1
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Alharbi N, Shalash AO, Koirala P, Boer JC, Hussein WM, Khalil ZG, Capon RJ, Plebanski M, Toth I, Skwarczynski M. Cholesterol as an inbuilt immunoadjuvant for a lipopeptide vaccine against group A Streptococcus infection. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 663:43-52. [PMID: 38387185 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.02.134] [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: 11/05/2023] [Revised: 01/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Peptide-based vaccines can trigger highly specific immune responses, although peptides alone are usually unable to confer strong humoral or cellular immunity. Consequently, peptide antigens are administered with immunostimulatory adjuvants, but only a few are safe and effective for human use. To overcome this obstacle, herein a peptide antigen was lipidated to effectively anchor it to liposomes and emulsion. A peptide antigen B cell epitope from Group A Streptococcus M protein was conjugated to a universal T helper epitope, the pan DR-biding epitope (PADRE), alongside a lipidic moiety cholesterol. Compared to a free peptide antigen, the lipidated version (LP1) adopted a helical conformation and self-assembled into small nanoparticles. Surprisingly, LP1 alone induced the same or higher antibody titers than liposomes or emulsion-based formulations. In addition, antibodies produced by mice immunized with LP1 were more opsonic than those induced by administering the antigen with incomplete Freund's adjuvant. No side effects were observed in the immunized mice and no excessive inflammatory immune responses were detected. Overall, this study demonstrated how simple conjugation of cholesterol to a peptide antigen can produce a safe and efficacious vaccine against Group A Streptococcus - the leading cause of superficial infections and the bacteria responsible for deadly post-infection autoimmune disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nedaa Alharbi
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; University of Jeddah, College of Science, Department of Chemistry, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed O Shalash
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Prashamsa Koirala
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jennifer C Boer
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, VIC 3083, Australia
| | - Waleed M Hussein
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zeinab G Khalil
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Robert J Capon
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Magdalena Plebanski
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, VIC 3083, Australia
| | - Istvan Toth
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Mariusz Skwarczynski
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
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2
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Mishra G, Prajapat V, Nayak D. Advancements in Nipah virus treatment: Analysis of current progress in vaccines, antivirals, and therapeutics. Immunology 2024; 171:155-169. [PMID: 37712243 DOI: 10.1111/imm.13695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Nipah virus (NiV) causes severe encephalitis in humans. Three NiV strains NiV-Malaysia (NiVM ), NiV Bangladesh (NiVB ), and NiV India (NiVI reported in 2019) have been circulating in South-Asian nations. Sporadic outbreak observed in South-East Asian countries but human to human transmission raises the concern about its pandemic potential. The presence of the viral genome in reservoir bats has further confirmed that NiV has spread to the African and Australian continents. NiV research activities have gained momentum to achieve specific preparedness goals to meet any future emergency-as a result, several potential vaccine candidates have been developed and tested in a variety of animal models. Some of these candidate vaccines have entered further clinical trials. Research activities related to the discovery of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have resulted in the identification of a handful of candidates capable of neutralizing the virion. However, progress in discovering potential antiviral drugs has been limited. Thus, considering NiV's pandemic potential, it is crucial to fast-track ongoing projects related to vaccine clinical trials, anti-NiV therapeutics. Here, we discuss the current progress in NiV-vaccine research and therapeutic options, including mAbs and antiviral medications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gayatree Mishra
- Department of Biological Science, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhopal, India
| | - Vishal Prajapat
- Department of Biological Science, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhopal, India
| | - Debasis Nayak
- Department of Biological Science, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhopal, India
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3
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Monroe MK, Wang H, Anderson CF, Jia H, Flexner C, Cui H. Leveraging the therapeutic, biological, and self-assembling potential of peptides for the treatment of viral infections. J Control Release 2022; 348:1028-1049. [PMID: 35752254 PMCID: PMC11022941 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.06.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Peptides and peptide-based materials have an increasing role in the treatment of viral infections through their use as active pharmaceutical ingredients, targeting moieties, excipients, carriers, or structural components in drug delivery systems. The discovery of peptide-based therapeutic compounds, coupled with the development of new stabilization and formulation strategies, has led to a resurgence of antiviral peptide therapeutics over the past two decades. The ability of peptides to bind cell receptors and to facilitate membrane penetration and subsequent intracellular trafficking enables their use in various antiviral systems for improved targeting efficiency and treatment efficacy. Importantly, the self-assembly of peptides into well-defined nanostructures provides a vast library of discrete constructs and supramolecular biomaterials for systemic and local delivery of antiviral agents. We review here the recent progress in exploiting the therapeutic, biological, and self-assembling potential of peptides, peptide conjugates, and their supramolecular assemblies in treating human viral infections, with an emphasis on the treatment strategies for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya K Monroe
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States of America; Institute for NanoBioTechnology, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States of America
| | - Han Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States of America; Institute for NanoBioTechnology, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States of America
| | - Caleb F Anderson
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States of America; Institute for NanoBioTechnology, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States of America
| | - Hongpeng Jia
- Department of Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, United States of America
| | - Charles Flexner
- Divisions of Clinical Pharmacology and Infectious Diseases, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States of America.
| | - Honggang Cui
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States of America; Institute for NanoBioTechnology, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States of America; Deptartment of Oncology and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States of America; Center for Nanomedicine, The Wilmer Eye Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 400 North Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21231, United States of America.
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4
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Zhou J, Xu W, Liu Z, Wang C, Xia S, Lan Q, Cai Y, Su S, Pu J, Xing L, Xie Y, Lu L, Jiang S, Wang Q. A highly potent and stable pan-coronavirus fusion inhibitor as a candidate prophylactic and therapeutic for COVID-19 and other coronavirus diseases. Acta Pharm Sin B 2022; 12:1652-1661. [PMID: 34367893 PMCID: PMC8327648 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2021.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 05/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of broad-spectrum antivirals against human coronaviruses (HCoVs) is critical to combat the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its variants, as well as future outbreaks of emerging CoVs. We have previously identified a polyethylene glycol-conjugated (PEGylated) lipopeptide, EK1C4, with potent pan-CoV fusion inhibitory activity. However, PEG linkers in peptide or protein drugs may reduce stability or induce anti-PEG antibodies in vivo. Therefore, we herein report the design and synthesis of a series of dePEGylated lipopeptide-based pan-CoV fusion inhibitors featuring the replacement of the PEG linker with amino acids in the heptad repeat 2 C-terminal fragment (HR2-CF) of HCoV-OC43. Among these lipopeptides, EKL1C showed the most potent inhibitory activity against infection by SARS-CoV-2 and its spike (S) mutants, as well as other HCoVs and some bat SARS-related coronaviruses (SARSr-CoVs) tested. The dePEGylated lipopeptide EKL1C exhibited significantly stronger resistance to proteolytic enzymes, better metabolic stability in mouse serum, higher thermostability than the PEGylated lipopeptide EK1C4, suggesting that EKL1C could be further developed as a candidate prophylactic and therapeutic for COVID-19 and other coronavirus diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences and BSL-3 Facility, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Wei Xu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences and BSL-3 Facility, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Zezhong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences and BSL-3 Facility, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Chao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Shuai Xia
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences and BSL-3 Facility, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Qiaoshuai Lan
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences and BSL-3 Facility, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yanxing Cai
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences and BSL-3 Facility, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Shan Su
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences and BSL-3 Facility, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Jing Pu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences and BSL-3 Facility, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Lixiao Xing
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences and BSL-3 Facility, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Youhua Xie
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences and BSL-3 Facility, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
- Corresponding authors.
| | - Lu Lu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences and BSL-3 Facility, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
- Corresponding authors.
| | - Shibo Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences and BSL-3 Facility, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
- Corresponding authors.
| | - Qian Wang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences and BSL-3 Facility, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
- Corresponding authors.
