pacetti
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, 06123, Perugia, Italy
| | - Chiara Bertagnin
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, 35121, Padua, Italy
| | - Alice Coletti
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, 06123, Perugia, Italy
| | - Federica Giammarino
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Marta De Angelis
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Federica Poggialini
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Antonio Macchiarulo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, 06123, Perugia, Italy
| | - Stefano Sabatini
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, 06123, Perugia, Italy
| | | | - Lucia Nencioni
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Ilaria Vicenti
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Elena Dreassi
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Violetta Cecchetti
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, 06123, Perugia, Italy
| | - Oriana Tabarrini
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, 06123, Perugia, Italy
| | - Arianna Loregian
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, 35121, Padua, Italy.
| | - Serena Massari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, 06123, Perugia, Italy.
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Brand C, Geiss BJ, Bisaillon M. Deciphering the interaction surface between the West Nile virus NS3 and NS5 proteins. Access Microbiol 2024; 6:000675.v3. [PMID: 39045235 PMCID: PMC11261718 DOI: 10.1099/acmi.0.000675.v3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024] Open
Abstract
West Nile virus (WNV) is the most prevalent mosquito-borne virus and the leading cause of viral encephalitis in the continental United States. It belongs to the family Flaviviridae which includes other important human pathogens such as dengue virus (DENV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and Zika viruses (ZIKV). Despite several decades of research, no specific antiviral drugs are available to treat flavivirus infections. The present study characterizes the interaction between the WNV NS3 and NS5 proteins for the purpose of identifying hotspots in the protein-protein interaction which could be targeted for the development of antiviral therapeutics. We previously developed an interaction model in silico based on data available in the literature. Here, potential interacting residues on NS3 and NS5 were mutated in a WNV replicon, and seven mutations in the NS3 protein were found to drastically reduce viral replication. In addition to being well conserved among mosquito-borne flaviviruses, these residues are located on the protein's surface in two clusters which might be interesting new targets for future drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Brand
- Département de Biochimie et de Génomique Fonctionnelle, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Brian J. Geiss
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Martin Bisaillon
- Département de Biochimie et de Génomique Fonctionnelle, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
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Trevisan M, Pianezzola A, Onorati M, Apolloni L, Pistello M, Arav-Boger R, Palù G, Mercorelli B, Loregian A. Human neural progenitor cell models to study the antiviral effects and neuroprotective potential of approved and investigational human cytomegalovirus inhibitors. Antiviral Res 2024; 223:105816. [PMID: 38286212 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2024.105816] [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: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the viral leading cause of congenital defects in newborns worldwide. Many aspects of congenital CMV (cCMV) infection, which currently lacks a specific treatment, as well as the main determinants of neuropathogenesis in the developing brain during HCMV infection are unclear. In this study, we modeled HCMV infection at different stages of neural development. Moreover, we evaluated the effects of both approved and investigational anti-HCMV drugs on viral replication and gene expression in two different neural progenitor cell lines, i.e., human embryonic stem cells-derived neural stem cells (NSCs) and fetus-derived neuroepithelial stem (NES) cells. Ganciclovir, letermovir, nitazoxanide, and the ozonide OZ418 reduced viral DNA synthesis and the production of infectious virus in both lines of neural progenitors. HCMV infection dysregulated the expression of genes that either are markers of neural progenitors, such as SOX2, NESTIN, PAX-6, or play a role in neurogenesis, such as Doublecortin. Treatment with antiviral drugs had different effects on HCMV-induced dysregulation of the genes under investigation. This study contributes to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of cCMV neuropathogenesis and paves the way for further consideration of anti-HCMV drugs as candidate therapeutic agents for the amelioration of cCMV-associated neurological manifestations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Trevisan
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
| | - Anna Pianezzola
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Marco Onorati
- Unit of Cell and Developmental Biology, Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, 56127, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Apolloni
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Mauro Pistello
- Centro Retrovirus, Department of Translational Research, University of Pisa, Pisa, 56127, Italy
| | - Ravit Arav-Boger
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Disease, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA
| | - Giorgio Palù
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | | | - Arianna Loregian
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
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