1
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Deng J, Yang S, Li Y, Tan X, Liu J, Yu Y, Ding Q, Fan C, Wang H, Chen X, Liu Q, Guo X, Gong F, Zhou L, Chen Y. Natural evidence of coronaviral 2'-O-methyltransferase activity affecting viral pathogenesis via improved substrate RNA binding. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2024; 9:140. [PMID: 38811528 PMCID: PMC11137015 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-024-01860-x] [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: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Previous studies through targeted mutagenesis of K-D-K-E motif have demonstrated that 2'-O-MTase activity is essential for efficient viral replication and immune evasion. However, the K-D-K-E catalytic motif of 2'-O-MTase is highly conserved across numerous viruses, including flaviviruses, vaccinia viruses, coronaviruses, and extends even to mammals. Here, we observed a stronger 2'-O-MTase activity in SARS-CoV-2 compared to SARS-CoV, despite the presence of a consistently active catalytic center. We further identified critical residues (Leu-36, Asn-138 and Ile-153) which served as determinants of discrepancy in 2'-O-MTase activity between SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV. These residues significantly enhanced the RNA binding affinity of 2'-O-MTase and boosted its versatility toward RNA substrates. Of interest, a triple substitution (Leu36 → Ile36, Asn138 → His138, Ile153 → Leu153, from SARS-CoV-2 to SARS-CoV) within nsp16 resulted in a proportional reduction in viral 2'-O-methylation and impaired viral replication. Furthermore, it led to a significant upregulation of type I interferon (IFN-I) and proinflammatory cytokines both in vitro and vivo, relying on the cooperative sensing of melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5) and laboratory of genetics and physiology 2 (LGP2). In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that alterations in residues other than K-D-K-E of 2'-O-MTase may affect viral replication and subsequently influence pathogenesis. Monitoring changes in nsp16 residues is crucial as it may aid in identifying and assessing future alteration in viral pathogenicity resulting from natural mutations occurring in nsp16.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jikai Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences and Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Shimin Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences and Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yingjian Li
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences and Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xue Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences and Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiejie Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences and Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yanying Yu
- School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Qiang Ding
- School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Chengpeng Fan
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Hongyun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences and Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xianyin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences and Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Qianyun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences and Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiao Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences and Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Feiyu Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences and Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Li Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences and Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Animal Bio-Safety Level III Laboratory/Institute for Vaccine Research, Wuhan University School of Medicine, Wuhan, China
| | - Yu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences and Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
- Animal Bio-Safety Level III Laboratory/Institute for Vaccine Research, Wuhan University School of Medicine, Wuhan, China.
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2
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Wu K, Guo Y, Xu T, Huang W, Guo D, Cao L, Lei J. Structure-Based Virtual Screening for Methyltransferase Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 and nsp16. Molecules 2024; 29:2312. [PMID: 38792173 PMCID: PMC11124212 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29102312] [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: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 04/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic still threatens human health around the world. The methyltransferases (MTases) of SARS-CoV-2, specifically nsp14 and nsp16, play crucial roles in the methylation of the N7 and 2'-O positions of viral RNA, making them promising targets for the development of antiviral drugs. In this work, we performed structure-based virtual screening for nsp14 and nsp16 using the screening workflow (HTVS, SP, XP) of Schrödinger 2019 software, and we carried out biochemical assays and molecular dynamics simulation for the identification of potential MTase inhibitors. For nsp14, we screened 239,000 molecules, leading to the identification of three hits A1-A3 showing N7-MTase inhibition rates greater than 60% under a concentration of 50 µM. For the SAM binding and nsp10-16 interface sites of nsp16, the screening of 210,000 and 237,000 molecules, respectively, from ZINC15 led to the discovery of three hit compounds B1-B3 exhibiting more than 45% of 2'-O-MTase inhibition under 50 µM. These six compounds with moderate MTase inhibitory activities could be used as novel candidates for the further development of anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kejue Wu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China; (K.W.); (Y.G.); (W.H.)
| | - Yinfeng Guo
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China; (K.W.); (Y.G.); (W.H.)
| | - Tiefeng Xu
- Centre for Infection and Immunity Studies (CIIS), School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China (D.G.); (L.C.)
| | - Weifeng Huang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China; (K.W.); (Y.G.); (W.H.)
| | - Deyin Guo
- Centre for Infection and Immunity Studies (CIIS), School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China (D.G.); (L.C.)
- Guangzhou Laboratory, Bio-Island, Guangzhou 510320, China
| | - Liu Cao
- Centre for Infection and Immunity Studies (CIIS), School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China (D.G.); (L.C.)
| | - Jinping Lei
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China; (K.W.); (Y.G.); (W.H.)
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3
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Ho WY, Shen ZH, Chen Y, Chen TH, Lu X, Fu YS. Therapeutic implications of quercetin and its derived-products in COVID-19 protection and prophylactic. Heliyon 2024; 10:e30080. [PMID: 38765079 PMCID: PMC11098804 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30080] [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: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel human coronavirus, which has triggered a global pandemic of the coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19). Outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases continue to challenge human health worldwide. The virus conquers human cells through the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor-driven pathway by mostly targeting the human respiratory tract. Quercetin is a natural flavonoid widely represented in the plant kingdom. Cumulative evidence has demonstrated that quercetin and its derivatives have various pharmacological properties including anti-cancer, anti-hypertension, anti-hyperlipidemia, anti-hyperglycemia, anti-microbial, antiviral, neuroprotective, and cardio-protective effects, because it is a potential treatment for severe inflammation and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Furthermore, it is the main life-threatening condition in patients with COVID-19. This article provides a comprehensive review of the primary literature on the predictable effectiveness of quercetin and its derivatives docked to multi-target of SARS-CoV-2 and host cells via in silico and some of validation through in vitro, in vivo, and clinically to fight SARS-CoV-2 infections, contribute to the reduction of inflammation, which suggests the preventive and therapeutic latency of quercetin and its derived-products against COVID-19 pandemic, multisystem inflammatory syndromes (MIS), and long-COVID.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wan-Yi Ho
- Department of Anatomy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Zi-Han Shen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen, 361023, Fujian, China
| | - Yijing Chen
- Department of Dentisty, Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen, 361023, Fujian, China
| | - Ting-Hsu Chen
- Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10051, Taiwan
| | - XiaoLin Lu
- Anatomy Section, Department of Basic Medical Science, Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen, 361023, Fujian, China
| | - Yaw-Syan Fu
- Institute of Respiratory Disease, Department of Basic Medical Science, Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen, 361023, Fujian, China
- Anatomy Section, Department of Basic Medical Science, Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen, 361023, Fujian, China
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4
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Thomas J, Ghosh A, Ranjan S, Satija J. Cheminformatics approach to identify andrographolide derivatives as dual inhibitors of methyltransferases (nsp14 and nsp16) of SARS-CoV-2. Sci Rep 2024; 14:9801. [PMID: 38684706 PMCID: PMC11058777 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58532-7] [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: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The Covid-19 pandemic outbreak has accelerated tremendous efforts to discover a therapeutic strategy that targets severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to control viral infection. Various viral proteins have been identified as potential drug targets, however, to date, no specific therapeutic cure is available against the SARS-CoV-2. To address this issue, the present work reports a systematic cheminformatic approach to identify the potent andrographolide derivatives that can target methyltransferases of SARS-CoV-2, i.e. nsp14 and nsp16 which are crucial for the replication of the virus and host immune evasion. A consensus of cheminformatics methodologies including virtual screening, molecular docking, ADMET profiling, molecular dynamics simulations, free-energy landscape analysis, molecular mechanics generalized born surface area (MM-GBSA), and density functional theory (DFT) was utilized. Our study reveals two new andrographolide derivatives (PubChem CID: 2734589 and 138968421) as natural bioactive molecules that can form stable complexes with both proteins via hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonds and electrostatic interactions. The toxicity analysis predicts class four toxicity for both compounds with LD50 value in the range of 500-700 mg/kg. MD simulation reveals the stable formation of the complex for both the compounds and their average trajectory values were found to be lower than the control inhibitor and protein alone. MMGBSA analysis corroborates the MD simulation result and showed the lowest energy for the compounds 2734589 and 138968421. The DFT and MEP analysis also predicts the better reactivity and stability of both the hit compounds. Overall, both andrographolide derivatives exhibit good potential as potent inhibitors for both nsp14 and nsp16 proteins, however, in-vitro and in vivo assessment would be required to prove their efficacy and safety in clinical settings. Moreover, the drug discovery strategy aiming at the dual target approach might serve as a useful model for inventing novel drug molecules for various other diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jobin Thomas
- Centre for Nanobiotechnology (CNBT), Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632014, India
| | - Anupam Ghosh
- NanoBio Research Lab, School of Nano Science and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, 721301, India
| | - Shivendu Ranjan
- NanoBio Research Lab, School of Nano Science and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, 721301, India
| | - Jitendra Satija
- Centre for Nanobiotechnology (CNBT), Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632014, India.