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5
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Marques MC, Lousa D, Silva PM, Faustino AF, Soares CM, Santos NC. The Importance of Lipid Conjugation on Anti-Fusion Peptides against Nipah Virus. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10030703. [PMID: 35327503 PMCID: PMC8945041 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10030703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 03/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Nipah virus (NiV) is a recently emerging zoonotic virus that belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family and the Henipavirus genus. It causes a range of conditions, from asymptomatic infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis. The high mortality rate of 40 to 90% ranks these viruses among the deadliest viruses known to infect humans. Currently, there is no antiviral drug available for Nipah virus disease and treatment is only supportive. Thus, there is an urgent demand for efficient antiviral therapies. NiV F protein, which catalyzes fusion between the viral and host membranes, is a potential target for antiviral drugs, as it is a key protein in the initial stages of infection. Fusion inhibitor peptides derived from the HRC-domain of the F protein are known to bind to their complementary domain in the protein’s transient intermediate state, preventing the formation of a six-helix bundle (6HB) thought to be responsible for driving the fusion of the viral and cell membranes. Here, we evaluated the biophysical and structural properties of four different C-terminal lipid-tagged peptides. Different compositions of the lipid tags were tested to search for properties that might promote efficacy and broad-spectrum activity. Fluorescence spectroscopy was used to study the interaction of the peptides with biomembrane model systems and human blood cells. In order to understand the structural properties of the peptides, circular dichroism measurements and molecular dynamics simulations were performed. Our results indicate a peptide preference for cholesterol-enriched membranes and a lipid conjugation-driven stabilization of the peptide α-helical secondary structure. This work may contribute for the development of highly effective viral fusion against NiV inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta C. Marques
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028 Lisbon, Portugal; (M.C.M.); (P.M.S.); (A.F.F.)
| | - Diana Lousa
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal; (D.L.); (C.M.S.)
| | - Patrícia M. Silva
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028 Lisbon, Portugal; (M.C.M.); (P.M.S.); (A.F.F.)
| | - André F. Faustino
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028 Lisbon, Portugal; (M.C.M.); (P.M.S.); (A.F.F.)
| | - Cláudio M. Soares
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal; (D.L.); (C.M.S.)
| | - Nuno C. Santos
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028 Lisbon, Portugal; (M.C.M.); (P.M.S.); (A.F.F.)
- Correspondence:
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6
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Antiviral peptide engineering for targeting membrane-enveloped viruses: Recent progress and future directions. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOMEMBRANES 2022; 1864:183821. [PMID: 34808121 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2021.183821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Membrane-enveloped viruses are a major cause of global health challenges, including recent epidemics and pandemics. This mini-review covers the latest efforts to develop membrane-targeting antiviral peptides that inhibit enveloped viruses by 1) preventing virus-cell fusion or 2) disrupting the viral membrane envelope. The corresponding mechanisms of antiviral activity are discussed along with peptide engineering strategies to modulate membrane-peptide interactions in terms of potency and selectivity. Application examples are presented demonstrating how membrane-targeting antiviral peptides are useful therapeutics and prophylactics in animal models, while a stronger emphasis on biophysical concepts is proposed to refine mechanistic understanding and support potential clinical translation.
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7
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Düzgüneş N, Fernandez-Fuentes N, Konopka K. Inhibition of Viral Membrane Fusion by Peptides and Approaches to Peptide Design. Pathogens 2021; 10:1599. [PMID: 34959554 PMCID: PMC8709411 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10121599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Fusion of lipid-enveloped viruses with the cellular plasma membrane or the endosome membrane is mediated by viral envelope proteins that undergo large conformational changes following binding to receptors. The HIV-1 fusion protein gp41 undergoes a transition into a "six-helix bundle" after binding of the surface protein gp120 to the CD4 receptor and a co-receptor. Synthetic peptides that mimic part of this structure interfere with the formation of the helix structure and inhibit membrane fusion. This approach also works with the S spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Here we review the peptide inhibitors of membrane fusion involved in infection by influenza virus, HIV-1, MERS and SARS coronaviruses, hepatitis viruses, paramyxoviruses, flaviviruses, herpesviruses and filoviruses. We also describe recent computational methods used for the identification of peptide sequences that can interact strongly with protein interfaces, with special emphasis on SARS-CoV-2, using the PePI-Covid19 database.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nejat Düzgüneş
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA;
| | - Narcis Fernandez-Fuentes
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth SY23 3EE, UK;
| | - Krystyna Konopka
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA;
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8
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The pH-sensitive action of cholesterol-conjugated peptide inhibitors of influenza virus. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2021; 1863:183762. [PMID: 34478733 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2021.183762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Influenza viruses are major human pathogens, responsible for respiratory diseases affecting millions of people worldwide, with high morbidity and significant mortality. Infections by influenza can be controlled by vaccines and antiviral drugs. However, this virus is constantly under mutations, limiting the effectiveness of these clinical antiviral strategies. It is therefore urgent to develop new ones. Influenza hemagglutinin (HA) is involved in receptor binding and promotes the pH-dependent fusion of viral and cell endocytic membranes. HA-targeted peptides may emerge as a novel antiviral option to block this viral entry step. In this study, we evaluated three HA-derived (lipo)peptides using fluorescence spectroscopy. Peptide membrane interaction assays were performed at neutral and acidic pH to better resemble the natural conditions in which influenza fusion occurs. We found that peptide affinity towards membranes decreases upon the acidification of the environment. Therefore, the released peptides would be able to bind their complementary domain and interfere with the six-helix bundle formation necessary for viral fusion, and thus for the infection of the target cell. Our results provide new insight into molecular interactions between HA-derived peptides and cell membranes, which may contribute to the development of new influenza virus inhibitors.
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9
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Wirchnianski AS, Wec AZ, Nyakatura EK, Herbert AS, Slough MM, Kuehne AI, Mittler E, Jangra RK, Teruya J, Dye JM, Lai JR, Chandran K. Two Distinct Lysosomal Targeting Strategies Afford Trojan Horse Antibodies With Pan-Filovirus Activity. Front Immunol 2021; 12:729851. [PMID: 34721393 PMCID: PMC8551868 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.729851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple agents in the family Filoviridae (filoviruses) are associated with sporadic human outbreaks of highly lethal disease, while others, including several recently identified agents, possess strong zoonotic potential. Although viral glycoprotein (GP)-specific monoclonal antibodies have demonstrated therapeutic utility against filovirus disease, currently FDA-approved molecules lack antiviral breadth. The development of broadly neutralizing antibodies has been challenged by the high sequence divergence among filovirus GPs and the complex GP proteolytic cleavage cascade that accompanies filovirus entry. Despite this variability in the antigenic surface of GP, all filoviruses share a site of vulnerability-the binding site for the universal filovirus entry receptor, Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1). Unfortunately, this site is shielded in extracellular GP and only uncovered by proteolytic cleavage by host proteases in late endosomes and lysosomes, which are generally inaccessible to antibodies. To overcome this obstacle, we previously developed a 'Trojan horse' therapeutic approach in which engineered bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) coopt viral particles to deliver GP:NPC1 interaction-blocking antibodies to their endo/lysosomal sites of action. This approach afforded broad protection against members of the genus Ebolavirus but could not neutralize more divergent filoviruses. Here, we describe next-generation Trojan horse bsAbs that target the endo/lysosomal GP:NPC1 interface with pan-filovirus breadth by exploiting the conserved and widely expressed host cation-independent mannose-6-phosphate receptor for intracellular delivery. Our work highlights a new avenue for the development of single therapeutics protecting against all known and newly emerging filoviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel S Wirchnianski
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States.,Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Anna Z Wec
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Elisabeth K Nyakatura
- Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Andrew S Herbert
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, MD, United States.,The Geneva Foundation, Tacoma, WA, United States
| | - Megan M Slough
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Ana I Kuehne
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Eva Mittler
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Rohit K Jangra
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Jonathan Teruya
- Antibody Discovery and Research group, Mapp Biopharmaceutical, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - John M Dye
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Jonathan R Lai
- Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Kartik Chandran
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
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10
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Pilicheva B, Boyuklieva R. Can the Nasal Cavity Help Tackle COVID-19? Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:1612. [PMID: 34683904 PMCID: PMC8537957 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13101612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2021] [Revised: 09/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the progress made in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, it still poses dramatic challenges for scientists around the world. Various approaches are applied, including repurposed medications and alternative routes for administration. Several vaccines have been approved, and many more are under clinical and preclinical investigation. This review aims to systemize the available information and to outline the key therapeutic strategies for COVID-19, based on the nasal route of administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bissera Pilicheva
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria;
- Research Institute at Medical University of Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Radka Boyuklieva
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria;
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11
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Abstract
Over the past 20 years, Nipah virus (NiV) has emerged as a significant, highly pathogenic bat-borne paramyxovirus causing severe respiratory disease and encephalitis in humans, and human-to-human transmission has been demonstrated in multiple outbreaks. In addition to causing serious illness in humans, NiV is a zoonotic pathogen capable of infecting a wide range of other mammalian species, including pigs and horses. While NiV has caused less than 700 human cases since its discovery in 1998/1999, the involvement of intermediate agricultural hosts can result in significant economic consequences. Owing to the severity of disease, capacity for human-to-human transmission, zoonotic potential, and lack of available approved therapeutic treatment options, NiV has been listed by the World Health Organization in their Blueprint list of priority pathogens as one of the eight most dangerous pathogens to monitor and prepare countermeasures to prevent a pandemic. Here, we discuss progress towards the development of therapeutic measures for the treatment of NiV infection and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendra Johnson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Michelle Vu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Alexander N Freiberg
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
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12
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Antivirals targeting paramyxovirus membrane fusion. Curr Opin Virol 2021; 51:34-47. [PMID: 34592709 DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2021.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The Paramyxoviridae family includes enveloped single-stranded negative-sense RNA viruses such as measles, mumps, human parainfluenza, canine distemper, Hendra, and Nipah viruses, which cause a tremendous global health burden. The ability of paramyxoviral glycoproteins to merge viral and host membranes allows entry of the viral genome into host cells, as well as cell-cell fusion, an important contributor to disease progression. Recent molecular and structural advances in our understanding of the paramyxovirus membrane fusion machinery gave rise to various therapeutic approaches aiming at inhibiting viral infection, spread, and cytopathic effects. These therapeutic approaches include peptide mimics, antibodies, and small molecule inhibitors with various levels of success at inhibiting viral entry, increasing the potential of effective antiviral therapeutic development.
