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Ferdoush J, Abdul Kadir R, Simay Kaplanoglu S, Osborn M. SARS-CoV-2 and UPS with potentials for therapeutic interventions. Gene 2024; 912:148377. [PMID: 38490508 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148377] [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: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 03/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
The Ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS), an essential eukaryotic/host/cellular post-translational modification (PTM), plays a critical role in the regulation of diverse cellular functions including regulation of protein stability, immune signaling, antiviral activity, as well as virus replication. Although UPS regulation of viral proteins may be utilized by the host as a defense mechanism to invade viruses, viruses may have adapted to take advantage of the host UPS. This system can be manipulated by viruses such as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to stimulate various steps of the viral replication cycle and facilitate pathogenesis, thereby causing the respiratory disease COVID-19. Many SARS-CoV-2 encoded proteins including open reading frame 3a (ORF3a), ORF6, ORF7a, ORF9b, and ORF10 interact with the host's UPS machinery, influencing host immune signaling and apoptosis. Moreover, SARS-CoV-2 encoded papain-like protease (PLpro) interferes with the host UPS to facilitate viral replication and to evade the host's immune system. These alterations in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells have been revealed by various proteomic studies, suggesting potential targets for clinical treatment. To provide insight into the underlying causes of COVID-19 and suggest possible directions for therapeutic interventions, this paper reviews the intricate relationship between SARS-CoV-2 and UPS. Promising treatment strategies are also investigated in this paper including targeting PLpro with zinc-ejector drugs, as well as targeting viral non-structural protein (nsp12) via heat treatment associated ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation to reduce viral pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jannatul Ferdoush
- Department of Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 615 McCallie Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37403, USA.
| | - Rizwaan Abdul Kadir
- Department of Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 615 McCallie Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37403, USA
| | - Selin Simay Kaplanoglu
- Department of Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 615 McCallie Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37403, USA
| | - Morgan Osborn
- Department of Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 615 McCallie Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37403, USA
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2
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van Vliet VJE, De Silva A, Mark BL, Kikkert M. Viral deubiquitinating proteases and the promising strategies of their inhibition. Virus Res 2024; 344:199368. [PMID: 38588924 PMCID: PMC11025011 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2024.199368] [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: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Several viruses are now known to code for deubiquitinating proteases in their genomes. Ubiquitination is an essential post-translational modification of cellular substrates involved in many processes in the cell, including in innate immune signalling. This post-translational modification is regulated by the ubiquitin conjugation machinery, as well as various host deubiquitinating enzymes. The conjugation of ubiquitin chains to several innate immune related factors is often needed to induce downstream signalling, shaping the antiviral response. Viral deubiquitinating proteins, besides often having a primary function in the viral replication cycle by cleaving the viral polyprotein, are also able to cleave ubiquitin chains from such host substrates, in that way exerting a function in innate immune evasion. The presence of viral deubiquitinating enzymes has been firmly established for numerous animal-infecting viruses, such as some well-researched and clinically important nidoviruses, and their presence has now been confirmed in several plant viruses as well. Viral proteases in general have long been highlighted as promising drug targets, with a current focus on small molecule inhibitors. In this review, we will discuss the range of viral deubiquitinating proteases known to date, summarise the various avenues explored to inhibit such proteases and discuss novel strategies and models intended to inhibit and study these specific viral enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera J E van Vliet
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, South Holland, the Netherlands; The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Anuradha De Silva
- Department of Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Brian L Mark
- Department of Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Marjolein Kikkert
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, South Holland, the Netherlands.
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3
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van Huizen M, Bloeme - ter Horst JR, de Gruyter HLM, Geurink PP, van der Heden van Noort GJ, Knaap RCM, Nelemans T, Ogando NS, Leijs AA, Urakova N, Mark BL, Snijder EJ, Myeni SK, Kikkert M. Deubiquitinating activity of SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease does not influence virus replication or innate immune responses in vivo. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1012100. [PMID: 38527094 PMCID: PMC10994560 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus papain-like protease (PLpro) is crucial for viral replicase polyprotein processing. Additionally, PLpro can subvert host defense mechanisms by its deubiquitinating (DUB) and deISGylating activities. To elucidate the role of these activities during SARS-CoV-2 infection, we introduced mutations that disrupt binding of PLpro to ubiquitin or ISG15. We identified several mutations that strongly reduced DUB activity of PLpro, without affecting viral polyprotein processing. In contrast, mutations that abrogated deISGylating activity also hampered viral polyprotein processing and when introduced into the virus these mutants were not viable. SARS-CoV-2 mutants exhibiting reduced DUB activity elicited a stronger interferon response in human lung cells. In a mouse model of severe disease, disruption of PLpro DUB activity did not affect lethality, virus replication, or innate immune responses in the lungs. This suggests that the DUB activity of SARS-CoV-2 PLpro is dispensable for virus replication and does not affect innate immune responses in vivo. Interestingly, the DUB mutant of SARS-CoV replicated to slightly lower titers in mice and elicited a diminished immune response early in infection, although lethality was unaffected. We previously showed that a MERS-CoV mutant deficient in DUB and deISGylating activity was strongly attenuated in mice. Here, we demonstrate that the role of PLpro DUB activity during infection can vary considerably between highly pathogenic coronaviruses. Therefore, careful considerations should be taken when developing pan-coronavirus antiviral strategies targeting PLpro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariska van Huizen
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Jonna R. Bloeme - ter Horst
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Heidi L. M. de Gruyter
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Paul P. Geurink
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Division of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Gerbrand J. van der Heden van Noort
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Division of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Robert C. M. Knaap
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Tessa Nelemans
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Natacha S. Ogando
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Anouk A. Leijs
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Nadya Urakova
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Brian L. Mark
- Department of Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Eric J. Snijder
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Sebenzile K. Myeni
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Marjolein Kikkert
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
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4
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van Huizen M, Vendrell XM, de Gruyter HLM, Boomaars-van der Zanden AL, van der Meer Y, Snijder EJ, Kikkert M, Myeni SK. The Main Protease of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Induces Cleavage of Mitochondrial Antiviral Signaling Protein to Antagonize the Innate Immune Response. Viruses 2024; 16:256. [PMID: 38400032 PMCID: PMC10892576 DOI: 10.3390/v16020256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS) is a crucial signaling adaptor in the sensing of positive-sense RNA viruses and the subsequent induction of the innate immune response. Coronaviruses have evolved multiple mechanisms to evade this response, amongst others, through their main protease (Mpro), which is responsible for the proteolytic cleavage of the largest part of the viral replicase polyproteins pp1a and pp1ab. Additionally, it can cleave cellular substrates, such as innate immune signaling factors, to dampen the immune response. Here, we show that MAVS is cleaved in cells infected with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), but not in cells infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This cleavage was independent of cellular negative feedback mechanisms that regulate MAVS activation. Furthermore, MERS-CoV Mpro expression induced MAVS cleavage upon overexpression and suppressed the activation of the interferon-β (IFN-β) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) response. We conclude that we have uncovered a novel mechanism by which MERS-CoV downregulates the innate immune response, which is not observed among other highly pathogenic coronaviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Sebenzile K. Myeni
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands
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5
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Hung TI, Hsieh YJ, Lu WL, Wu KP, Chang CEA. What Strengthens Protein-Protein Interactions: Analysis and Applications of Residue Correlation Networks. J Mol Biol 2023; 435:168337. [PMID: 37918563 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Identifying residues critical to protein-protein binding and efficient design of stable and specific protein binders are challenging tasks. Extending beyond the direct contacts in a protein-protein binding interface, our study employs computational modeling to reveal the essential network of residue interactions and dihedral angle correlations critical in protein-protein recognition. We hypothesized that mutating residues exhibiting highly correlated dynamic motion within the interaction network could efficiently optimize protein-protein interactions to create tight and selective protein binders. We tested this hypothesis using the ubiquitin (Ub) and MERS coronaviral papain-like protease (PLpro) complex, since Ub is a central player in multiple cellular functions and PLpro is an antiviral drug target. Our designed ubiquitin variant (UbV) hosting three mutated residues displayed a ∼3,500-fold increase in functional inhibition relative to wild-type Ub. Further optimization of two C-terminal residues within the Ub network resulted in a KD of 1.5 nM and IC50 of 9.7 nM for the five-point Ub mutant, eliciting 27,500-fold and 5,500-fold enhancements in affinity and potency, respectively, as well as improved selectivity, without destabilizing the UbV structure. Our study highlights residue correlation and interaction networks in protein-protein interactions, and introduces an effective approach to design high-affinity protein binders for cell biology research and future therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ta I Hung
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, United States; Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Riverside, United States
| | - Yun-Jung Hsieh
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Lin Lu
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Kuen-Phon Wu
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Chia-En A Chang
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, United States.
