1
|
Goswami N, Singh A, Bharadwaj S, Sahoo AK, Singh IK. Targeting neuroblastoma by small-molecule inhibitors of human ALYREF protein: mechanistic insights using molecular dynamics simulations. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024; 42:1352-1367. [PMID: 37158061 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2204376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is a tumour of the sympathetic nervous system mainly prevalent in children. Many strategies have been employed to target several drug-targetable proteins for the clinical management of neuroblastoma. However, the heterogeneous nature of neuroblastoma presents serious challenges in drug development for its treatment. Albeit numerous medications have been developed to target various signalling pathways in neuroblastoma, the redundant nature of the tumour pathways makes its suppression unsuccessful. Recently, the quest for neuroblastoma therapy resulted in the identification of human ALYREF, a nuclear protein that plays an essential role in tumour growth and progression. Therefore, this study used the structure-based drug discovery method to identify the putative inhibitors targeting ALYREF for the Neuroblastoma treatment. Herein, a library of 119 blood-brain barrier crossing small molecules from the ChEMBL database was downloaded and docked against the predicted binding pocket of the human ALYREF protein. Based on docking scores, the top four compounds were considered for intermolecular interactions and molecular dynamics simulation analysis, which revealed CHEMBL3752986 and CHEMBL3753744 with substantial affinity and stability with the ALYREF. These results were further supported by binding free energies and essential dynamics analysis of the respective complexes. Hence, this study advocates the sorted compounds targeting ALYREF for further in vitro and in vivo assessment to develop a drug against neuroblastoma.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nidhi Goswami
- Molecular Biology Research Lab, Department of Zoology, Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
- Neuropharmacology and Drug Delivery Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Archana Singh
- Department of Botany, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Shiv Bharadwaj
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Biotechnology, College of Life and Applied Sciences, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Amaresh Kumar Sahoo
- Department of Applied Sciences, Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Indrakant K Singh
- Molecular Biology Research Lab, Department of Zoology, Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
- Delhi School of Public Health, Institute of Eminence, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Gupta Y, Savytskyi OV, Coban M, Venugopal A, Pleqi V, Weber CA, Chitale R, Durvasula R, Hopkins C, Kempaiah P, Caulfield TR. Protein structure-based in-silico approaches to drug discovery: Guide to COVID-19 therapeutics. Mol Aspects Med 2023; 91:101151. [PMID: 36371228 PMCID: PMC9613808 DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2022.101151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
With more than 5 million fatalities and close to 300 million reported cases, COVID-19 is the first documented pandemic due to a coronavirus that continues to be a major health challenge. Despite being rapid, uncontrollable, and highly infectious in its spread, it also created incentives for technology development and redefined public health needs and research agendas to fast-track innovations to be translated. Breakthroughs in computational biology peaked during the pandemic with renewed attention to making all cutting-edge technology deliver agents to combat the disease. The demand to develop effective treatments yielded surprising collaborations from previously segregated fields of science and technology. The long-standing pharmaceutical industry's aversion to repurposing existing drugs due to a lack of exponential financial gain was overrun by the health crisis and pressures created by front-line researchers and providers. Effective vaccine development even at an unprecedented pace took more than a year to develop and commence trials. Now the emergence of variants and waning protections during the booster shots is resulting in breakthrough infections that continue to strain health care systems. As of now, every protein of SARS-CoV-2 has been structurally characterized and related host pathways have been extensively mapped out. The research community has addressed the druggability of a multitude of possible targets. This has been made possible due to existing technology for virtual computer-assisted drug development as well as new tools and technologies such as artificial intelligence to deliver new leads. Here in this article, we are discussing advances in the drug discovery field related to target-based drug discovery and exploring the implications of known target-specific agents on COVID-19 therapeutic management. The current scenario calls for more personalized medicine efforts and stratifying patient populations early on for their need for different combinations of prognosis-specific therapeutics. We intend to highlight target hotspots and their potential agents, with the ultimate goal of using rational design of new therapeutics to not only end this pandemic but also uncover a generalizable platform for use in future pandemics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yash Gupta
- Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Oleksandr V Savytskyi
