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Uema M, Hyuga M, Yonemitsu K, Hyuga S, Amakura Y, Uchiyama N, Mizoguchi K, Odaguchi H, Goda Y. Antiviral Effect of Ephedrine Alkaloids-Free Ephedra Herb Extract against SARS-CoV-2 In Vitro. Microorganisms 2023; 11. [PMID: 36838499 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11020534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
We report for the first time that ephedrine alkaloids-free Ephedra Herb extract (EFE) directly inhibits the replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in vitro and that the addition of EFE to the culture medium before viral infection reduces virus titers in the culture supernatant of SARS-CoV-2, including those of variant strains, by more than 99%, 24 h after infection. The addition of Ephedra Herb macromolecule condensed-tannin, which is the main active ingredient responsible for the anticancer, pain suppression, and anti-influenza effects of EFE, similarly suppressed virus production in the culture supernatant by 99% before infection and by more than 90% after infection. Since EFE does not have the side effects caused by ephedrine alkaloids, such as hypertension, palpitations, and insomnia, our results showed the potential of EFE as a safe therapeutic agent against coronavirus disease 2019.
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2
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Turner DL, Mathias RA. The human cytomegalovirus decathlon: Ten critical replication events provide opportunities for restriction. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:1053139. [PMID: 36506089 PMCID: PMC9732275 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1053139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a ubiquitous human pathogen that can cause severe disease in immunocompromised individuals, transplant recipients, and to the developing foetus during pregnancy. There is no protective vaccine currently available, and with only a limited number of antiviral drug options, resistant strains are constantly emerging. Successful completion of HCMV replication is an elegant feat from a molecular perspective, with both host and viral processes required at various stages. Remarkably, HCMV and other herpesviruses have protracted replication cycles, large genomes, complex virion structure and complicated nuclear and cytoplasmic replication events. In this review, we outline the 10 essential stages the virus must navigate to successfully complete replication. As each individual event along the replication continuum poses as a potential barrier for restriction, these essential checkpoints represent potential targets for antiviral development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Declan L. Turner
- Department of Microbiology, Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Rommel A. Mathias
- Department of Microbiology, Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia,*Correspondence: Rommel A. Mathias,
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3
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Si L, Bai H, Oh CY, Jiang A, Hong F, Zhang T, Ye Y, Jordan TX, Logue J, McGrath M, Belgur C, Calderon K, Nurani A, Cao W, Carlson KE, Prantil-Baun R, Gygi SP, Yang D, Jonsson CB, tenOever BR, Frieman M, Ingber DE. Self-assembling short immunostimulatory duplex RNAs with broad-spectrum antiviral activity. Mol Ther Nucleic Acids 2022; 29:923-940. [PMID: 36032397 PMCID: PMC9398551 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2022.08.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlights the need for broad-spectrum antiviral therapeutics. Here we describe a new class of self-assembling immunostimulatory short duplex RNAs that potently induce production of type I and type III interferon (IFN-I and IFN-III). These RNAs require a minimum of 20 base pairs, lack any sequence or structural characteristics of known immunostimulatory RNAs, and instead require a unique sequence motif (sense strand, 5'-C; antisense strand, 3'-GGG) that mediates end-to-end dimer self-assembly. The presence of terminal hydroxyl or monophosphate groups, blunt or overhanging ends, or terminal RNA or DNA bases did not affect their ability to induce IFN. Unlike previously described immunostimulatory small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), their activity is independent of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 7/8, but requires the RIG-I/IRF3 pathway that induces a more restricted antiviral response with a lower proinflammatory signature compared with immunostimulant poly(I:C). Immune stimulation mediated by these duplex RNAs results in broad-spectrum inhibition of infections by many respiratory viruses with pandemic potential, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2, SARS-CoV, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), human coronavirus (HCoV)-NL63, and influenza A virus in cell lines, human lung chips that mimic organ-level lung pathophysiology, and a mouse SARS-CoV-2 infection model. These short double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) can be manufactured easily, and thus potentially could be harnessed to produce broad-spectrum antiviral therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longlong Si
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, CLSB5, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Haiqing Bai
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, CLSB5, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Crystal Yuri Oh
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, CLSB5, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Amanda Jiang
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, CLSB5, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA,Vascular Biology Program and Department of Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Fan Hong
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, CLSB5, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Tian Zhang
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Yongxin Ye
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02155, USA
| | - Tristan X. Jordan
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - James Logue
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Marisa McGrath
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Chaitra Belgur
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, CLSB5, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Karina Calderon
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, CLSB5, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Atiq Nurani
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, CLSB5, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Wuji Cao
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, CLSB5, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Kenneth E. Carlson
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, CLSB5, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Rachelle Prantil-Baun
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, CLSB5, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Steven P. Gygi
