1
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Dehury B, Mishra S, Pati S. Structural insights into SARS-CoV-2 main protease conformational plasticity. J Cell Biochem 2023. [PMID: 37099673 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.30409] [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: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
The spread of different severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants underscores the need for insights into the structural properties of its structural and non-structural proteins. The highly conserved homo-dimeric chymotrypsin-like protease (3CL MPRO ), belonging to the class of cysteine hydrolases, plays an indispensable role in processing viral polyproteins that are involved in viral replication and transcription. Studies have successfully demonstrated the role of MPRO as an attractive drug target for designing antiviral treatments because of its importance in the viral life cycle. Herein, we report the structural dynamics of six experimentally solved structures of MPRO (i.e., 6LU7, 6M03, 6WQF, 6Y2E, 6Y84, and 7BUY including both ligand-free and ligand-bound states) at different resolutions. We have employed a structure-based balanced forcefield, CHARMM36m through state-of-the-art all-atoms molecular dynamics simulations at µ-seconds scale at room temperature (303K) and pH 7.0 to explore their structure-function relationship. The helical domain-III responsible for dimerization mostly contributes to the altered conformational states and destabilization of MPRO . A keen observation of the high degree of flexibility in the P5 binding pocket adjoining domain II-III highlights the reason for observation of conformational heterogeneity among the structural ensembles of MPRO . We also observe a differential dynamics of the catalytic pocket residues His41, Cys145, and Asp187, which may lead to catalytic impairment of the monomeric proteases. Among the highly populated conformational states of the six systems, 6LU7 and 7M03 forms the most stable and compact MPRO conformation with intact catalytic site and structural integrity. Altogether, our findings from this extensive study provides a benchmark to identify physiologically relevant structures of such promising drug targets for structure-based drug design and discovery of potent drug-like compounds having clinical potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Budheswar Dehury
- Division of Bioinformatics, ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Sarbani Mishra
- Division of Bioinformatics, ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Sanghamitra Pati
- Division of Bioinformatics, ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
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2
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Wang J, Zeng X, Yin D, Yin L, Shen X, Xu F, Dai Y, Pan X. In silico and in vitro evaluation of antiviral activity of wogonin against main protease of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1123650. [PMID: 37009514 PMCID: PMC10050881 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1123650] [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] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The high mortality rate of weaned piglets infected with porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) poses a serious threat to the pig industry worldwide, demanding urgent research efforts related to developing effective antiviral drugs to prevent and treat PEDV infection. Small molecules can possibly prevent the spread of infection by targeting specific vital components of the pathogen’s genome. Main protease (Mpro, also named 3CL protease) plays essential roles in PEDV replication and has emerged as a promising target for the inhibition of PEDV. In this study, wogonin exhibited antiviral activity against a PEDV variant isolate, interacting with the PEDV particles and inhibiting the internalization, replication and release of PEDV. The molecular docking model indicated that wogonin was firmly embedded in the groove of the active pocket of Mpro. Furthermore, the interaction between wogonin and Mpro was validated in silico via microscale thermophoresis and surface plasmon resonance analyses. In addition, the results of a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay indicated that wogonin exerted an inhibitory effect on Mpro. These findings provide useful insights into the antiviral activities of wogonin, which could support future research into anti-PEDV drugs.`
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Affiliation(s)
- Jieru Wang
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Product Safety Engineering, Livestock and Poultry Epidemic Diseases Research Center of Anhui Province, Key Laboratory of Pig Molecular Quantitative Genetics of Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Xiaoyu Zeng
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Product Safety Engineering, Livestock and Poultry Epidemic Diseases Research Center of Anhui Province, Key Laboratory of Pig Molecular Quantitative Genetics of Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Dongdong Yin
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Product Safety Engineering, Livestock and Poultry Epidemic Diseases Research Center of Anhui Province, Key Laboratory of Pig Molecular Quantitative Genetics of Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Lei Yin
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Product Safety Engineering, Livestock and Poultry Epidemic Diseases Research Center of Anhui Province, Key Laboratory of Pig Molecular Quantitative Genetics of Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Xuehuai Shen
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Product Safety Engineering, Livestock and Poultry Epidemic Diseases Research Center of Anhui Province, Key Laboratory of Pig Molecular Quantitative Genetics of Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Fazhi Xu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
| | - Yin Dai
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Product Safety Engineering, Livestock and Poultry Epidemic Diseases Research Center of Anhui Province, Key Laboratory of Pig Molecular Quantitative Genetics of Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaocheng Pan, ; Yin Dai,
| | - Xiaocheng Pan
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Product Safety Engineering, Livestock and Poultry Epidemic Diseases Research Center of Anhui Province, Key Laboratory of Pig Molecular Quantitative Genetics of Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaocheng Pan, ; Yin Dai,
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3
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Chen R, Gao Y, Liu H, Li H, Chen W, Ma J. Advances in research on 3C-like protease (3CL pro) inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 since 2020. RSC Med Chem 2023; 14:9-21. [PMID: 36760740 PMCID: PMC9890616 DOI: 10.1039/d2md00344a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 in late 2019 is still threatening global human health. Although some vaccines and drugs are available in the market, controlling the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus remains a huge challenge. 3C-like protease (3CLpro) is a highly conserved key protease for SARS-CoV-2 replication, and no relevant homologous protein with a similar cleavage site to 3CLpro has been identified in humans, highlighting that development of 3CLpro inhibitors exhibits great promise for treatment of COVID-19. In this review, the authors describe the structure and function of 3CLpro. To better understand the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro inhibitors, the SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro inhibitors reported since 2020 are classified into peptidomimetic covalent inhibitors, non-peptidomimetic covalent inhibitors and non-covalent small molecule inhibitors, and the representative inhibitors, their biological activities and binding models are highlighted. Collectively, we hope that all the information presented here will provide new insights into the design and development of more effective 3CLpro inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 as novel anti-coronavirus drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roufen Chen
- School of Medicine, Huaqiao University Quanzhou 362000 China
| | - Yali Gao
- Pharmacy Department, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University Quanzhou 362000 China
| | - Han Liu
- School of Medicine, Huaqiao University Quanzhou 362000 China
| | - He Li
- School of Medicine, Huaqiao University Quanzhou 362000 China
| | - Wenfa Chen
- Pharmacy Department, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University Quanzhou 362000 China
| | - Junjie Ma
- School of Medicine, Huaqiao University Quanzhou 362000 China
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4
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Rozentsveig IB, Nikonova VS, Manuilov VV, Ushakov IA, Borodina TN, Smirnov VI, Korchevin NA. Heterocyclization of Bis(2-chloroprop-2-en-1-yl)sulfide in Hydrazine Hydrate–KOH: Synthesis of Thiophene and Pyrrole Derivatives. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27206785. [PMID: 36296380 PMCID: PMC9609936 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27206785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The article is devoted to heterocyclization of bis(2-chloroprop-2-en-1-yl)sulfide which proceeds in hydrazine hydrate–alkali medium and leads to formation of thiophene and pyrrole derivatives: previously described 4,5,9,10-tetrahydrocycloocta[1,2-c;5,8-c’]dithiophene, as well as unknown hydrazone of 5-methylidene-3-methyldihydrothiophen-2-one and 1-amino-2-(propynylsulfanylpropenylsulfanyl)-3,5-dimethylpyrrole. Tentative mechanisms for the formation of the heterocyclic products are discussed. Obtained hydrazone of 5-methylidene-3-methyldihydrothiophen-2-one was used for the synthesis of a range of azine derivatives and in oxidation process with SeO2. The found reactions open up expedient approaches to the formation of various hardly accessible thiophene and pyrrole compounds from 2,3-dichloropropene and elemental sulfur as starting reagents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor B. Rozentsveig