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6
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Bailey-Elkin BA, Knaap RCM, De Silva A, Boekhoud IM, Mous S, van Vught N, Khajehpour M, van den Born E, Kikkert M, Mark BL. Demonstrating the importance of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus papain-like protease 2 deubiquitinating activity in viral replication by structure-guided mutagenesis. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011872. [PMID: 38096325 PMCID: PMC10754444 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Deubiquitination of cellular substrates by viral proteases is a mechanism used to interfere with host cellular signaling processes, shared between members of the coronavirus- and arterivirus families. In the case of Arteriviruses, deubiquitinating and polyprotein processing activities are accomplished by the virus-encoded papain-like protease 2 (PLP2). Several studies have implicated the deubiquitinating activity of the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) PLP2 in the downregulation of cellular interferon production, however to date, the only arterivirus PLP2 structure described is that of equine arteritis virus (EAV), a distantly related virus. Here we describe the first crystal structure of the PRRSV PLP2 domain both in the presence and absence of its ubiquitin substrate, which reveals unique structural differences in this viral domain compared to PLP2 from EAV. To probe the role of PRRSV PLP2 deubiquitinating activity in host immune evasion, we selectively removed this activity from the domain by mutagenesis and found that the viral domain could no longer downregulate cellular interferon production. Interestingly, unlike EAV, and also unlike the situation for MERS-CoV, we found that recombinant PRRSV carrying PLP2 DUB-specific mutations faces significant selective pressure to revert to wild-type virus in MARC-145 cells, suggesting that the PLP2 DUB activity, which in PRRSV is present as three different versions of viral protein nsp2 expressed during infection, is critically important for PRRSV replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben A. Bailey-Elkin
- Department of Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Robert C. M. Knaap
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Anuradha De Silva
- Department of Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Ilse M. Boekhoud
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Sandra Mous
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Niek van Vught
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Mazdak Khajehpour
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | | | - Marjolein Kikkert
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Brian L. Mark
- Department of Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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7
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Lv B, Huang S, Huang H, Niu N, Liu J. Endothelial Glycocalyx Injury in SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Molecular Mechanisms and Potential Targeted Therapy. Mediators Inflamm 2023; 2023:6685251. [PMID: 37674786 PMCID: PMC10480029 DOI: 10.1155/2023/6685251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
This review aims at summarizing state-of-the-art knowledge on glycocalyx and SARS-CoV-2. The endothelial glycocalyx is a dynamic grid overlying the surface of the endothelial cell (EC) lumen and consists of membrane-bound proteoglycans and glycoproteins. The role of glycocalyx has been determined in the regulation of EC permeability, adhesion, and coagulation. SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped, single-stranded RNA virus belonging to β-coronavirus that causes the outbreak and the pandemic of COVID-19. Through the respiratory tract, SARS-CoV-2 enters blood circulation and interacts with ECs possessing angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Intact glycolyx prevents SARS-CoV-2 invasion of ECs. When the glycocalyx is incomplete, virus spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 binds with ACE2 and enters ECs for replication. In addition, cytokine storm targets glycocalyx, leading to subsequent coagulation disorder. Therefore, it is intriguing to develop a novel treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection through the maintenance of the integrity of glycocalyx. This review aims to summarize state-of-the-art knowledge of glycocalyx and its potential function in SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingxuan Lv
- The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Shandong University, 247 Beiyuan Street, Jinan 250033, China
| | - Shengshi Huang
- Medical Research Center, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, 16766 Jingshi Road, Jinan 250014, China
| | - Hong Huang
- Medical Research Center, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, 16766 Jingshi Road, Jinan 250014, China
| | - Na Niu
- Department of Pediatrics, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong First Medical University, 324 Jingwu Road, Jinan 250021, China
| | - Ju Liu
- Medical Research Center, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, 16766 Jingshi Road, Jinan 250014, China
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8
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Seo H, Jang Y, Kwak D. The Protective Efficacy of Single-Dose Nasal Immunization with Cold-Adapted Live-Attenuated MERS-CoV Vaccine against Lethal MERS-CoV Infections in Mice. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1353. [PMID: 37631921 PMCID: PMC10459767 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11081353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) causes severe diseases in humans. Camels act as intermediate hosts for MERS-CoV. Currently, no licensed vaccine is available for this virus. We have developed a potential candidate vaccine for MERS-CoV using the cold adaptation method. We cultivated the vaccine in Vero cells at temperatures as low as 22 °C. This live-attenuated vaccine virus showed high attenuation levels in transgenic mice with the MERS-CoV human receptor, dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) (K18-hDPP4). The inoculated K18-hDPP4 mice exhibited no clinical signs such as death or body weight loss. Furthermore, no traces of infectious virus were observed when the tissues (nasal turbinate, brain, lung, and kidney) of the K18-hDPP4 mice infected with the cold-adapted vaccine strain were tested. A single intranasal dose of the vaccine administered to the noses of the K18-hDPP4 mice provided complete protection. We did not observe any deaths, body weight loss, or viral detection in the tissues (nasal turbinate, brain, lung, and kidney). Based on these promising results, the developed cold-adapted, attenuated MERS-CoV vaccine strain could be one of the candidates for human and animal vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heejeong Seo
- PioneerVaccine, Inc., Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea;
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyunpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
| | - Yunyueng Jang
- PioneerVaccine, Inc., Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea;
| | - Dongmi Kwak
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyunpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
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Hung TI, Hsieh YJ, Lu WL, Wu KP, Chang CEA. What Strengthens Protein-Protein Interactions: Analysis and Applications of Residue Correlation Networks. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.15.532709. [PMID: 36993448 PMCID: PMC10055079 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.15.532709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Identifying critical residues in protein-protein binding and efficiently designing stable and specific protein binders is challenging. In addition to direct contacts in a protein-protein binding interface, our study employs computation modeling to reveal the essential network of residue interaction and dihedral angle correlation critical in protein-protein recognition. We propose that mutating residues regions exhibited highly correlated motions within the interaction network can efficiently optimize protein-protein interactions to create tight and selective protein binders. We validated our strategy using ubiquitin (Ub) and MERS coronaviral papain-like protease (PLpro) complexes, where Ub is one central player in many cellular functions and PLpro is an antiviral drug target. Our designed UbV with 3 mutated residues resulted in a ~3,500-fold increase in functional inhibition, compared with the wild-type Ub. Further optimization by incorporating 2 more residues within the network, the 5-point mutant achieved a KD of 1.5 nM and IC50 of 9.7 nM. The modification led to a 27,500-fold and 5,500-fold enhancements in affinity and potency, respectively, as well as improved selectivity, without destabilizing the UbV structure. Our study highlights residue correlation and interaction networks in protein-protein interaction, introduces an effective approach to design high affinity protein binders for cell biology and future therapeutics solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ta I Hung
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Riverside, United States
| | - Yun-Jung Hsieh
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
- Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Lin Lu
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
| | - Kuen-Phon Wu
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
- Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
| | - Chia-en A. Chang
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, United States
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10
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Kattula B, Reddi B, Jangam A, Naik L, Adimoolam BM, Vavilapalli S, Are S, Thota JR, Jadav SS, Arifuddin M, Addlagatta A. Development of 2-chloroquinoline based heterocyclic frameworks as dual inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 M Pro and PL Pro. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 242:124772. [PMID: 37172706 PMCID: PMC10171901 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Evolution of new variants of SARS-CoV-2 warrant the need for the continued efforts in identifying target-oriented new drugs. Dual targeting agents against MPro and PLPro not only overcome the incomplete efficacy but also the drug resistance, which is common problem. Since both these are cysteine proteases, we designed 2-chloroquinoline based molecules with additional imine moiety in the middle as possible nucleophilic warheads. In the first round of design and synthesis, three molecules (C3, C4 and C5) inhibited (Ki < 2 μM) only MPro by binding covalently to C145 and one molecule (C10) inhibited both the proteases non-covalently (Ki < 2 μM) with negligible cytotoxicity. Further conversion of the imine in C10 to azetidinone (C11) improved the potency against both the enzymes in the nanomolar range (820 nM against MPro and 350 nM against PLPro) with no cytotoxicity. Conversion of imine to thiazolidinone (C12), reduced the inhibition by 3-5 folds against both the enzymes. Biochemical and computational studies suggest that C10-C12 bind in the substrate binding pocket of MPro and in the BL2 loop of the PLPro. Since these dual inhibitors have least cytotoxicity, they could be further explored as therapeutics against the SARS-CoV-2 and other analogous viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhavita Kattula
- Division of Applied Biology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500007, Telangana, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Rafi Marg, New Delhi 110001, India
| | - Bharati Reddi
- Division of Applied Biology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500007, Telangana, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Rafi Marg, New Delhi 110001, India
| | - Aruna Jangam
- Division of Applied Biology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500007, Telangana, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Rafi Marg, New Delhi 110001, India
| | - Lekhika Naik
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Hyderabad 500 037, Telangana, India
| | - Bala Manikanta Adimoolam
- Analytical and Structural Chemistry Department, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500007, Telangana, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Rafi Marg, New Delhi 110001, India
| | - Suresh Vavilapalli
- Organic Synthesis and Process Chemistry, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500007, Telangana, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Rafi Marg, New Delhi 110001, India
| | - Sayanna Are
- Division of Applied Biology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500007, Telangana, India
| | - Jagadeshwar Reddy Thota
- Analytical and Structural Chemistry Department, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500007, Telangana, India; Organic Synthesis and Process Chemistry, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500007, Telangana, India
| | - Surender Singh Jadav
- Department of Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500007, Telangana, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Rafi Marg, New Delhi 110001, India.
| | - Mohammed Arifuddin
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Hyderabad 500 037, Telangana, India.
| | - Anthony Addlagatta
- Division of Applied Biology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500007, Telangana, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Rafi Marg, New Delhi 110001, India.
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11
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Xiong Y, Huang B, Yang Y, Fu X, Fu Z, Xu H, Liu M, Cao D, Zhang M, Yang H, Niu X, Yu C, Huang H. The substrate selectivity of papain-like proteases from human-infecting coronaviruses correlates with innate immune suppression. Sci Signal 2023; 16:eade1985. [PMID: 37130166 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.ade1985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Coronaviruses that can infect humans can cause either common colds (HCoV-NL63, HCoV-229E, HCoV-HKU1, and HCoV-OC43) or severe respiratory symptoms (SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV). The papain-like proteases (PLPs) of SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, and HCoV-NL63 function in viral innate immune evasion and have deubiquitinating (DUB) and deISGylating activities. We identified the PLPs of HCoV-229E, HCoV-HKU1, and HCoV-OC43 and found that their enzymatic properties correlated with their ability to suppress innate immune responses. A conserved noncatalytic aspartic acid residue was critical for both DUB and deISGylating activities, but the PLPs had differing ubiquitin (Ub) chain cleavage selectivities and binding affinities for Ub, K48-linked diUb, and interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) substrates. The crystal structure of HKU1-PLP2 in complex with Ub revealed binding interfaces that accounted for the unusually high binding affinity between this PLP and Ub. In cellular assays, the PLPs from the severe disease-causing coronaviruses strongly suppressed innate immune IFN-I and NF-κB signaling and stimulated autophagy, whereas the PLPs from the mild disease-causing coronaviruses generally showed weaker effects on immune suppression and autophagy induction. In addition, a PLP from a SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern showed increased suppression of innate immune signaling pathways. Overall, these results demonstrated that the DUB and deISGylating activities and substrate selectivities of these PLPs differentially contribute to viral innate immune evasion and may affect viral pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxian Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Laboratory of Structural Biology and Drug Discovery, Laboratory of Ubiquitination and Targeted Therapy, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
- Institute of Chemical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518132, China
| | - Bin Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Laboratory of Structural Biology and Drug Discovery, Laboratory of Ubiquitination and Targeted Therapy, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Ying Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Laboratory of Structural Biology and Drug Discovery, Laboratory of Ubiquitination and Targeted Therapy, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Xinming Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Laboratory of Structural Biology and Drug Discovery, Laboratory of Ubiquitination and Targeted Therapy, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Ziyang Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Laboratory of Structural Biology and Drug Discovery, Laboratory of Ubiquitination and Targeted Therapy, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Huidong Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Laboratory of Structural Biology and Drug Discovery, Laboratory of Ubiquitination and Targeted Therapy, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Ming Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Laboratory of Structural Biology and Drug Discovery, Laboratory of Ubiquitination and Targeted Therapy, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Dan Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Laboratory of Structural Biology and Drug Discovery, Laboratory of Ubiquitination and Targeted Therapy, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Manman Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Laboratory of Structural Biology and Drug Discovery, Laboratory of Ubiquitination and Targeted Therapy, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Haibin Yang
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Xiaogang Niu
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Beijing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Cong Yu
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Hao Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Laboratory of Structural Biology and Drug Discovery, Laboratory of Ubiquitination and Targeted Therapy, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
- Institute of Chemical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518132, China
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12
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Engineering potent live attenuated coronavirus vaccines by targeted inactivation of the immune evasive viral deubiquitinase. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1141. [PMID: 36854765 PMCID: PMC9973250 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36754-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronaviruses express a papain-like protease (PLpro) that is required for replicase polyprotein maturation and also serves as a deubiquitinating enzyme (DUB). In this study, using a Middle East respiratory syndrome virus (MERS-CoV) PLpro modified virus in which the DUB is selectively inactivated, we show that the PLpro DUB is an important MERS-CoV interferon antagonist and virulence factor. Although the DUB-negative rMERS-CoVMA replicates robustly in the lungs of human dipeptidyl peptidase 4 knock-in (hDPP4 KI) mice, it does not cause clinical symptoms. Interestingly, a single intranasal vaccination with DUB-negative rMERS-CoVMA induces strong and sustained neutralizing antibody responses and sterilizing immunity after a lethal wt virus challenge. The survival of naïve animals also significantly increases when sera from animals vaccinated with the DUB-negative rMERS-CoVMA are passively transferred, prior to receiving a lethal virus dose. These data demonstrate that DUB-negative coronaviruses could be the basis of effective modified live attenuated vaccines.