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5
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Trepte P, Secker C, Olivet J, Blavier J, Kostova S, Maseko SB, Minia I, Silva Ramos E, Cassonnet P, Golusik S, Zenkner M, Beetz S, Liebich MJ, Scharek N, Schütz A, Sperling M, Lisurek M, Wang Y, Spirohn K, Hao T, Calderwood MA, Hill DE, Landthaler M, Choi SG, Twizere JC, Vidal M, Wanker EE. AI-guided pipeline for protein-protein interaction drug discovery identifies a SARS-CoV-2 inhibitor. Mol Syst Biol 2024; 20:428-457. [PMID: 38467836 PMCID: PMC10987651 DOI: 10.1038/s44320-024-00019-8] [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: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) offer great opportunities to expand the druggable proteome and therapeutically tackle various diseases, but remain challenging targets for drug discovery. Here, we provide a comprehensive pipeline that combines experimental and computational tools to identify and validate PPI targets and perform early-stage drug discovery. We have developed a machine learning approach that prioritizes interactions by analyzing quantitative data from binary PPI assays or AlphaFold-Multimer predictions. Using the quantitative assay LuTHy together with our machine learning algorithm, we identified high-confidence interactions among SARS-CoV-2 proteins for which we predicted three-dimensional structures using AlphaFold-Multimer. We employed VirtualFlow to target the contact interface of the NSP10-NSP16 SARS-CoV-2 methyltransferase complex by ultra-large virtual drug screening. Thereby, we identified a compound that binds to NSP10 and inhibits its interaction with NSP16, while also disrupting the methyltransferase activity of the complex, and SARS-CoV-2 replication. Overall, this pipeline will help to prioritize PPI targets to accelerate the discovery of early-stage drug candidates targeting protein complexes and pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Trepte
- Proteomics and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany.
- Brain Development and Disease, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Christopher Secker
- Proteomics and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany.
- Zuse Institute Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Julien Olivet
- Laboratory of Viral Interactomes, Interdisciplinary Cluster for Applied Genoproteomics (GIGA)-Molecular Biology of Diseases, University of Liège, 4000, Liège, Belgium
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Structural Biology Unit, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jeremy Blavier
- Laboratory of Viral Interactomes, Interdisciplinary Cluster for Applied Genoproteomics (GIGA)-Molecular Biology of Diseases, University of Liège, 4000, Liège, Belgium
| | - Simona Kostova
- Proteomics and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sibusiso B Maseko
- Laboratory of Viral Interactomes, Interdisciplinary Cluster for Applied Genoproteomics (GIGA)-Molecular Biology of Diseases, University of Liège, 4000, Liège, Belgium
| | - Igor Minia
- RNA Biology and Posttranscriptional Regulation, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Eduardo Silva Ramos
- Proteomics and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Patricia Cassonnet
- Département de Virologie, Unité de Génétique Moléculaire des Virus à ARN (GMVR), Institut Pasteur, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Sabrina Golusik
- Proteomics and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martina Zenkner
- Proteomics and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephanie Beetz
- Proteomics and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mara J Liebich
- Proteomics and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nadine Scharek
- Proteomics and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anja Schütz
- Protein Production & Characterization, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marcel Sperling
- Multifunctional Colloids and Coating, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP), 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Michael Lisurek
- Structural Chemistry and Computational Biophysics, Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP), 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Yang Wang
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Kerstin Spirohn
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Tong Hao
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Michael A Calderwood
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - David E Hill
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Markus Landthaler
- RNA Biology and Posttranscriptional Regulation, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, 13125, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Soon Gang Choi
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
| | - Jean-Claude Twizere
- Laboratory of Viral Interactomes, Interdisciplinary Cluster for Applied Genoproteomics (GIGA)-Molecular Biology of Diseases, University of Liège, 4000, Liège, Belgium.
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
- TERRA Teaching and Research Center, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, 5030, Gembloux, Belgium.
- Laboratory of Algal Synthetic and Systems Biology, Division of Science and Math, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
| | - Marc Vidal
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Erich E Wanker
- Proteomics and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany.
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Hanna G, Benjamin MM, Choo YM, De R, Schinazi RF, Nielson SE, Hevel JM, Hamann MT. Informatics and Computational Approaches for the Discovery and Optimization of Natural Product-Inspired Inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 2'- O-Methyltransferase. JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS 2024; 87:217-227. [PMID: 38242544 PMCID: PMC10898454 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.3c00875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
The urgent need for new classes of orally available, safe, and effective antivirals─covering a breadth of emerging viruses─is evidenced by the loss of life and economic challenges created by the HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 pandemics. As frontline interventions, small-molecule antivirals can be deployed prophylactically or postinfection to control the initial spread of outbreaks by reducing transmissibility and symptom severity. Natural products have an impressive track record of success as prototypic antivirals and continue to provide new drugs through synthesis, medicinal chemistry, and optimization decades after discovery. Here, we demonstrate an approach using computational analysis typically used for rational drug design to identify and develop natural product-inspired antivirals. This was done with the goal of identifying natural product prototypes to aid the effort of progressing toward safe, effective, and affordable broad-spectrum inhibitors of Betacoronavirus replication by targeting the highly conserved RNA 2'-O-methyltransferase (2'-O-MTase). Machaeriols RS-1 (7) and RS-2 (8) were identified using a previously outlined informatics approach to first screen for natural product prototypes, followed by in silico-guided synthesis. Both molecules are based on a rare natural product group. The machaeriols (3-6), isolated from the genus Machaerium, endemic to Amazonia, inhibited the SARS-CoV-2 2'-O-MTase more potently than the positive control, Sinefungin (2), and in silico modeling suggests distinct molecular interactions. This report highlights the potential of computationally driven screening to leverage natural product libraries and improve the efficiency of isolation or synthetic analog development.