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA; In Vivo Biosystems, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Matt Coban
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | | | - Vasili Pleqi
- Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Caleb A Weber
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Rohit Chitale
- Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA; The Council on Strategic Risks, 1025 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Ravi Durvasula
- Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | | | - Prakasha Kempaiah
- Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Thomas R Caulfield
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA; Department of QHS Computational Biology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Department of Clinical Genomics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Mehyar N. Coronaviruses SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 helicase inhibitors: A systematic review of in vitro studies. J Virus Erad 2023:100327. [PMID: 37363132 PMCID: PMC10214743 DOI: 10.1016/j.jve.2023.100327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The recent outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 significantly increased the need to find inhibitors that target the essential enzymes for virus replication in the host cells. This systematic review was conducted to identify potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 helicases that have been tested by in vitro methods. The inhibition mechanisms of these compounds were discussed in this review, in addition to their cytotoxic and viral infection protection properties. Methods The databases PUBMED/MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and Web of Science were searched using different combinations of the keywords "helicase", "nsp13", "inhibitors", "coronaviridae", "coronaviruses", "virus replication", "replication", and "antagonists and inhibitors". Results By the end of this search, a total of 6854 articles had been identified. Thirty-one articles were included in this review. These studies reported the inhibitory effects of 309 compounds on SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 helicase activities measured by in vitro methods. Helicase inhibitors were categorized according to the type of coronavirus and the type of tested enzymatic activity, nature, approval, inhibition level, cytotoxicity, and viral infection protection effects. These inhibitors are classified according to the site of their interaction with the coronavirus helicases into four types: zinc-binding site inhibitors, nucleic acid binding site inhibitors, nucleotide-binding site inhibitors, and inhibitors with no clear interaction site. Conclusion Evidence from in vitro studies suggests that helicase inhibitors have a high potential as antiviral agents. Several helicase inhibitors tested in vitro showed good antiviral activities while maintaining moderate cytotoxicity. These inhibitors should be clinically investigated to determine their efficiency in treating different coronavirus infections, particularly COVID-19.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nimer Mehyar
- King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Agarwal R, Smith JC. Speed vs Accuracy: Effect on Ligand Pose Accuracy of Varying Box Size and Exhaustiveness in AutoDock Vina. Mol Inform 2023; 42:e2200188. [PMID: 36262028 DOI: 10.1002/minf.202200188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Structure-based virtual high-throughput screening involves docking chemical libraries to targets of interest. A parameter pertinent to the accuracy of the resulting pose is the root mean square deviation (RMSD) from a known crystallographic structure, i. e., the 'docking power'. Here, using a popular algorithm, Autodock Vina, as a model program, we evaluate the effects of varying two common docking parameters: the box size (the size of docking search space) and the exhaustiveness of the global search (the number of independent runs starting from random ligand conformations) on the RMSD from the PDBbind v2017 refined dataset of experimental protein-ligand complexes. Although it is clear that exhaustiveness is an important parameter, there is wide variation in the values used, with variation between 1 and >100. We, therefore, evaluated a combination of cubic boxes of different sizes and five exhaustiveness values (1, 8, 25, 50, 75, 100) within the range of those commonly adopted. The results show that the default exhaustiveness value of 8 performs well overall for most box sizes. In contrast, for all box sizes, but particularly for large boxes, an exhaustiveness value of 1 led to significantly higher median RMSD (mRMSD) values. The docking power was slightly improved with an exhaustiveness of 25, but the mRMSD changes little with values higher than 25. Therefore, although low exhaustiveness is computationally faster, the results are more likely to be far from reality, and, conversely, values >25 led to little improvement at the expense of computational resources. Overall, we recommend users to use at least the default exhaustiveness value of 8 for virtual screening calculations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rupesh Agarwal
- UT/ORNL Center for Molecular Biophysics, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6309, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 14311 Cumberland Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37996-1939, USA
| | - Jeremy C Smith