- A. E. Favorsky Irkutsk Institute of Chemistry, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 1 Favorsky St., 664033 Irkutsk, Russia
- Chemistry Department, Irkutsk State University, Karl Marx Str., 1, 664003 Irkutsk, Russia
- Correspondence:
| | - Valentina S. Nikonova
- A. E. Favorsky Irkutsk Institute of Chemistry, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 1 Favorsky St., 664033 Irkutsk, Russia
| | - Victor V. Manuilov
- A. E. Favorsky Irkutsk Institute of Chemistry, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 1 Favorsky St., 664033 Irkutsk, Russia
| | - Igor A. Ushakov
- A. E. Favorsky Irkutsk Institute of Chemistry, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 1 Favorsky St., 664033 Irkutsk, Russia
| | - Tatyana N. Borodina
- A. E. Favorsky Irkutsk Institute of Chemistry, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 1 Favorsky St., 664033 Irkutsk, Russia
| | - Vladimir I. Smirnov
- A. E. Favorsky Irkutsk Institute of Chemistry, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 1 Favorsky St., 664033 Irkutsk, Russia
| | - Nikolay A. Korchevin
- A. E. Favorsky Irkutsk Institute of Chemistry, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 1 Favorsky St., 664033 Irkutsk, Russia
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5
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Hu Q, Xiong Y, Zhu GH, Zhang YN, Zhang YW, Huang P, Ge GB. The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M pro): Structure, function, and emerging therapies for COVID-19. MedComm (Beijing) 2022; 3:e151. [PMID: 35845352 PMCID: PMC9283855 DOI: 10.1002/mco2.151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The main proteases (Mpro), also termed 3‐chymotrypsin‐like proteases (3CLpro), are a class of highly conserved cysteine hydrolases in β‐coronaviruses. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that 3CLpros play an indispensable role in viral replication and have been recognized as key targets for preventing and treating coronavirus‐caused infectious diseases, including COVID‐19. This review is focused on the structural features and biological function of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) main protease Mpro (also known as 3CLpro), as well as recent advances in discovering and developing SARS‐CoV‐2 3CLpro inhibitors. To better understand the characteristics of SARS‐CoV‐2 3CLpro inhibitors, the inhibition activities, inhibitory mechanisms, and key structural features of various 3CLpro inhibitors (including marketed drugs, peptidomimetic, and non‐peptidomimetic synthetic compounds, as well as natural compounds and their derivatives) are summarized comprehensively. Meanwhile, the challenges in this field are highlighted, while future directions for designing and developing efficacious 3CLpro inhibitors as novel anti‐coronavirus therapies are also proposed. Collectively, all information and knowledge presented here are very helpful for understanding the structural features and inhibitory mechanisms of SARS‐CoV‐2 3CLpro inhibitors, which offers new insights or inspiration to medicinal chemists for designing and developing more efficacious 3CLpro inhibitors as novel anti‐coronavirus agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Hu
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Shanghai China.,Clinical Pharmacy Center Cancer Center Department of Pharmacy Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital Affiliated People's Hospital Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou Zhejiang China
| | - Yuan Xiong
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Shanghai China
| | - Guang-Hao Zhu
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Shanghai China
| | - Ya-Ni Zhang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Shanghai China
| | - Yi-Wen Zhang
- Clinical Pharmacy Center Cancer Center Department of Pharmacy Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital Affiliated People's Hospital Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou Zhejiang China
| | - Ping Huang
- Clinical Pharmacy Center Cancer Center Department of Pharmacy Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital Affiliated People's Hospital Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou Zhejiang China
| | - Guang-Bo Ge
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Shanghai China
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6
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Lu J, Chen SA, Khan MB, Brassard R, Arutyunova E, Lamer T, Vuong W, Fischer C, Young HS, Vederas JC, Lemieux MJ. Crystallization of Feline Coronavirus M pro With GC376 Reveals Mechanism of Inhibition. Front Chem 2022; 10:852210. [PMID: 35281564 PMCID: PMC8907848 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.852210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Coronaviruses infect a variety of hosts in the animal kingdom, and while each virus is taxonomically different, they all infect their host via the same mechanism. The coronavirus main protease (Mpro, also called 3CLpro), is an attractive target for drug development due to its essential role in mediating viral replication and transcription. An Mpro inhibitor, GC376, has been shown to treat feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), a fatal infection in cats caused by internal mutations in the feline enteric coronavirus (FECV). Recently, our lab demonstrated that the feline drug, GC373, and prodrug, GC376, are potent inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and solved the structures in complex with the drugs; however, no crystal structures of the FIP virus (FIPV) Mpro with the feline drugs have been published so far. Here, we present crystal structures of FIPV Mpro-GC373/GC376 complexes, revealing the inhibitors covalently bound to Cys144 in the active site, similar to SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. Additionally, GC376 has a higher affinity for FIPV Mpro with lower nanomolar Ki values compared to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. We also show that improved derivatives of GC376 have higher potency for FIPV Mpro. Since GC373 and GC376 represent strong starting points for structure-guided drug design, determining the crystal structures of FIPV Mpro with these inhibitors are important steps in drug optimization and structure-based broad-spectrum antiviral drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jimmy Lu
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Sizhu Amelia Chen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | | | - Raelynn Brassard
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Elena Arutyunova
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Tess Lamer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Wayne Vuong
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Conrad Fischer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Howard S. Young
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - John C. Vederas
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - M. Joanne Lemieux
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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7
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Chen W, Wang Z, Wang Y, Li Y. Natural Bioactive Molecules as Potential Agents Against SARS-CoV-2. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:702472. [PMID: 34483904 PMCID: PMC8416071 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.702472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In the past two decades, pandemics of several fatal coronaviruses have posed enormous challenges for public health, including SARS-CoV (2003), MERS-CoV (2012), and SARS-CoV-2 (2019). Among these, SARS-CoV-2 continues to ravage the world today and has lead to millions of deaths and incalculable economic damage. Till now, there is no clinically proven antiviral drug available for SARS-CoV-2. However, the bioactive molecules of natural origin, especially medicinal plants, have been proven to be potential resources in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2, acting at different stages of the viral life cycle and targeting different viral or host proteins, such as PLpro, 3CLpro, RdRp, helicase, spike, ACE2, and TMPRSS2. They provide a viable strategy to develop therapeutic agents. This review presents fundamental biological information on SARS-CoV-2, including the viral biological characteristics and invasion mechanisms. It also summarizes the reported natural bioactive molecules with anti-coronavirus properties, arranged by their different targets in the life cycle of viral infection of human cells, and discusses the prospects of these bioactive molecules for the treatment of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Chen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Zhihao Wang
- Biobank, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Yawen Wang
- Biobank, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Yiping Li
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
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8
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Abstract
The COVID-19 outbreak has thrown the world into an unprecedented crisis. It has posed a challenge to scientists around the globe who are working tirelessly to combat this pandemic. We herein report a set of molecules that may serve as possible inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease. To identify these molecules, we followed a combinatorial structure-based strategy, which includes high-throughput virtual screening, molecular docking and WaterMap calculations. The study was carried out using Protein Data Bank structures 5R82 and 6Y2G. DrugBank, Enamine, Natural product and Specs databases, along with a few known antiviral drugs, were used for the screening. WaterMap analysis aided in the recognition of high-potential molecules that can efficiently displace binding-site waters. This study may help the discovery and development of antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2.