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Affiliation(s)
- George
S. Hanna
- Department
of Drug Discovery, Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, United States
| | - Menny M. Benjamin
- Department
of Drug Discovery, Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, United States
| | - Yeun-Mun Choo
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Ramyani De
- Center
for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology,
Department of Pediatrics, Emory University
School of Medicine, 1760 Haygood Drive, NE Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
| | - Raymond F. Schinazi
- Center
for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology,
Department of Pediatrics, Emory University
School of Medicine, 1760 Haygood Drive, NE Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
| | - Sarah E. Nielson
- Department
of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Utah State
University, Logan, Utah 84322, United States
| | - Joan M. Hevel
- Department
of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Utah State
University, Logan, Utah 84322, United States
| | - Mark T. Hamann
- Department
of Drug Discovery, Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, United States
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7
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Ahmed-Belkacem R, Sutto-Ortiz P, Delpal A, Troussier J, Canard B, Vasseur JJ, Decroly E, Debart F. 5'-cap RNA/SAM mimetic conjugates as bisubstrate inhibitors of viral RNA cap 2'-O-methyltransferases. Bioorg Chem 2024; 143:107035. [PMID: 38199140 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.107035] [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: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Viral RNA cap 2'-O-methyltransferases are considered promising therapeutic targets for antiviral treatments, as they play a key role in the formation of viral RNA cap-1 structures to escape the host immune system. A better understanding of how they interact with their natural substrates (RNA and the methyl donor SAM) would enable the rational development of potent inhibitors. However, as few structures of 2'-O-MTases in complex with RNA have been described, little is known about substrate recognition by these MTases. For this, chemical tools mimicking the state in which the cap RNA substrate and SAM cofactor are bound in the enzyme's catalytic pocket may prove useful. In this work, we designed and synthesized over 30 RNA conjugates that contain a short oligoribonucleotide (ORN with 4 or 6 nucleotides) with the first nucleotide 2'-O-attached to an adenosine by linkers of different lengths and containing S or N-heteroatoms, or a 1,2,3-triazole ring. These ORN conjugates bearing or not a cap structure at 5'-extremity mimic the methylation transition state with RNA substrate/SAM complex as bisubstrates of 2'-O-MTases. The ORN conjugates were synthesized either by the incorporation of a dinucleoside phosphoramidite during RNA elongation or by click chemistry performed on solid-phase post-RNA elongation. Their ability to inhibit the activity of the nsp16/nsp10 complex of SARS-CoV-2 and the NS5 protein of dengue and Zika viruses was assessed. Significant submicromolar IC50 values and Kd values in the µM range were found, suggesting a possible interaction of some ORN conjugates with these viral 2'-O-MTases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Adrien Delpal
- AFMB, University of Aix-Marseille, CNRS, Marseille, France
| | - Joris Troussier
- IBMM, University of Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
| | - Bruno Canard
- AFMB, University of Aix-Marseille, CNRS, Marseille, France
| | | | | | - Françoise Debart
- IBMM, University of Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France.
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8
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Thomas J, Kumar S, Satija J. Integrated molecular and quantum mechanical approach to identify novel potent natural bioactive compound against 2'-O-methyltransferase (nsp16) of SARS-CoV-2. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024; 42:1999-2012. [PMID: 37129206 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2206287] [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: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
With the advent of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak, efforts are still in progress to find out a functional cure for the infection. Among the various protein targets, nsp16 capping protein is one of the vital targets for drug development as it protects the virus against the host cell nucleases and evading innate immunity. The nsp16 protein forms a heterodimer with a co-factor nsp10 and triggers 2'-O-methyltransferase activity which catalyzes the conversion of S-adenosyl methionine into S-adenosyl homocysteine. The free methyl group is transferred to the 2'-O position on ribose sugar at the 5' end of mRNA to form the cap-1 structure which is essential for replication of the virus and evading the innate immunity of the host. In this study, we identify a potential lead natural bioactive compound against nsp16 protein by systematic cheminformatic analysis of more than 144k natural compounds. Virtual screening, molecular docking interactions, ADMET profiling, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, molecular mechanics-generalized born surface area (MM-GBSA), free energy analysis and density functional theory analysis were used to discover the potential lead compound. Our investigation revealed that ZINC8952607 (methyl-[(6-methyl-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-carbazol-1-yl)aminomethyl]BLAHone) has the greatest binding affinity and best pharmacokinetic parameters due to presence of carbazol and BLAHone (biaryl moiety). Further, time-dependent MD simulation analysis substantiates the stability and rigidness of nsp16 protein even after interaction with the lead compound. We believe that the compound ZINC8952607 might establish as a novel natural drug candidate against CoVID-19 infection.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jobin Thomas
- Centre for Nanobiotechnology (CNBT), Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Sanjit Kumar
- Centre for Bio-Separation and Technology (CBST), Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Jitendra Satija
- Centre for Nanobiotechnology (CNBT), Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
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9
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Tsukamoto Y, Igarashi M, Kato H. Targeting cap1 RNA methyltransferases as an antiviral strategy. Cell Chem Biol 2024; 31:86-99. [PMID: 38091983 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2023.11.011] [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: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
Methylation is one of the critical modifications that regulates numerous biological processes. Guanine capping and methylation at the 7th position (m7G) have been shown to mature mRNA for increased RNA stability and translational efficiency. The m7G capped cap0 RNA remains immature and requires additional methylation at the first nucleotide (N1-2'-O-Me), designated as cap1, to achieve full maturation. This cap1 RNA with N1-2'-O-Me prevents its recognition by innate immune sensors as non-self. Viruses have also evolved various strategies to produce self-like capped RNAs with the N1-2'-O-Me that potentially evades the antiviral response and establishes an efficient replication. In this review, we focus on the importance of the presence of N1-2'-O-Me in viral RNAs and discuss the potential for drug development by targeting host and viral N1-2'-O-methyltransferases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuta Tsukamoto
- Institute of Cardiovascular Immunology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Manabu Igarashi
- Division of Global Epidemiology, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan; International Collaboration Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Hiroki Kato
- Institute of Cardiovascular Immunology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
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10
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Borba JRBDM, de Araújo LP, Veloso MP, da Silveira NJF. Applying the bioisosterism strategy to obtain lead compounds against SARS-CoV-2 cysteine proteases: An in-silico approach. J Comput Chem 2024; 45:35-46. [PMID: 37641955 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.27217] [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: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 cysteine proteases are essential nonstructural proteins due to their role in the formation of the virus multiple enzyme replication-transcription complex. As a result, those functional proteins are extremely relevant targets in the development of a new drug candidate to fight COVID-19. Based on this fact and guided by the bioisosterism strategy, the present work has selected 126 out of 1050 ligands from DrugBank website. Subsequently, 831 chemical analogs containing bioisosteres, some of which became structurally simplified, were created using the MB-Isoster software, and molecular docking simulations were performed using AutoDock Vina. Finally, a study of physicochemical properties, along with pharmacokinetic profiles, was carried out through SwissADME and ADMETlab 2.0 platforms. The promising results obtained with the molecules encoded as DB00549_BI_005, DB04868_BI_003, DB11984_BI_002, DB12364_BI_006 and DB12805_BI_004 must be confirmed by molecular dynamics studies, followed by in vitro and in vivo empirical tests that ratify the advocated in-silico results.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Ricardo Bueno de Morais Borba
- João Ricardo Bueno de Morais Borba, Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Computer Simulation - MolMod-CS, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Alfenas - UNIFAL-MG, Alfenas, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Pereira de Araújo
- Leonardo Pereira de Araújo, Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Computer Simulation - MolMod-CS, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Alfenas - UNIFAL-MG, Alfenas, Brazil
| | - Marcia Paranho Veloso
- Marcia Paranho Veloso, Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Computer Simulation - MolMod-CS, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Alfenas - UNIFAL-MG, Alfenas, Brazil
| | - Nelson José Freitas da Silveira