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Dong Yang
- Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Colleen B. Jonsson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Benjamin R. tenOever
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Matthew Frieman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Donald E. Ingber
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, CLSB5, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA,Vascular Biology Program and Department of Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA,Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA,Corresponding author Donald E. Ingber, MD, PhD, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, CLSB5, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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4
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McDonald JT, Enguita FJ, Taylor D, Griffin RJ, Priebe W, Emmett MR, Sajadi MM, Harris AD, Clement J, Dybas JM, Aykin-Burns N, Guarnieri JW, Singh LN, Grabham P, Baylin SB, Yousey A, Pearson AN, Corry PM, Saravia-Butler A, Aunins TR, Sharma S, Nagpal P, Meydan C, Foox J, Mozsary C, Cerqueira B, Zaksas V, Singh U, Wurtele ES, Costes SV, Davanzo GG, Galeano D, Paccanaro A, Meinig SL, Hagan RS, Bowman NM, Wolfgang MC, Altinok S, Sapoval N, Treangen TJ, Moraes-Vieira PM, Vanderburg C, Wallace DC, Schisler JC, Mason CE, Chatterjee A, Meller R, Beheshti A. Role of miR-2392 in driving SARS-CoV-2 infection. Cell Rep 2021; 37:109839. [PMID: 34624208 PMCID: PMC8481092 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs involved in post-transcriptional gene regulation that have a major impact on many diseases and provide an exciting avenue toward antiviral therapeutics. From patient transcriptomic data, we determined that a circulating miRNA, miR-2392, is directly involved with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) machinery during host infection. Specifically, we show that miR-2392 is key in driving downstream suppression of mitochondrial gene expression, increasing inflammation, glycolysis, and hypoxia, as well as promoting many symptoms associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. We demonstrate that miR-2392 is present in the blood and urine of patients positive for COVID-19 but is not present in patients negative for COVID-19. These findings indicate the potential for developing a minimally invasive COVID-19 detection method. Lastly, using in vitro human and in vivo hamster models, we design a miRNA-based antiviral therapeutic that targets miR-2392, significantly reduces SARS-CoV-2 viability in hamsters, and may potentially inhibit a COVID-19 disease state in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Tyson McDonald
- COVID-19 International Research Team; Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20007, USA
| | - Francisco J Enguita
- COVID-19 International Research Team; Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Deanne Taylor
- COVID-19 International Research Team; The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Robert J Griffin
- COVID-19 International Research Team; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AK 72211, USA
| | - Waldemar Priebe
- COVID-19 International Research Team; University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Mark R Emmett
- COVID-19 International Research Team; University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | | | - Anthony D Harris
- University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Jean Clement
- University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Joseph M Dybas
- COVID-19 International Research Team; The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | | | - Joseph W Guarnieri
- COVID-19 International Research Team; The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Larry N Singh
- COVID-19 International Research Team; The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Peter Grabham
- COVID-19 International Research Team; Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Stephen B Baylin
- COVID-19 International Research Team; Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Aliza Yousey
- COVID-19 International Research Team; Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA
| | | | - Peter M Corry
- COVID-19 International Research Team; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AK 72211, USA
| | - Amanda Saravia-Butler
- COVID-19 International Research Team; Logyx LLC, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA; NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | | | - Sadhana Sharma
- University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303, USA; Sachi Bioworks Inc., Boulder, CO 80301, USA
| | - Prashant Nagpal
- Sachi Bioworks Inc., Boulder, CO 80301, USA; Antimicrobial Regeneration Consortium, Boulder Labs, Boulder, CO 80301, USA; Quantum Biology Inc., Boulder, CO 80301, USA
| | - Cem Meydan
- Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | | | | | - Bianca Cerqueira
- COVID-19 International Research Team; KBR Space & Science, San Antonio, TX 78235, USA; United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, Lackland AFB, San Antonio, TX 78236, USA
| | - Viktorija Zaksas
- COVID-19 International Research Team; University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60615, USA
| | - Urminder Singh
- COVID-19 International Research Team; Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Eve Syrkin Wurtele
- COVID-19 International Research Team; Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | | | | | - Diego Galeano
- COVID-19 International Research Team; Fundação Getulio Vargas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; National University of Asuncion, San Lorenzo, Central, Paraguay
| | - Alberto Paccanaro
- COVID-19 International Research Team; Fundação Getulio Vargas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; University of London, Egham Hill, Egham, UK
| | - Suzanne L Meinig
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Robert S Hagan
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Natalie M Bowman
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | | | - Selin Altinok
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Douglas C Wallace
- COVID-19 International Research Team; The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jonathan C Schisler
- COVID-19 International Research Team; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Christopher E Mason
- COVID-19 International Research Team; Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA; New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anushree Chatterjee
- COVID-19 International Research Team; University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303, USA; Sachi Bioworks Inc., Boulder, CO 80301, USA; Antimicrobial Regeneration Consortium, Boulder Labs, Boulder, CO 80301, USA
| | - Robert Meller
- COVID-19 International Research Team; Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA
| | - Afshin Beheshti
- COVID-19 International Research Team; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; KBR, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.