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9
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Chen CC, Yu X, Kuo CJ, Min J, Chen S, Ma L, Liu K, Guo RT. Overview of antiviral drug candidates targeting coronaviral 3C-like main proteases. FEBS J 2021; 288:5089-5121. [PMID: 33400393 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2020] [Revised: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Coronaviruses (CoVs) are positive single-stranded RNA viruses that cause severe respiratory syndromes in humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV (SARS-CoV-2) at the end of 2019 became a global pandemic. The 3C-like cysteine protease (3CLpro) processes viral polyproteins to yield mature non-structural proteins, thus playing an important role in the CoV life cycle, and therefore is considered as a prominent target for antiviral drugs. To date, many 3CLpro inhibitors have been reported, and their molecular mechanisms have been illustrated. Here, we briefly introduce the structural features of 3CLpro of the human-related SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, and explore the potency and mechanism of their cognate inhibitors. This information will shed light on the development and optimization of CoV 3CLpro inhibitors, which may benefit the further designation of therapeutic strategies for treating CoV diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Chi Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Green Transformation of Bio-Resources, Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xuejing Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Green Transformation of Bio-Resources, Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Chih-Jung Kuo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Jian Min
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Green Transformation of Bio-Resources, Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Sizhuo Chen
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Lixin Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Green Transformation of Bio-Resources, Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Ke Liu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Rey-Ting Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Green Transformation of Bio-Resources, Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
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10
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Behnam MAM. Protein structural heterogeneity: A hypothesis for the basis of proteolytic recognition by the main protease of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. Biochimie 2021; 182:177-184. [PMID: 33484784 PMCID: PMC7817518 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2021.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 is a key enzyme in viral replication and a promising target for the development of antiviral therapeutics. The understanding of this protein is based on a number of observations derived from earlier x-ray structures, which mostly consider substrates or ligands as the main reason behind modulation of the active site. This lead to the concept of substrate-induced subsite cooperativity as an initial attempt to explain the dual binding specificity of this enzyme in recognizing the cleavage sequences at its N- and C-termini, which are important processing steps in obtaining the mature protease. The presented hypothesis proposes that structural heterogeneity is a property of the enzyme, independent of the presence of a substrate or ligand. Indeed, the analysis of Mpro structures of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 reveals a conformational diversity for the catalytically competent state in ligand-free structures. Variation in the binding site appears to result from flexibility at residues lining the S1 subpocket and segments incorporating methionine 49 and glutamine 189. The structural evidence introduces “structure-based recognition” as a new paradigm in substrate proteolysis by Mpro. In this concept, the binding space in subpockets of the enzyme varies in a non-cooperative manner, causing distinct conformations, which recognize and process different cleavage sites, as the N- and C-termini. Insights into the recognition basis of the protease provide explanation to the ordered processing of cleavage sites. The hypothesis expands the conformational space of the enzyme and consequently opportunities for drug development and repurposing efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mira A M Behnam
- Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Im Neuenheimer Feld 364, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
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11
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Xiong M, Su H, Zhao W, Xie H, Shao Q, Xu Y. What coronavirus 3C-like protease tells us: From structure, substrate selectivity, to inhibitor design. Med Res Rev 2021; 41:1965-1998. [PMID: 33460213 PMCID: PMC8014231 DOI: 10.1002/med.21783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of a variety of coronaviruses (CoVs) in the last decades has posed huge threats to human health. Especially, the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to more than 70 million infections and over 1.6 million of deaths worldwide in the past few months. None of the efficacious antiviral agents against human CoVs have been approved yet. 3C-like protease (3CLpro ) is an attractive target for antiviral intervention due to its essential role in processing polyproteins translated from viral RNA, and its conserved structural feature and substrate specificity among CoVs in spite of the sequence variation. This review focuses on all available crystal structures of 12 CoV 3CLpro s and their inhibitors, and intends to provide a comprehensive understanding of this protease from multiple aspects including its structural features, substrate specificity, inhibitor binding modes, and more importantly, to recapitulate the similarity and diversity among different CoV 3CLpro s and the structure-activity relationship of various types of inhibitors. Such an attempt could gain a deep insight into the inhibition mechanisms and drive future structure-based drug discovery targeting 3CLpro s.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muya Xiong
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Haixia Su
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenfeng Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Hang Xie
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Qiang Shao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yechun Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China
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12
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Isgrò C, Sardanelli AM, Palese LL. Systematic Search for SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Inhibitors for Drug Repurposing: Ethacrynic Acid as a Potential Drug. Viruses 2021; 13:v13010106. [PMID: 33451132 PMCID: PMC7828626 DOI: 10.3390/v13010106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In 2019 an outbreak occurred which resulted in a global pandemic. The causative agent has been identified in a virus belonging to the Coronaviridae family, similar to the agent of SARS, referred to as SARS-CoV-2. This epidemic spread rapidly globally with high morbidity and mortality. Although vaccine development is at a very advanced stage, there are currently no truly effective antiviral drugs to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this study we present systematic and integrative antiviral drug repurposing effort aimed at identifying, among the drugs already authorized for clinical use, some active inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease. The most important result of this analysis is the demonstration that ethacrynic acid, a powerful diuretic, is revealed to be an effective inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 main protease. Even with all the necessary cautions, given the particular nature of this drug, these data can be the starting point for the development of an effective therapeutic strategy against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Isgrò
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neurosciences and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy;
- Department of Medicine, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Via Alvaro del Portillo 21, 00128 Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Sardanelli
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neurosciences and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy;
- Department of Medicine, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Via Alvaro del Portillo 21, 00128 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: or (A.M.S.); (L.L.P.)
| | - Luigi Leonardo Palese
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neurosciences and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy;
- Correspondence: or (A.M.S.); (L.L.P.)
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13
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Aghaee E, Ghodrati M, Ghasemi JB. In silico exploration of novel protease inhibitors against coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). INFORMATICS IN MEDICINE UNLOCKED 2021; 23:100516. [PMID: 33457495 PMCID: PMC7801185 DOI: 10.1016/j.imu.2021.100516] [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: 11/15/2020] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The spread of SARS-CoV-2 has affected human health globally. Hence, it is necessary to rapidly find the drug-candidates that can be used to treat the infection. Since the main protease (Mpro) is the key protein in the virus's life cycle, Mpro is served as one of the critical targets of antiviral treatment. We employed virtual screening tools to search for new inhibitors to accelerate the drug discovery process. The hit compounds were subsequently docked into the active site of SARS-CoV-2 main protease and ranked by their binding energy. Furthermore, in-silico ADME studies were performed to probe for adoption with the standard ranges. Finally, molecular dynamics simulations were applied to study the protein-drug complex's fluctuation over time in an aqueous medium. This study indicates that the interaction energy of the top ten retrieved compounds with COVID-19 main protease is much higher than the interaction energy of some currently in use protease drugs such as ML188, nelfinavir, lopinavir, ritonavir, and α-ketoamide. Among the discovered compounds, Pubchem44326934 showed druglike properties and was further analyzed by MD and MM/PBSA approaches. Besides, the constant binding free energy over MD trajectories suggests a probable drug possessing antiviral properties. MD simulations demonstrate that GLU166 and GLN189 are the most important residues of Mpro, which interact with inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elham Aghaee
- Drug Design in Silico Lab, Chemistry Faculty, School of Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Marzieh Ghodrati
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
| | - Jahan B Ghasemi
- Drug Design in Silico Lab, Chemistry Faculty, School of Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
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14
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Pavlova A, Lynch DL, Daidone I, Zanetti-Polzi L, Smith MD, Chipot C, Kneller DW, Kovalevsky A, Coates L, Golosov AA, Dickson CJ, Velez-Vega C, Duca JS, Vermaas JV, Pang YT, Acharya A, Parks JM, Smith JC, Gumbart JC. Inhibitor binding influences the protonation states of histidines in SARS-CoV-2 main protease. Chem Sci 2021; 12:1513-1527. [PMID: 35356437 PMCID: PMC8899719 DOI: 10.1039/d0sc04942e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The main protease (Mpro) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an attractive target for antiviral therapeutics. Recently, many high-resolution apo and inhibitor-bound structures of Mpro, a cysteine protease, have been determined, facilitating structure-based drug design. Mpro plays a central role in the viral life cycle by catalyzing the cleavage of SARS-CoV-2 polyproteins. In addition to the catalytic dyad His41–Cys145, Mpro contains multiple histidines including His163, His164, and His172. The protonation states of these histidines and the catalytic nucleophile Cys145 have been debated in previous studies of SARS-CoV Mpro, but have yet to be investigated for SARS-CoV-2. In this work we have used molecular dynamics simulations to determine the structural stability of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro as a function of the protonation assignments for these residues. We simulated both the apo and inhibitor-bound enzyme and found that the conformational stability of the binding site, bound inhibitors, and the hydrogen bond networks of Mpro are highly sensitive to these assignments. Additionally, the two inhibitors studied, the peptidomimetic N3 and an α-ketoamide, display distinct His41/His164 protonation-state-dependent stabilities. While the apo and the N3-bound systems favored Nδ (HD) and Nϵ (HE) protonation of His41 and His164, respectively, the α-ketoamide was not stably bound in this state. Our results illustrate the importance of using appropriate histidine protonation states to accurately model the structure and dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro in both the apo and inhibitor-bound states, a necessary prerequisite for drug-design efforts. The main protease (Mpro) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an attractive target for antiviral therapeutics.![]()