- Nelson José Freitas da Silveira, Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Computer Simulation - MolMod-CS, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Alfenas - UNIFAL-MG, Alfenas, Brazil
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11
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Wang H, Rizvi SRA, Dong D, Lou J, Wang Q, Sopipong W, Su Y, Najar F, Agarwal PK, Kozielski F, Haider S. Emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 NSP10 highlight strong functional conservation of its binding to two non-structural proteins, NSP14 and NSP16. eLife 2023; 12:RP87884. [PMID: 38127066 PMCID: PMC10735223 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87884] [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] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 protects its RNA from being recognized by host immune responses by methylation of its 5' end, also known as capping. This process is carried out by two enzymes, non-structural protein 16 (NSP16) containing 2'-O-methyltransferase and NSP14 through its N7 methyltransferase activity, which are essential for the replication of the viral genome as well as evading the host's innate immunity. NSP10 acts as a crucial cofactor and stimulator of NSP14 and NSP16. To further understand the role of NSP10, we carried out a comprehensive analysis of >13 million globally collected whole-genome sequences (WGS) of SARS-CoV-2 obtained from the Global Initiative Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) and compared it with the reference genome Wuhan/WIV04/2019 to identify all currently known variants in NSP10. T12I, T102I, and A104V in NSP10 have been identified as the three most frequent variants and characterized using X-ray crystallography, biophysical assays, and enhanced sampling simulations. In contrast to other proteins such as spike and NSP6, NSP10 is significantly less prone to mutation due to its crucial role in replication. The functional effects of the variants were examined for their impact on the binding affinity and stability of both NSP14-NSP10 and NSP16-NSP10 complexes. These results highlight the limited changes induced by variant evolution in NSP10 and reflect on the critical roles NSP10 plays during the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle. These results also indicate that there is limited capacity for the virus to overcome inhibitors targeting NSP10 via the generation of variants in inhibitor binding pockets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Syed RA Rizvi
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Danni Dong
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Jiaqi Lou
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Qian Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Watanyoo Sopipong
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Yufeng Su
- College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences, Brunel University LondonUxbridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Fares Najar
- High-Performance Computing Center, Oklahoma State UniversityStillwaterUnited States
| | - Pratul K Agarwal
- High-Performance Computing Center, Oklahoma State UniversityStillwaterUnited States
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Oklahoma State UniversityStillwaterUnited States
| | - Frank Kozielski
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Shozeb Haider
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- UCL Centre for Advanced Research Computing, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
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12
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Wang X, Chang Z, Zhao T, Zhong W, Shi J, Wang G, Xu X. The role of post-transcriptional regulation in SARS-CoV-2 infection and pathogenicity. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1256574. [PMID: 38035086 PMCID: PMC10684767 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1256574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus has had a significant impact on global social and economic stability. To combat this, researchers have turned to omics approaches, particularly epitranscriptomics, to limit infection and develop effective therapeutic strategies. Multi-omics can provide the host response dynamics during multiple disease phases to reveal the molecular and cellular landscapes. Epitranscriptomics focuses on the mechanisms of gene transcription in cells and tissues and the relationship between genetic material and epigenetic regulation. This review highlights the role of post-transcriptional regulation in SARS-CoV-2, which affect various processes such as virus infection, replication, immunogenicity, and pathogenicity. The review also explains the formation mechanism of post-transcriptional modifications and how they can be regulated to combat viral infection and pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Guoqing Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathobiology Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences/China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Xuesong Xu
- Key Laboratory of Pathobiology Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences/China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, China
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13
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Schindewolf C, Menachery VD. Coronavirus 2'-O-methyltransferase: A promising therapeutic target. Virus Res 2023; 336:199211. [PMID: 37634741 PMCID: PMC10485632 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2023.199211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Coronaviruses (CoVs) have been the source of multiple epidemics and a global pandemic since the start of century, and there is an urgent need to understand CoV biology and develop better therapeutics. Here, we review the role of NSP16 in CoV replication, specifically its importance to 2'-O-methylation and CoV RNA capping. We describe the attenuation phenotypes of NSP16-mutant CoVs, the roles of MDA5 and IFITs in sensing and antagonizing viral RNA lacking 2'O methylation, and the dependence on 2'-O-methylation in other virus families. We also detail the growing body of research into targeting 2'-O-methylation for therapeutics or as a platform for live attenuated vaccines. Beyond its role in RNA capping, NSP16 may have yet uncharacterized importance to CoV replication, highlighting the need for continued studies into NSP16 functions. Understanding the full contribution of NSP16 to the replicative fitness of CoVs will better inform the development of treatments against future CoV outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig Schindewolf
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA; Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Vineet D Menachery
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA; Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA; World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
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14
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Inniss NL, Kozic J, Li F, Rosas-Lemus M, Minasov G, Rybáček J, Zhu Y, Pohl R, Shuvalova L, Rulíšek L, Brunzelle JS, Bednárová L, Štefek M, Kormaník JM, Andris E, Šebestík J, Li ASM, Brown PJ, Schmitz U, Saikatendu K, Chang E, Nencka R, Vedadi M, Satchell KJ. Discovery of a Druggable, Cryptic Pocket in SARS-CoV-2 nsp16 Using Allosteric Inhibitors. ACS Infect Dis 2023; 9:1918-1931. [PMID: 37728236 PMCID: PMC10961098 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00203] [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] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
A collaborative, open-science team undertook discovery of novel small molecule inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 nsp16-nsp10 2'-O-methyltransferase using a high throughput screening approach with the potential to reveal new inhibition strategies. This screen yielded compound 5a, a ligand possessing an electron-deficient double bond, as an inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 nsp16 activity. Surprisingly, X-ray crystal structures revealed that 5a covalently binds within a previously unrecognized cryptic pocket near the S-adenosylmethionine binding cleft in a manner that prevents occupation by S-adenosylmethionine. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we examined the mechanism of binding of compound 5a to the nsp16 cryptic pocket and developed 5a derivatives that inhibited nsp16 activity and murine hepatitis virus replication in rat lung epithelial cells but proved cytotoxic to cell lines canonically used to examine SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our study reveals the druggability of this newly discovered SARS-CoV-2 nsp16 cryptic pocket, provides novel tool compounds to explore the site, and suggests a new approach for discovery of nsp16 inhibition-based pan-coronavirus therapeutics through structure-guided drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole L. Inniss
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology and Center for Structural Biology of Infectious Diseases, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
| | - Ján Kozic
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 6, 160 00, Czech Republic
| | - Fengling Li
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Monica Rosas-Lemus
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology and Center for Structural Biology of Infectious Diseases, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
| | - George Minasov
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology and Center for Structural Biology of Infectious Diseases, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
| | - Jiří Rybáček
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 6, 160 00, Czech Republic
| | - Yingjie Zhu
- WuXi AppTec Co., Ltd, China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, Shanghai, 201308, China
| | - Radek Pohl
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 6, 160 00, Czech Republic
| | - Ludmilla Shuvalova
- Department of Pharmacology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
| | - Lubomír Rulíšek
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 6, 160 00, Czech Republic
| | - Joseph S. Brunzelle
- Northwestern Synchrotron Research Center, Life Sciences Collaborative Access Team, Northwestern University, Argonne, IL, 60439, United States
| | - Lucie Bednárová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 6, 160 00, Czech Republic
| | - Milan Štefek