- UT/ORNL Center for Molecular Biophysics, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6309, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 14311 Cumberland Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37996-1939, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Madku SR, Sahoo BK, Lavanya K, Reddy RS, Bodapati ATS. DNA binding studies of antifungal drug posaconazole using spectroscopic and molecular docking methods. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 225:745-756. [PMID: 36414083 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.11.137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The binding studies of DNA with small molecules have been an emerging field of research all the time since DNA as the genetic material is a major biological target for various drugs. Interpretation of small molecule-DNA binding helps in understanding their interactions with designing new drugs of greater medicinal activity. Posaconazole is an antifungal drug in the class of triazoles which are known to possess numerous pharmacological properties. In this work, the nature of the binding of posaconazole with calf-thymus DNA has been studied using spectroscopic techniques and molecular docking studies. A binding constant of the order of 103 M-1 was observed from UV-visible and fluorescence studies for the interaction between posaconazole and calf-thymus DNA. The fluorescence property of posaconazole was found to be quenched by calf-thymus DNA with a quenching constant of the order of 103 M-1. Competitive displacement of ethidium bromide and Hoechst 33258 by posaconazole using fluorescence technique suggested minor groove binding of posaconazole in calf-thymus DNA. Confirmation of the binding mode was further complemented by the viscosity measurement and DNA melting studies followed by KI quenching experiments. The studies on the effect of ionic strength on the binding suggested a possible role of electrostatic force in the interaction. Molecular docking studies reflected a crescent shape of the posaconazole within the minor groove of calf-thymus DNA validating the experimental findings showing the residues involved in the interaction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shravya Rao Madku
- Department of Chemistry, St. Francis College for Women, Hyderabad 500016, India; Department of Chemistry, GITAM School of Science, GITAM Deemed to be University Hyderabad Campus, 502329, India
| | - Bijaya Ketan Sahoo
- Department of Chemistry, GITAM School of Science, GITAM Deemed to be University Hyderabad Campus, 502329, India.
| | - K Lavanya
- Department of Chemistry, GITAM School of Science, GITAM Deemed to be University Hyderabad Campus, 502329, India; Department of H&S (Chemistry), Gokaraju Rangaraju Institute of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad 500090, India
| | - Ragaiahgari Srinivas Reddy
- Department of Chemistry, GITAM School of Science, GITAM Deemed to be University Hyderabad Campus, 502329, India; Department of Chemistry, B V Raju Institute of Technology (BVRIT), Narsapur 502313, India
| | - Anna Tanuja Safala Bodapati
- Department of Chemistry, GITAM School of Science, GITAM Deemed to be University Hyderabad Campus, 502329, India; Chemistry Division, BS&H Department, BVRIT College of Engineering for Women, Hyderabad 500090, India
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Li B, Zhang T, Li J, Yu M. Antiviral Disaccharide Lead Compounds against SARS-CoV-2 through Computer-Aided High-Throughput Screen. Chembiochem 2022; 23:e202200461. [PMID: 36265004 PMCID: PMC9874536 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 infects human epithelial cells through specific interaction with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). In addition, heparan sulfate proteoglycans act as the attachment factor to promote the binding of viral spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD) to ACE2 on host cells. Though the rapid development of vaccines has contributed significantly to preventing severe disease, mutated SARS-CoV-2 strains, especially the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, show increased affinity of RBD binding to ACE2, leading to immune escape. Thus, there is still an unmet need for new antiviral drugs. In this study, we constructed pharmacophore models based on the spike RBD of SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant and performed virtual screen for best-hit compounds from our disaccharide library. Screening of 96 disaccharide structures identified two disaccharides that displayed higher binding affinity to RBD in comparison to reported small molecule antiviral drugs. Further, screening PharmMapper demonstrated interactions of the disaccharides with a number of inflammatory cytokines, suggesting a potential for disaccharides with multiple-protein targets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Binjie Li
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center forSoft Matter Science and EngineeringBeijing University of Chemical TechnologyBeijing100029P. R. China
| | - Tianji Zhang
- Division of Chemistry and Analytical ScienceNational Institute of MetrologyBeijing100029P. R. China
| | - Jin‐ping Li
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center forSoft Matter Science and EngineeringBeijing University of Chemical TechnologyBeijing100029P. R. China,Department of Medical Biochemistry and MicrobiologyUppsala UniversityUppsala75123Sweden