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13
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Pu J, Zhou JT, Liu P, Yu F, He X, Lu L, Jiang S. Viral Entry Inhibitors Targeting Six-Helical Bundle Core Against Highly Pathogenic Enveloped Viruses with Class I Fusion Proteins. Curr Med Chem 2021; 29:700-718. [PMID: 33992055 DOI: 10.2174/0929867328666210511015808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
TypeⅠ enveloped viruses bind to cell receptors through surface glycoproteins to initiate infection or undergo receptor-mediated endocytosis. They also initiate membrane fusion in the acidic environment of endocytic compartments, releasing genetic material into the cell. In the process of membrane fusion, envelope protein exposes fusion peptide, followed by insertion into the cell membrane or endosomal membrane. Further conformational changes ensue in which the type 1 envelope protein forms a typical six-helix bundle structure, shortening the distance between viral and cell membranes so that fusion can occur. Entry inhibitors targeting viral envelope proteins, or host factors, are effective antiviral agents and have been widely studied. Some have been used clinically, such as T20 and Maraviroc for human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) or Myrcludex B for hepatitis D virus (HDV). This review focuses on entry inhibitors that target the six-helical bundle core against highly pathogenic enveloped viruses with class I fusion proteins, including retroviruses, coronaviruses, influenza A viruses, paramyxoviruses, and filoviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Pu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of MOE/MOH/CAMS, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Joey Tianyi Zhou
- Institute of High Performance Computing, The Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore
| | - Ping Liu
- Institute of High Performance Computing, The Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore
| | - Fei Yu
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
| | - Xiaoyang He
- Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Lu Lu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of MOE/MOH/CAMS, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Shibo Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of MOE/MOH/CAMS, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
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14
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Felício MR, Silveira GGOS, Oshiro KGN, Meneguetti BT, Franco OL, Santos NC, Gonçalves S. Polyalanine peptide variations may have different mechanisms of action against multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens. J Antimicrob Chemother 2021; 76:1174-1186. [PMID: 33501992 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkaa560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The number of bacterial pathogens resistant to the currently available antibiotics has dramatically increased, with antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) being among the most promising potential new drugs. In this study, the applicability and mechanisms of action of Pa-MAP 2 and Pa-MAP 1.9, two AMPs synthetically designed based on a natural AMP template, were evaluated. METHODS Pa-MAP 2 and Pa-MAP 1.9 were tested against a clinically isolated multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli strain. Biophysical approaches were used to evaluate the preference of both peptides for specific lipid membranes, and bacterial surface changes imaged by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The efficacy of both peptides was assessed both in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS Experimental results showed that both peptides have antimicrobial activity against the E. coli MDR strain. Zeta potential and surface plasmon resonance assays showed that they interact extensively with negatively charged membranes, changing from a random coil structure, when free in solution, to an α-helical structure after membrane interaction. The antibacterial efficacy was evaluated in vitro, by several techniques, and in vivo, using a wound infection model, showing a concentration-dependent antibacterial effect. Different membrane properties were evaluated to understand the mechanism underlying peptide action, showing that both promote destabilization of the bacterial surface, as imaged by AFM, and change properties such as membrane surface and dipole potential. CONCLUSIONS Despite their similarity, data indicate that the mechanisms of action of the peptides are different, with Pa-MAP 1.9 being more effective than Pa-MAP 2. These results highlight their potential use as antimicrobial agents against MDR bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mário R Felício
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Gislaine G O S Silveira
- S-Inova Biotech, Pós-graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil
| | - Karen G N Oshiro
- S-Inova Biotech, Pós-graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Patologia Molecular, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil
| | - Beatriz T Meneguetti
- S-Inova Biotech, Pós-graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil
| | - Octávio L Franco
- S-Inova Biotech, Pós-graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Patologia Molecular, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Pós-graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil
| | - Nuno C Santos
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Sónia Gonçalves
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
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15
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Outlaw VK, Cheloha RW, Jurgens EM, Bovier FT, Zhu Y, Kreitler DF, Harder O, Niewiesk S, Porotto M, Gellman SH, Moscona A. Engineering Protease-Resistant Peptides to Inhibit Human Parainfluenza Viral Respiratory Infection. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:5958-5966. [PMID: 33825470 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c01565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The lower respiratory tract infections affecting children worldwide are in large part caused by the parainfluenza viruses (HPIVs), particularly HPIV3, along with human metapneumovirus and respiratory syncytial virus, enveloped negative-strand RNA viruses. There are no vaccines for these important human pathogens, and existing treatments have limited or no efficacy. Infection by HPIV is initiated by viral glycoprotein-mediated fusion between viral and host cell membranes. A viral fusion protein (F), once activated in proximity to a target cell, undergoes a series of conformational changes that first extend the trimer subunits to allow insertion of the hydrophobic domains into the target cell membrane and then refold the trimer into a stable postfusion state, driving the merger of the viral and host cell membranes. Lipopeptides derived from the C-terminal heptad repeat (HRC) domain of HPIV3 F inhibit infection by interfering with the structural transitions of the trimeric F assembly. Clinical application of this strategy, however, requires improving the in vivo stability of antiviral peptides. We show that the HRC peptide backbone can be modified via partial replacement of α-amino acid residues with β-amino acid residues to generate α/β-peptides that retain antiviral activity but are poor protease substrates. Relative to a conventional α-lipopeptide, our best α/β-lipopeptide exhibits improved persistence in vivo and improved anti-HPIV3 antiviral activity in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor K Outlaw
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Ross W Cheloha
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Eric M Jurgens
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Francesca T Bovier
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, United States.,Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, 81100, Italy.,Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Yun Zhu
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, United States.,Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, United States.,Beijing Pediatric Research Institute, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100045, China
| | - Dale F Kreitler
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Olivia Harder
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Stefan Niewiesk
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Matteo Porotto
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, United States.,Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, 81100, Italy.,Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Samuel H Gellman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Anne Moscona
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, United States.,Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, United States.,Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, United States.,Department of Physiology & Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, United States
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16
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de Vries RD, Schmitz KS, Bovier FT, Predella C, Khao J, Noack D, Haagmans BL, Herfst S, Stearns KN, Drew-Bear J, Biswas S, Rockx B, McGill G, Dorrello NV, Gellman SH, Alabi CA, de Swart RL, Moscona A, Porotto M. Intranasal fusion inhibitory lipopeptide prevents direct-contact SARS-CoV-2 transmission in ferrets. Science 2021; 371:1379-1382. [PMID: 33597220 PMCID: PMC8011693 DOI: 10.1126/science.abf4896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Containment of the COVID-19 pandemic requires reducing viral transmission. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is initiated by membrane fusion between the viral and host cell membranes, which is mediated by the viral spike protein. We have designed lipopeptide fusion inhibitors that block this critical first step of infection and, on the basis of in vitro efficacy and in vivo biodistribution, selected a dimeric form for evaluation in an animal model. Daily intranasal administration to ferrets completely prevented SARS-CoV-2 direct-contact transmission during 24-hour cohousing with infected animals, under stringent conditions that resulted in infection of 100% of untreated animals. These lipopeptides are highly stable and thus may readily translate into safe and effective intranasal prophylaxis to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rory D de Vries
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Francesca T Bovier
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli," Caserta, Italy
| | - Camilla Predella
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Danny Noack
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Bart L Haagmans
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Sander Herfst
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Kyle N Stearns
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jennifer Drew-Bear
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sudipta Biswas
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Barry Rockx
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Gaël McGill
- Digizyme Inc., Brookline, MA, USA
- Center for Molecular and Cellular Dynamics, Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - N Valerio Dorrello
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
| | - Samuel H Gellman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Christopher A Alabi
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | - Rik L de Swart
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
| | - Anne Moscona
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA.
- Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
| | - Matteo Porotto
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA.
- Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli," Caserta, Italy
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17
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de Vries RD, Schmitz KS, Bovier FT, Noack D, Haagmans BL, Biswas S, Rockx B, Gellman SH, Alabi CA, de Swart RL, Moscona A, Porotto M. Intranasal fusion inhibitory lipopeptide prevents direct contact SARS-CoV-2 transmission in ferrets. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2020:2020.11.04.361154. [PMID: 33173865 PMCID: PMC7654853 DOI: 10.1101/2020.11.04.361154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Containment of the COVID-19 pandemic requires reducing viral transmission. SARS-CoV-2 infection is initiated by membrane fusion between the viral and host cell membranes, mediated by the viral spike protein. We have designed a dimeric lipopeptide fusion inhibitor that blocks this critical first step of infection for emerging coronaviruses and document that it completely prevents SARS-CoV-2 infection in ferrets. Daily intranasal administration to ferrets completely prevented SARS-CoV-2 direct-contact transmission during 24-hour co-housing with infected animals, under stringent conditions that resulted in infection of 100% of untreated animals. These lipopeptides are highly stable and non-toxic and thus readily translate into a safe and effective intranasal prophylactic approach to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2. ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY A dimeric form of a SARS-CoV-2-derived lipopeptide is a potent inhibitor of fusion and infection in vitro and transmission in vivo .
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Francesca T. Bovier
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Host–Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Danny Noack
- Department Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Sudipta Biswas
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Barry Rockx
- Department Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Christopher A. Alabi
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Rik L. de Swart
- Department Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Anne Moscona
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Host–Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Physiology & Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Matteo Porotto
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Host–Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 81100 Caserta, Italy
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18
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Outlaw VK, Bovier FT, Mears MC, Cajimat MN, Zhu Y, Lin MJ, Addetia A, Lieberman NAP, Peddu V, Xie X, Shi PY, Greninger AL, Gellman SH, Bente DA, Moscona A, Porotto M. Inhibition of Coronavirus Entry In Vitro and Ex Vivo by a Lipid-Conjugated Peptide Derived from the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein HRC Domain. mBio 2020; 11:e01935-20. [PMID: 33082259 PMCID: PMC7587434 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01935-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiological agent of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has erupted into a global pandemic that has led to tens of millions of infections and hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide. The development of therapeutics to treat infection or as prophylactics to halt viral transmission and spread is urgently needed. SARS-CoV-2 relies on structural rearrangements within a spike (S) glycoprotein to mediate fusion of the viral and host cell membranes. Here, we describe the development of a lipopeptide that is derived from the C-terminal heptad repeat (HRC) domain of SARS-CoV-2 S that potently inhibits infection by SARS-CoV-2. The lipopeptide inhibits cell-cell fusion mediated by SARS-CoV-2 S and blocks infection by live SARS-CoV-2 in Vero E6 cell monolayers more effectively than previously described lipopeptides. The SARS-CoV-2 lipopeptide exhibits broad-spectrum activity by inhibiting cell-cell fusion mediated by SARS-CoV-1 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and blocking infection by live MERS-CoV in cell monolayers. We also show that the SARS-CoV-2 HRC-derived lipopeptide potently blocks the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in human airway epithelial (HAE) cultures, an ex vivo model designed to mimic respiratory viral propagation in humans. While viral spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection was widespread in untreated airways, those treated with SARS-CoV-2 HRC lipopeptide showed no detectable evidence of viral spread. These data provide a framework for the development of peptide therapeutics for the treatment of or prophylaxis against SARS-CoV-2 as well as other coronaviruses.IMPORTANCE SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, continues to spread globally, placing strain on health care systems and resulting in rapidly increasing numbers of cases and mortalities. Despite the growing need for medical intervention, no FDA-approved vaccines are yet available, and treatment has been limited to supportive therapy for the alleviation of symptoms. Entry inhibitors could fill the important role of preventing initial infection and preventing spread. Here, we describe the design, synthesis, and evaluation of a lipopeptide that is derived from the HRC domain of the SARS-CoV-2 S glycoprotein that potently inhibits fusion mediated by SARS-CoV-2 S glycoprotein and blocks infection by live SARS-CoV-2 in both cell monolayers (in vitro) and human airway tissues (ex vivo). Our results highlight the SARS-CoV-2 HRC-derived lipopeptide as a promising therapeutic candidate for SARS-CoV-2 infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor K Outlaw
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Francesca T Bovier
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli," Caserta, Italy
| | - Megan C Mears
- Galveston National Laboratory, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- Department of Experimental Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Maria N Cajimat
- Galveston National Laboratory, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- Department of Experimental Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Yun Zhu
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Beijing Pediatric Research Institute, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Michelle J Lin
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Amin Addetia
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Nicole A P Lieberman
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Vikas Peddu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Xuping Xie
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Pei-Yong Shi
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Alexander L Greninger
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Samuel H Gellman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Dennis A Bente
- Galveston National Laboratory, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Anne Moscona
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Physiology & Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Matteo Porotto
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli," Caserta, Italy
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19
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Marcink TC, Wang T, des Georges A, Porotto M, Moscona A. Human parainfluenza virus fusion complex glycoproteins imaged in action on authentic viral surfaces. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008883. [PMID: 32956394 PMCID: PMC7529294 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Infection by human parainfluenza viruses (HPIVs) causes widespread lower respiratory diseases, including croup, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia, and there are no vaccines or effective treatments for these viruses. HPIV3 is a member of the Respirovirus species of the Paramyxoviridae family. These viruses are pleomorphic, enveloped viruses with genomes composed of single-stranded negative-sense RNA. During viral entry, the first step of infection, the viral fusion complex, comprised of the receptor-binding glycoprotein hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) and the fusion glycoprotein (F), mediates fusion upon receptor binding. The HPIV3 transmembrane protein HN, like the receptor-binding proteins of other related viruses that enter host cells using membrane fusion, binds to a receptor molecule on the host cell plasma membrane, which triggers the F glycoprotein to undergo major conformational rearrangements, promoting viral entry. Subsequent fusion of the viral and host membranes allows delivery of the viral genetic material into the host cell. The intermediate states in viral entry are transient and thermodynamically unstable, making it impossible to understand these transitions using standard methods, yet understanding these transition states is important for expanding our knowledge of the viral entry process. In this study, we use cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) to dissect the stepwise process by which the receptor-binding protein triggers F-mediated fusion, when forming a complex with receptor-bearing membranes. Using an on-grid antibody capture method that facilitates examination of fresh, biologically active strains of virus directly from supernatant fluids and a series of biological tools that permit the capture of intermediate states in the fusion process, we visualize the series of events that occur when a pristine, authentic viral particle interacts with target receptors and proceeds from the viral entry steps of receptor engagement to membrane fusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara C. Marcink