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 6, 160 00, Czech Republic
| | - Ján Michael Kormaník
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 6, 160 00, Czech Republic
| | - Erik Andris
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 6, 160 00, Czech Republic
| | - Jaroslav Šebestík
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 6, 160 00, Czech Republic
| | - Alice Shi Ming Li
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada, and Drug Discovery Program, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A3, Canada
| | - Peter J. Brown
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Uli Schmitz
- Structural Chemistry, Gilead Pharmaceuticals, San Mateo, CA, 94404, United States
| | - Kumar Saikatendu
- Takeda Development Center Americas, Inc., San Diego, CA, 92121, United States
| | - Edcon Chang
- Takeda Development Center Americas, Inc., San Diego, CA, 92121, United States
| | - Radim Nencka
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 6, 160 00, Czech Republic
| | - Masoud Vedadi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada, and Drug Discovery Program, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A3, Canada
| | - Karla J.F. Satchell
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology and Center for Structural Biology of Infectious Diseases, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
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15
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Maiti P, Nand M, Mathpal S, Wahab S, Kuniyal JC, Sharma P, Joshi T, Ramakrishnan MA, Chandra S. Potent multi-target natural inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 from medicinal plants of the Himalaya: a discovery from hybrid machine learning, chemoinformatics, and simulation assisted screening. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023:1-14. [PMID: 37732349 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2257333] [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: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
The emergence and immune evasion ability of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strains, mainly BA.5.2 and BF.7 and other variants of concern have raised global apprehensions. With this context, the discovery of multitarget inhibitors may be proven more comprehensive paradigm than its one-drug-to-one target counterpart. In the current study, a library of 271 phytochemicals from 25 medicinal plants from the Indian Himalayan Region has been virtually screened against SARS-CoV-2 by targeting nine virus proteins, viz., papain-like protease, main protease, nsp12, helicase, nsp14, nsp15, nsp16, envelope, and nucleocapsid for screening of a multi-target inhibitor against the viral replication. Initially, 94 phytochemicals were screened by a hybrid machine learning model constructed by combining 6 confirmatory bioassays against SARS-CoV-2 replication using an instance-based learner lazy k-nearest neighbour classifier. Further, 25 screened compounds with excellent drug-like properties were subjected to molecular docking. The phytochemical Cepharadione A from the plant Piper longum showed binding potential against four proteins with the highest binding energy of -10.90 kcal/mol. The compound has acceptable absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity properties and exhibits stable binding behaviour in terms of root mean square deviation (0.068 ± 0.05 nm), root-mean-square fluctuation, hydrogen bonds, solvent accessible surface area (83.88-161.89 nm2), and molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area during molecular dynamics simulation of 200 ns with selected target proteins. Concerning the utility of natural compounds in the therapeutics formulation, Cepharadione A could be further investigated as a remarkable lead candidate for the development of therapeutic drugs against SARS-CoV-2.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Maiti
- G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (NIHE), Almora, India
| | - Mahesha Nand
- G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (NIHE), Almora, India
| | - Shalini Mathpal
- Department of Biotechnology, Kumaun University, Nainital, India
| | - Shadma Wahab
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Priyanka Sharma
- Department of Botany, D.S.B. Campus, Kumaun University, Nainital, India
| | - Tushar Joshi
- Department of Biotechnology, Kumaun University, Nainital, India
| | | | - Subhash Chandra
- Department of Botany, Soban Singh Jeena University, Almora, India
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16
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Justo Arevalo S, Castillo-Chávez A, Uribe Calampa CS, Zapata Sifuentes D, Huallpa CJ, Landa Bianchi G, Garavito-Salini Casas R, Quiñones Aguilar M, Pineda Chavarría R. What do we know about the function of SARS-CoV-2 proteins? Front Immunol 2023; 14:1249607. [PMID: 37790934 PMCID: PMC10544941 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1249607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance in the understanding of the biology of SARS-CoV-2. After more than two years since the first report of COVID-19, it remains crucial to continue studying how SARS-CoV-2 proteins interact with the host metabolism to cause COVID-19. In this review, we summarize the findings regarding the functions of the 16 non-structural, 6 accessory and 4 structural SARS-CoV-2 proteins. We place less emphasis on the spike protein, which has been the subject of several recent reviews. Furthermore, comprehensive reviews about COVID-19 therapeutic have been also published. Therefore, we do not delve into details on these topics; instead we direct the readers to those other reviews. To avoid confusions with what we know about proteins from other coronaviruses, we exclusively report findings that have been experimentally confirmed in SARS-CoV-2. We have identified host mechanisms that appear to be the primary targets of SARS-CoV-2 proteins, including gene expression and immune response pathways such as ribosome translation, JAK/STAT, RIG-1/MDA5 and NF-kβ pathways. Additionally, we emphasize the multiple functions exhibited by SARS-CoV-2 proteins, along with the limited information available for some of these proteins. Our aim with this review is to assist researchers and contribute to the ongoing comprehension of SARS-CoV-2's pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Justo Arevalo
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Ricardo Palma, Lima, Peru
- Departmento de Bioquimica, Instituto de Quimica, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Daniela Zapata Sifuentes
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Ricardo Palma, Lima, Peru
- Departmento de Bioquimica, Instituto de Quimica, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - César J. Huallpa
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Lima, Peru
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17
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Mihalič F, Benz C, Kassa E, Lindqvist R, Simonetti L, Inturi R, Aronsson H, Andersson E, Chi CN, Davey NE, Överby AK, Jemth P, Ivarsson Y. Identification of motif-based interactions between SARS-CoV-2 protein domains and human peptide ligands pinpoint antiviral targets. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5636. [PMID: 37704626 PMCID: PMC10499821 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41312-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The virus life cycle depends on host-virus protein-protein interactions, which often involve a disordered protein region binding to a folded protein domain. Here, we used proteomic peptide phage display (ProP-PD) to identify peptides from the intrinsically disordered regions of the human proteome that bind to folded protein domains encoded by the SARS-CoV-2 genome. Eleven folded domains of SARS-CoV-2 proteins were found to bind 281 peptides from human proteins, and affinities of 31 interactions involving eight SARS-CoV-2 protein domains were determined (KD ∼ 7-300 μM). Key specificity residues of the peptides were established for six of the interactions. Two of the peptides, binding Nsp9 and Nsp16, respectively, inhibited viral replication. Our findings demonstrate how high-throughput peptide binding screens simultaneously identify potential host-virus interactions and peptides with antiviral properties. Furthermore, the high number of low-affinity interactions suggest that overexpression of viral proteins during infection may perturb multiple cellular pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filip Mihalič
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Box 582, Husargatan 3, 751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Caroline Benz
- Department of Chemistry - BMC, Uppsala University, Box 576, Husargatan 3, 751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Eszter Kassa
- Department of Chemistry - BMC, Uppsala University, Box 576, Husargatan 3, 751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Richard Lindqvist
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University, 90185, Umeå, Sweden
- Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå University, 90187, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Leandro Simonetti
- Department of Chemistry - BMC, Uppsala University, Box 576, Husargatan 3, 751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Raviteja Inturi
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Box 582, Husargatan 3, 751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Hanna Aronsson
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Box 582, Husargatan 3, 751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Eva Andersson
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Box 582, Husargatan 3, 751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Celestine N Chi
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Box 582, Husargatan 3, 751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Norman E Davey
- Division of Cancer Biology, The Institute of Cancer Research, 237 Fulham Road, London, SW3 6JB, UK
| | - Anna K Överby
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University, 90185, Umeå, Sweden
- Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå University, 90187, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Per Jemth
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Box 582, Husargatan 3, 751 23, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Ylva Ivarsson
- Department of Chemistry - BMC, Uppsala University, Box 576, Husargatan 3, 751 23, Uppsala, Sweden.