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13
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van Vliet VJE, Huynh N, Palà J, Patel A, Singer A, Slater C, Chung J, van Huizen M, Teyra J, Miersch S, Luu GK, Ye W, Sharma N, Ganaie SS, Russell R, Chen C, Maynard M, Amarasinghe GK, Mark BL, Kikkert M, Sidhu SS. Ubiquitin variants potently inhibit SARS-CoV-2 PLpro and viral replication via a novel site distal to the protease active site. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1011065. [PMID: 36548304 PMCID: PMC9822107 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has made it clear that combating coronavirus outbreaks benefits from a combination of vaccines and therapeutics. A promising drug target common to all coronaviruses-including SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2-is the papain-like protease (PLpro). PLpro cleaves part of the viral replicase polyproteins into non-structural protein subunits, which are essential to the viral replication cycle. Additionally, PLpro can cleave both ubiquitin and the ubiquitin-like protein ISG15 from host cell substrates as a mechanism to evade innate immune responses during infection. These roles make PLpro an attractive antiviral drug target. Here we demonstrate that ubiquitin variants (UbVs) can be selected from a phage-displayed library and used to specifically and potently block SARS-CoV-2 PLpro activity. A crystal structure of SARS-CoV-2 PLpro in complex with a representative UbV reveals a dimeric UbV bound to PLpro at a site distal to the catalytic site. Yet, the UbV inhibits the essential cleavage activities of the protease in vitro and in cells, and it reduces viral replication in cell culture by almost five orders of magnitude.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera J. E. van Vliet
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, South Holland, The Netherlands
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Nhan Huynh
- The Anvil Institute, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Judith Palà
- The Anvil Institute, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ankoor Patel
- Department of Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Alex Singer
- The Anvil Institute, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Cole Slater
- Department of Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Jacky Chung
- The Anvil Institute, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mariska van Huizen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, South Holland, The Netherlands
| | - Joan Teyra
- The Anvil Institute, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Shane Miersch
- The Anvil Institute, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gia-Khanh Luu
- The Anvil Institute, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Wei Ye
- The Anvil Institute, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nitin Sharma
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Safder S. Ganaie
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Raquel Russell
- Department of Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Chao Chen
- The Anvil Institute, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mindy Maynard
- The Anvil Institute, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gaya K. Amarasinghe
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Brian L. Mark
- Department of Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Marjolein Kikkert
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, South Holland, The Netherlands
| | - Sachdev S. Sidhu
- The Anvil Institute, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
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14
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Gao X, Fang D, Liang Y, Deng X, Chen N, Zeng M, Luo M. Circular RNAs as emerging regulators in COVID-19 pathogenesis and progression. Front Immunol 2022; 13:980231. [PMID: 36439162 PMCID: PMC9681929 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.980231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an infectious acute respiratory disease caused by a newly emerging RNA virus, is a still-growing pandemic that has caused more than 6 million deaths globally and has seriously threatened the lives and health of people across the world. Currently, several drugs have been used in the clinical treatment of COVID-19, such as small molecules, neutralizing antibodies, and monoclonal antibodies. In addition, several vaccines have been used to prevent the spread of the pandemic, such as adenovirus vector vaccines, inactivated vaccines, recombinant subunit vaccines, and nucleic acid vaccines. However, the efficacy of vaccines and the onset of adverse reactions vary among individuals. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are crucial regulators of viral infections and antiviral immune responses and are heavily involved in COVID-19 pathologies. During novel coronavirus infection, circRNAs not only directly affect the transcription process and interfere with viral replication but also indirectly regulate biological processes, including virus-host receptor binding and the immune response. Consequently, understanding the expression and function of circRNAs during severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection will provide novel insights into the development of circRNA-based methods. In this review, we summarize recent progress on the roles and underlying mechanisms of circRNAs that regulate the inflammatory response, viral replication, immune evasion, and cytokines induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection, and thus highlighting the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in the treatment of COVID-19 and future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojun Gao
- Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology, Ministry of Education, Drug Discovery Research Center, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Laboratory for Cardiovascular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Dan Fang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology, Ministry of Education, Drug Discovery Research Center, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Laboratory for Cardiovascular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Yu Liang
- College of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Xin Deng
- Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology, Ministry of Education, Drug Discovery Research Center, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Laboratory for Cardiovascular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Ni Chen
- Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology, Ministry of Education, Drug Discovery Research Center, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Laboratory for Cardiovascular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Min Zeng
- Department of Pharmacy, the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Mao Luo
- Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology, Ministry of Education, Drug Discovery Research Center, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Laboratory for Cardiovascular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- College of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
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15
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Ran XH, Zhu JW, Chen YY, Ni RZ, Mu D. Papain-like protease of SARS-CoV-2 inhibits RLR signaling in a deubiquitination-dependent and deubiquitination-independent manner. Front Immunol 2022; 13:947272. [PMID: 36032116 PMCID: PMC9411789 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.947272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The newly emerged severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) can result in dysregulated interferon (IFN) responses that contribute to disease severity. The papain-like protease of SARS-CoV-2 (SCoV2-PLpro) has been previously reported to attenuate IFN responses, but the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. In this study, we found that SCoV2-PLpro potently suppressed IFN production and signaling induced by Sendai virus as well as RIG-I-like receptor (RLR) signaling pathway components, including RIG-I, MAVS, TBK1, TRAF3, TRAF6, and IRF3. SCoV2-PLpro exhibited different specificity and efficiency than SARS-CoV PLpro, with the former exerting a greater inhibitory effect on the RIG-I- and TRAF3-mediated IFN response but a weaker effect on the MAVS-mediated IFN response. Furthermore, we showed that SCoV2-PLpro significantly reduced K63-ubiquitination of RIG-I, MAVS, TBK1, TRAF3, TRAF6, and IRF3 and K48-ubiquitination of IκBα, which are known critical for the innate immune signal transduction. The deubiquitinating (DUB) activity of SCoV2-PLpro required a catalytic residue cysteine 111 (C111) but not the UBL domain. Notably, by utilizing the DUB-defective C111 mutant, we demonstrated that SCoV2-PLpro targeted RLR signaling pathway regulators via deubiquitination-dependent and -independent mechanisms, with the inhibitory activities of RIG-I and TBK1 correlating with DUB function, whereas the antagonism effects on MAVS, TRAF3, TRAF6, and IRF3 independent on DUB activity. Overall, our results reveal that SCoV2-PLpro evolves differential IFN antagonism activity from SCoV1-PLpro and it targets multiple key RLR signaling pathway components via various mechanisms, providing insights into SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and clues for developing antiviral therapies for COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang-Hong Ran
- Institute of Life Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jia-Wu Zhu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Ya-Yun Chen
- Institute of Life Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Run-Ze Ni
- Institute of Life Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Dan Mu
- Institute of Life Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China,*Correspondence: Dan Mu,
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16
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Esposito S, D’Abrosca G, Antolak A, Pedone PV, Isernia C, Malgieri G. Host and Viral Zinc-Finger Proteins in COVID-19. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073711. [PMID: 35409070 PMCID: PMC8998646 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
An unprecedented effort to tackle the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has characterized the activity of the global scientific community over the last two years. Hundreds of published studies have focused on the comprehension of the immune response to the virus and on the definition of the functional role of SARS-CoV-2 proteins. Proteins containing zinc fingers, both belonging to SARS-CoV-2 or to the host, play critical roles in COVID-19 participating in antiviral defenses and regulation of viral life cycle. Differentially expressed zinc finger proteins and their distinct activities could thus be important in determining the severity of the disease and represent important targets for drug development. Therefore, we here review the mechanisms of action of host and viral zinc finger proteins in COVID-19 as a contribution to the comprehension of the disease and also highlight strategies for therapeutic developments.
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17
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Upregulated Proteasome Subunits in COVID-19 Patients: A Link with Hypoxemia, Lymphopenia and Inflammation. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12030442. [PMID: 35327634 PMCID: PMC8946050 DOI: 10.3390/biom12030442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe COVID-19 disease leads to hypoxemia, inflammation and lymphopenia. Viral infection induces cellular stress and causes the activation of the innate immune response. The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is highly implicated in viral immune response regulation. The main function of the proteasome is protein degradation in its active form, which recognises and binds to ubiquitylated proteins. Some proteasome subunits have been reported to be upregulated under hypoxic and hyperinflammatory conditions. Here, we conducted a prospective cohort study of COVID-19 patients (n = 44) and age-and sex-matched controls (n = 20). In this study, we suggested that hypoxia could induce the overexpression of certain genes encoding for subunits from the α and β core of the 20S proteasome and from regulatory particles (19S and 11S) in COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, the gene expression of proteasome subunits was associated with lymphocyte count reduction and positively correlated with inflammatory molecular and clinical markers. Given the importance of the proteasome in maintaining cellular homeostasis, including the regulation of the apoptotic and pyroptotic pathways, these results provide a potential link between COVID-19 complications and proteasome gene expression.
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18
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Prescott L. SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro whole human proteome cleavage prediction and enrichment/depletion analysis. Comput Biol Chem 2022; 98:107671. [PMID: 35429835 PMCID: PMC8958254 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2022.107671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
A novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has devastated the globe as a pandemic that has killed millions of people. Widespread vaccination is still uncertain, so many scientific efforts have been directed toward discovering antiviral treatments. Many drugs are being investigated to inhibit the coronavirus main protease, 3CLpro, from cleaving its viral polyprotein, but few publications have addressed this protease’s interactions with the host proteome or their probable contribution to virulence. Too few host protein cleavages have been experimentally verified to fully understand 3CLpro’s global effects on relevant cellular pathways and tissues. Here, I set out to determine this protease’s targets and corresponding potential drug targets. Using a neural network trained on cleavages from 392 coronavirus proteomes with a Matthews correlation coefficient of 0.985, I predict that a large proportion of the human proteome is vulnerable to 3CLpro, with 4898 out of approximately 20,000 human proteins containing at least one putative cleavage site. These cleavages are nonrandomly distributed and are enriched in the epithelium along the respiratory tract, brain, testis, plasma, and immune tissues and depleted in olfactory and gustatory receptors despite the prevalence of anosmia and ageusia in COVID-19 patients. Affected cellular pathways include cytoskeleton/motor/cell adhesion proteins, nuclear condensation and other epigenetics, host transcription and RNAi, ribosomal stoichiometry and nascent-chain detection and degradation, ubiquitination, pattern recognition receptors, coagulation, lipoproteins, redox, and apoptosis. This whole proteome cleavage prediction demonstrates the importance of 3CLpro in expected and nontrivial pathways affecting virulence, lead me to propose more than a dozen potential therapeutic targets against coronaviruses, and should therefore be applied to all viral proteases and subsequently experimentally verified.