| | - Ming‐jia Yu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringBeijing Institute of TechnologyBeijing100081P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Halma MTJ, Wever MJA, Abeln S, Roche D, Wuite GJL. Therapeutic potential of compounds targeting SARS-CoV-2 helicase. Front Chem 2022; 10:1062352. [PMID: 36561139 PMCID: PMC9763700 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.1062352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The economical and societal impact of COVID-19 has made the development of vaccines and drugs to combat SARS-CoV-2 infection a priority. While the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein has been widely explored as a drug target, the SARS-CoV-2 helicase (nsp13) does not have any approved medication. The helicase shares 99.8% similarity with its SARS-CoV-1 homolog and was shown to be essential for viral replication. This review summarizes and builds on existing research on inhibitors of SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 helicases. Our analysis on the toxicity and specificity of these compounds, set the road going forward for the repurposing of existing drugs and the development of new SARS-CoV-2 helicase inhibitors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew T. J. Halma
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- LUMICKS B. V., Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Mark J. A. Wever
- DCM, University of Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
- Edelris, Lyon, France
| | - Sanne Abeln
- Department of Computer Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Gijs J. L. Wuite
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Romeo I, Ambrosio FA, Costa G, Corona A, Alkhatib M, Salpini R, Lemme S, Vergni D, Svicher V, Santoro MM, Tramontano E, Ceccherini-Silberstein F, Artese A, Alcaro S. Targeting SARS-CoV-2 nsp13 Helicase and Assessment of Druggability Pockets: Identification of Two Potent Inhibitors by a Multi-Site In Silico Drug Repurposing Approach. Molecules 2022; 27:7522. [PMID: 36364347 PMCID: PMC9654784 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27217522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 13 (nsp13) helicase is an essential enzyme for viral replication and has been identified as an attractive target for the development of new antiviral drugs. In detail, the helicase catalyzes the unwinding of double-stranded DNA or RNA in a 5' to 3' direction and acts in concert with the replication-transcription complex (nsp7/nsp8/nsp12). In this work, bioinformatics and computational tools allowed us to perform a detailed conservation analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 helicase genome and to further predict the druggable enzyme's binding pockets. Thus, a structure-based virtual screening was used to identify valuable compounds that are capable of recognizing multiple nsp13 pockets. Starting from a database of around 4000 drugs already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), we chose 14 shared compounds capable of recognizing three out of four sites. Finally, by means of visual inspection analysis and based on their commercial availability, five promising compounds were submitted to in vitro assays. Among them, PF-03715455 was able to block both the unwinding and NTPase activities of nsp13 in a micromolar range.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Romeo
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi “Magna Græcia” di Catanzaro, Campus “S. Venuta”, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
- Net4Science Academic Spin-Off, Università degli Studi “Magna Græcia” di Catanzaro, Campus “S. Venuta”, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Francesca Alessandra Ambrosio
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Clinica, Università degli Studi “Magna Græcia” di Catanzaro, Campus “S. Venuta”, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Giosuè Costa
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi “Magna Græcia” di Catanzaro, Campus “S. Venuta”, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
- Net4Science Academic Spin-Off, Università degli Studi “Magna Græcia” di Catanzaro, Campus “S. Venuta”, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Angela Corona
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Mohammad Alkhatib
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università Tor Vergata di Roma, Via Montpellier, 1, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Romina Salpini
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università Tor Vergata di Roma, Via Montpellier, 1, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Saverio Lemme
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università Tor Vergata di Roma, Via Montpellier, 1, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Davide Vergni
- Istituto per le Applicazioni del Calcolo “Mauro Picone”-CNR, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Valentina Svicher
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università Tor Vergata di Roma, Via Montpellier, 1, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Maria Mercedes Santoro
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università Tor Vergata di Roma, Via Montpellier, 1, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Enzo Tramontano
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
| | | | - Anna Artese
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi “Magna Græcia” di Catanzaro, Campus “S. Venuta”, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
- Net4Science Academic Spin-Off, Università degli Studi “Magna Græcia” di Catanzaro, Campus “S. Venuta”, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Stefano Alcaro
