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Devantier K, Kjær VMS, Griffin S, Kragelund BB, Rosenkilde MM. Advancing the field of viroporins-Structure, function and pharmacology: IUPHAR Review X. Br J Pharmacol 2024. [PMID: 39224966 DOI: 10.1111/bph.17317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 06/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/07/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Viroporins possess important potential as antiviral targets due to their critical roles during virus life cycles, spanning from virus entry to egress. Although the antiviral amantadine targets the M2 viroporin of influenza A virus, successful progression of other viroporin inhibitors into clinical use remains challenging. These challenges relate in varying proportions to a lack of reliable full-length 3D-structures, difficulties in functionally characterising individual viroporins, and absence of verifiable direct binding between inhibitor and viroporin. This review offers perspectives to help overcome these challenges. We provide a comprehensive overview of the viroporin family, including their structural and functional features, highlighting the moldability of their energy landscapes and actions. To advance the field, we suggest a list of best practices to aspire towards unambiguous viroporin identification and characterisation, along with considerations of potential pitfalls. Finally, we present current and future scenarios of, and prospects for, viroporin targeting drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kira Devantier
- Molecular and Translational Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Viktoria M S Kjær
- Molecular and Translational Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Stephen Griffin
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, St James' University Hospital, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Birthe B Kragelund
- Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mette M Rosenkilde
- Molecular and Translational Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Sučec I, Pankratova Y, Parasar M, Hong M. Transmembrane conformation of the envelope protein of an alpha coronavirus, NL63. Protein Sci 2024; 33:e4923. [PMID: 38501465 PMCID: PMC10949323 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4923] [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: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
The envelope (E) proteins of coronaviruses (CoVs) form cation-conducting channels that are associated with the pathogenicity of these viruses. To date, high-resolution structural information about these viroporins is limited to the SARS-CoV E protein. To broaden our structural knowledge of other members of this family of viroporins, we now investigate the conformation of the E protein of the human coronavirus (hCoV), NL63. Using two- and three-dimensional magic-angle-spinning NMR, we have measured 13 C and 15 N chemical shifts of the transmembrane domain of E (ETM), which yielded backbone (ϕ, ψ) torsion angles. We further measured the water accessibility of NL63 ETM at neutral pH versus acidic pH in the presence of Ca2+ ions. These data show that NL63 ETM adopts a regular α-helical conformation that is unaffected by pH and the N-terminal ectodomain. Interestingly, the water accessibility of NL63 ETM increases only modestly at acidic pH in the presence of Ca2+ compared to neutral pH, in contrast to SARS ETM, which becomes much more hydrated at acidic pH. This difference suggests a structural basis for the weaker channel conductance of α-CoV compared to β-CoV E proteins. The weaker E channel activity may in turn contribute to the reduced virulence of hCoV-NL63 compared to SARS-CoV viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iva Sučec
- Department of ChemistryMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Yanina Pankratova
- Department of ChemistryMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Mriganka Parasar
- Department of ChemistryMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Mei Hong
- Department of ChemistryMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
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3
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Bekdash R, Yoshida K, Nair MS, Qiu L, Ahdout J, Tsai HY, Uryu K, Soni RK, Huang Y, Ho DD, Yazawa M. Developing inhibitory peptides against SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002522. [PMID: 38483887 PMCID: PMC10939250 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected approximately 800 million people since the start of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Because of the high rate of mutagenesis in SARS-CoV-2, it is difficult to develop a sustainable approach for prevention and treatment. The Envelope (E) protein is highly conserved among human coronaviruses. Previous studies reported that SARS-CoV-1 E deficiency reduced viral propagation, suggesting that E inhibition might be an effective therapeutic strategy for SARS-CoV-2. Here, we report inhibitory peptides against SARS-CoV-2 E protein named iPep-SARS2-E. Leveraging E-induced alterations in proton homeostasis and NFAT/AP-1 pathway in mammalian cells, we developed screening platforms to design and optimize the peptides that bind and inhibit E protein. Using Vero-E6 cells, human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived branching lung organoid and mouse models with SARS-CoV-2, we found that iPep-SARS2-E significantly inhibits virus egress and reduces viral cytotoxicity and propagation in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the peptide can be customizable for E protein of other human coronaviruses such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The results indicate that E protein can be a potential therapeutic target for human coronaviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramsey Bekdash
- Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Pharmacology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Kazushige Yoshida
- Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Manoj S. Nair
- Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Lauren Qiu
- Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Biological Science, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Johnathan Ahdout
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Hsiang-Yi Tsai
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Kunihiro Uryu
- EMSCOPIC, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Rajesh K. Soni
- Proteomics and Macromolecular Crystallography Shared Resource, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Yaoxing Huang
- Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - David D. Ho
- Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Masayuki Yazawa
- Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Pharmacology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
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4
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Medeiros-Silva J, Dregni AJ, Hong M. Distinguishing Different Hydrogen-Bonded Helices in Proteins by Efficient 1H-Detected Three-Dimensional Solid-State NMR. Biochemistry 2024; 63:181-190. [PMID: 38127783 PMCID: PMC10880114 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.3c00589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Helical structures in proteins include not only α-helices but also 310 and π helices. These secondary structures differ in the registry of the C═O···H-N hydrogen bonds, which are i to i + 4 for α-helices, i to i + 3 for 310 helices, and i to i + 5 for π-helices. The standard NMR observable of protein secondary structures are chemical shifts, which are, however, insensitive to the precise type of helices. Here, we introduce a three-dimensional (3D) 1H-detected experiment that measures and assigns CO-HN cross-peaks to distinguish the different types of hydrogen-bonded helices. This hCOhNH experiment combines efficient cross-polarization from CO to HN with 13C, 15N, and 1H chemical shift correlation to detect the relative proximities of the COi-Hi+jN spin pairs. We demonstrate this experiment on the membrane-bound transmembrane domain of the SARS-CoV-2 envelope (E) protein (ETM). We show that the C-terminal five residues of ETM form a 310-helix, whereas the rest of the transmembrane domain have COi-Hi+4N hydrogen bonds that are characteristic of α-helices. This result confirms the recent high-resolution solid-state NMR structure of the open state of ETM, which was solved in the absence of explicit hydrogen-bonding restraints. This C-terminal 310 helix may facilitate proton and calcium conduction across the hydrophobic gate of the channel. This hCOhNH experiment is generally applicable and can be used to distinguish not only different types of helices but also different types of β-strands and other hydrogen-bonded conformations in proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joao Medeiros-Silva
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 170 Albany Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Aurelio J. Dregni
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 170 Albany Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Mei Hong
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 170 Albany Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
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Surya W, Tavares-Neto E, Sanchis A, Queralt-Martín M, Alcaraz A, Torres J, Aguilella VM. The Complex Proteolipidic Behavior of the SARS-CoV-2 Envelope Protein Channel: Weak Selectivity and Heterogeneous Oligomerization. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12454. [PMID: 37569828 PMCID: PMC10420310 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241512454] [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: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The envelope (E) protein is a small polypeptide that can form ion channels in coronaviruses. In SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the agent that caused the recent COVID-19 pandemic, and its predecessor SARS-CoV-1, E protein is found in the endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC), where virion budding takes place. Several reports claim that E protein promotes the formation of "cation-selective channels". However, whether this term represents specificity to certain ions (e.g., potassium or calcium) or the partial or total exclusion of anions is debatable. Herein, we discuss this claim based on the available data for SARS-CoV-1 and -2 E and on new experiments performed using the untagged full-length E protein from SARS-CoV-2 in planar lipid membranes of different types, including those that closely mimic the ERGIC membrane composition. We provide evidence that the selectivity of the E-induced channels is very mild and depends strongly on lipid environment. Thus, despite past and recent claims, we found no indication that the E protein forms cation-selective channels that prevent anion transport, and even less that E protein forms bona fide specific calcium channels. In fact, the E channel maintains its multi-ionic non-specific neutral character even in concentrated solutions of Ca2+ ions. Also, in contrast to previous studies, we found no evidence that SARS-CoV-2 E channel activation requires a particular voltage, high calcium concentrations or low pH, in agreement with available data from SARS-CoV-1 E. In addition, sedimentation velocity experiments suggest that the E channel population is mostly pentameric, but very dynamic and probably heterogeneous, consistent with the broad distribution of conductance values typically found in electrophysiological experiments. The latter has been explained by the presence of proteolipidic channel structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wahyu Surya
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore;
| | - Ernesto Tavares-Neto
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Physics, Universitat Jaume I, 12080 Castellon, Spain; (E.T.-N.); (M.Q.-M.); (A.A.)