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19
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Liu N, Zhang Y, Lei Y, Wang R, Zhan M, Liu J, An Y, Zhou Y, Zhan J, Yin F, Li Z. Design and Evaluation of a Novel Peptide-Drug Conjugate Covalently Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Papain-like Protease. J Med Chem 2022; 65:876-884. [PMID: 34981929 PMCID: PMC8753845 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c02022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a global health threat, was caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The SARS-CoV-2 papain-like cysteine protease (PLpro) was recognized as a promising drug target because of multiple functions in virus maturation and antiviral immune responses. Inhibitor GRL0617 occupied the interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) C-terminus-binding pocket and showed an effective antiviral inhibition. Here, we described a novel peptide-drug conjugate (PDC), in which GRL0617 was linked to a sulfonium-tethered peptide derived from PLpro-specific substrate LRGG. The EM-C and EC-M PDCs showed a promising in vitro IC50 of 7.40 ± 0.37 and 8.63 ± 0.55 μM, respectively. EC-M could covalently label PLpro active site C111 and display anti-ISGylation activities in cellular assays. The results represent the first attempt to design PDCs composed of stabilized peptide inhibitors and GRL0617 to inhibit PLpro. These novel PDCs provide promising opportunities for antiviral drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Liu
- State
Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key
Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Pingshan
Translational Medicine Center, Shenzhen
Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518118, China
| | - Yichi Zhang
- State
Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key
Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yingshou Lei
- Institute
for Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen
Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518032, China
| | - Rui Wang
- Pingshan
Translational Medicine Center, Shenzhen
Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518118, China
| | - Meimiao Zhan
- State
Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key
Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Jianbo Liu
- Pingshan
Translational Medicine Center, Shenzhen
Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518118, China
| | - Yuhao An
- Pingshan
Translational Medicine Center, Shenzhen
Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518118, China
| | - Yaoqi Zhou
- Institute
for Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen
Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518032, China
| | - Jian Zhan
- Institute
for Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen
Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518032, China
| | - Feng Yin
- State
Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key
Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Pingshan
Translational Medicine Center, Shenzhen
Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518118, China
| | - Zigang Li
- State
Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key
Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Pingshan
Translational Medicine Center, Shenzhen
Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518118, China
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20
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Host E3 ligase HUWE1 attenuates the proapoptotic activity of the MERS-CoV accessory protein ORF3 by promoting its ubiquitin-dependent degradation. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:101584. [PMID: 35032548 PMCID: PMC8755419 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
With the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), coronaviruses have begun to attract great attention across the world. Of the known human coronaviruses, however, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is the most lethal. Coronavirus proteins can be divided into three groups: nonstructural proteins, structural proteins, and accessory proteins. While the number of each of these proteins varies greatly among different coronaviruses, accessory proteins are most closely related to the pathogenicity of the virus. We found for the first time that the ORF3 accessory protein of MERS-CoV, which closely resembles the ORF3a proteins of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and SARS-CoV-2, has the ability to induce apoptosis in cells in a dose-dependent manner. Through bioinformatics analysis and validation, we revealed that ORF3 is an unstable protein and has a shorter half-life in cells compared to that of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and SARS-CoV-2 ORF3a proteins. After screening, we identified a host E3 ligase, HUWE1, that specifically induces MERS-CoV ORF3 protein ubiquitination and degradation through the ubiquitin-proteasome system. This results in the diminished ability of ORF3 to induce apoptosis, which might partially explain the lower spread of MERS-CoV compared to other coronaviruses. In summary, this study reveals a pathological function of MERS-CoV ORF3 protein and identifies a potential host antiviral protein, HUWE1, with an ability to antagonize MERS-CoV pathogenesis by inducing ORF3 degradation, thus enriching our knowledge of the pathogenesis of MERS-CoV and suggesting new targets and strategies for clinical development of drugs for MERS-CoV treatment.
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21
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Roy R, Jonniya NA, Poddar S, Sk MF, Kar P. Unraveling the Molecular Mechanism of Recognition of Human Interferon-Stimulated Gene Product 15 by Coronavirus Papain-Like Proteases: A Multiscale Simulation Study. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:6038-6052. [PMID: 34784198 PMCID: PMC8610008 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The papain-like protease (PLpro) of the coronavirus (CoV) family plays an essential role in processing the viral polyprotein and immune evasion. Additional proteolytic activities of PLpro include deubiquitination and deISGylation, which can reverse the post-translational modification of cellular proteins conjugated with ubiquitin or (Ub) or Ub-like interferon-stimulated gene product 15 (ISG15). These activities regulate innate immune responses against viral infection. Thus, PLpro is a potential antiviral target. Here, we have described the structural and energetic basis of recognition of PLpro by the human ISG15 protein (hISG15) using atomistic molecular dynamics simulation across the CoV family, i.e., MERS-CoV (MCoV), SARS-CoV (SCoV), and SARS-CoV-2 (SCoV2). The cumulative simulation length for all trajectories was 32.0 μs. In the absence of the complete crystal structure of complexes, protein-protein docking was used. A mutation (R167E) was introduced across all three PLpro to study the effect of mutation on the protein-protein binding. Our study reveals that the apo-ISG15 protein remains closed while it adopts an open conformation when bound to PLpro, although the degree of openness varies across the CoV family. The binding free energy analysis suggests that hISG15 binds more strongly with SCoV2-PLpro compared to SCoV or MCoV. The intermolecular electrostatic interaction drives the hISG15-PLpro complexation. Our study showed that SCoV or MCoV-PLpro binds more strongly with the C-domain of hISG15, while SCoV2-PLpro binds more favorably the N-domain of hISG15. Overall, our study explains the molecular basis of differential deISGylating activities of PLpro among the CoV family and the specificity of SCoV2-PLpro toward hISG15.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajarshi Roy
- Department of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian
Institute of Technology Indore, Khandwa Road, Simrol, Madhya Pradesh
453552, India
| | - Nisha Amarnath Jonniya
- Department of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian
Institute of Technology Indore, Khandwa Road, Simrol, Madhya Pradesh
453552, India
| | - Sayan Poddar
- Department of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian
Institute of Technology Indore, Khandwa Road, Simrol, Madhya Pradesh
453552, India
| | - Md Fulbabu Sk
- Department of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian
Institute of Technology Indore, Khandwa Road, Simrol, Madhya Pradesh
453552, India
| | - Parimal Kar
- Department of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian
Institute of Technology Indore, Khandwa Road, Simrol, Madhya Pradesh
453552, India
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22
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Welsh KA, Bolhuis DL, Nederstigt AE, Boyer J, Temple BRS, Bonacci T, Gu L, Ordureau A, Harper JW, Steimel JP, Zhang Q, Emanuele MJ, Harrison JS, Brown NG. Functional conservation and divergence of the helix-turn-helix motif of E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes. EMBO J 2021; 41:e108823. [PMID: 34942047 PMCID: PMC8804933 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2021108823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Polyubiquitination by E2 and E3 enzymes is crucial to cell cycle control, epigenetic regulation, and development. The hallmark of the E2 family is the ubiquitin (Ub)-conjugating (UBC) domain that forms a dynamic thioester conjugate with ubiquitin (E2~Ub). Numerous studies have focused on E2 surfaces, such as the N-terminal and crossover helices, that directly interact with an E3 or the conjugated ubiquitin to stabilize the active, "closed" state of the E2~Ub. However, it remains unclear how other E2 surfaces regulate ubiquitin transfer. Here, we demonstrate the helix-turn-helix (HTH) motif of the UBC tunes the intrinsic polyubiquitination activity through distinct functions in different E2s. Interestingly, the E2HTH motif is repurposed in UBE2S and UBE2R2 to interact with the conjugated or acceptor ubiquitin, respectively, modulating ubiquitin transfer. Furthermore, we propose that Anaphase-Promoting Complex/Cyclosome binding to the UBE2SHTH reduces the conformational space of the flexible E2~Ub, demonstrating an atypical E3-dependent activation mechanism. Altogether, we postulate the E2HTH motif evolved to provide new functionalities that can be harnessed by E3s and permits additional regulation to facilitate specific E2-E3-mediated polyubiquitination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaeli A Welsh
- Department of Pharmacology and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Derek L Bolhuis
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | | | - Joshua Boyer
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Brenda R S Temple
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,R L Juliano Structural Bioinformatics Core Facility, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Thomas Bonacci
- Department of Pharmacology and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Li Gu
- Department of Chemistry, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, USA
| | - Alban Ordureau
- Department of Cell Biology, Blavatnik Institute of Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - J Wade Harper
- Department of Cell Biology, Blavatnik Institute of Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joshua P Steimel
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, USA
| | - Qi Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Michael J Emanuele
- Department of Pharmacology and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Joseph S Harrison
- Department of Chemistry, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, USA
| | - Nicholas G Brown
- Department of Pharmacology and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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23
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Abstract
Coronaviral papain-like proteases (PLpros) are essential enzymes that mediate not only the proteolytic processes of viral polyproteins during virus replication, but also the deubiquitination and deISGylation of cellular proteins that attenuate host innate immune responses. Therefore, PLpros are attractive targets for antiviral drug development. Here we report the crystal structure of the papain-like protease 2 (PLP2) of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) in complex with ubiquitin (Ub). The X-ray structural analyses reveal that PEDV PLP2 interacts with Ub substrate mainly through the Ub core region and C-terminal tail. Mutations of Ub-interacting residues resulted in moderately or completely abolished deubiquitinylating function of PEDV PLP2. In addition, our analyses also indicate that the two residues-extended blocking loop 2 at the S4 subsite contributes to the substrate selectivity and binding affinity of PEDV PLP2. Furthermore, the PEDV PLP2 Glu99 residue, conserved in alpha-CoV PLpros, was found to govern the preference of a positively charged P4 residue of peptidyl substrates. Collectively, our data provided structure-based information for substrate binding and selectivity of PEDV PLP2. These findings may help us gain insights into the deubiquitinating and proteolytic functions of PEDV PLP2 from a structural perspective. Importance Current challenges in CoVs include a comprehensive understanding of mechanistic effects of associated enzymes, including the 3C-like and papain-like proteases. We have previously reported that the PEDV PLP2 exhibits a broader substrate preference, superior DUB function, and inferior peptidase activity. However, the structure basis for these functions remains largely unclear. Here, we show the high-resolution X-ray crystal structure of PEDV PLP2 in complex with Ub. Integrated structural and biochemical analyses revealed: (i) three Ub-core interacting residues are essential for DUB function, (ii) two-residue-elongated blocking loop 2 regulates substrate selectivity, and (iii) a conserved glutamate residue governs the substrate specificity of PEDV PLP2. Collectively, our findings provide not only the structural insights to the catalytic mechanism of PEDV PLP2 but also a model for developing antiviral strategies.
