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Rolt A, Talley DC, Park SB, Hu Z, Dulcey A, Ma C, Irvin P, Leek M, Wang AQ, Stachulski AV, Xu X, Southall N, Ferrer M, Liang TJ, Marugan JJ. Discovery and Optimization of a 4-Aminopiperidine Scaffold for Inhibition of Hepatitis C Virus Assembly. J Med Chem 2021; 64:9431-9443. [PMID: 34184537 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The majority of FDA-approved HCV therapeutics target the viral replicative machinery. An automated high-throughput phenotypic screen identified several small molecules as potent inhibitors of hepatitis C virus replication. Here, we disclose the discovery and optimization of a 4-aminopiperidine (4AP) scaffold targeting the assembly stages of the HCV life cycle. The original screening hit (1) demonstrates efficacy in the HCVcc assay but does not show potency prior to or during viral replication. Colocalization and infectivity studies indicate that the 4AP chemotype inhibits the assembly and release of infectious HCV. Compound 1 acts synergistically with FDA-approved direct-acting antiviral compounds Telaprevir and Daclatasvir, as well as broad spectrum antivirals Ribavirin and cyclosporin A. Following an SAR campaign, several derivatives of the 4AP series have been identified with increased potency against HCV, reduced in vitro toxicity, as well as improved in vitro and in vivo ADME properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Rolt
- Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Daniel C Talley
- Division of Pre-Clinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Seung Bum Park
- Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Zongyi Hu
- Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Andrés Dulcey
- Division of Pre-Clinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Christopher Ma
- Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Parker Irvin
- Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Madeleine Leek
- Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Amy Q Wang
- Division of Pre-Clinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Andrew V Stachulski
- The Robert Robinson Laboratories, Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZD, U.K
| | - Xin Xu
- Division of Pre-Clinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Noel Southall
- Division of Pre-Clinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Marc Ferrer
- Division of Pre-Clinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - T Jake Liang
- Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Juan J Marugan
- Division of Pre-Clinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
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Nanosized Particles Assembled by a Recombinant Virus Protein Are Able to Encapsulate Negatively Charged Molecules and Structured RNA. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:polym13060858. [PMID: 33799623 PMCID: PMC7998283 DOI: 10.3390/polym13060858] [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: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA-based molecules have recently become hot candidates to be developed into therapeutic agents. However, successful applications of RNA-based therapeutics might require suitable carriers to protect the RNA from enzymatic degradation by ubiquitous RNases in vivo. Because of their better biocompatibility and biodegradability, protein-based nanoparticles are considered to be alternatives to their synthetic polymer-based counterparts for drug delivery. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein has been suggested to be able to self-assemble into nucleocapsid-like particles in vitro. In this study, the genomic RNA-binding domain of HCV core protein consisting of 116 amino acids (p116) was overexpressed with E. coli for investigation. The recombinant p116 was able to assemble into particles with an average diameter of approximately 27 nm, as visualized by electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Measurements with fluorescence spectroscopy, flow cytometry, and fluorescence quenching indicated that the p116-assembled nanoparticles were able to encapsulate small anionic molecules and structured RNA. This study demonstrates methods that exploit the self-assembly nature of a virus-derived protein for nanoparticle production. This study also suggests that the virus-derived protein-assembled particles could possibly be developed into potential carriers for anionic molecular drugs and structured RNA-based therapeutics.
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