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18
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Nguyen HL, Thai NQ, Li MS. Identifying inhibitors of NSP16-NSP10 of SARS-CoV-2 from large databases. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:7045-7054. [PMID: 36002258 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2114941] [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: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic, which has already claimed millions of lives, continues to pose a serious threat to human health, requiring the development of new effective drugs. Non-structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2 play an important role in viral replication and infection. Among them, NSP16 (non-structured protein 16) and its cofactor NSP10 (non-structured protein 10) perform C2'-O methylation at the 5' end of the viral RNA, which promotes efficient virus replication. Therefore, the NSP16-NSP10 complex becomes an attractive target for drug development. Using a multi-step virtual screening protocol which includes Lipinski's rule, docking, steered molecular dynamics and umbrella sampling, we searched for potential inhibitors from the PubChem and anti-HIV databases. It has been shown that CID 135566620 compound from PubChem is the best candidate with an inhibition constant in the sub-μM range. The Van der Waals interaction was found to be more important than the electrostatic interaction in the binding affinity of this compound to NSP16-NSP10. Further in vitro and in vivo studies are needed to test the activity of the identified compound against COVID-19.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hoang Linh Nguyen
- Life Science Lab, Institute for Computational Science and Technology, Quang Trung, Software City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | | | - Mai Suan Li
- Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
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19
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Skvara P, Chalupska D, Klima M, Kozic J, Silhan J, Boura E. Structural basis for RNA-cap recognition and methylation by the mpox methyltransferase VP39. Antiviral Res 2023:105663. [PMID: 37421984 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2023.105663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
Mpox is a zoonotic disease caused by the mpox virus (MPXV), which has gained attention due to its rapid and widespread transmission, with reports from more than 100 countries. The virus belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus, which also includes variola virus and vaccinia virus. In poxviruses, the RNA cap is crucial for the translation and stability of viral mRNAs and also for immune evasion. This study presents the crystal structure of the mpox 2'-O-methyltransfarase VP39 in complex with a short cap-0 RNA. The RNA substrate binds to the protein without causing any significant changes to its overall fold and is held in place by a combination of electrostatic interactions, π-π stacking and hydrogen bonding. The structure also explains the mpox VP39 preference for a guanine base at the first position; it reveals that guanine forms a hydrogen bond that an adenine would not be able to form.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petr Skvara
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, V.v.i, Flemingovo nám. 2, 16610, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Dominika Chalupska
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, V.v.i, Flemingovo nám. 2, 16610, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Klima
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, V.v.i, Flemingovo nám. 2, 16610, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Kozic
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, V.v.i, Flemingovo nám. 2, 16610, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Silhan
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, V.v.i, Flemingovo nám. 2, 16610, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Evzen Boura
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, V.v.i, Flemingovo nám. 2, 16610, Prague 6, Czech Republic.
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20
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von Delft A, Hall MD, Kwong AD, Purcell LA, Saikatendu KS, Schmitz U, Tallarico JA, Lee AA. Accelerating antiviral drug discovery: lessons from COVID-19. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2023; 22:585-603. [PMID: 37173515 PMCID: PMC10176316 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-023-00692-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a wave of rapid and collaborative drug discovery efforts took place in academia and industry, culminating in several therapeutics being discovered, approved and deployed in a 2-year time frame. This article summarizes the collective experience of several pharmaceutical companies and academic collaborations that were active in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antiviral discovery. We outline our opinions and experiences on key stages in the small-molecule drug discovery process: target selection, medicinal chemistry, antiviral assays, animal efficacy and attempts to pre-empt resistance. We propose strategies that could accelerate future efforts and argue that a key bottleneck is the lack of quality chemical probes around understudied viral targets, which would serve as a starting point for drug discovery. Considering the small size of the viral proteome, comprehensively building an arsenal of probes for proteins in viruses of pandemic concern is a worthwhile and tractable challenge for the community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annette von Delft
- Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, National Institute for Health Research, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Matthew D Hall
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Alpha A Lee
- PostEra, Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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21
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Trepte P, Secker C, Kostova S, Maseko SB, Choi SG, Blavier J, Minia I, Ramos ES, Cassonnet P, Golusik S, Zenkner M, Beetz S, Liebich MJ, Scharek N, Schütz A, Sperling M, Lisurek M, Wang Y, Spirohn K, Hao T, Calderwood MA, Hill DE, Landthaler M, Olivet J, Twizere JC, Vidal M, Wanker EE. AI-guided pipeline for protein-protein interaction drug discovery identifies a SARS-CoV-2 inhibitor. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.14.544560. [PMID: 37398436 PMCID: PMC10312674 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.14.544560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) offer great opportunities to expand the druggable proteome and therapeutically tackle various diseases, but remain challenging targets for drug discovery. Here, we provide a comprehensive pipeline that combines experimental and computational tools to identify and validate PPI targets and perform early-stage drug discovery. We have developed a machine learning approach that prioritizes interactions by analyzing quantitative data from binary PPI assays and AlphaFold-Multimer predictions. Using the quantitative assay LuTHy together with our machine learning algorithm, we identified high-confidence interactions among SARS-CoV-2 proteins for which we predicted three-dimensional structures using AlphaFold Multimer. We employed VirtualFlow to target the contact interface of the NSP10-NSP16 SARS-CoV-2 methyltransferase complex by ultra-large virtual drug screening. Thereby, we identified a compound that binds to NSP10 and inhibits its interaction with NSP16, while also disrupting the methyltransferase activity of the complex, and SARS-CoV-2 replication. Overall, this pipeline will help to prioritize PPI targets to accelerate the discovery of early-stage drug candidates targeting protein complexes and pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Trepte
- Proteomics and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
- Brain Development and Disease, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christopher Secker
- Proteomics and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
- Zuse Institute Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Simona Kostova
- Proteomics and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sibusiso B. Maseko
- Laboratory of Viral Interactomes, Interdisciplinary Cluster for Applied Genoproteomics (GIGA)-Molecular Biology of Diseases, University of Liège, 4000, Liège, Belgium
| | - Soon Gang Choi
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Jeremy Blavier
- Laboratory of Viral Interactomes, Interdisciplinary Cluster for Applied Genoproteomics (GIGA)-Molecular Biology of Diseases, University of Liège, 4000, Liège, Belgium
| | - Igor Minia
- RNA Biology and Posttranscriptional Regulation, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Eduardo Silva Ramos
- Proteomics and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Patricia Cassonnet
- Département de Virologie, Unité de Génétique Moléculaire des Virus à ARN (GMVR), Institut Pasteur, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Sabrina Golusik
- Proteomics and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martina Zenkner
- Proteomics and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephanie Beetz
- Proteomics and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mara J. Liebich
- Proteomics and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nadine Scharek