| | - Andrea Sanchis
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Physics, Universitat Jaume I, 12080 Castellon, Spain; (E.T.-N.); (M.Q.-M.); (A.A.)
| | - María Queralt-Martín
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Physics, Universitat Jaume I, 12080 Castellon, Spain; (E.T.-N.); (M.Q.-M.); (A.A.)
| | - Antonio Alcaraz
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Physics, Universitat Jaume I, 12080 Castellon, Spain; (E.T.-N.); (M.Q.-M.); (A.A.)
| | - Jaume Torres
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore;
| | - Vicente M. Aguilella
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Physics, Universitat Jaume I, 12080 Castellon, Spain; (E.T.-N.); (M.Q.-M.); (A.A.)
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Dregni AJ, McKay MJ, Surya W, Queralt-Martin M, Medeiros-Silva J, Wang HK, Aguilella V, Torres J, Hong M. The Cytoplasmic Domain of the SARS-CoV-2 Envelope Protein Assembles into a β-Sheet Bundle in Lipid Bilayers. J Mol Biol 2023; 435:167966. [PMID: 36682677 PMCID: PMC9851921 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.167966] [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: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) envelope (E) protein forms a pentameric ion channel in the lipid membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC) of the infected cell. The cytoplasmic domain of E interacts with host proteins to cause virus pathogenicity and may also mediate virus assembly and budding. To understand the structural basis of these functions, here we investigate the conformation and dynamics of an E protein construct (residues 8-65) that encompasses the transmembrane domain and the majority of the cytoplasmic domain using solid-state NMR. 13C and 15N chemical shifts indicate that the cytoplasmic domain adopts a β-sheet-rich conformation that contains three β-strands separated by turns. The five subunits associate into an umbrella-shaped bundle that is attached to the transmembrane helices by a disordered loop. Water-edited NMR spectra indicate that the third β-strand at the C terminus of the protein is well hydrated, indicating that it is at the surface of the β-bundle. The structure of the cytoplasmic domain cannot be uniquely determined from the inter-residue correlations obtained here due to ambiguities in distinguishing intermolecular and intramolecular contacts for a compact pentameric assembly of this small domain. Instead, we present four structural topologies that are consistent with the measured inter-residue contacts. These data indicate that the cytoplasmic domain of the SARS-CoV-2 E protein has a strong propensity to adopt β-sheet conformations when the protein is present at high concentrations in lipid bilayers. The equilibrium between the β-strand conformation and the previously reported α-helical conformation may underlie the multiple functions of E in the host cell and in the virion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurelio J Dregni
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
| | - Matthew J McKay
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
| | - Wahyu Surya
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Maria Queralt-Martin
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics. Department of Physics. Universitat Jaume I. 12080 Castellón, Spain
| | - João Medeiros-Silva
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
| | - Harrison K Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
| | - Vicente Aguilella
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics. Department of Physics. Universitat Jaume I. 12080 Castellón, Spain
| | - Jaume Torres
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Mei Hong
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States.
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