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24
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Patchett S, Lv Z, Rut W, Békés M, Drag M, Olsen SK, Huang TT. A molecular sensor determines the ubiquitin substrate specificity of SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease. Cell Rep 2021; 36:109754. [PMID: 34547223 PMCID: PMC8423903 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease (PLpro) is a target for antiviral drug development. It is essential for processing viral polyproteins for replication and functions in host immune evasion by cleaving ubiquitin (Ub) and ubiquitin-like protein (Ubl) conjugates. While highly conserved, SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV PLpro have contrasting Ub/Ubl substrate preferences. Using a combination of structural analyses and functional assays, we identify a molecular sensor within the S1 Ub-binding site of PLpro that serves as a key determinant of substrate specificity. Variations within the S1 sensor specifically alter cleavage of Ub substrates but not of the Ubl interferon-stimulated gene 15 protein (ISG15). Significantly, a variant of concern associated with immune evasion carries a mutation in the S1 sensor that enhances PLpro activity on Ub substrates. Collectively, our data identify the S1 sensor region as a potential hotspot of variability that could alter host antiviral immune responses to newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Patchett
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Zongyang Lv
- Department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Wioletta Rut
- Department of Chemical Biology and Bioimaging, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wyb. Wyspianskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Miklos Békés
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Marcin Drag
- Department of Chemical Biology and Bioimaging, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wyb. Wyspianskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Shaun K Olsen
- Department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
| | - Tony T Huang
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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25
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O’Donoghue SI, Schafferhans A, Sikta N, Stolte C, Kaur S, Ho BK, Anderson S, Procter JB, Dallago C, Bordin N, Adcock M, Rost B. SARS-CoV-2 structural coverage map reveals viral protein assembly, mimicry, and hijacking mechanisms. Mol Syst Biol 2021; 17:e10079. [PMID: 34519429 PMCID: PMC8438690 DOI: 10.15252/msb.202010079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
We modeled 3D structures of all SARS-CoV-2 proteins, generating 2,060 models that span 69% of the viral proteome and provide details not available elsewhere. We found that ˜6% of the proteome mimicked human proteins, while ˜7% was implicated in hijacking mechanisms that reverse post-translational modifications, block host translation, and disable host defenses; a further ˜29% self-assembled into heteromeric states that provided insight into how the viral replication and translation complex forms. To make these 3D models more accessible, we devised a structural coverage map, a novel visualization method to show what is-and is not-known about the 3D structure of the viral proteome. We integrated the coverage map into an accompanying online resource (https://aquaria.ws/covid) that can be used to find and explore models corresponding to the 79 structural states identified in this work. The resulting Aquaria-COVID resource helps scientists use emerging structural data to understand the mechanisms underlying coronavirus infection and draws attention to the 31% of the viral proteome that remains structurally unknown or dark.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Transport Systems, Neutral/chemistry
- Amino Acid Transport Systems, Neutral/genetics
- Amino Acid Transport Systems, Neutral/metabolism
- Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/chemistry
- Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/genetics
- Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/metabolism
- Binding Sites
- COVID-19/genetics
- COVID-19/metabolism
- COVID-19/virology
- Computational Biology/methods
- Coronavirus Envelope Proteins/chemistry
- Coronavirus Envelope Proteins/genetics
- Coronavirus Envelope Proteins/metabolism
- Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins/chemistry
- Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins/genetics
- Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins/metabolism
- Host-Pathogen Interactions/genetics
- Humans
- Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins/chemistry
- Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins/genetics
- Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins/metabolism
- Mitochondrial Precursor Protein Import Complex Proteins
- Models, Molecular
- Molecular Mimicry
- Neuropilin-1/chemistry
- Neuropilin-1/genetics
- Neuropilin-1/metabolism
- Phosphoproteins/chemistry
- Phosphoproteins/genetics
- Phosphoproteins/metabolism
- Protein Binding
- Protein Conformation, alpha-Helical
- Protein Conformation, beta-Strand
- Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs
- Protein Interaction Mapping/methods
- Protein Multimerization
- Protein Processing, Post-Translational
- SARS-CoV-2/chemistry
- SARS-CoV-2/genetics
- SARS-CoV-2/metabolism
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/chemistry
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/genetics
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/metabolism
- Viral Matrix Proteins/chemistry
- Viral Matrix Proteins/genetics
- Viral Matrix Proteins/metabolism
- Viroporin Proteins/chemistry
- Viroporin Proteins/genetics
- Viroporin Proteins/metabolism
- Virus Replication
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Affiliation(s)
- Seán I O’Donoghue
- Garvan Institute of Medical ResearchDarlinghurstNSWAustralia
- CSIRO Data61CanberraACTAustralia
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences (UNSW)KensingtonNSWAustralia
| | - Andrea Schafferhans
- Garvan Institute of Medical ResearchDarlinghurstNSWAustralia
- Department of Bioengineering SciencesWeihenstephan‐Tr. University of Applied SciencesFreisingGermany
- Department of InformaticsBioinformatics & Computational BiologyTechnical University of MunichMunichGermany
| | - Neblina Sikta
- Garvan Institute of Medical ResearchDarlinghurstNSWAustralia
| | | | - Sandeep Kaur
- Garvan Institute of Medical ResearchDarlinghurstNSWAustralia
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences (UNSW)KensingtonNSWAustralia
| | - Bosco K Ho
- Garvan Institute of Medical ResearchDarlinghurstNSWAustralia
| | | | | | - Christian Dallago
- Department of InformaticsBioinformatics & Computational BiologyTechnical University of MunichMunichGermany
| | - Nicola Bordin
- Institute of Structural and Molecular BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | | | - Burkhard Rost
- Department of InformaticsBioinformatics & Computational BiologyTechnical University of MunichMunichGermany
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26
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Zhou YW, Xie Y, Tang LS, Pu D, Zhu YJ, Liu JY, Ma XL. Therapeutic targets and interventional strategies in COVID-19: mechanisms and clinical studies. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2021; 6:317. [PMID: 34446699 PMCID: PMC8390046 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-021-00733-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Owing to the limitations of the present efforts on drug discovery against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the lack of the understanding of the biological regulation mechanisms underlying COVID-19, alternative or novel therapeutic targets for COVID-19 treatment are still urgently required. SARS-CoV-2 infection and immunity dysfunction are the two main courses driving the pathogenesis of COVID-19. Both the virus and host factors are potential targets for antiviral therapy. Hence, in this study, the current therapeutic strategies of COVID-19 have been classified into "target virus" and "target host" categories. Repurposing drugs, emerging approaches, and promising potential targets are the implementations of the above two strategies. First, a comprehensive review of the highly acclaimed old drugs was performed according to evidence-based medicine to provide recommendations for clinicians. Additionally, their unavailability in the fight against COVID-19 was analyzed. Next, a profound analysis of the emerging approaches was conducted, particularly all licensed vaccines and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) enrolled in clinical trials against primary SARS-CoV-2 and mutant strains. Furthermore, the pros and cons of the present licensed vaccines were compared from different perspectives. Finally, the most promising potential targets were reviewed, and the update of the progress of treatments has been summarized based on these reviews.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Wen Zhou
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Yao Xie
- Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
- Department of Dermatovenerology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Lian-Sha Tang
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Dan Pu
- Lung Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Ya-Juan Zhu
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Ji-Yan Liu
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
- Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
| | - Xue-Lei Ma
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
- Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
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27
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YUSUF AJ, ABDULLAHI MI, MUSA AM, ABUBAKAR H, AMALI AM, NASIR AH. Potential inhibitors of SARS CoV-2 from Neocarya macrophylla: Chemoinformatic and Molecular modeling studies against three key targets. Turk J Pharm Sci 2021; 19:202-212. [DOI: 10.4274/tjps.galenos.2021.57527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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28
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Vanderboom PM, Mun DG, Madugundu AK, Mangalaparthi KK, Saraswat M, Garapati K, Chakraborty R, Ebihara H, Sun J, Pandey A. Proteomic Signature of Host Response to SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Nasopharynx. Mol Cell Proteomics 2021; 20:100134. [PMID: 34400346 PMCID: PMC8363427 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcpro.2021.100134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, has become a global health pandemic. COVID-19 severity ranges from an asymptomatic infection to a severe multiorgan disease. Although the inflammatory response has been implicated in the pathogenesis of COVID-19, the exact nature of dysregulation in signaling pathways has not yet been elucidated, underscoring the need for further molecular characterization of SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans. Here, we characterize the host response directly at the point of viral entry through analysis of nasopharyngeal swabs. Multiplexed high-resolution MS-based proteomic analysis of confirmed COVID-19 cases and negative controls identified 7582 proteins and revealed significant upregulation of interferon-mediated antiviral signaling in addition to multiple other proteins that are not encoded by interferon-stimulated genes or well characterized during viral infections. Downregulation of several proteasomal subunits, E3 ubiquitin ligases, and components of protein synthesis machinery was significant upon SARS-CoV-2 infection. Targeted proteomics to measure abundance levels of MX1, ISG15, STAT1, RIG-I, and CXCL10 detected proteomic signatures of interferon-mediated antiviral signaling that differentiated COVID-19-positive from COVID-19-negative cases. Phosphoproteomic analysis revealed increased phosphorylation of several proteins with known antiviral properties as well as several proteins involved in ciliary function (CEP131 and CFAP57) that have not previously been implicated in the context of coronavirus infections. In addition, decreased phosphorylation levels of AKT and PKC, which have been shown to play varying roles in different viral infections, were observed in infected individuals relative to controls. These data provide novel insights that add depth to our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the upper airway and establish a proteomic signature for this viral infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick M Vanderboom
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Division of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Dong-Gi Mun
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Division of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Anil K Madugundu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Division of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA; Institute of Bioinformatics, International Technology Park, Bangalore, Karnataka, India; Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India; Center for Molecular Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Kiran K Mangalaparthi
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Division of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA; Institute of Bioinformatics, International Technology Park, Bangalore, Karnataka, India; Amrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kollam, Kerala, India
| | - Mayank Saraswat
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Division of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA; Institute of Bioinformatics, International Technology Park, Bangalore, Karnataka, India; Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
| | - Kishore Garapati
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Division of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA; Institute of Bioinformatics, International Technology Park, Bangalore, Karnataka, India; Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
| | - Rana Chakraborty
- Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Hideki Ebihara
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Jie Sun
- The Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA; Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA; Division of Pulmonary and Critical Medicine, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Akhilesh Pandey
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Division of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA; Center for Molecular Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, India; Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
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29
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Min YQ, Huang M, Sun X, Deng F, Wang H, Ning YJ. Immune evasion of SARS-CoV-2 from interferon antiviral system. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:4217-4225. [PMID: 34336145 PMCID: PMC8310780 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.07.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The on-going pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to unprecedented medical and socioeconomic crises. Although the viral pathogenesis remains elusive, deficiency of effective antiviral interferon (IFN) responses upon SARS-CoV-2 infection has been recognized as a hallmark of COVID-19 contributing to the disease pathology and progress. Recently, multiple proteins encoded by SARS-CoV-2 have been shown to act as potential IFN antagonists with diverse possible mechanisms. Here, we summarize and discuss the strategies of SARS-CoV-2 for evasion of innate immunity (particularly the antiviral IFN responses), understanding of which will facilitate not only the elucidation of SARS-CoV-2 infection and pathogenesis but also the development of antiviral intervention therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan-Qin Min
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071/430207, China
- Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071/430207, China
| | - Mengzhuo Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071/430207, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China
| | - Xiulian Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071/430207, China
- Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071/430207, China
| | - Fei Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071/430207, China
- Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071/430207, China
| | - Hualin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071/430207, China
- Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071/430207, China
| | - Yun-Jia Ning
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071/430207, China
- Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071/430207, China
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30
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Target-Based In Silico Screening for Phytoactive Compounds Targeting SARS-CoV-2. Interdiscip Sci 2021; 14:64-79. [PMID: 34308530 PMCID: PMC8310681 DOI: 10.1007/s12539-021-00461-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Abstract Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), resulting from infection by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), can cause severe and fatal pneumonia along with other life-threatening complications. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the healthcare system globally and has hit the economy hard in all affected countries. As a result, there is an unmet medical need for both the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 infection. Several herbal remedies have claimed to show promising clinical results, but the mechanisms of action are not clear. We set out to identify the anti-viral natural products of these herbal remedies that presumably inhibit the life cycle of SARS-CoV-2. Particularly we chose four key SARS-CoV-2 viral enzymes as targets: Papain-like protease, Main protease, RNA dependent RNA polymerase, and 2’-O-ribose methyltransferase, which were subjected to an unbiased in silico screening against a small molecule library of 33,765 compounds originating from herbs and medicinal plants. The small molecules were then ranked based on their free energy of fitting into the “druggable” pockets on the surface of each target protein. We have analyzed the best “fit” molecules and annotated them according to their plant sources and pharmacokinetic properties. Here we present a list of potential anti-viral ingredients of herbal remedies targeting SARS-CoV-2 and explore the potential mechanisms of action of these compounds as a framework for further development of chemoprophylaxis agents against COVID-19. Graphic abstract ![]()
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12539-021-00461-4.