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi “Magna Græcia” di Catanzaro, Campus “S. Venuta”, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
- Net4Science Academic Spin-Off, Università degli Studi “Magna Græcia” di Catanzaro, Campus “S. Venuta”, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Jana ID, Bhattacharya P, Mayilsamy K, Banerjee S, Bhattacharje G, Das S, Aditya S, Ghosh A, McGill AR, Srikrishnan S, Das AK, Basak A, Mohapatra SS, Chandran B, Bhimsaria D, Mohapatra S, Roy A, Mondal A. Targeting an evolutionarily conserved "E-L-L" motif in spike protein to identify a small molecule fusion inhibitor against SARS-CoV-2. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 1:pgac198. [PMID: 36712339 PMCID: PMC9802491 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
As newer variants of SARS-CoV-2 continue to pose major threats to global human health and economy, identifying novel druggable antiviral targets is the key toward sustenance. Here, we identify an evolutionarily conserved "Ex3Lx6L" ("E-L-L") motif present within the HR2 domain of all human and nonhuman coronavirus spike (S) proteins that play a crucial role in stabilizing its postfusion six-helix bundle (6-HB) structure and thus, fusion-mediated viral entry. Mutations within this motif reduce the fusogenicity of the S protein without affecting its stability or membrane localization. We found that posaconazole, an FDA-approved drug, binds to this "E-L-L" motif and impedes the formation of 6-HB, thus effectively inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 infection in cells. While posaconazole exhibits high efficacy in blocking S protein-mediated viral entry, mutations within the "E-L-L" motif rendered the protein completely resistant to the drug, establishing its specificity toward this motif. Our data demonstrate that posaconazole restricts early stages of infection through specific inhibition of membrane fusion and viral genome release into the host cell and is equally effective toward all major variants of concerns of SARS-CoV-2, including Beta, Kappa, Delta, and Omicron. Together, we show that this conserved essential "E-L-L" motif is an ideal target for the development of prophylactic and therapeutic interventions against SARS-CoV-2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Indrani Das Jana
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | | | - Karthick Mayilsamy
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs, James A Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Saptarshi Banerjee
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | - Gourab Bhattacharje
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | - Sayan Das
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | - Seemanti Aditya
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | - Anandita Ghosh
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Andrew R McGill
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs, James A Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Syamanthak Srikrishnan
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | - Amit Kumar Das
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | - Amit Basak
- Division of Chemical Science, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, Mohanpur 741246, India
| | - Shyam S Mohapatra
- Department of Veterans Affairs, James A Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Bala Chandran
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Devesh Bhimsaria
- Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee 247667, India
| | - Subhra Mohapatra
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs, James A Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Arunava Roy
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Arindam Mondal
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
(+)-Usnic acid and its salts, inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2, identified by using in silico methods and in vitro assay. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13118. [PMID: 35908082 PMCID: PMC9338942 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17506-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been ongoing for over two years, and treatment for COVID-19, other than monoclonal antibodies, is urgently required. Accordingly, we have investigated the inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 protein targets by high-throughput virtual screening using a marine natural products database. Considering the calculated molecular properties and availability of the compounds, (+)-usnic acid was selected as a suitable hit. In the in vitro antiviral assay of (+)-usnic acid by the immunofluorescence method, IC50 was 7.99 μM, which is similar to that of remdesivir used as a positive control. The generalized Born and surface area continuum solvation (MM/GBSA) method was performed to find the potent target of (+)-usnic acid, and the Mpro protein showed the most prominent value, -52.05 kcal/mol, among other SARS-CoV-2 protein targets. Thereafter, RMSD and protein-ligand interactions were profiled using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Sodium usnate (NaU) improved in vitro assay results with an IC50 of 5.33 μM and a selectivity index (SI) of 9.38. Additionally, when (+)-usnic acid was assayed against SARS-CoV-2 variants, it showed enhanced efficacy toward beta variants with an IC50 of 2.92 μM and SI of 11.1. We report the in vitro anti-SARS-CoV-2 efficacy of (+)-usnic acid in this study and propose that it has the potential to be developed as a COVID-19 treatment if its in vivo efficacy has been confirmed.