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York, United States of America
- Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Tong Wang
- Structural Biology Initiative, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Amedee des Georges
- Structural Biology Initiative, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, City College of New York, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Matteo Porotto
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York, United States of America
- Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Anne Moscona
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York, United States of America
- Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Physiology & Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York, United States of America
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20
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Lo MK, Spengler JR, Krumpe LRH, Welch SR, Chattopadhyay A, Harmon JR, Coleman-McCray JD, Scholte FEM, Hotard AL, Fuqua JL, Rose JK, Nichol ST, Palmer KE, O'Keefe BR, Spiropoulou CF. Griffithsin Inhibits Nipah Virus Entry and Fusion and Can Protect Syrian Golden Hamsters From Lethal Nipah Virus Challenge. J Infect Dis 2020; 221:S480-S492. [PMID: 32037447 PMCID: PMC7199786 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiz630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Nipah virus (NiV) is a highly pathogenic zoonotic paramyxovirus that causes fatal encephalitis and respiratory disease in humans. There is currently no approved therapeutic for human use against NiV infection. Griffithsin (GRFT) is high-mannose oligosaccharide binding lectin that has shown in vivo broad-spectrum activity against viruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, human immunodeficiency virus 1, hepatitis C virus, and Japanese encephalitis virus. In this study, we evaluated the in vitro antiviral activities of GRFT and its synthetic trimeric tandemer (3mG) against NiV and other viruses from 4 virus families. The 3mG had comparatively greater potency than GRFT against NiV due to its enhanced ability to block NiV glycoprotein-induced syncytia formation. Our initial in vivo prophylactic evaluation of an oxidation-resistant GRFT (Q-GRFT) showed significant protection against lethal NiV challenge in Syrian golden hamsters. Our results warrant further development of Q-GRFT and 3mG as potential NiV therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael K Lo
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Jessica R Spengler
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Lauren R H Krumpe
- Basic Science Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Stephen R Welch
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Jessica R Harmon
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - JoAnn D Coleman-McCray
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Florine E M Scholte
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Anne L Hotard
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Joshua L Fuqua
- Center for Predictive Medicine for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
| | - John K Rose
- Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Stuart T Nichol
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Kenneth E Palmer
- Center for Predictive Medicine for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
| | - Barry R O'Keefe
- Molecular Targets Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland, USA.,Natural Products Branch, Developmental Therapeutics Program, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Christina F Spiropoulou
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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21
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A boost to the antiviral activity: Cholesterol tagged peptides derived from glycoprotein B of Herpes Simplex virus type I. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 162:882-893. [PMID: 32569683 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.06.134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Revised: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Conformational changes of viral glycoproteins govern the fusion of viral and cellular membranes in the entry of enveloped viruses. Peptides mimicking domains of viral glycoproteins are apt to interfere with the fusion event, likely hampering the conformational rearrangements from the pre- to the post-fusion structures. We previously developed a peptide sequence with a high potential to inhibit the entry of herpes simplex type 1, which was able to trap glycoprotein B at an intermediate stage, arresting fusion. We propose that similarly to other viruses, membrane targeting through cholesterol conjugation may potently block fusion. The peptide conjugated to polyethylenglycol and cholesterol interacts with viral and cell membranes thanks to the presence of cholesterol and blocks the conformational rearrangements of the glycoprotein B. Here, we also probed the effect of the linker (polyethylenglycol) length on the activity. By targeting the peptide gBh1m to the membranes where fusion occurs and by engineering sequences with increased binding affinity for gB we have enhanced the antiviral potency of our prototype inhibitors. Our results provide proof of concept for the application of cholesterol tagging to develop inhibitors of HSV-1.
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22
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Abstract
Paramyxoviruses, including human parainfluenza virus type 3, are internalized into host cells by fusion between viral and target cell membranes. The receptor binding protein, hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN), upon binding to its cell receptor, triggers conformational changes in the fusion protein (F). This action of HN activates F to reach its fusion-competent state. Using small molecules that interact with HN, we can induce the premature activation of F and inactivate the virus. To obtain highly active pretriggering compounds, we carried out a virtual modeling screen for molecules that interact with a sialic acid binding site on HN that we propose to be the site involved in activating F. We use cryo-electron tomography of authentic intact viral particles for the first time to directly assess the mechanism of action of this treatment on the conformation of the viral F protein and present the first direct observation of the induced conformational rearrangement in the viral F protein. The receptor binding protein of parainfluenza virus, hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN), is responsible for actively triggering the viral fusion protein (F) to undergo a conformational change leading to insertion into the target cell and fusion of the virus with the target cell membrane. For proper viral entry to occur, this process must occur when HN is engaged with host cell receptors at the cell surface. It is possible to interfere with this process through premature activation of the F protein, distant from the target cell receptor. Conformational changes in the F protein and adoption of the postfusion form of the protein prior to receptor engagement of HN at the host cell membrane inactivate the virus. We previously identified small molecules that interact with HN and induce it to activate F in an untimely fashion, validating a new antiviral strategy. To obtain highly active pretriggering candidate molecules we carried out a virtual modeling screen for molecules that interact with sialic acid binding site II on HN, which we propose to be the site responsible for activating F. To directly assess the mechanism of action of one such highly effective new premature activating compound, PAC-3066, we use cryo-electron tomography on authentic intact viral particles for the first time to examine the effects of PAC-3066 treatment on the conformation of the viral F protein. We present the first direct observation of the conformational rearrangement induced in the viral F protein.