- Proteomics and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anja Schütz
- Protein Production & Characterization, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marcel Sperling
- Multifunctional Colloids and Coating, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP), 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Michael Lisurek
- Structural Chemistry and Computational Biophysics, Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP), 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Yang Wang
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Kerstin Spirohn
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Tong Hao
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Michael A. Calderwood
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - David E. Hill
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Markus Landthaler
- RNA Biology and Posttranscriptional Regulation, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, 13125, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Julien Olivet
- Laboratory of Viral Interactomes, Interdisciplinary Cluster for Applied Genoproteomics (GIGA)-Molecular Biology of Diseases, University of Liège, 4000, Liège, Belgium
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Structural Biology Unit, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jean-Claude Twizere
- Laboratory of Viral Interactomes, Interdisciplinary Cluster for Applied Genoproteomics (GIGA)-Molecular Biology of Diseases, University of Liège, 4000, Liège, Belgium
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- TERRA Teaching and Research Center, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, 5030, Gembloux, Belgium
- Laboratory of Algal Synthetic and Systems Biology, Division of Science and Math, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Marc Vidal
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Erich E. Wanker
- Proteomics and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
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22
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Hassan H, Chiavaralli J, Hassan A, Bedda L, Krischuns T, Chen KY, Li ASM, Delpal A, Decroly E, Vedadi M, Naffakh N, Agou F, Mallart S, Arafa RK, Arimondo PB. Design and synthesis of naturally-inspired SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors. RSC Med Chem 2023; 14:507-519. [PMID: 36970153 PMCID: PMC10034039 DOI: 10.1039/d2md00149g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
A naturally inspired chemical library of 25 molecules was synthesised guided by 3-D dimensionality and natural product likeness factors to explore a new chemical space. The synthesised chemical library, consisting of fused-bridged dodecahydro-2a,6-epoxyazepino[3,4,5-c,d]indole skeletons, followed lead likeness factors in terms of molecular weight, C-sp3 fraction and Clog P. Screening of the 25 compounds against lung cells infected with SARS-CoV-2 led to the identification of 2 hits. Although the chemical library showed cytotoxicity, the two hits (3b, 9e) showed the highest antiviral activity (EC50 values of 3.7 and 1.4 μM, respectively) with an acceptable cytotoxicity difference. Computational analysis based on docking and molecular dynamics simulations against main protein targets in SARS-CoV-2 (main protease Mpro, nucleocapsid phosphoprotein, non-structural protein nsp10-nsp16 complex and RBD/ACE2 complex) were performed. The computational analysis proposed the possible binding targets to be either Mpro or the nsp10-nsp16 complex. Biological assays were performed to confirm this proposition. A cell-based assay for Mpro protease activity using a reverse-nanoluciferase (Rev-Nluc) reporter confirmed that 3b targets Mpro. These results open the way towards further hit-to-lead optimisations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haitham Hassan
- Institut Pasteur, Department of Structural Biology and Chemistry, CNRS UMR no 3523 Chem4Life, Epigenetic Chemical Biology, Université Paris Cité F-75015 Paris France
| | - Jeanne Chiavaralli
- Institut Pasteur, Center for Technological Resources and Research (C2RT), CNRS UMR no 3523 Chem4Life, Chemogenomic and Biological Screening platform, Université Paris Cité F-75015 Paris France
| | - Afnan Hassan
- Drug Design and Discovery Lab, Zewail City of Science and Technology 12578 Cairo Egypt
- Biomedical Sciences Program, University of Science and Technology, Zewail City of Science and Technology 12578 Cairo Egypt
| | - Loay Bedda
- Drug Design and Discovery Lab, Zewail City of Science and Technology 12578 Cairo Egypt
- Biomedical Sciences Program, University of Science and Technology, Zewail City of Science and Technology 12578 Cairo Egypt
| | - Tim Krischuns
- Institut Pasteur, Unité Biologie des ARN et Virus Influenza, CNRS UMR3569, Université Paris Cité F-75015 Paris France
| | - Kuang-Yu Chen
- Institut Pasteur, Unité Biologie des ARN et Virus Influenza, CNRS UMR3569, Université Paris Cité F-75015 Paris France
| | - Alice Shi Ming Li
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto Canada
| | - Adrien Delpal
- CNRS - UMR7257 - AFMB - Aix-Marseille Université Marseille France
| | - Etienne Decroly
- CNRS - UMR7257 - AFMB - Aix-Marseille Université Marseille France
| | - Masoud Vedadi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto Canada
- QBI COVID-19 Research Group (QCRG) San Francisco CA USA
| | - Nadia Naffakh
- Institut Pasteur, Unité Biologie des ARN et Virus Influenza, CNRS UMR3569, Université Paris Cité F-75015 Paris France
| | - Fabrice Agou
- Institut Pasteur, Center for Technological Resources and Research (C2RT), CNRS UMR no 3523 Chem4Life, Chemogenomic and Biological Screening platform, Université Paris Cité F-75015 Paris France
| | - Sergio Mallart
- Institut Pasteur, Department of Structural Biology and Chemistry, CNRS UMR no 3523 Chem4Life, Epigenetic Chemical Biology, Université Paris Cité F-75015 Paris France
| | - Reem K Arafa
- Drug Design and Discovery Lab, Zewail City of Science and Technology 12578 Cairo Egypt
- Biomedical Sciences Program, University of Science and Technology, Zewail City of Science and Technology 12578 Cairo Egypt
| | - Paola B Arimondo
- Institut Pasteur, Department of Structural Biology and Chemistry, CNRS UMR no 3523 Chem4Life, Epigenetic Chemical Biology, Université Paris Cité F-75015 Paris France
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23
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Nashre-ul-Islam SM, Borah KK, Raza MA, Öztürkkan FE. Molecular docking with SARS-CoV-2 and potential drug property of a bioactive novel Zn(II) polymer: A combined experimental and theoretical study. Polyhedron 2023; 233:116304. [PMID: 36710999 PMCID: PMC9859646 DOI: 10.1016/j.poly.2023.116304] [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: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
A new Zn(II) coordination polymer based on o-phthalato (Phth) and 2-aminopyridine (2-Ampy) viz. {[Zn(2-Ampy)2(Phth)]∙(H2O)]}n (1) has been synthesized at room temperature and characterized by elemental analyses, electronic spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, thermal analysis (TGA/DSC), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The basic trimeric units of 1 form a polymeric chain by N-H⋯O and π⋯π interactions. These polymeric chains interconnect through various non-covalent interactions in two perpendicular directions to ultimately give rise to a 3D architecture of 1. The interesting non-covalent interactions in 1, contributing to its stability in the solid state are studied by Hirshfeld surface analysis and other different theoretical tools. Molecular docking study of 1 is performed against six different proteins of SARS-CoV-2. The drug potential of the synthesized compound is evaluated by ADMET calculations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Muhammad Asam Raza
- Department of Chemistry, Hafiz Hayat Campus, University of Gujrat, Gujrat, Pakistan
| | - Füreya Elif Öztürkkan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Kafkas University, Kars, Turkey,Corresponding authors
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24
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Yang T, Wang SC, Ye L, Maimaitiyiming Y, Naranmandura H. Targeting viral proteins for restraining SARS-CoV-2: focusing lens on viral proteins beyond spike for discovering new drug targets. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2023; 18:247-268. [PMID: 36723288 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2023.2175812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Emergence of highly infectious SARS-CoV-2 variants are reducing protection provided by current vaccines, requiring constant updates in antiviral approaches. The virus encodes four structural and sixteen nonstructural proteins which play important roles in viral genome replication and transcription, virion assembly, release , entry into cells, and compromising host cellular defenses. As alien proteins to host cells, many viral proteins represent potential targets for combating the SARS-CoV-2. AREAS COVERED Based on literature from PubMed and Web of Science databases, the authors summarize the typical characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 from the whole viral particle to the individual viral proteins and their corresponding functions in virus life cycle. The authors also discuss the potential and emerging targeted interventions to curb virus replication and spread in detail to provide unique insights into SARS-CoV-2 infection and countermeasures against it. EXPERT OPINION Our comprehensive analysis highlights the rationale to focus on non-spike viral proteins that are less mutated but have important functions. Examples of this include: structural proteins (e.g. nucleocapsid protein, envelope protein) and extensively-concerned nonstructural proteins (e.g. NSP3, NSP5, NSP12) along with the ones with relatively less attention (e.g. NSP1, NSP10, NSP14 and NSP16), for developing novel drugs to overcome resistance of SARS-CoV-2 variants to preexisting vaccines and antibody-based treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Yang