Collapse
|
11
|
Gao K, Wang R, Chen J, Cheng L, Frishcosy J, Huzumi Y, Qiu Y, Schluckbier T, Wei X, Wei GW. Methodology-Centered Review of Molecular Modeling, Simulation, and Prediction of SARS-CoV-2. Chem Rev 2022; 122:11287-11368. [PMID: 35594413 PMCID: PMC9159519 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Despite tremendous efforts in the past two years, our understanding of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), virus-host interactions, immune response, virulence, transmission, and evolution is still very limited. This limitation calls for further in-depth investigation. Computational studies have become an indispensable component in combating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to their low cost, their efficiency, and the fact that they are free from safety and ethical constraints. Additionally, the mechanism that governs the global evolution and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 cannot be revealed from individual experiments and was discovered by integrating genotyping of massive viral sequences, biophysical modeling of protein-protein interactions, deep mutational data, deep learning, and advanced mathematics. There exists a tsunami of literature on the molecular modeling, simulations, and predictions of SARS-CoV-2 and related developments of drugs, vaccines, antibodies, and diagnostics. To provide readers with a quick update about this literature, we present a comprehensive and systematic methodology-centered review. Aspects such as molecular biophysics, bioinformatics, cheminformatics, machine learning, and mathematics are discussed. This review will be beneficial to researchers who are looking for ways to contribute to SARS-CoV-2 studies and those who are interested in the status of the field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kaifu Gao
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Rui Wang
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Jiahui Chen
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Limei Cheng
- Clinical
Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics, Bristol
Myers Squibb, Princeton, New Jersey 08536, United States
| | - Jaclyn Frishcosy
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Yuta Huzumi
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Yuchi Qiu
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Tom Schluckbier
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Xiaoqi Wei
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Guo-Wei Wei
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
- Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan
State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Development of a database of RNA helicase inhibitors (VHIMDB) of pathogenic viruses and in silico screening for the potential drug molecules. THE EUROBIOTECH JOURNAL 2022. [DOI: 10.2478/ebtj-2022-0012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The pathogenic RNA virus that infects human beings contains the RNA helicase enzyme, responsible for the replication of the viral genome. The enzyme is used as a suitable target against which the drug molecule acts. Therefore, the identification and proposal the novel compounds that can be targeted toward the helicase enzymes to stop the functioning of the enzyme is desirable. Although many viral helicase inhibitor molecules have been identified, still yet no unique database is available for these compounds. This research work envisages developing a curated database of RNA helicase inhibitors. The database contains in total of 353 entries that are computationally predicted and experimentally verified RNA helicase inhibitors. The database contains information like compound name, chemical properties, chemical format, and name of the target virus to which it acts against it with a user-friendly menu-driven search engine. Presently, the database is freely available at: https://vhimdb.rsatpathy.in/. Further, in silico screening of the whole database by drug-likeness and toxicity resulted in 14 potential drug molecules. The selected molecules were analyzed for their effectiveness in binding by using molecular docking score and interaction with the helicase enzymes of three categories of pathogenic viruses (SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV).
Collapse
|
13
|
Debnath SK, Debnath M, Srivastava R, Omri A. Drugs repurposing for SARS-CoV-2: new insight of COVID-19 druggability. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther 2022; 20:1187-1204. [PMID: 35615888 DOI: 10.1080/14787210.2022.2082944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The ongoing epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) creates a massive panic worldwide due to the absence of effective medicines. Developing a new drug or vaccine is time-consuming to pass safety and efficacy testing. Therefore, repurposing drugs have been introduced to treat COVID-19 until effective drugs are developed. AREA COVERED A detailed search of repurposing drugs against SARS-CoV-2 was carried out using the PubMed database, focusing on articles published 2020 years onward. A different class of drugs has been described in this article to target hosts and viruses. Based on the previous pandemic experience of SARS-CoV and MERS, several antiviral and antimalarial drugs are discussed here. This review covers the failure of some repurposed drugs that showed promising activity in the earlier CoV-pandemic but were found ineffective against SARS-CoV-2. All these discussions demand a successful drug development strategy for screening and identifying an effective drug for better management of COVID-19. The drug development strategies described here will serve a new scope of research for academicians and researchers. EXPERT OPINION Repurposed drugs have been used since COVID-19 to eradicate disease propagation. Drugs found effective for MERS and SARS may not be effective against SARS-CoV-2. Drug libraries and artificial intelligence are helpful tools to screen and identify different molecules targeting viruses or hosts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sujit Kumar Debnath
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India
| | - Monalisha Debnath
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India
| | - Rohit Srivastava
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India
| | - Abdelwahab Omri
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Novel Drug & Vaccine Delivery Systems Facility, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Canada
| |
Collapse
|