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23
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Outlaw VK, Lemke JT, Zhu Y, Gellman SH, Porotto M, Moscona A. Structure-Guided Improvement of a Dual HPIV3/RSV Fusion Inhibitor. J Am Chem Soc 2020; 142:2140-2144. [PMID: 31951396 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b11548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Human parainfluenza virus 3 (HPIV3) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are leading causes of lower respiratory tract infections. There are currently no vaccines or antiviral therapeutics to treat HPIV3 or RSV infections. We recently reported a peptide (VIQKI), derived from the C-terminal heptad repeat (HRC) domain of the HPIV3 fusion (F) glycoprotein that inhibits infection by both HPIV3 and RSV. The dual inhibitory activity of VIQKI is due to its unique ability to bind to the N-terminal heptad repeat (HRN) domains of both HPIV3 and RSV F, thereby preventing the native HRN-HRC interactions required for viral entry. Here we describe the structure-guided design of dual inhibitors of HPIV3 and RSV fusion with improved efficacy. We show that VIQKI derivatives possessing one (I456F) or two (I454F/I456F) phenylalanine substitutions near the N-terminus exhibit more stable assemblies with the RSV-HRN domain and enhanced antiviral efficacy against both HPIV3 and RSV infection. Cocrystal structures of the new Phe-substituted inhibitors coassembled with HPIV3 or RSV-HRN domains reveal that the I456F substitution makes intimate hydrophobic contact with the core trimers of both HPIV3 and RSV F.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor K Outlaw
- Department of Chemistry , University of Wisconsin , Madison , Wisconsin 53706 , United States
| | - Jennifer T Lemke
- Department of Chemistry , University of Wisconsin , Madison , Wisconsin 53706 , United States
| | - Yun Zhu
- Department of Pediatrics , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States.,Beijing Pediatric Research Institute , Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University , Beijing 100045 , China
| | - Samuel H Gellman
- Department of Chemistry , University of Wisconsin , Madison , Wisconsin 53706 , United States
| | - Matteo Porotto
- Department of Pediatrics , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States.,Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States.,Department of Experimental Medicine , University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" , 81100 Caserta , Italy
| | - Anne Moscona
- Department of Pediatrics , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States.,Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States.,Department of Microbiology & Immunology , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States.,Department of Physiology & Cellular Biophysics , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States
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24
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Mathieu C, Porotto M, Figueira TN, Horvat B, Moscona A. Fusion Inhibitory Lipopeptides Engineered for Prophylaxis of Nipah Virus in Primates. J Infect Dis 2019; 218:218-227. [PMID: 29566184 PMCID: PMC6009590 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiy152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The emerging zoonotic paramyxovirus Nipah virus (NiV) causes severe respiratory and neurological disease in humans, with high fatality rates. Nipah virus can be transmitted via person-to-person contact, posing a high risk for epidemic outbreaks. However, a broadly applicable approach for human NiV outbreaks in field settings is lacking. Methods We engineered new antiviral lipopeptides and analyzed in vitro fusion inhibition to identify an optimal candidate for prophylaxis of NiV infection in the lower respiratory tract, and we assessed antiviral efficiency in 2 different animal models. Results We show that lethal NiV infection can be prevented with lipopeptides delivered via the respiratory route in both hamsters and nonhuman primates. By targeting retention of peptides for NiV prophylaxis in the respiratory tract, we avoid its systemic delivery in individuals who need only prevention, and thus we increase the safety of treatment and enhance utility of the intervention. Conclusions The experiments provide a proof of concept for the use of antifusion lipopeptides for prophylaxis of lethal NiV. These results advance the goal of rational development of potent lipopeptide inhibitors with desirable pharmacokinetic and biodistribution properties and a safe effective delivery method to target NiV and other pathogenic viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyrille Mathieu
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York.,Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Medical Center, New York.,CIRI, International Center for Infectiology Research, Immunobiology of Viral Infections Team, Inserm, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5308, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France
| | - Matteo Porotto
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York.,Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Medical Center, New York
| | - Tiago N Figueira
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York.,Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Medical Center, New York.,Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Branka Horvat
- CIRI, International Center for Infectiology Research, Immunobiology of Viral Infections Team, Inserm, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5308, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France
| | - Anne Moscona
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York.,Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York.,Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Medical Center, New York
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25
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Cholesterol-conjugated stapled peptides inhibit Ebola and Marburg viruses in vitro and in vivo. Antiviral Res 2019; 171:104592. [PMID: 31473342 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2019.104592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2019] [Revised: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/25/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Filoviridae currently includes five official and one proposed genera. Genus Ebolavirus includes five established and one proposed ebolavirus species for Bombali virus (BOMV), Bundibugyo virus (BDBV), Ebola virus (EBOV), Reston virus (RESTV), Sudan virus (SUDV) and Taï Forest virus (TAFV), and genus Marburgvirus includes a single species for Marburg virus (MARV) and Ravn virus (RAVV). Ebola virus (EBOV) has emerged as a significant public health concern since the 2013-2016 Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in Western Africa. Currently, there are no therapeutics approved and the need for Ebola-specific therapeutics remains a gap. In search for anti-Ebola therapies we tested the idea of using inhibitory properties of peptides corresponding to the C-terminal heptad-repeat (HR2) domains of class I fusion proteins against EBOV infection. The fusion protein GP2 of EBOV belongs to class I, suggesting that a similar strategy to HIV may be applied to inhibit EBOV infection. The serum half-life of peptides was expanded by cholesterol conjugation to allow daily dosing. The peptides were further constrained to stabilize a helical structure to increase the potency of inhibition. The EC50s of lead peptides were in low micromolar range, as determined by a high-content imaging test of EBOV-infected cells. Lead peptides were tested in an EBOV lethal mouse model and efficacy of the peptides were determined following twice-daily administration of peptides for 9 days. The most potent peptide was able to protect mice from lethal challenge of mouse-adapted Ebola virus. These data show that engineered peptides coupled with cholesterol can inhibit viral production, protect mice against lethal EBOV infection, and may be used to build novel therapeutics against EBOV.
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26
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Outlaw VK, Bottom-Tanzer S, Kreitler DF, Gellman SH, Porotto M, Moscona A. Dual Inhibition of Human Parainfluenza Type 3 and Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infectivity with a Single Agent. J Am Chem Soc 2019; 141:12648-12656. [PMID: 31268705 PMCID: PMC7192198 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b04615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Human parainfluenza virus 3 (HPIV3) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cause lower respiratory infection in infants and young children. There are no vaccines for these pathogens, and existing treatments have limited or questionable efficacy. Infection by HPIV3 or RSV requires fusion of the viral and cell membranes, a process mediated by a trimeric fusion glycoprotein (F) displayed on the viral envelope. Once triggered, the pre-fusion form of F undergoes a series of conformational changes that first extend the molecule to allow for insertion of the hydrophobic fusion peptide into the target cell membrane and then refold the trimeric assembly into an energetically stable post-fusion state, a process that drives the merger of the viral and host cell membranes. Peptides derived from defined regions of HPIV3 F inhibit infection by HPIV3 by interfering with the structural transitions of the trimeric F assembly. Here we describe lipopeptides derived from the C-terminal heptad repeat (HRC) domain of HPIV3 F that potently inhibit infection by both HPIV3 and RSV. The lead peptide inhibits RSV infection as effectively as does a peptide corresponding to the RSV HRC domain itself. We show that the inhibitors bind to the N-terminal heptad repeat (HRN) domains of both HPIV3 and RSV F with high affinity. Co-crystal structures of inhibitors bound to the HRN domains of HPIV3 or RSV F reveal remarkably different modes of binding in the N-terminal segment of the inhibitor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor K. Outlaw
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, United States
| | - Samantha Bottom-Tanzer
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, 10032, United States
- Center for Host–Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, 10032, United States
| | - Dale F. Kreitler
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, United States
| | - Samuel H. Gellman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, United States
| | - Matteo Porotto
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, 10032, United States
- Center for Host–Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, 10032, United States
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania ‘Luigi Vanvitelli’, Italy
| | - Anne Moscona
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, 10032, United States
- Center for Host–Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, 10032, United States
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, 10032, United States
- Department of Physiology & Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, 10032, United States
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27
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Nyanguile O. Peptide Antiviral Strategies as an Alternative to Treat Lower Respiratory Viral Infections. Front Immunol 2019; 10:1366. [PMID: 31293570 PMCID: PMC6598224 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Lower respiratory infection caused by human pathogens such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a significant healthcare burden that must be addressed. The preferred options to achieve this goal are usually to develop vaccines for prophylaxis and to develop antiviral small molecules to treat infected patients with convenient, orally administrable drugs. However, developing a vaccine against RSV poses special challenges with the diminished immune system of infants and the elderly, and finding a universal flu vaccine is difficult because the product must target a large array of viral strains. On the other hand, the use of small-molecule antivirals can result in the emergence of resistant viruses as it has well-been reported for HIV, influenza, and hepatitis C virus (HCV). This paper reviews peptide antiviral strategies as an alternative to address these challenges. The discovery of influenza and RSV peptidic fusion inhibitors will be discussed and compared to small molecules in view of escape mutations. The importance of constraining peptides into macrocycles to improve both their inhibitory activity and pharmacological properties will be highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Origène Nyanguile