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15
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Saleh MSM, Kamisah Y. Potential Medicinal Plants for the Treatment of Dengue Fever and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus. Biomolecules 2020; 11:42. [PMID: 33396926 PMCID: PMC7824034 DOI: 10.3390/biom11010042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
While dengue virus (DENV) infection imposes a serious challenge to the survival of humans worldwide, severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (SARS-CoV) remains the most devastating pandemic in human history. A significant number of studies have shown that plant-derived substances could serve as potential candidates for the development of safe and efficacious remedies for combating these diseases. Different scientific databases were used to source for literature on plants used against these infections. Thirty-five studies described the traditional use of 25 species from 20 families for treating DENV infection with Carica papaya and Euphorbia hirta were the most widely used across different regions. 13 in vivo studies, 32 in vitro studies, and eight clinical studies were conducted on 30 species from 25 families against different DENV serotypes, while plants from 13 families were reported to inhibit different forms of SARS-CoV, all of which were investigated through in vitro studies. Phytoconstituents belonging to various chemical classes were identified to show a wide range of antiviral activity against these infections. Extensive studies on the potentials of medicinal plants are needed to confirm their efficacy. This paper reveals the capabilities of medicinal plants and their phytochemicals in inhibiting DENV and SARS-CoV infections.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yusof Kamisah
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center, Cheras 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;
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16
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Xu C, Ke Z, Liu C, Wang Z, Liu D, Zhang L, Wang J, He W, Xu Z, Li Y, Yang Y, Huang Z, Lv P, Wang X, Han D, Li Y, Qiao N, Liu B. Systemic In Silico Screening in Drug Discovery for Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) with an Online Interactive Web Server. J Chem Inf Model 2020; 60:5735-5745. [PMID: 32786695 PMCID: PMC7460831 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.0c00821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of the new coronavirus (nCoV-19) has impacted human health on a global scale, while the interaction between the virus and the host is the foundation of the disease. The viral genome codes a cluster of proteins, each with a unique function in the event of host invasion or viral development. Under the current adverse situation, we employ virtual screening tools in searching for drugs and natural products which have been already deposited in DrugBank in an attempt to accelerate the drug discovery process. This study provides an initial evaluation of current drug candidates from various reports using our systemic in silico drug screening based on structures of viral proteins and human ACE2 receptor. Additionally, we have built an interactive online platform (https://shennongproject.ai/) for browsing these results with the visual display of a small molecule docked on its potential target protein, without installing any specialized structural software. With continuous maintenance and incorporation of data from laboratory work, it may serve not only as the assessment tool for the new drug discovery but also an educational web site for the public.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi Xu
- Laboratory of Health Intelligence,
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd,
Shenzhen 518100, China
| | - Zunhui Ke
- Wuhan Children’s Hospital,
Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science
& Technology, Wuhan 430000,
China
| | - Chuandong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision
Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy
of Sciences, Beijing 100101,
China
- College of Future Technology,
Sino-Danish College, University of Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing, 100049
China
| | - Zhihao Wang
- BioBank, The First
Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong
University, Shaanxi 710061,
China
- MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and
Infection, Imperial College London, London
SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | - Denghui Liu
- Laboratory of Health Intelligence,
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd,
Shenzhen 518100, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Laboratory of Health Intelligence,
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd,
Shenzhen 518100, China
| | - Jingning Wang
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School
of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong
University of Science and Technology, Wuhan
430030, China
| | - Wenjun He
- Laboratory of Health Intelligence,
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd,
Shenzhen 518100, China
| | - Zhimeng Xu
- Laboratory of Health Intelligence,
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd,
Shenzhen 518100, China
| | - Yanqing Li
- BioBank, The First
Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong
University, Shaanxi 710061,
China
| | - Yanan Yang
- BioBank, The First
Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong
University, Shaanxi 710061,
China
| | - Zhaowei Huang
- Laboratory of Health Intelligence,
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd,
Shenzhen 518100, China
| | - Panjing Lv
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School
of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong
University of Science and Technology, Wuhan
430030, China
| | - Xin Wang
- BioBank, The First
Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong
University, Shaanxi 710061,
China
| | - Dali Han
- Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision
Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy
of Sciences, Beijing 100101,
China
- College of Future Technology,
Sino-Danish College, University of Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing, 100049
China
- Institute for
Stem Cell and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100101,
China
- China National Center for
Bioinformation, Beijing 100101,
China
| | - Yan Li
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School
of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong
University of Science and Technology, Wuhan
430030, China
- Department of Pediatrics, Tongji
Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of
Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030,
China
| | - Nan Qiao
- Laboratory of Health Intelligence,
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd,
Shenzhen 518100, China
| | - Bing Liu
- BioBank, The First
Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong
University, Shaanxi 710061,
China
- MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and
Infection, Imperial College London, London
SW7 2AZ, U.K.
- Instrument Analysis
Centre, of Xi’an Jiaotong University,
Shaanxi 710049, China
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17
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Littler DR, MacLachlan BJ, Watson GM, Vivian JP, Gully BS. A pocket guide on how to structure SARS-CoV-2 drugs and therapies. Biochem Soc Trans 2020; 48:2625-2641. [PMID: 33258925 PMCID: PMC7752054 DOI: 10.1042/bst20200396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The race to identify a successful treatment for COVID19 will be defined by fundamental research into the replication cycle of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This has identified five distinct stages from which numerous vaccination and clinical trials have emerged alongside an innumerable number of drug discovery studies currently in development for disease intervention. Informing every step of the viral replication cycle has been an unprecedented 'call-to-arms' by the global structural biology community. Of the 20 main SARS-CoV-2 proteins, 13 have been resolved structurally for SARS-CoV-2 with most having a related SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV structural homologue totalling some 300 structures currently available in public repositories. Herein, we review the contribution of structural studies to our understanding of the virus and their role in structure-based development of therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dene R. Littler
- Infection and Immunity Program, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Bruce J. MacLachlan
- Infection and Immunity Program, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Gabrielle M. Watson
- Infection and Immunity Program, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Julian P. Vivian
- Infection and Immunity Program, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Benjamin S. Gully
- Infection and Immunity Program, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
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18
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Soumia M, Hanane Z, Benaissa M, Younes FZ, Chakib A, Mohammed B, Mohamed B. Towards potential inhibitors of COVID-19 main protease Mpro by virtual screening and molecular docking study. JOURNAL OF TAIBAH UNIVERSITY FOR SCIENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/16583655.2020.1850002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Moujane Soumia
- Biochemistry of natural substances, Faculty of Science and Techniques, Moulay Ismail University, Errachdia, Morocco
| | - Zaki Hanane
- Molecular Chemistry and Natural Substances Laboratory, Faculty of Science, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes, Morocco
- EST Khenifra, Sultan Moulay Sliman University, Khenifra, Morocco
| | - Moualij Benaissa
- Biochemistry of natural substances, Faculty of Science and Techniques, Moulay Ismail University, Errachdia, Morocco
| | - Filali Zegzouti Younes
- LABASE Laboratory, Faculty of Science of Meknes, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes, Morocco
- Health & Environment Skills Cluster, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes, Morocco
| | - Alem Chakib
- Biochemistry of natural substances, Faculty of Science and Techniques, Moulay Ismail University, Errachdia, Morocco
| | - Bouachrine Mohammed
- Molecular Chemistry and Natural Substances Laboratory, Faculty of Science, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes, Morocco
- EST Khenifra, Sultan Moulay Sliman University, Khenifra, Morocco
| | - Benlyas Mohamed
- Biochemistry of natural substances, Faculty of Science and Techniques, Moulay Ismail University, Errachdia, Morocco
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19
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Pavlova A, Lynch DL, Daidone I, Zanetti-Polzi L, Smith MD, Chipot C, Kneller DW, Kovalevsky A, Coates L, Golosov AA, Dickson CJ, Velez-Vega C, Duca JS, Vermaas JV, Pang YT, Acharya A, Parks JM, Smith JC, Gumbart JC. Inhibitor binding influences the protonation states of histidines in SARS-CoV-2 main protease. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2020. [PMID: 32935106 DOI: 10.1101/2020.09.07.286344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The main protease (M pro ) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an attractive target for antiviral therapeutics. Recently, many high-resolution apo and inhibitor-bound structures of M pro , a cysteine protease, have been determined, facilitating structure-based drug design. M pro plays a central role in the viral life cycle by catalyzing the cleavage of SARS-CoV-2 polyproteins. In addition to the catalytic dyad His41-Cys145, M pro contains multiple histidines including His163, His164, and His172. The protonation states of these histidines and the catalytic nu-cleophile Cys145 have been debated in previous studies of SARS-CoV M pro , but have yet to be investigated for SARS-CoV-2. In this work we have used molecular dynamics simulations to determine the structural stability of SARS-CoV-2 M pro as a function of the protonation assignments for these residues. We simulated both the apo and inhibitor-bound enzyme and found that the conformational stability of the binding site, bound inhibitors, and the hydrogen bond networks of M pro are highly sensitive to these assignments. Additionally, the two inhibitors studied, the peptidomimetic N3 and an α -ketoamide, display distinct His41/His164 protonation-state-dependent stabilities. While the apo and the N3-bound systems favored N δ (HD) and N ϵ (HE) protonation of His41 and His164, respectively, the α -ketoamide was not stably bound in this state. Our results illustrate the importance of using appropriate histidine protonation states to accurately model the structure and dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 M pro in both the apo and inhibitor-bound states, a necessary prerequisite for drug-design efforts.