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Patel A, McBride JAM, Mark BL. The endopeptidase of the maize-affecting Marafivirus type member maize rayado fino virus doubles as a deubiquitinase. J Biol Chem 2021; 297:100957. [PMID: 34265303 PMCID: PMC8348309 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Marafiviruses are capable of persistent infection in a range of plants that have importance to the agriculture and biofuel industries. Although the genomes of a few of these viruses have been studied in-depth, the composition and processing of the polyproteins produced from their main ORFs have not. The Marafivirus polyprotein consists of essential proteins that form the viral replicase, as well as structural proteins for virus assembly. It has been proposed that Marafiviruses code for cysteine proteases within their polyproteins, which act as endopeptidases to autocatalytically cleave the polyprotein into functional domains. Furthermore, it has also been suggested that Marafivirus endopeptidases may have deubiquitinating activity, which has been shown to enhance viral replication by downregulating viral protein degradation by the ubiquitin (Ub) proteasomal pathway as well as tampering with cell signaling associated with innate antiviral responses in other positive-sense ssRNA viruses. Here, we provide the first evidence of cysteine proteases from six different Marafiviruses that harbor deubiquitinating activity and reveal intragenus differences toward Ub linkage types. We also examine the structural basis of the endopeptidase/deubiquitinase from the Marafivirus type member, maize rayado fino virus. Structures of the enzyme alone and bound to Ub reveal marked structural rearrangements that occur upon binding of Ub and provide insights into substrate specificity and differences that set it apart from other viral cysteine proteases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankoor Patel
- Department of Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | | | - Brian L Mark
- Department of Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
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32
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High-Throughput Fluorescent Assay for Inhibitor Screening of Proteases from RNA Viruses. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26133792. [PMID: 34206406 PMCID: PMC8270262 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26133792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Spanish flu, polio epidemics, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic are the most profound examples of severe widespread diseases caused by RNA viruses. The coronavirus pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) demands affordable and reliable assays for testing antivirals. To test inhibitors of viral proteases, we have developed an inexpensive high-throughput assay based on fluorescent energy transfer (FRET). We assayed an array of inhibitors for papain-like protease from SARS-CoV-2 and validated it on protease from the tick-borne encephalitis virus to emphasize its versatility. The reaction progress is monitored as loss of FRET signal of the substrate. This robust and reproducible assay can be used for testing the inhibitors in 96- or 384-well plates.
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Reynolds N, Aceves NM, Liu JL, Compton JR, Leary DH, Freitas BT, Pegan SD, Doctor KZ, Wu FY, Hu X, Legler PM. The SARS-CoV-2 SSHHPS Recognized by the Papain-like Protease. ACS Infect Dis 2021; 7:1483-1502. [PMID: 34019767 PMCID: PMC8171221 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Viral proteases are highly specific and recognize conserved cleavage site sequences of ∼6-8 amino acids. Short stretches of homologous host-pathogen sequences (SSHHPS) can be found spanning the viral protease cleavage sites. We hypothesized that these sequences corresponded to specific host protein targets since >40 host proteins have been shown to be cleaved by Group IV viral proteases and one Group VI viral protease. Using PHI-BLAST and the viral protease cleavage site sequences, we searched the human proteome for host targets and analyzed the hit results. Although the polyprotein and host proteins related to the suppression of the innate immune responses may be the primary targets of these viral proteases, we identified other cleavable host proteins. These proteins appear to be related to the virus-induced phenotype associated with Group IV viruses, suggesting that information about viral pathogenesis may be extractable directly from the viral genome sequence. Here we identify sequences cleaved by the SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease (PLpro) in vitro within human MYH7 and MYH6 (two cardiac myosins linked to several cardiomyopathies), FOXP3 (an X-linked Treg cell transcription factor), ErbB4 (HER4), and vitamin-K-dependent plasma protein S (PROS1), an anticoagulation protein that prevents blood clots. Zinc inhibited the cleavage of these host sequences in vitro. Other patterns emerged from multispecies sequence alignments of the cleavage sites, which may have implications for the selection of animal models and zoonosis. SSHHPS/nsP is an example of a sequence-specific post-translational silencing mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathanael
D. Reynolds
- Center
for Bio/molecular Science and Engineering (CBMSE), U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Avenue, Washington, DC 20375, United States
| | | | - Jinny L. Liu
- Center
for Bio/molecular Science and Engineering (CBMSE), U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Avenue, Washington, DC 20375, United States
| | - Jaimee R. Compton
- Center
for Bio/molecular Science and Engineering (CBMSE), U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Avenue, Washington, DC 20375, United States
| | - Dagmar H. Leary
- Center
for Bio/molecular Science and Engineering (CBMSE), U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Avenue, Washington, DC 20375, United States
| | - Brendan T. Freitas
- Center
for Drug Discovery, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
| | - Scott D. Pegan
- Center
for Drug Discovery, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
| | - Katarina Z. Doctor
- Navy
Center for Applied Research in AI (NCARAI) Information Technology
Division, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Ave., Washington, DC 20375, United States
| | - Fred Y. Wu
- Indiana
University Health Systems, Indiana University
School of Medicine, Bloomington, Indiana 47401, United States
| | - Xin Hu
- National
Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of
Health, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United
States
| | - Patricia M. Legler
- Center
for Bio/molecular Science and Engineering (CBMSE), U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Avenue, Washington, DC 20375, United States
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Kehrer T, García-Sastre A, Miorin L. Control of Innate Immune Activation by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 and Other Coronaviruses. J Interferon Cytokine Res 2021; 41:205-219. [PMID: 34161170 PMCID: PMC8336211 DOI: 10.1089/jir.2021.0060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), represents a public health crisis of unprecedented proportions. After the emergence of SARS-CoV-1 in 2002, and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in 2012, this is the third outbreak of a highly pathogenic zoonotic coronavirus (CoV) that the world has witnessed in the last 2 decades. Infection with highly pathogenic human CoVs often results in a severe respiratory disease characterized by a delayed and blunted interferon (IFN) response, accompanied by an excessive production of proinflammatory cytokines. This indicates that CoVs developed effective mechanisms to overcome the host innate immune response and promote viral replication and pathogenesis. In this review, we describe the key innate immune signaling pathways that are activated during infection with SARS-CoV-2 and other well studied pathogenic CoVs. In addition, we summarize the main strategies that these viruses employ to modulate the host immune responses through the antagonism of IFN induction and effector pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Kehrer
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Global Health Emerging Pathogens Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Adolfo García-Sastre
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Global Health Emerging Pathogens Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Lisa Miorin
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Global Health Emerging Pathogens Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
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35
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Du H, Chen F, Liu H, Hong P. Network-based virus-host interaction prediction with application to SARS-CoV-2. PATTERNS (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2021; 2:100242. [PMID: 33817672 PMCID: PMC8006187 DOI: 10.1016/j.patter.2021.100242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
COVID-19, caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has quickly become a global health crisis since the first report of infection in December of 2019. However, the infection spectrum of SARS-CoV-2 and its comprehensive protein-level interactions with hosts remain unclear. There is a massive amount of underutilized data and knowledge about RNA viruses highly relevant to SARS-CoV-2 and proteins of their hosts. More in-depth and more comprehensive analyses of that knowledge and data can shed new light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the COVID-19 pandemic and reveal potential risks. In this work, we constructed a multi-layer virus-host interaction network to incorporate these data and knowledge. We developed a machine-learning-based method to predict virus-host interactions at both protein and organism levels. Our approach revealed five potential infection targets of SARS-CoV-2 and 19 highly possible interactions between SARS-CoV-2 proteins and human proteins in the innate immune pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hangyu Du
- Department of Computer Science, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
| | - Feng Chen
- Department of Computer Science, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
| | - Hongfu Liu
- Department of Computer Science, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
| | - Pengyu Hong
- Department of Computer Science, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
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36
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Potential Antiviral Immune Response Against COVID-19: Lessons Learned from SARS-CoV. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1318:149-167. [PMID: 33973177 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-63761-3_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Virus and host innate immune system interaction plays a significant role in forming the outcome of viral diseases. Host innate immunity initially recognizes the viral invasion and induces a rapid inflammatory response, and this recognition activates signaling cascades that trigger the release of antiviral mediators. This chapter aims to explore the mechanisms by which newly emerged coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) activates the host immune system. Since SARS-CoV-2 shares similarities with SARS-CoV that caused the epidemic of SARS in 2003, the pathogenesis of both viruses could be at least very similar. For this, this chapter provides a synthesis of literature concerning antiviral immunity in SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. It includes the presentation of epitopes linked to SARS-CoV-2 as well as the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to cause proteolytic activation and interact with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) via molecular mimicry. This chapter characterizes various mechanisms that this virus may engage in escaping the host immunity, ended by a discussion of humoral immune responses against SARS-CoV-2.
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37
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Proulx J, Borgmann K, Park IW. Role of Virally-Encoded Deubiquitinating Enzymes in Regulation of the Virus Life Cycle. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22094438. [PMID: 33922750 PMCID: PMC8123002 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22094438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The ubiquitin (Ub) proteasome system (UPS) plays a pivotal role in regulation of numerous cellular processes, including innate and adaptive immune responses that are essential for restriction of the virus life cycle in the infected cells. Deubiquitination by the deubiquitinating enzyme, deubiquitinase (DUB), is a reversible molecular process to remove Ub or Ub chains from the target proteins. Deubiquitination is an integral strategy within the UPS in regulating survival and proliferation of the infecting virus and the virus-invaded cells. Many viruses in the infected cells are reported to encode viral DUB, and these vial DUBs actively disrupt cellular Ub-dependent processes to suppress host antiviral immune response, enhancing virus replication and thus proliferation. This review surveys the types of DUBs encoded by different viruses and their molecular processes for how the infecting viruses take advantage of the DUB system to evade the host immune response and expedite their replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Proulx
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA; (J.P.); (K.B.)
| | - Kathleen Borgmann
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA; (J.P.); (K.B.)