- HES-SO Valais-Wallis, Institute of Life Technologies, Sion, Switzerland
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28
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Gomes B, Sanna G, Madeddu S, Hollmann A, Santos NC. Combining 25-Hydroxycholesterol with an HIV Fusion Inhibitor Peptide: Interaction with Biomembrane Model Systems and Human Blood Cells. ACS Infect Dis 2019; 5:582-591. [PMID: 30816690 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.8b00321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The fusion between the viral and the target cell membrane is a crucial step in the life cycle of enveloped viruses. The blocking of this process is a well-known therapeutic approach that led to the development of the fusion inhibitor peptide enfuvirtide, clinically used against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1. Despite this significant advance on viral treatment, the appearance of resistance has limited its clinical use. Such a limitation has led to the development of other fusion inhibitor peptides, such as C34, that present the same structural domain as enfuvirtide (heptad repeat sequence) but have different functional domains (pocket-binding domain in the case of C34 and lipid-binding domain in the case of enfuvirtide). Recently, the antiviral properties of 25-hydroxycholesterol were demonstrated, which boosted the interest in this oxysterol. The combination of two distinct antiviral molecules, C34 and 25-hydroxycholesterol, may help to suppress the emergence of resistant viruses. In this work, we characterized the interaction of the C34-25-hydroxycholesterol conjugate with biomembrane model systems and human blood cells. Lipid vesicles and monolayers with defined lipid compositions were used as biomembrane model systems. The conjugate interacts preferentially with membranes rich in sphingomyelin (a lipid enriched in lipid rafts) and presents a poor partition to membranes composed solely of phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol. We hypothesize that cholesterol causes a repulsive effect that is overcome in the presence of sphingomyelin. Importantly, the peptide shows a preference for human peripheral blood mononuclear cells relative to erythrocytes, which shows its potential to target CD4+ cells. Antiviral activity results against different wild-type and drug-resistant HIV strains further demonstrated the potential of C34-HC as a good candidate for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bárbara Gomes
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon 1649-028, Portugal
| | - Giusepinna Sanna
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Microbiology and Virology, University of Cagliary, Cagliari 09123, Italy
| | - Silvia Madeddu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Microbiology and Virology, University of Cagliary, Cagliari 09123, Italy
| | - Axel Hollmann
- Laboratory of Bioactive Compounds, CIBAAL−University of Santiago del Estero and CONICET, Santiago del Estero, Argentina
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Institute of Basic and Applied Microbiology, University of Quilmes, Bernal B1876BXD, Argentina
| | - Nuno C. Santos
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon 1649-028, Portugal
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29
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You PY, Li FC, Liu MH, Chan YH. Colorimetric and Fluorescent Dual-Mode Immunoassay Based on Plasmon-Enhanced Fluorescence of Polymer Dots for Detection of PSA in Whole Blood. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2019; 11:9841-9849. [PMID: 30784256 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b00204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Although enormous efforts have been devoted to the development of new types of fluorometric immunochromatographic test strip (ICTS) with improved sensitivity over the past years, it still remains a big challenge to design ICTS with colorimetric and fluorescent bimodal signal readout for rapid yet accurate detection of cancer markers in a clinic. Scientists have tried to prepare bimodal reporters by combining fluorescent dyes with metal nanomaterials, but their fluorescence was easily quenched by metal nanomaterials through surface energy transfer, making dual colorimetric and fluorometric ICTS very difficult to be achieved. As compared to conventional fluorescent probes, semiconducting polymer dots (Pdots) exhibit extraordinary fluorescence brightness and facile surface functionalization, which are very suitable to be engineered as bimodal signal reporting reagents. Here, we integrated highly fluorescent Pdots with strongly plasmonic Au nanorods to form Pdot-Au hybrid nanocomposites with dual colorimetric and fluorescent readout abilities. We further utilized these nanohybrids in ICTS for qualitatively fast screening (colorimetry) as well as quantitatively accurate determination (fluorometry) of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) within 10 min. By taking advantage of the plasmon-enhanced fluorescence of Pdots on Au nanorods, this immunoassay possesses much better detection sensitivity of 1.07 pg/mL for PSA, which is at least 2 orders of magnitude lower than that of conventional fluorometric ICTS. Moreover, the direct detection of PSA from human whole blood collected without sample pretreatment makes this Pdot-based ICTS platform promising for on-site point-of-care diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei-Yun You
- Department of Applied Chemistry , National Chiao Tung University , Hsinchu 30050 , Taiwan
| | - Fang-Chu Li
- Department of Applied Chemistry , National Chiao Tung University , Hsinchu 30050 , Taiwan
| | - Ming-Ho Liu
- Department of Applied Chemistry , National Chiao Tung University , Hsinchu 30050 , Taiwan
| | - Yang-Hsiang Chan
- Department of Applied Chemistry , National Chiao Tung University , Hsinchu 30050 , Taiwan
- Department of Medicinal and Applied Chemistry , Kaohsiung Medical University , Kaohsiung 30050 , Taiwan
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30
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Peptide Assembly on the Membrane Determines the HIV-1 Inhibitory Activity of Dual-Targeting Fusion Inhibitor Peptides. Sci Rep 2019; 9:3257. [PMID: 30824796 PMCID: PMC6397244 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40125-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Novel strategies in the design of HIV-1 fusion/entry inhibitors are based on the construction of dual-targeting fusion proteins and peptides with synergistic antiviral effects. In this work we describe the design of dual-targeting peptides composed of peptide domains of E2 and E1 envelope proteins from Human Pegivirus with the aim of targeting both the loop region and the fusion peptide domains of HIV-1 gp41. In a previous work, we described the inhibitory role of a highly conserved fragment of the E1 protein (domain 139–156) which interacts with the HIV-1 fusion peptide at the membrane level. Here, two different dual-targeting peptides, where this E1 peptide is located on the N- or the C-terminus respectively, have been chemically synthesized and their antiviral activities have been evaluated with HIV pseudotyped viruses from different clades. The study of the functional behaviour of peptides in a membranous environment attending to the peptide recognition of the target sites on gp41, the peptide conformation as well as the peptide affinity to the membrane, demonstrate that antiviral activity of the dual-targeting peptides is directly related to the peptide affinity and its subsequent assembly into the model membrane. The overall results point out to the necessity that fusion inhibitor peptides that specifically interfere with the N-terminal region of gp41 are embedded within the membrane in order to properly interact with their viral target.
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31
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Figueira TN, Augusto MT, Rybkina K, Stelitano D, Noval MG, Harder OE, Veiga AS, Huey D, Alabi CA, Biswas S, Niewiesk S, Moscona A, Santos NC, Castanho MARB, Porotto M. Effective in Vivo Targeting of Influenza Virus through a Cell-Penetrating/Fusion Inhibitor Tandem Peptide Anchored to the Plasma Membrane. Bioconjug Chem 2018; 29:3362-3376. [PMID: 30169965 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.8b00527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The impact of influenza virus infection is felt each year on a global scale when approximately 5-10% of adults and 20-30% of children globally are infected. While vaccination is the primary strategy for influenza prevention, there are a number of likely scenarios for which vaccination is inadequate, making the development of effective antiviral agents of utmost importance. Anti-influenza treatments with innovative mechanisms of action are critical in the face of emerging viral resistance to the existing drugs. These new antiviral agents are urgently needed to address future epidemic (or pandemic) influenza and are critical for the immune-compromised cohort who cannot be vaccinated. We have previously shown that lipid tagged peptides derived from the C-terminal region of influenza hemagglutinin (HA) were effective influenza fusion inhibitors. In this study, we modified the influenza fusion inhibitors by adding a cell penetrating peptide sequence to promote intracellular targeting. These fusion-inhibiting peptides self-assemble into ∼15-30 nm nanoparticles (NPs), target relevant infectious tissues in vivo, and reduce viral infectivity upon interaction with the cell membrane. Overall, our data show that the CPP and the lipid moiety are both required for efficient biodistribution, fusion inhibition, and efficacy in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- T N Figueira
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina , Universidade de Lisboa , 1649-028 Lisbon , Portugal.,Department of Pediatrics , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States.,Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States
| | - M T Augusto
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina , Universidade de Lisboa , 1649-028 Lisbon , Portugal.,Department of Pediatrics , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States.,Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States
| | - K Rybkina
- Department of Pediatrics , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States
| | - D Stelitano
- Department of Pediatrics , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States
| | - M G Noval
- Department of Pediatrics , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States
| | - O E Harder
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine , The Ohio State University , Columbus , Ohio 43210 , United States
| | - A S Veiga
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina , Universidade de Lisboa , 1649-028 Lisbon , Portugal
| | - D Huey
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine , The Ohio State University , Columbus , Ohio 43210 , United States
| | - C A Alabi
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , Cornell University , Ithaca , New York 14853 , United States
| | - S Biswas
- Department of Pediatrics , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States.,Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States
| | - S Niewiesk