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20
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Feline coronavirus drug inhibits the main protease of SARS-CoV-2 and blocks virus replication. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4282. [PMID: 32855413 PMCID: PMC7453019 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18096-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 288] [Impact Index Per Article: 72.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The main protease, Mpro (or 3CLpro) in SARS-CoV-2 is a viable drug target because of its essential role in the cleavage of the virus polypeptide. Feline infectious peritonitis, a fatal coronavirus infection in cats, was successfully treated previously with a prodrug GC376, a dipeptide-based protease inhibitor. Here, we show the prodrug and its parent GC373, are effective inhibitors of the Mpro from both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 with IC50 values in the nanomolar range. Crystal structures of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro with these inhibitors have a covalent modification of the nucleophilic Cys145. NMR analysis reveals that inhibition proceeds via reversible formation of a hemithioacetal. GC373 and GC376 are potent inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 replication in cell culture. They are strong drug candidates for the treatment of human coronavirus infections because they have already been successful in animals. The work here lays the framework for their use in human trials for the treatment of COVID-19.
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21
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SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 main protease residue interaction networks change when bound to inhibitor N3. J Struct Biol 2020; 211:107575. [PMID: 32653646 PMCID: PMC7347504 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2020.107575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 has many similarities with SARS-CoV. Both viruses rely on a protease called the main protease, or Mpro, for replication. Therefore, inhibiting Mpro may be a successful strategy for treating COVID-19. Structures of the main proteases of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 with and without inhibitor N3 are available in the Protein Data Bank. Comparing these structures revealed residue interaction network changes associated with N3 inhibition. Comparing network clustering with and without inhibitor N3 identified the formation of a cluster of residues 17, 18, 30-33, 70, 95, 98, 103, 117, 122, and 177 as a network change in both viral proteases when bound to inhibitor N3. Betweenness and stress centrality differences as well as differences in bond energies and relative B-factors when comparing free Mpro to inhibitor-bound Mpro identified residues 131, 175, 182, and 185 as possibly conformationally relevant when bound to the inhibitor N3. Taken together, these results provide insight into conformational changes of betacoronavirus Mpros when bound to an inhibitor.
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22
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Structurally- and dynamically-driven allostery of the chymotrypsin-like proteases of SARS, Dengue and Zika viruses. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2018; 143:52-66. [PMID: 30217495 PMCID: PMC7111307 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2018.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Revised: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Coronavirus 3C-like and Flavivirus NS2B-NS3 proteases utilize the chymotrypsin fold to harbor their catalytic machineries but also contain additional domains/co-factors. Over the past decade, we aimed to decipher how the extra domains/co-factors mediate the catalytic machineries of SARS 3C-like, Dengue and Zika NS2B-NS3 proteases by characterizing their folding, structures, dynamics and inhibition with NMR, X-ray crystallography and MD simulations, and the results revealed: 1) the chymotrypsin fold of the SARS 3C-like protease can independently fold, while, by contrast, those of Dengue and Zika proteases lack the intrinsic capacity to fold without co-factors. 2) Mutations on the extra domain of SARS 3C-like protease can transform the active catalytic machinery into the inactive collapsed state by structurally-driven allostery. 3) Amazingly, even without detectable structural changes, mutations on the extra domain are sufficient to either inactivate or enhance the catalytic machinery of SARS 3C-like protease by dynamically-driven allostery. 4) Global networks of correlated motions have been identified: for SARS 3C-like protease, N214A inactivates the catalytic machinery by decoupling the network, while STI/A and STIF/A enhance by altering the patterns of the network. The global networks of Dengue and Zika proteases are coordinated by their NS2B-cofactors. 5) Natural products were identified to allosterically inhibit Zika and Dengue proteases through binding a pocket on the back of the active site. Therefore, by introducing extra domains/cofactors, nature develops diverse strategies to regulate the catalytic machinery embedded on the chymotrypsin fold through folding, structurally- and dynamically-driven allostery, all of which might be exploited to develop antiviral drugs.
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23
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Pillaiyar T, Manickam M, Namasivayam V, Hayashi Y, Jung SH. An Overview of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) 3CL Protease Inhibitors: Peptidomimetics and Small Molecule Chemotherapy. J Med Chem 2016; 59:6595-628. [PMID: 26878082 PMCID: PMC7075650 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5b01461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 504] [Impact Index Per Article: 63.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is caused by a newly emerged coronavirus that infected more than 8000 individuals and resulted in more than 800 (10-15%) fatalities in 2003. The causative agent of SARS has been identified as a novel human coronavirus (SARS-CoV), and its viral protease, SARS-CoV 3CL(pro), has been shown to be essential for replication and has hence been recognized as a potent drug target for SARS infection. Currently, there is no effective treatment for this epidemic despite the intensive research that has been undertaken since 2003 (over 3500 publications). This perspective focuses on the status of various efficacious anti-SARS-CoV 3CL(pro) chemotherapies discovered during the last 12 years (2003-2015) from all sources, including laboratory synthetic methods, natural products, and virtual screening. We describe here mainly peptidomimetic and small molecule inhibitors of SARS-CoV 3CL(pro). Attempts have been made to provide a complete description of the structural features and binding modes of these inhibitors under many conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thanigaimalai Pillaiyar
- Pharmaceutical
Institute, Pharmaceutical Chemistry I, University
of Bonn, An der Immenburg
4, D-53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - Manoj Manickam
- College
of Pharmacy and Institute of Drug Research and Development, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, South Korea
| | - Vigneshwaran Namasivayam
- Pharmaceutical
Institute, Pharmaceutical Chemistry I, University
of Bonn, An der Immenburg
4, D-53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - Yoshio Hayashi
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Tokyo University
of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Tokyo 192-0392, Japan
| | - Sang-Hun Jung
- College
of Pharmacy and Institute of Drug Research and Development, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, South Korea
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24
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Paasche A, Zipper A, Schäfer S, Ziebuhr J, Schirmeister T, Engels B. Evidence for substrate binding-induced zwitterion formation in the catalytic Cys-His dyad of the SARS-CoV main protease. Biochemistry 2014; 53:5930-46. [PMID: 25196915 DOI: 10.1021/bi400604t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The coronavirus main protease (M(pro)) represents an attractive drug target for antiviral therapy of coronavirus (CoV) infections, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The SARS-CoV M(pro) and related CoV proteases have several distinct features, such as an uncharged Cys-His catalytic dyad embedded in a chymotrypsin-like protease fold, that clearly separate these enzymes from archetypical cysteine proteases. To further characterize the catalytic system of CoV main proteases and to obtain information about improved inhibitors, we performed comprehensive simulations of the proton-transfer reactions in the SARS-CoV M(pro) active site that lead to the Cys(-)/His(+) zwitterionic state required for efficient proteolytic activity. Our simulations, comprising the free enzyme as well as substrate-enzyme and inhibitor-enzyme complexes, lead us to predict that zwitterion formation is fostered by substrate binding but not inhibitor binding. This indicates that M(pro) employs a substrate-induced catalytic mechanism that further enhances its substrate specificity. Our computational data are in line with available experimental results, such as X-ray geometries, measured pKa values, mutagenesis experiments, and the measured differences between the kinetic parameters of substrates and inhibitors. The data also provide an atomistic picture of the formerly postulated electrostatic trigger involved in SARS-CoV M(pro) activity. Finally, they provide information on how a specific microenvironment may finely tune the activity of M(pro) toward specific viral protein substrates, which is known to be required for efficient viral replication. Our simulations also indicate that the low inhibition potencies of known covalently interacting inhibitors may, at least in part, be attributed to insufficient fostering of the proton-transfer reaction. These findings suggest ways to achieve improved inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Paasche
- Institut für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Universität Würzburg , Emil-Fischer-Straße 42, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
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Hilgenfeld R. From SARS to MERS: crystallographic studies on coronaviral proteases enable antiviral drug design. FEBS J 2014; 281:4085-96. [PMID: 25039866 PMCID: PMC7163996 DOI: 10.1111/febs.12936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 435] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2014] [Revised: 07/07/2014] [Accepted: 07/15/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