| | - In-Woo Park
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-(817)-735-5115; Fax: +1-(817)-735-2610
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38
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Zhao Y, Du X, Duan Y, Pan X, Sun Y, You T, Han L, Jin Z, Shang W, Yu J, Guo H, Liu Q, Wu Y, Peng C, Wang J, Zhu C, Yang X, Yang K, Lei Y, Guddat LW, Xu W, Xiao G, Sun L, Zhang L, Rao Z, Yang H. High-throughput screening identifies established drugs as SARS-CoV-2 PLpro inhibitors. Protein Cell 2021; 12:877-888. [PMID: 33864621 PMCID: PMC8052528 DOI: 10.1007/s13238-021-00836-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
A new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has been identified as the etiologic agent for the COVID-19 outbreak. Currently, effective treatment options remain very limited for this disease; therefore, there is an urgent need to identify new anti-COVID-19 agents. In this study, we screened over 6,000 compounds that included approved drugs, drug candidates in clinical trials, and pharmacologically active compounds to identify leads that target the SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease (PLpro). Together with main protease (Mpro), PLpro is responsible for processing the viral replicase polyprotein into functional units. Therefore, it is an attractive target for antiviral drug development. Here we discovered four compounds, YM155, cryptotanshinone, tanshinone I and GRL0617 that inhibit SARS-CoV-2 PLpro with IC50 values ranging from 1.39 to 5.63 μmol/L. These compounds also exhibit strong antiviral activities in cell-based assays. YM155, an anticancer drug candidate in clinical trials, has the most potent antiviral activity with an EC50 value of 170 nmol/L. In addition, we have determined the crystal structures of this enzyme and its complex with YM155, revealing a unique binding mode. YM155 simultaneously targets three "hot" spots on PLpro, including the substrate-binding pocket, the interferon stimulating gene product 15 (ISG15) binding site and zinc finger motif. Our results demonstrate the efficacy of this screening and repurposing strategy, which has led to the discovery of new drug leads with clinical potential for COVID-19 treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Zhao
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Xiaoyu Du
- Laboratory of Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences and School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100091, China
| | - Yinkai Duan
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Xiaoyan Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Yifang Sun
- The Fifth People's Hospital of Shanghai, Fudan University and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Tian You
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Lin Han
- The Fifth People's Hospital of Shanghai, Fudan University and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Zhenming Jin
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China.,Laboratory of Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences and School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100091, China
| | - Weijuan Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Jing Yu
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Hangtian Guo
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Qianying Liu
- The Fifth People's Hospital of Shanghai, Fudan University and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Chao Peng
- Zhangjiang Lab, National Facility for Protein Science in Shanghai, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Jun Wang
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Chenghao Zhu
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Xiuna Yang
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Kailin Yang
- Taussig Cancer Center, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA
| | - Ying Lei
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Luke W Guddat
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Wenqing Xu
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China.,Zhangjiang Lab, National Facility for Protein Science in Shanghai, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Gengfu Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Lei Sun
- The Fifth People's Hospital of Shanghai, Fudan University and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
| | - Leike Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China.
| | - Zihe Rao
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China. .,Laboratory of Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences and School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100091, China.
| | - Haitao Yang
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China.
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Palit P, Mukhopadhyay A, Chattopadhyay D. Phyto-pharmacological perspective of Silymarin: A potential prophylactic or therapeutic agent for COVID-19, based on its promising immunomodulatory, anti-coagulant and anti-viral property. Phytother Res 2021; 35:4246-4257. [PMID: 33817867 PMCID: PMC8250558 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.7084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 02/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) triggered by a new viral pathogen, named severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), is now a global health emergency. This debilitating viral pandemic not only paralyzed the normal daily life of the global community but also spread rapidly via global travel. To date there are no effective vaccines or specific treatments against this highly contagious virus; therefore, there is an urgent need to advocate novel prophylactic or therapeutic interventions for COVID‐19. This brief opinion critically discusses the potential of Silymarin, a flavonolignan with diverse pharmacological activity having antiinflammatory, antioxidant, antiplatelet, and antiviral properties, with versatile immune‐cytokine regulatory functions, that able to bind with transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) and induce endogenous antiviral cytokine interferon‐stimulated gene 15, for the management of COVID‐19. Silymarin inhibits the expression of host cell surface receptor TMPRSS2 with a docking binding energy corresponding to −1,350.61 kcal/mol and a full fitness score of −8.11. The binding affinity of silymarin with an impressive virtual score exhibits significant potential to interfere with SARS‐CoV‐2 replication. We propose in‐depth pre‐clinical and clinical review studies of silymarin for the development of anti‐COVID‐19 lead, based on its clinical manifestations of COVID‐19 and multifaceted bioactivities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Partha Palit
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Drug Discovery Research Laboratory, Assam University, Silchar, India
| | | | - Debprasad Chattopadhyay
- Division of Microbiology & Virology, ICMR-National Institute of Traditional Medicine, Belagavi, Karnataka, India.,Division of Virology, ICMR-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Beliaghata, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
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40
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Valerdi KM, Hage A, van Tol S, Rajsbaum R, Giraldo MI. The Role of the Host Ubiquitin System in Promoting Replication of Emergent Viruses. Viruses 2021; 13:369. [PMID: 33652634 PMCID: PMC7996891 DOI: 10.3390/v13030369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Ubiquitination of proteins is a post-translational modification process with many different cellular functions, including protein stability, immune signaling, antiviral functions and virus replication. While ubiquitination of viral proteins can be used by the host as a defense mechanism by destroying the incoming pathogen, viruses have adapted to take advantage of this cellular process. The ubiquitin system can be hijacked by viruses to enhance various steps of the replication cycle and increase pathogenesis. Emerging viruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), flaviviruses like Zika and dengue, as well as highly pathogenic viruses like Ebola and Nipah, have the ability to directly use the ubiquitination process to enhance their viral-replication cycle, and evade immune responses. Some of these mechanisms are conserved among different virus families, especially early during virus entry, providing an opportunity to develop broad-spectrum antivirals. Here, we discuss the mechanisms used by emergent viruses to exploit the host ubiquitin system, with the main focus on the role of ubiquitin in enhancing virus replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl M. Valerdi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (K.M.V.); (A.H.); (S.v.T.); (R.R.)
| | - Adam Hage
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (K.M.V.); (A.H.); (S.v.T.); (R.R.)
| | - Sarah van Tol
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (K.M.V.); (A.H.); (S.v.T.); (R.R.)
| | - Ricardo Rajsbaum
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (K.M.V.); (A.H.); (S.v.T.); (R.R.)
- Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Maria I. Giraldo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (K.M.V.); (A.H.); (S.v.T.); (R.R.)
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41
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Li M, Ye G, Si Y, Shen Z, Liu Z, Shi Y, Xiao S, Fu ZF, Peng G. Structure of the multiple functional domains from coronavirus nonstructural protein 3. Emerg Microbes Infect 2021; 10:66-80. [PMID: 33327866 PMCID: PMC7832007 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2020.1865840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Coronaviruses (CoVs) are potential pandemic pathogens that can infect a variety of hosts and cause respiratory, enteric, hepatic and neurological diseases. Nonstructural protein 3 (nsp3), an essential component of the replication/transcription complex, is one of the most important antiviral targets. Here, we report the first crystal structure of multiple functional domains from porcine delta-coronavirus (PDCoV) nsp3, including the macro domain (Macro), ubiquitin-like domain 2 (Ubl2) and papain-like protease (PLpro) catalytic domain. In the asymmetric unit, two of the subunits form the head-to-tail homodimer with an interaction interface between Macro and PLpro. However, PDCoV Macro-Ubl2-PLpro mainly exists as a monomer in solution. Then, we conducted fluorescent resonance energy transfer-based protease assays and found that PDCoV PLpro can cleave a peptide by mimicking the cognate nsp2/nsp3 cleavage site in peptide substrates and exhibits deubiquitinating and de-interferon stimulated gene(deISGylating) activities by hydrolysing ubiquitin-7-amino-4-methylcoumarin (Ub-AMC) and ISG15-AMC substrates. Moreover, the deletion of Macro or Macro-Ubl2 decreased the enzyme activity of PLpro, indicating that Macro and Ubl2 play important roles in maintaining the stability of the PLpro domain. Two active sites of PLpro, Cys260 and His398, were determined; unexpectedly, the conserved site Asp412 was not the third active site. Furthermore, the motif "NGYDT" (amino acids 409-413) was important for stabilizing the enzyme activity of PLpro, and the N409A mutant significantly decreased the enzyme activity of PLpro. These results provide novel insights into the replication mechanism of CoV and new clues for future drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengxia Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Gang Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Si
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhou Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhu Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuejun Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Shaobo Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhen F Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Guiqing Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
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42
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Interaction of small molecules with the SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease: In silico studies and in vitro validation of protease activity inhibition using an enzymatic inhibition assay. J Mol Graph Model 2021; 104:107851. [PMID: 33556646 PMCID: PMC7837617 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2021.107851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 virus is causing COVID-19, an ongoing pandemic, with extraordinary global health, social, and political implications. Currently, extensive research and development efforts are aimed at producing a safe and effective vaccine. In the interim, small molecules are being widely investigated for antiviral effects. With respect to viral replication, the papain-like (PLpro) and main proteases (Mpro), are critical for processing viral replicase polypeptides. Further, the PLpro possesses deubiquitinating activity affecting key signalling pathways, including inhibition of interferon and innate immune antagonism. Therefore, inhibition of PLpro activity with small molecules is an important research direction. Our aim was to focus on identification of potential inhibitors of the protease activity of SARS-CoV-2 PLpro. We investigated 300 small compounds derived predominantly from our OliveNet™ library (222 phenolics) and supplemented with synthetic and dietary compounds with reported antiviral activities. An initial docking screen, using the potent and selective noncovalent PLpro inhibitor, GRL-0617 as a control, enabled a selection of 30 compounds for further analyses. From further in silico analyses, including docking to scenes derived from a publicly available molecular dynamics simulation trajectory (100 μs PDB 6WX4; DESRES-ANTON-11441075), we identified lead compounds for further in vitro evaluation using an enzymatic inhibition assay measuring SARS-CoV-2 PLpro protease activity. Our findings indicate that hypericin possessed inhibition activity, and both rutin and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside resulted in a concentration-dependent inhibition of the PLpro, with activity in the micromolar range. Overall, hypericin, rutin, and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside can be considered lead compounds requiring further characterisation for potential antiviral effects in appropriate model systems.