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5
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Han Z, Ye H, Liang J, Shepley-McTaggart A, Wrobel JE, Reitz AB, Whigham A, Kavelish KN, Saporito MS, Freedman BD, Shtanko O, Harty RN. Compound FC-10696 Inhibits Egress of Marburg Virus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2021; 65:e0008621. [PMID: 33846137 DOI: 10.1128/AAC.00086-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Marburg virus (MARV) VP40 protein (mVP40) directs egress and spread of MARV, in part, by recruiting specific host WW domain-containing proteins via its conserved PPxY late (L) domain motif to facilitate efficient virus-cell separation. We reported previously that small-molecule compounds targeting the viral PPxY/host WW domain interaction inhibited VP40-mediated egress and spread. Here, we report on the antiviral potency of novel compound FC-10696, which emerged from extensive structure-activity relationship (SAR) of a previously described series of PPxY inhibitors. We show that FC-10696 inhibits egress of mVP40 virus-like particles (VLPs) and egress of authentic MARV from HeLa cells and primary human macrophages. Moreover, FC-10696 treated-mice displayed delayed onset of weight loss and clinical signs and significantly lower viral loads compared to controls, with 14% of animals surviving 21 days following a lethal MARV challenge. Thus, FC-10696 represents a first-in-class, host-oriented inhibitor effectively targeting late stages of the MARV life cycle.
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Shepley-McTaggart A, Sagum CA, Oliva I, Rybakovsky E, DiGuilio K, Liang J, Bedford MT, Cassel J, Sudol M, Mullin JM, Harty RN. SARS-CoV-2 Envelope (E) Protein Interacts with PDZ-Domain-2 of Host Tight Junction Protein ZO1. bioRxiv 2020:2020.12.22.422708. [PMID: 33398268 PMCID: PMC7781303 DOI: 10.1101/2020.12.22.422708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Newly emerged SARS-CoV-2 is the cause of an ongoing global pandemic leading to severe respiratory disease in humans. SARS-CoV-2 targets epithelial cells in the respiratory tract and lungs, which can lead to amplified chloride secretion and increased leak across epithelial barriers, contributing to severe pneumonia and consolidation of the lungs as seen in many COVID-19 patients. There is an urgent need for a better understanding of the molecular aspects that contribute to SARS-CoV-2 induced pathogenesis and for the development of approaches to mitigate these damaging pathologies. The multifunctional SARS-CoV-2 Envelope (E) protein contributes to virus assembly/egress, and as a membrane protein, also possesses viroporin channel properties that may contribute to epithelial barrier damage, pathogenesis, and disease severity. The extreme C-terminal (ECT) sequence of E also contains a putative PDZ-domain binding motif (PBM), similar to that identified in the E protein of SARS-CoV-1. Here, we screened an array of GST-PDZ domain fusion proteins using either a biotin-labeled WT or mutant ECT peptide from the SARS-CoV-2 E protein. Notably, we identified a singular specific interaction between the WT E peptide and the second PDZ domain of human Zona Occludens-1 (ZO1), one of the key regulators of TJ formation/integrity in all epithelial tissues. We used homogenous time resolve fluorescence (HTRF) as a second complementary approach to further validate this novel modular E-ZO1 interaction. We postulate that SARS-CoV-2 E interacts with ZO1 in infected epithelial cells, and this interaction may contribute, in part, to tight junction damage and epithelial barrier compromise in these cell layers leading to enhanced virus spread and severe respiratory dysfunction that leads to morbidity. Prophylactic/therapeutic intervention targeting this virus-host interaction may effectively reduce airway barrier damage and mitigate virus spread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel Shepley-McTaggart
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Cari A. Sagum
- Department of Epigenetics & Molecular Carcinogenesis, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Smithville, Texas, USA
| | - Isabela Oliva
- The Wistar Cancer Center for Molecular Screening, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Katie DiGuilio
- Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jingjing Liang
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Mark T. Bedford
- Department of Epigenetics & Molecular Carcinogenesis, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Smithville, Texas, USA
| | - Joel Cassel
- The Wistar Cancer Center for Molecular Screening, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Marius Sudol
- Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - James M. Mullin
- Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ronald N. Harty
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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7