This review focuses on the important contributions that macromolecular crystallography has made over the past 12 years to elucidating structures and mechanisms of the essential proteases of coronaviruses, the main protease (M(pro) ) and the papain-like protease (PL(pro) ). The role of X-ray crystallography in structure-assisted drug discovery against these targets is discussed. Aspects dealt with in this review include the emergence of the SARS coronavirus in 2002-2003 and of the MERS coronavirus 10 years later and the origins of these viruses. The crystal structure of the free SARS coronavirus M(pro) and its dependence on pH is discussed, as are efforts to design inhibitors on the basis of these structures. The mechanism of maturation of the enzyme from the viral polyprotein is still a matter of debate. The crystal structure of the SARS coronavirus PL(pro) and its complex with ubiquitin is also discussed, as is its orthologue from MERS coronavirus. Efforts at predictive structure-based inhibitor development for bat coronavirus M(pro) s to increase the preparedness against zoonotic transmission to man are described as well. The paper closes with a brief discussion of structure-based discovery of antivirals in an academic setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rolf Hilgenfeld
- Institute of Biochemistry, Center for Structural and Cell Biology in Medicine, and German Center for Infection Research, University of Lübeck, Germany
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Lim L, Shi J, Mu Y, Song J. Dynamically-driven enhancement of the catalytic machinery of the SARS 3C-like protease by the S284-T285-I286/A mutations on the extra domain. PLoS One 2014; 9:e101941. [PMID: 25036652 PMCID: PMC4103764 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0101941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2014] [Accepted: 06/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Previously we revealed that the extra domain of SARS 3CLpro mediated the catalysis via different mechanisms. While the R298A mutation completely abolished the dimerization, thus resulting in the inactive catalytic machinery, N214A inactivated the enzyme by altering its dynamics without significantly perturbing its structure. Here we studied another mutant with S284-T285-I286 replaced by Ala (STI/A) with a 3.6-fold activity increase and slightly enhanced dimerization. We determined its crystal structure, which still adopts the dimeric structure almost identical to that of the wild-type (WT), except for slightly tighter packing between two extra-domains. We then conducted 100-ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for both STI/A and WT, the longest reported so far for 3CLpro. In the simulations, two STI/A extra domains become further tightly packed, leading to a significant volume reduction of the nano-channel formed by residues from both catalytic and extra domains. The enhanced packing appears to slightly increase the dynamic stability of the N-finger and the first helix residues, which subsequently triggers the redistribution of dynamics over residues directly contacting them. This ultimately enhances the dynamical stability of the residues constituting the catalytic dyad and substrate-binding pockets. Further correlation analysis reveals that a global network of the correlated motions exists in the protease, whose components include all residues identified so far to be critical for the dimerization and catalysis. Most strikingly, the N214A mutation globally decouples this network while the STI/A mutation alters the correlation pattern. Together with previous results, the present study establishes that besides the classic structural allostery, the dynamic allostery also operates in the SARS 3CLpro, which is surprisingly able to relay the perturbations on the extra domain onto the catalytic machinery to manifest opposite catalytic effects. Our results thus imply a promising avenue to design specific inhibitors for 3CL proteases by disrupting their dynamic correlation network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liangzhong Lim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Jiahai Shi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Yuguang Mu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Jianxing Song
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
- * E-mail:
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Shokhen M, Hirsch M, Khazanov N, Ozeri R, Perlman N, Traube T, Vijayakumar S, Albeck A. From Catalytic Mechanism to Rational Design of Reversible Covalent Inhibitors of Serine and Cysteine Hydrolases. Isr J Chem 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/ijch.201300144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Neuman BW, Chamberlain P, Bowden F, Joseph J. Atlas of coronavirus replicase structure. Virus Res 2013; 194:49-66. [PMID: 24355834 PMCID: PMC7114488 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2013.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2013] [Revised: 12/03/2013] [Accepted: 12/05/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Complete and up to date coverage of replicase protein structures for SARS-CoV. Discusses SARS-CoV structure in the context of other coronavirus structures. Summarizes data from a variety of structural methods to illuminate protein function. Uses models and predictions to fill gaps in the SARS-CoV structure. Discusses the high percentage of novel protein folds among SARS-CoV proteins.
The international response to SARS-CoV has produced an outstanding number of protein structures in a very short time. This review summarizes the findings of functional and structural studies including those derived from cryoelectron microscopy, small angle X-ray scattering, NMR spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography, and incorporates bioinformatics predictions where no structural data is available. Structures that shed light on the function and biological roles of the proteins in viral replication and pathogenesis are highlighted. The high percentage of novel protein folds identified among SARS-CoV proteins is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Fern Bowden
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
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Sun Y, Zhang N, Wang J, Guo Y, Sun B, Liu W, Zhou H, Yang C. Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Quinolinone Compounds as SARS CoV 3CL pro Inhibitors. CHINESE J CHEM 2013; 31:1199-1206. [PMID: 32313409 PMCID: PMC7159103 DOI: 10.1002/cjoc.201300392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2013] [Accepted: 06/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
SARS CoV 3CLpro is known to be a promising target for development of therapeutic agents against the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). A quinolinone compound 1 was selected via virtual screening, and it was synthetized and tested for enzymatic inhibition in vitro. Compound 1 showed potent inhibitory activity (IC50=0.44 µmol/L) toward SARS CoV 3CLpro. Further work on a series of quinolinone derivatives resulted in the discovery of the most potent compound 23, inhibiting SARS CoV 3CLpro with an IC50 of 36.86 nmol/L. The structure-activity relationships were also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanpei Sun
- College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Ning Zhang
- High Throughput Molecular Drug Discovery Center, Tianjin International Joint Academy of Biotechnology and Medicine, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Jian Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Yu Guo
- College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Bo Sun
- High Throughput Molecular Drug Discovery Center, Tianjin International Joint Academy of Biotechnology and Medicine, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Wei Liu
- College of Sciences, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Honggang Zhou
- College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Cheng Yang
- College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
- High Throughput Molecular Drug Discovery Center, Tianjin International Joint Academy of Biotechnology and Medicine, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
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Schomburg D, Schomburg I. SARS coronavirus main proteinase 3.4.22.69. CLASS 3.4–6 HYDROLASES, LYASES, ISOMERASES, LIGASES 2013. [PMCID: PMC7123336 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-36260-6_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
EC number 3.4.22.69 Recommended name SARS coronavirus main proteinase Synonyms 3C-like protease <2,3> [9,16,38,49,51] 3CL protease <2> [14,48] 3cLpro <1,2,3> [7,11,13,16,19,28,38,49,51] C30.004 (Merops-ID) Mpro SARS 3C-like protease <2> [17] SARS 3C-like proteinase <2> [15,18,27] SARS 3CL protease <2> [31] SARS 3CLpro <2> [49] SARS CoV main proteinase <2> [1,2,4,5] SARS CoVMpro <2> [33] SARS Mpro <2> [25] SARS coronavirus 3C-like protease <2> [48] SARS coronavirus 3C-like proteinase <2> [50] SARS coronavirus 3CL protease <2> [20] SARS coronavirus main peptidase <2> [23] SARS coronavirus main protease <2> [25] SARS coronavirus main proteinase <2> [5,33] SARS main protease <2> [12,25] SARS-3CL protease <2> [48] SARS-3CLpro <2> [29,50] SARS-CoV 3C-like peptidaseSARS-CoV 3C-like peptidase<2> [24] SARS-CoV 3C-like protease<1> [19] SARS-CoV 3CL protease <2> [22,30,44,46] SARS-CoV 3CLpro <2> [32,36,38,44,45] SARS-CoV 3CLpro enzyme <2> [11] SARS-CoV Mpro <2> [21,40] SARS-CoV main protease <2> [21,26,43] SARS-coronavirus 3CL protease <2> [8] SARS-coronavirus main protease <2> [47] TGEV Mpro coronavirus 3C-like protease <1> [19] porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus Mpro severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 3C-like protease <2> [41,42] severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus main protease <2> [21] severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus main proteinase <2> [33] CAS registry number 218925-73-6 37353-41-6
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Affiliation(s)
- Dietmar Schomburg
- Bioinformatics & Systems Biology, Technical University Braunschweig, Langer Kamp 19b, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Ida Schomburg
- Bioinformatics & Systems Biology, Technical University Braunschweig, Langer Kamp 19b, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