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43
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Mishra S, Bassi G, Nyomba BLG. Inter-proteomic posttranslational modifications of the SARS-CoV-2 and the host proteins ‒ A new frontier. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2021; 246:749-757. [DOI: 10.1177/1535370220986785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Posttranslational modification of proteins, which include both the enzymatic alterations of protein side chains and main-chain peptide bond connectivity, is a fundamental regulatory process that is crucial for almost every aspects of cell biology, including the virus-host cell interaction and the SARS-CoV-2 infection. The posttranslational modification of proteins has primarily been studied in cells and tissues in an intra-proteomic context (where both substrates and enzymes are part of the same species). However, the inter-proteomic posttranslational modifications of most of the SARS-CoV-2 proteins by the host enzymes and vice versa are largely unexplored in virus pathogenesis and in the host immune response. It is now known that the structural spike (S) protein of the SARS-CoV-2 undergoes proteolytic priming by the host serine proteases for entry into the host cells, and N- and O-glycosylation by the host cell enzymes during virion packaging, which enable the virus to spread. New evidence suggests that both SARS-CoV-2 and the host proteins undergo inter-proteomic posttranslational modifications, which play roles in virus pathogenesis and infection-induced immune response by hijacking the host cell signaling. The purpose of this minireview is to bring attention of the scientific community to recent cutting-edge discoveries in this understudied area. It is likely that a better insight into the molecular mechanisms involved may open new research directions, and thereby contribute to novel therapeutic modality development against the SARS-CoV-2. Here we briefly discuss the rationale and touch upon some unanswered questions in this context, especially those that require attention from the scientific community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suresh Mishra
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Manitoba R3E 3P4, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, College of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Manitoba R3E 3P4, Canada
| | - Geetika Bassi
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, College of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Manitoba R3E 3P4, Canada
| | - BL Grégoire Nyomba
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Manitoba R3E 3P4, Canada
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Zong Z, Zhang Z, Wu L, Zhang L, Zhou F. The Functional Deubiquitinating Enzymes in Control of Innate Antiviral Immunity. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2021; 8:2002484. [PMID: 33511009 PMCID: PMC7816709 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202002484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Innate antiviral immunity is the first line of host defense against invading viral pathogens. Immunity activation primarily relies on the recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). Viral proteins or nucleic acids mainly engage three classes of PRRs: Toll-like receptors (TLRs), retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I)-like receptors (RLRs), and DNA sensor cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) synthase (cGAS). These receptors initiate a series of signaling cascades that lead to the production of proinflammatory cytokines and type I interferon (IFN-I) in response to viral infection. This system requires precise regulation to avoid aberrant activation. Emerging evidence has unveiled the crucial roles that the ubiquitin system, especially deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs), play in controlling immune responses. In this review, an overview of the most current findings on the function of DUBs in the innate antiviral immune pathways is provided. Insights into the role of viral DUBs in counteracting host immune responses are also provided. Furthermore, the prospects and challenges of utilizing DUBs as therapeutic targets for infectious diseases are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi Zong
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic SurgeryThe First Affiliated HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhou310003P. R. China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling NetworkLife Sciences InstituteZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310058P. R. China
| | - Zhengkui Zhang
- Institute of Biology and Medical ScienceSoochow UniversitySuzhou215123P. R. China
| | - Liming Wu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic SurgeryThe First Affiliated HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhou310003P. R. China
| | - Long Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic SurgeryThe First Affiliated HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhou310003P. R. China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling NetworkLife Sciences InstituteZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310058P. R. China
| | - Fangfang Zhou
- Institute of Biology and Medical ScienceSoochow UniversitySuzhou215123P. R. China
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45
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Role of Host-Mediated Post-Translational Modifications (PTMs) in RNA Virus Pathogenesis. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 22:ijms22010323. [PMID: 33396899 PMCID: PMC7796338 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22010323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Being opportunistic intracellular pathogens, viruses are dependent on the host for their replication. They hijack host cellular machinery for their replication and survival by targeting crucial cellular physiological pathways, including transcription, translation, immune pathways, and apoptosis. Immediately after translation, the host and viral proteins undergo a process called post-translational modification (PTM). PTMs of proteins involves the attachment of small proteins, carbohydrates/lipids, or chemical groups to the proteins and are crucial for the proteins’ functioning. During viral infection, host proteins utilize PTMs to control the virus replication, using strategies like activating immune response pathways, inhibiting viral protein synthesis, and ultimately eliminating the virus from the host. PTM of viral proteins increases solubility, enhances antigenicity and virulence properties. However, RNA viruses are devoid of enzymes capable of introducing PTMs to their proteins. Hence, they utilize the host PTM machinery to promote their survival. Proteins from viruses belonging to the family: Togaviridae, Flaviviridae, Retroviridae, and Coronaviridae such as chikungunya, dengue, zika, HIV, and coronavirus are a few that are well-known to be modified. This review discusses various host and virus-mediated PTMs that play a role in the outcome during the infection.
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46
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Patel A, Treffers EE, Meier M, Patel TR, Stetefeld J, Snijder EJ, Mark BL. Molecular characterization of the RNA-protein complex directing -2/-1 programmed ribosomal frameshifting during arterivirus replicase expression. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:17904-17921. [PMID: 33127640 PMCID: PMC7939443 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.016105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Programmed ribosomal frameshifting (PRF) is a mechanism used by arteriviruses like porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) to generate multiple proteins from overlapping reading frames within its RNA genome. PRRSV employs -1 PRF directed by RNA secondary and tertiary structures within its viral genome (canonical PRF), as well as a noncanonical -1 and -2 PRF that are stimulated by the interactions of PRRSV nonstructural protein 1β (nsp1β) and host protein poly(C)-binding protein (PCBP) 1 or 2 with the viral genome. Together, nsp1β and one of the PCBPs act as transactivators that bind a C-rich motif near the shift site to stimulate -1 and -2 PRF, thereby enabling the ribosome to generate two frameshift products that are implicated in viral immune evasion. How nsp1β and PCBP associate with the viral RNA genome remains unclear. Here, we describe the purification of the nsp1β:PCBP2:viral RNA complex on a scale sufficient for structural analysis using small-angle X-ray scattering and stochiometric analysis by analytical ultracentrifugation. The proteins associate with the RNA C-rich motif as a 1:1:1 complex. The monomeric form of nsp1β within the complex differs from previously reported homodimer identified by X-ray crystallography. Functional analysis of the complex via mutational analysis combined with RNA-binding assays and cell-based frameshifting reporter assays reveal a number of key residues within nsp1β and PCBP2 that are involved in complex formation and function. Our results suggest that nsp1β and PCBP2 both interact directly with viral RNA during formation of the complex to coordinate this unusual PRF mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankoor Patel
- Department of Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Emmely E Treffers
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Markus Meier
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Trushar R Patel
- Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jörg Stetefeld
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Eric J Snijder
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Brian L Mark
- Department of Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
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Pitsillou E, Liang J, Ververis K, Lim KW, Hung A, Karagiannis TC. Identification of Small Molecule Inhibitors of the Deubiquitinating Activity of the SARS-CoV-2 Papain-Like Protease: in silico Molecular Docking Studies and in vitro Enzymatic Activity Assay. Front Chem 2020; 8:623971. [PMID: 33364229 PMCID: PMC7753156 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2020.623971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 is an ongoing pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus with important political, socio-economic, and public health consequences. Inhibiting replication represents an important antiviral approach, and in this context two viral proteases, the SARS-CoV-2 main and papain-like proteases (PLpro), which cleave pp1a and pp1ab polypeptides, are critical. Along with protease activity, the PLpro possesses deubiquitinating activity, which is important in immune regulation. Naphthalene-based inhibitors, such as the well-investigated GRL-0617 compound, have been shown to possess dual effects, inhibiting both protease and deubiquitinating activity of the PLpro. Rather than binding to the canonical catalytic triad, these type of non-covalent inhibitors target an adjacent pocket, the naphthalene-inhibitor binding site. Using a high-throughput screen, we have previously identified the dietary hypericin, rutin, and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside compounds as potential protease inhibitors targeting the naphthalene-inhibitor binding site. Here, our aim was to investigate the binding characteristics of these compounds to the PLpro, and to evaluate deubiquitinating activity, by analyzing seven different PLpro crystal structures. Molecular docking highlighted the relatively high affinity of GRL-0617 and dietary compounds. In contrast binding of the small molecules was abolished in the presence of ubiquitin in the palm subdomain of the PLpro. Further, docking the small molecules in the naphthalene-inhibitor binding site, followed by protein-protein docking revealed displacement of ubiquitin in a conformation inconsistent with functional activity. Finally, the deubiquitinating activity was validated in vitro using an enzymatic activity assay. The findings indicated that the dietary compounds inhibited deubiquitinase activity in the micromolar range with an order of activity of GRL-0167, hypericin >> rutin, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside > epigallocatechin gallate, epicatechin gallate, and cefotaxime. Our findings are in accordance with mechanisms and potential antiviral effects of the naphthalene-based, GRL-0617 inhibitor, which is currently progressing in preclinical trials. Further, our findings indicate that in particular hypericin, rutin, and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, represent suitable candidates for subsequent evaluation as PLpro inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni Pitsillou
- Epigenomic Medicine, Department of Diabetes, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- School of Science, College of Science, Engineering and Health, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Julia Liang
- Epigenomic Medicine, Department of Diabetes, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- School of Science, College of Science, Engineering and Health, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Katherine Ververis
- Epigenomic Medicine, Department of Diabetes, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Kah Wai Lim
- Epigenomic Medicine, Department of Diabetes, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Andrew Hung
- School of Science, College of Science, Engineering and Health, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Tom C. Karagiannis
- Epigenomic Medicine, Department of Diabetes, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Clinical Pathology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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48
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Harrison AG, Lin T, Wang P. Mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission and Pathogenesis. Trends Immunol 2020; 41:1100-1115. [PMID: 33132005 PMCID: PMC7556779 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2020.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 650] [Impact Index Per Article: 162.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) marks the third highly pathogenic coronavirus to spill over into the human population. SARS-CoV-2 is highly transmissible with a broad tissue tropism that is likely perpetuating the pandemic. However, important questions remain regarding its transmissibility and pathogenesis. In this review, we summarize current SARS-CoV-2 research, with an emphasis on transmission, tissue tropism, viral pathogenesis, and immune antagonism. We further present advances in animal models that are important for understanding the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2, vaccine development, and therapeutic testing. When necessary, comparisons are made from studies with SARS to provide further perspectives on coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19), as well as draw inferences for future investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew G Harrison
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
| | - Tao Lin
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
| | - Penghua Wang
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, USA.
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Abstract
Many research teams all over the world focus their research on the SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus that causes the so-called COVID-19 disease. Most of the studies identify the main protease or 3C-like protease (Mpro/3CLpro) as a valid target for large-spectrum inhibitors. Also, the interaction of the human receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) with the viral surface glycoprotein (S) is studied in depth. Structural studies tried to identify the residues responsible for enhancement/weaken virus-ACE2 interactions or the cross-reactivity of the neutralizing antibodies. Although the understanding of the immune system and the hyper-inflammatory process in COVID-19 are crucial for managing the immediate and the long-term consequences of the disease, not many X-ray/NMR/cryo-EM crystals are available. In addition to 3CLpro, the crystal structures of other nonstructural proteins offer valuable information for elucidating some aspects of the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Thus, the structural analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 is currently mainly focused on three directions-finding Mpro/3CLpro inhibitors, the virus-host cell invasion, and the virus-neutralizing antibody interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mihaela Ileana Ionescu
- Department of Microbiology, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 6 Louis Pasteur, 400349, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
- Department of Microbiology, County Emergency Clinical Hospital, 400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
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50
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Liu XH, Zhang X, Lu ZH, Zhu YS, Wang T. Potential molecular targets of nonstructural proteins for the development of antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Biomed Pharmacother 2020; 133:111035. [PMID: 33254013 PMCID: PMC7671653 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2020.111035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 has posed significant threats to public health worldwide. Target-based drug development is a promising approach against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nonstructural proteins may play critical roles from drug design perspectives. Insights into NSPs of different viruses could streamline novel drug development.
Outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and SARS-CoV-2 have produced high pathogenicity and mortality rates in human populations. However, to meet the increasing demand for treatment of these pathogenic coronaviruses, accelerating novel antiviral drug development as much as possible has become a public concern. Target-based drug development may be a promising approach to achieve this goal. In this review, the relevant features of potential molecular targets in human coronaviruses (HCoVs) are highlighted, including the viral protease, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and methyltransferases. Additionally, recent advances in the development of antivirals based on these targets are summarized. This review is expected to provide new insights and potential strategies for the development of novel antiviral drugs to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Huan Liu
- School of Biological Science, Jining Medical University, Jining, China
| | - Xiao Zhang
- School of Biological Science, Jining Medical University, Jining, China
| | - Zhen-Hua Lu
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - You-Shuang Zhu
- School of Biological Science, Jining Medical University, Jining, China
| | - Tao Wang
- School of Biological Science, Jining Medical University, Jining, China.
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