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine , The Ohio State University , Columbus , Ohio 43210 , United States
| | - A Moscona
- Department of Pediatrics , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States.,Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States.,Department of Microbiology & Immunology , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States.,Department of Physiology & Cellular Biophysics , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States
| | - N C Santos
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina , Universidade de Lisboa , 1649-028 Lisbon , Portugal
| | - M A R B Castanho
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina , Universidade de Lisboa , 1649-028 Lisbon , Portugal
| | - M Porotto
- Department of Pediatrics , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States.,Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York 10032 , United States.,Department of Experimental Medicine , University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli' , 81100 Caserta , Caserta , Italy
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32
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Henipavirus Infection: Natural History and the Virus-Host Interplay. CURRENT TREATMENT OPTIONS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s40506-018-0155-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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33
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Mahajan M, Chatterjee D, Bhuvaneswari K, Pillay S, Bhattacharjya S. NMR structure and localization of a large fragment of the SARS-CoV fusion protein: Implications in viral cell fusion. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOMEMBRANES 2018; 1860:407-415. [PMID: 28988778 PMCID: PMC7094225 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2017.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2017] [Revised: 09/16/2017] [Accepted: 10/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The lethal Coronaviruses (CoVs), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-associated Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and most recently Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, (MERS-CoV) are serious human health hazard. A successful viral infection requires fusion between virus and host cells carried out by the surface spike glycoprotein or S protein of CoV. Current models propose that the S2 subunit of S protein assembled into a hexameric helical bundle exposing hydrophobic fusogenic peptides or fusion peptides (FPs) for membrane insertion. The N-terminus of S2 subunit of SARS-CoV reported to be active in cell fusion whereby FPs have been identified. Atomic-resolution structure of FPs derived either in model membranes or in membrane mimic environment would glean insights toward viral cell fusion mechanism. Here, we have solved 3D structure, dynamics and micelle localization of a 64-residue long fusion peptide or LFP in DPC detergent micelles by NMR methods. Micelle bound structure of LFP is elucidated by the presence of discretely folded helical and intervening loops. The C-terminus region, residues F42-Y62, displays a long hydrophobic helix, whereas the N-terminus is defined by a short amphipathic helix, residues R4-Q12. The intervening residues of LFP assume stretches of loops and helical turns. The N-terminal helix is sustained by close aromatic and aliphatic sidechain packing interactions at the non-polar face. 15N{1H}NOE studies indicated dynamical motion, at ps-ns timescale, of the helices of LFP in DPC micelles. PRE NMR showed that insertion of several regions of LFP into DPC micelle core. Together, the current study provides insights toward fusion mechanism of SARS-CoV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mukesh Mahajan
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Deepak Chatterjee
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Kannaian Bhuvaneswari
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Shubhadra Pillay
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Surajit Bhattacharjya
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore.
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34
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The Heptad Repeat C Domain of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus Fusion Protein Plays a Key Role in Membrane Fusion. J Virol 2018; 92:JVI.01323-17. [PMID: 29212939 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01323-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) mediates host cell entry through the fusion (F) protein, which undergoes a conformational change to facilitate the merger of viral and host lipid membrane envelopes. The RSV F protein comprises a trimer of disulfide-bonded F1 and F2 subunits that is present on the virion surface in a metastable prefusion state. This prefusion form is readily triggered to undergo refolding to bring two heptad repeats (heptad repeat A [HRA] and HRB) into close proximity to form a six-helix bundle that stabilizes the postfusion form and provides the free energy required for membrane fusion. This process can be triggered independently of other proteins. Here, we have performed a comprehensive analysis of a third heptad repeat region, HRC (amino acids 75 to 97), an amphipathic α-helix that lies at the interface of the prefusion F trimer and is a major structural feature of the F2 subunit. We performed alanine scanning mutagenesis from Lys-75 to Met-97 and assessed all mutations in transient cell culture for expression, proteolytic processing, cell surface localization, protein conformation, and membrane fusion. Functional characterization revealed a striking distribution of activity in which fusion-increasing mutations localized to one side of the helical face, while fusion-decreasing mutations clustered on the opposing face. Here, we propose a model in which HRC plays a stabilizing role within the globular head for the prefusion F trimer and is potentially involved in the early events of triggering, prompting fusion peptide release and transition into the postfusion state.IMPORTANCE RSV is recognized as the most important viral pathogen among pediatric populations worldwide, yet no vaccine or widely available therapeutic treatment is available. The F protein is critical for the viral replication process and is the major target for neutralizing antibodies. Recent years have seen the development of prefusion stabilized F protein-based approaches to vaccine design. A detailed understanding of the specific domains and residues that contribute to protein stability and fusion function is fundamental to such efforts. Here, we present a comprehensive mutagenesis-based study of a region of the RSV F2 subunit (amino acids 75 to 97), referred to as HRC, and propose a role for this helical region in maintaining the delicate stability of the prefusion form.
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Gomes B, Augusto MT, Felício MR, Hollmann A, Franco OL, Gonçalves S, Santos NC. Designing improved active peptides for therapeutic approaches against infectious diseases. Biotechnol Adv 2018; 36:415-429. [PMID: 29330093 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2018.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Revised: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 01/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Infectious diseases are one of the main causes of human morbidity and mortality. In the last few decades, pathogenic microorganisms' resistance to conventional drugs has been increasing, and it is now pinpointed as a major worldwide health concern. The need to search for new therapeutic options, as well as improved treatment outcomes, has therefore increased significantly, with biologically active peptides representing a new alternative. A substantial research effort is being dedicated towards their development, especially due to improved biocompatibility and target selectivity. However, the inherent limitations of peptide drugs are restricting their application. In this review, we summarize the current status of peptide drug development, focusing on antiviral and antimicrobial peptide activities, highlighting the design improvements needed, and those already being used, to overcome the drawbacks of the therapeutic application of biologically active peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bárbara Gomes
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Marcelo T Augusto
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Mário R Felício
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Axel Hollmann
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal; Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Institute of Basic and Applied Microbiology, National University of Quilmes, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Laboratory of Biointerfaces and Biomimetic Systems, CITSE, National University of Santiago del Estero-CONICET, Santiago del Estero, Argentina
| | - Octávio L Franco
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Pós-graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Patologia Molecular, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil; S-Inova Biotech, Pós-graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil
| | - Sónia Gonçalves
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Nuno C Santos
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal.
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36
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Biophysical Properties and Antiviral Activities of Measles Fusion Protein Derived Peptide Conjugated with 25-Hydroxycholesterol. Molecules 2017; 22:molecules22111869. [PMID: 29088094 PMCID: PMC5775476 DOI: 10.3390/molecules22111869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Accepted: 10/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Measles virus (MV) infection is re-emerging, despite the availability of an effective vaccine. The mechanism of MV entry into a target cell relies on coordinated action between the MV hemagglutinin (H) receptor binding protein and the fusion envelope glycoprotein (F) which mediates fusion between the viral and cell membranes. Peptides derived from the C-terminal heptad repeat (HRC) of F can interfere with this process, blocking MV infection. As previously described, biophysical properties of HRC-derived peptides modulate their antiviral potency. In this work, we characterized a MV peptide fusion inhibitor conjugated to 25-hydroxycholesterol (25HC), a cholesterol derivative with intrinsic antiviral activity, and evaluated its interaction with membrane model systems and human blood cells. The peptide (MV.
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37
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Antiviral Lipopeptide-Cell Membrane Interaction Is Influenced by PEG Linker Length. Molecules 2017; 22:molecules22071190. [PMID: 28714870 PMCID: PMC5776016 DOI: 10.3390/molecules22071190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2017] [Revised: 07/08/2017] [Accepted: 07/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A set of lipopeptides was recently reported for their broad-spectrum antiviral activity against viruses belonging to the Paramyxoviridae family, including human parainfluenza virus type 3 and Nipah virus. Among them, the peptide with a 24-unit PEG linker connecting it to a cholesterol moiety (VG-PEG24-Chol) was found to be the best membrane fusion inhibitory peptide. Here, we evaluated the interaction of the same set of peptides with biomembrane model systems and isolated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). VG-PEG24-Chol showed the highest insertion rate and it was among the peptides that induced a larger change on the surface pressure of cholesterol rich membranes. This peptide also displayed a high affinity towards PBMC membranes. These data provide new information about the dynamics of peptide-membrane interactions of a specific group of antiviral peptides, known for their potential as multipotent paramyxovirus antivirals.
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