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Huang X, Pearce R, Zhang Y. De novo design of protein peptides to block association of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with human ACE2. Aging (Albany NY) 2020; 12:11263-11276. [PMID: 32544884 PMCID: PMC7343451 DOI: 10.18632/aging.103416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The outbreak of COVID-19 has now become a global pandemic that has severely impacted lives and economic stability. There is, however, no effective antiviral drug that can be used to treat COVID-19 to date. Built on the fact that SARS-CoV-2 initiates its entry into human cells by the receptor binding domain (RBD) of its spike protein binding to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2), we extended a recently developed approach, EvoDesign, to design multiple peptide sequences that can competitively bind to the SARS-CoV-2 RBD to inhibit the virus from entering human cells. The protocol starts with the construction of a hybrid peptidic scaffold by linking two fragments grafted from the interface of the hACE2 protein (a.a. 22-44 and 351-357) with a linker glycine, which is followed by the redesign and refinement simulations of the peptide sequence to optimize its binding affinity to the interface of the SARS-CoV-2 RBD. The binding experiment analyses showed that the designed peptides exhibited a significantly stronger binding potency to hACE2 than the wild-type hACE2 receptor (with -53.35 vs. -46.46 EvoEF2 energy unit scores for the top designed and wild-type peptides, respectively). This study demonstrates a new avenue to utilize computationally designed peptide motifs to treat the COVID-19 disease by blocking the critical spike-RBD and hACE2 interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqiang Huang
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Robin Pearce
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.,Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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Abstract
Paramyxoviruses and pneumoviruses infect cells through fusion (F) protein-mediated merger of the viral envelope with target membranes. Members of these families include a range of major human and animal pathogens, such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), measles virus (MeV), human parainfluenza viruses (HPIVs), and highly pathogenic Nipah virus (NiV). High-resolution F protein structures in both the metastable pre- and the postfusion conformation have been solved for several members of the families and a number of F-targeting entry inhibitors have progressed to advanced development or clinical testing. However, small-molecule RSV entry inhibitors have overall disappointed in clinical trials and viral resistance developed rapidly in experimental settings and patients, raising the question of whether the available structural information may provide a path to counteract viral escape through proactive inhibitor engineering. This article will summarize current mechanistic insight into F-mediated membrane fusion and examine the contribution of structural information to the development of small-molecule F inhibitors. Implications are outlined for future drug target selection and rational drug engineering strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard K Plemper
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA;
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9
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Abstract
The WW domain is a modular protein structure that recognizes the proline-rich Pro-Pro-x-Tyr (PPxY) motif contained in specific target proteins. The compact modular nature of the WW domain makes it ideal for mediating interactions between proteins in complex networks and signaling pathways of the cell (e.g. the Hippo pathway). As a result, WW domains play key roles in a plethora of both normal and disease processes. Intriguingly, RNA and DNA viruses have evolved strategies to hijack cellular WW domain-containing proteins and thereby exploit the modular functions of these host proteins for various steps of the virus life cycle, including entry, replication, and egress. In this review, we summarize key findings in this rapidly expanding field, in which new virus-host interactions continue to be identified. Further unraveling of the molecular aspects of these crucial virus-host interactions will continue to enhance our fundamental understanding of the biology and pathogenesis of these viruses. We anticipate that additional insights into these interactions will help support strategies to develop a new class of small-molecule inhibitors of viral PPxY-host WW-domain interactions that could be used as antiviral therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel Shepley-McTaggart
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
| | - Hao Fan
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, Matrix #07-01, Singapore 138671.,Department of Biological Sciences (DBS), National University of Singapore, Singapore 119077.,Center for Computational Biology, DUKE-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857
| | - Marius Sudol
- Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119077.,Laboratory of Cancer Signaling and Domainopathies, Yong Loo Li School of Medicine, Block MD9, 2 Medical Drive #04-01, Singapore 117597.,Mechanobiology Institute, T-Lab, 5A Engineering Drive 1, Singapore 117411.,Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Ronald N Harty
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
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