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Buller AR, Labonte JW, Freeman MF, Wright NT, Schildbach JF, Townsend CA. Autoproteolytic activation of ThnT results in structural reorganization necessary for substrate binding and catalysis. J Mol Biol 2012; 422:508-18. [PMID: 22706025 PMCID: PMC3428426 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2012.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2012] [Revised: 06/02/2012] [Accepted: 06/08/2012] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
cis-Autoproteolysis is a post-translational modification necessary for the function of ThnT, an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of the β-lactam antibiotic thienamycin. This modification generates an N-terminal threonine nucleophile that is used to hydrolyze the pantetheinyl moiety of its natural substrate. We determined the crystal structure of autoactivated ThnT to 1.8Å through X-ray crystallography. Comparison to a mutationally inactivated precursor structure revealed several large conformational rearrangements near the active site. To probe the relevance of these transitions, we designed a pantetheine-like chloromethyl ketone inactivator and co-crystallized it with ThnT. Although this class of inhibitor has been in use for several decades, the mode of inactivation had not been determined for an enzyme that uses an N-terminal nucleophile. The co-crystal structure revealed the chloromethyl ketone bound to the N-terminal nucleophile of ThnT through an ether linkage, and analysis suggests inactivation through a direct displacement mechanism. More importantly, this inactivated complex shows that three regions of ThnT that are critical to the formation of the substrate binding pocket undergo rearrangement upon autoproteolysis. Comparison of ThnT with other autoproteolytic enzymes of disparate evolutionary lineage revealed a high degree of similarity within the proenzyme active site, reflecting shared chemical constraints. However, after autoproteolysis, many enzymes, like ThnT, are observed to rearrange in order to accommodate their specific substrate. We propose that this is a general phenomenon, whereby autoprocessing systems with shared chemistry may possess similar structural features that dissipate upon rearrangement into a mature state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R Buller
- Department of Biophysics, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
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Someya Y. From head to toe of the norovirus 3C-like protease. Biomol Concepts 2012; 3:41-56. [DOI: 10.1515/bmc.2011.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2011] [Accepted: 11/02/2011] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
AbstractNoroviruses are major causative agents of viral gastroenteritis in humans. Currently, there are no therapeutic medications to treat noroviral infections, nor are there effective vaccines against these pathogens. The viral 3C-like protease is solely responsible for the maturation of viral protein components. The crystal structures of the proteases were resolved at high atomic resolution. The protease was also explored by means of mutagenesis. These studies revealed the active-site amino acid residues and factors determining and affecting substrate specificity as well as the principle of architecting the protease molecule. The possible mechanism of proteolysis was also suggested. Consideration of the data accumulated thus far will be useful for development of therapeutic drugs targeting the viral protease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuichi Someya
- 1Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-7-1 Gakuen, Musashi-Murayama, Tokyo 208-0011, Japan
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Zhu L, George S, Schmidt MF, Al-Gharabli SI, Rademann J, Hilgenfeld R. Peptide aldehyde inhibitors challenge the substrate specificity of the SARS-coronavirus main protease. Antiviral Res 2011; 92:204-12. [PMID: 21854807 PMCID: PMC7114241 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2011.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2011] [Accepted: 08/03/2011] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
SARS coronavirus main protease (SARS-CoV M(pro)) is essential for the replication of the virus and regarded as a major antiviral drug target. The enzyme is a cysteine protease, with a catalytic dyad (Cys-145/His-41) in the active site. Aldehyde inhibitors can bind reversibly to the active-site sulfhydryl of SARS-CoV M(pro). Previous studies using peptidic substrates and inhibitors showed that the substrate specificity of SARS-CoV M(pro) requires glutamine in the P1 position and a large hydrophobic residue in the P2 position. We determined four crystal structures of SARS-CoV M(pro) in complex with pentapeptide aldehydes (Ac-ESTLQ-H, Ac-NSFSQ-H, Ac-DSFDQ-H, and Ac-NSTSQ-H). Kinetic data showed that all of these aldehydes exhibit inhibitory activity towards SARS-CoV M(pro), with K(i) values in the μM range. Surprisingly, the X-ray structures revealed that the hydrophobic S2 pocket of the enzyme can accommodate serine and even aspartic-acid side-chains in the P2 positions of the inhibitors. Consequently, we reassessed the substrate specificity of the enzyme by testing the cleavage of 20 different tetradecapeptide substrates with varying amino-acid residues in the P2 position. The cleavage efficiency for the substrate with serine in the P2 position was 160-times lower than that for the original substrate (P2=Leu); furthermore, the substrate with aspartic acid in the P2 position was not cleaved at all. We also determined a crystal structure of SARS-CoV M(pro) in complex with aldehyde Cm-FF-H, which has its P1-phenylalanine residue bound to the relatively hydrophilic S1 pocket of the enzyme and yet exhibits a high inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV M(pro), with K(i)=2.24±0.58 μM. These results show that the stringent substrate specificity of the SARS-CoV M(pro) with respect to the P1 and P2 positions can be overruled by the highly electrophilic character of the aldehyde warhead, thereby constituting a deviation from the dogma that peptidic inhibitors need to correspond to the observed cleavage specificity of the target protease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Zhu
- Institute of Biochemistry, Center for Structural and Cell Biology in Medicine, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
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Mukherjee P, Shah F, Desai P, Avery M. Inhibitors of SARS-3CLpro: virtual screening, biological evaluation, and molecular dynamics simulation studies. J Chem Inf Model 2011; 51:1376-92. [PMID: 21604711 PMCID: PMC3929308 DOI: 10.1021/ci1004916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
SARS-CoV from the coronaviridae family has been identified as the etiological agent of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a highly contagious upper respiratory disease that reached epidemic status in 2002. SARS-3CL(pro), a cysteine protease indispensible to the viral life cycle, has been identified as one of the key therapeutic targets against SARS. A combined ligand and structure-based virtual screening was carried out against the Asinex Platinum collection. Multiple low micromolar inhibitors of the enzyme were identified through this search, one of which also showed activity against SARS-CoV in a whole cell CPE assay. Furthermore, multinanosecond explicit solvent simulations were carried out using the docking poses of the identified hits to study the overall stability of the binding site interactions as well as identify important changes in the interaction profile that were not apparent from the docking study. Cumulative analysis of the evaluated compounds and the simulation studies led to the identification of certain protein-ligand interaction patterns which would be useful in further structure based design efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Falgun Shah
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677
| | | | - Mitchell Avery
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677
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Shi J, Han N, Lim L, Lua S, Sivaraman J, Wang L, Mu Y, Song J. Dynamically-driven inactivation of the catalytic machinery of the SARS 3C-like protease by the N214A mutation on the extra domain. PLoS Comput Biol 2011; 7:e1001084. [PMID: 21390281 PMCID: PMC3044768 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1001084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2010] [Accepted: 01/18/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite utilizing the same chymotrypsin fold to host the catalytic machinery, coronavirus 3C-like proteases (3CLpro) noticeably differ from picornavirus 3C proteases in acquiring an extra helical domain in evolution. Previously, the extra domain was demonstrated to regulate the catalysis of the SARS-CoV 3CLpro by controlling its dimerization. Here, we studied N214A, another mutant with only a doubled dissociation constant but significantly abolished activity. Unexpectedly, N214A still adopts the dimeric structure almost identical to that of the wild-type (WT) enzyme. Thus, we conducted 30-ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for N214A, WT, and R298A which we previously characterized to be a monomer with the collapsed catalytic machinery. Remarkably, three proteases display distinctive dynamical behaviors. While in WT, the catalytic machinery stably retains in the activated state; in R298A it remains largely collapsed in the inactivated state, thus implying that two states are not only structurally very distinguishable but also dynamically well separated. Surprisingly, in N214A the catalytic dyad becomes dynamically unstable and many residues constituting the catalytic machinery jump to sample the conformations highly resembling those of R298A. Therefore, the N214A mutation appears to trigger the dramatic change of the enzyme dynamics in the context of the dimeric form which ultimately inactivates the catalytic machinery. The present MD simulations represent the longest reported so far for the SARS-CoV 3CLpro, unveiling that its catalysis is critically dependent on the dynamics, which can be amazingly modulated by the extra domain. Consequently, mediating the dynamics may offer a potential avenue to inhibit the SARS-CoV 3CLpro. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is the first emerging infectious disease of the 21st century which has not only caused rapid infection and death, but also triggered a dramatic social crisis. Its 3C-like protease is crucial for reproducing virus and thus represents a top target for drug design. Interestingly, unlike 3C protease such as from picorovirus, the SARS protease evolutionarily acquired a C-terminal extra domain with previously-unknown function. Immediately after SARS outbreak, we revealed that the extra domain was able to regulate the catalysis by controlling the dimerization essential for activity. Here, we studied one mutant with only slightly-weakened dimerization but almost completely abolished activity. We determined its three-dimensional structure but very unexpectedly it is almost identical to that of the wild-type enzyme. Therefore, we initiated 30-ns molecular dynamic simulations for five forms of the enzyme and the results demonstrate that the dynamical changes in this mutant are responsible for its inactivation. Therefore, the extra domain can also control the catalysis by modulating the enzyme dynamics. This is not only of fundamental significance to understanding how enzymes evolve, but also implies a novel avenue for design of anti-SARS molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahai Shi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nanyu Han
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Liangzhong Lim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Shixiong Lua
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - J. Sivaraman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Lushan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Yuguang Mu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- * E-mail: (JS); (YM)
| | - Jianxing Song
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and National University of Singapore, Singapore
- * E-mail: (JS); (YM)
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Shokhen M, Khazanov N, Albeck A. The mechanism of papain inhibition by peptidyl aldehydes. Proteins 2010; 79:975-85. [DOI: 10.1002/prot.22939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2010] [Revised: 10/31/2010] [Accepted: 11/02/2010] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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Ryu YB, Jeong HJ, Kim JH, Kim YM, Park JY, Kim D, Nguyen TTH, Park SJ, Chang JS, Park KH, Rho MC, Lee WS. Biflavonoids from Torreya nucifera displaying SARS-CoV 3CL(pro) inhibition. Bioorg Med Chem 2010; 18:7940-7. [PMID: 20934345 PMCID: PMC7126309 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2010.09.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 346] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2010] [Revised: 09/14/2010] [Accepted: 09/15/2010] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
As part of our search for botanical sources of SARS-CoV 3CL(pro) inhibitors, we selected Torreya nucifera, which is traditionally used as a medicinal plant in Asia. The ethanol extract of T. nucifera leaves exhibited good SARS-CoV 3CL(pro) inhibitory activity (62% at 100μg/mL). Following bioactivity-guided fractionation, eight diterpenoids (1-8) and four biflavonoids (9-12) were isolated and evaluated for SARS-CoV 3CL(pro) inhibition using fluorescence resonance energy transfer analysis. Of these compounds, the biflavone amentoflavone (9) (IC(50)=8.3μM) showed most potent 3CL(pro) inhibitory effect. Three additional authentic flavones (apigenin, luteolin and quercetin) were tested to establish the basic structure-activity relationship of biflavones. Apigenin, luteolin, and quercetin inhibited 3CL(pro) activity with IC(50) values of 280.8, 20.2, and 23.8μM, respectively. Values of binding energy obtained in a molecular docking study supported the results of enzymatic assays. More potent activity appeared to be associated with the presence of an apigenin moiety at position C-3' of flavones, as biflavone had an effect on 3CL(pro) inhibitory activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young Bae Ryu
- Eco-Friendly Biomaterial Research Center and AI Control Material Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Jeongeup 580-185, Republic of Korea
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SARS-CoV 3CLpro inhibitory effects of quinone-methide triterpenes from Tripterygium regelii. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2010; 20:1873-6. [PMID: 20167482 PMCID: PMC7127101 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2010.01.152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2009] [Revised: 12/29/2009] [Accepted: 01/29/2010] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Quinone-methide triterpenes, celastrol (1), pristimerin (2), tingenone (3), and iguesterin (4) were isolated from Triterygium regelii and dihydrocelastrol (5) was synthesized by hydrogenation under palladium catalyst. Isolated quinone-methide triterpenes (1–4) and 5 were evaluated for SARS-CoV 3CLpro inhibitory activities and showed potent inhibitory activities with IC50 values of 10.3, 5.5, 9.9, and 2.6 μM, respectively, whereas the corresponding 5 having phenol moiety was observed in low activity (IC50 = 21.7 μM). As a result, quinone-methide moiety in A-ring and more hydrophobic E-ring assist to exhibit potent activity. Also, all quinone-methide triterpenes 1–4 have proven to be competitive by the kinetic analysis.
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Abstract
This review provides an overview of the development of viral protease inhibitors as antiviral drugs. We concentrate on HIV-1 protease inhibitors, as these have made the most significant advances in the recent past. Thus, we discuss the biochemistry of HIV-1 protease, inhibitor development, clinical use of inhibitors, and evolution of resistance. Since many different viruses encode essential proteases, it is possible to envision the development of a potent protease inhibitor for other viruses if the processing site sequence and the catalytic mechanism are known. At this time, interest in developing inhibitors is limited to viruses that cause chronic disease, viruses that have the potential to cause large-scale epidemics, or viruses that are sufficiently ubiquitous that treating an acute infection would be beneficial even if the infection was ultimately self-limiting. Protease inhibitor development is most advanced for hepatitis C virus (HCV), and we also provide a review of HCV NS3/4A serine protease inhibitor development, including combination therapy and resistance. Finally, we discuss other viral proteases as potential drug targets, including those from Dengue virus, cytomegalovirus, rhinovirus, and coronavirus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans-Georg Kräusslich
- Hygiene Institute Department of Virology, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, Heidelberg, 69120 Germany
| | - Ralf Bartenschlager
- Hygiene Institute Department of Virology, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, Heidelberg, 69120 Germany
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40
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Mukherjee P, Desai P, Ross L, White EL, Avery MA. Structure-based virtual screening against SARS-3CL(pro) to identify novel non-peptidic hits. Bioorg Med Chem 2008; 16:4138-49. [PMID: 18343121 PMCID: PMC7127700 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2008.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2007] [Revised: 01/04/2008] [Accepted: 01/07/2008] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome is a highly infectious upper respiratory tract disease caused by SARS-CoV, a previously unidentified human coronavirus. SARS-3CL(pro) is a viral cysteine protease critical to the pathogen's life cycle and hence a therapeutic target of importance. The recently elucidated crystal structures of this enzyme provide an opportunity for the discovery of inhibitors through rational drug design. In the current study, Gold docking program was utilized to conduct extensive docking studies against the target crystal structure to develop a robust and predictive docking protocol. The validated docking protocol was used to conduct a structure-based virtual screening of the Asinex Platinum collection. Biological evaluation of a screened selection of compounds was carried out to identify novel inhibitors of the viral protease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prasenjit Mukherjee
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, Faser 417, University, MS 38677, USA
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41
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Niu C, Yin J, Zhang J, Vederas JC, James MNG. Molecular docking identifies the binding of 3-chloropyridine moieties specifically to the S1 pocket of SARS-CoV Mpro. Bioorg Med Chem 2007; 16:293-302. [PMID: 17931870 PMCID: PMC7127602 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2007.09.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2007] [Revised: 09/17/2007] [Accepted: 09/19/2007] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The 3C-like main proteinase of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus, SARS-CoV Mpro, is widely considered to be a major drug target for the development of anti-SARS treatment. Based on the chemical structure of a lead compound from a previous screening, we have designed and synthesized a number of non-peptidyl inhibitors, some of which have shown significantly improved inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV Mpro with IC50 values of ∼60 nM. In the absence of SARS-CoV Mpro crystal structures in complex with these synthetic inhibitors, molecular docking tools have been employed to study possible interactions between these inhibitors and SARS-CoV Mpro. The docking results suggest two major modes for the initial binding of these inhibitors to the active site of SARS-CoV Mpro. They also establish a structural basis for the ‘core design’ of these inhibitors by showing that the 3-chloropyridine functions common to all of the present inhibitors tend to cluster in the S1 specificity pocket. In addition, intrinsic flexibility in the S4 pocket allows for the accommodation of bulky groups such as benzene rings, suggesting that this structural plasticity can be further exploited for optimizing inhibitor–enzyme interactions that should promote a tighter binding mode. Most importantly, our results provide the structural basis for rational design of wide-spectrum antiviral drugs targeting the chymotrypsin-like cysteine proteinases from coronaviruses and picornaviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunying Niu
- Group in Protein Structure and Function, 431 Medical Science Building, Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada T6G 2H7
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