- Department of Hematology of First Affiliated Hospital, and Department of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Si Chun Wang
- Department of Hematology of First Affiliated Hospital, and Department of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Linyan Ye
- Department of Hematology of First Affiliated Hospital, and Department of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yasen Maimaitiyiming
- Department of Hematology of First Affiliated Hospital, and Department of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.,Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Haematology Oncology Diagnosis and Treatment, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.,Department of Neurobiology, NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, and MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Hua Naranmandura
- Department of Hematology of First Affiliated Hospital, and Department of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.,Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Haematology Oncology Diagnosis and Treatment, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.,Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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25
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Schindewolf C, Lokugamage K, Vu MN, Johnson BA, Scharton D, Plante JA, Kalveram B, Crocquet-Valdes PA, Sotcheff S, Jaworski E, Alvarado RE, Debbink K, Daugherty MD, Weaver SC, Routh AL, Walker DH, Plante KS, Menachery VD. SARS-CoV-2 Uses Nonstructural Protein 16 To Evade Restriction by IFIT1 and IFIT3. J Virol 2023; 97:e0153222. [PMID: 36722972 PMCID: PMC9973020 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01532-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the molecular basis of innate immune evasion by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an important consideration for designing the next wave of therapeutics. Here, we investigate the role of the nonstructural protein 16 (NSP16) of SARS-CoV-2 in infection and pathogenesis. NSP16, a ribonucleoside 2'-O-methyltransferase (MTase), catalyzes the transfer of a methyl group to mRNA as part of the capping process. Based on observations with other CoVs, we hypothesized that NSP16 2'-O-MTase function protects SARS-CoV-2 from cap-sensing host restriction. Therefore, we engineered SARS-CoV-2 with a mutation that disrupts a conserved residue in the active site of NSP16. We subsequently show that this mutant is attenuated both in vitro and in vivo, using a hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Mechanistically, we confirm that the NSP16 mutant is more sensitive than wild-type SARS-CoV-2 to type I interferon (IFN-I) in vitro. Furthermore, silencing IFIT1 or IFIT3, IFN-stimulated genes that sense a lack of 2'-O-methylation, partially restores fitness to the NSP16 mutant. Finally, we demonstrate that sinefungin, an MTase inhibitor that binds the catalytic site of NSP16, sensitizes wild-type SARS-CoV-2 to IFN-I treatment and attenuates viral replication. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of SARS-CoV-2 NSP16 in evading host innate immunity and suggest a target for future antiviral therapies. IMPORTANCE Similar to other coronaviruses, disruption of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) NSP16 function attenuates viral replication in a type I interferon-dependent manner. In vivo, our results show reduced disease and viral replication at late times in the hamster lung, but an earlier titer deficit for the NSP16 mutant (dNSP16) in the upper airway. In addition, our results confirm a role for IFIT1 but also demonstrate the necessity of IFIT3 in mediating dNSP16 attenuation. Finally, we show that targeting NSP16 activity with a 2'-O-methyltransferase inhibitor in combination with type I interferon offers a novel avenue for antiviral development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig Schindewolf
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Kumari Lokugamage
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Michelle N. Vu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Bryan A. Johnson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Dionna Scharton
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Jessica A. Plante
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Birte Kalveram
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | | | - Stephanea Sotcheff
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Elizabeth Jaworski
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Rojelio E. Alvarado
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- Institute for Translational Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Kari Debbink
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Matthew D. Daugherty
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of California, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Scott C. Weaver
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Andrew L. Routh
- Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - David H. Walker
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Disease, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Kenneth S. Plante
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Vineet D. Menachery
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
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Lessons Learnt from COVID-19: Computational Strategies for Facing Present and Future Pandemics. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054401. [PMID: 36901832 PMCID: PMC10003049 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054401] [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: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Since its outbreak in December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the death of more than 6.5 million people around the world. The high transmissibility of its causative agent, the SARS-CoV-2 virus, coupled with its potentially lethal outcome, provoked a profound global economic and social crisis. The urgency of finding suitable pharmacological tools to tame the pandemic shed light on the ever-increasing importance of computer simulations in rationalizing and speeding up the design of new drugs, further stressing the need for developing quick and reliable methods to identify novel active molecules and characterize their mechanism of action. In the present work, we aim at providing the reader with a general overview of the COVID-19 pandemic, discussing the hallmarks in its management, from the initial attempts at drug repurposing to the commercialization of Paxlovid, the first orally available COVID-19 drug. Furthermore, we analyze and discuss the role of computer-aided drug discovery (CADD) techniques, especially those that fall in the structure-based drug design (SBDD) category, in facing present and future pandemics, by showcasing several successful examples of drug discovery campaigns where commonly used methods such as docking and molecular dynamics have been employed in the rational design of effective therapeutic entities against COVID-19.
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Yang KK, Zanichelli N, Yeh H. Masked inverse folding with sequence transfer for protein representation learning. Protein Eng Des Sel 2023; 36:gzad015. [PMID: 37883472 DOI: 10.1093/protein/gzad015] [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: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Self-supervised pretraining on protein sequences has led to state-of-the art performance on protein function and fitness prediction. However, sequence-only methods ignore the rich information contained in experimental and predicted protein structures. Meanwhile, inverse folding methods reconstruct a protein's amino-acid sequence given its structure, but do not take advantage of sequences that do not have known structures. In this study, we train a masked inverse folding protein masked language model parameterized as a structured graph neural network. During pretraining, this model learns to reconstruct corrupted sequences conditioned on the backbone structure. We then show that using the outputs from a pretrained sequence-only protein masked language model as input to the inverse folding model further improves pretraining perplexity. We evaluate both of these models on downstream protein engineering tasks and analyze the effect of using information from experimental or predicted structures on performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin K Yang
- Microsoft Research, 1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Hugh Yeh
- Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, 924 E 57th Street, Chicago, IL, USA
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Arabi-Jeshvaghani F, Javadi‐Zarnaghi F, Ganjalikhany MR. Analysis of critical protein-protein interactions of SARS-CoV-2 capping and proofreading molecular machineries towards designing dual target inhibitory peptides. Sci Rep 2023; 13:350. [PMID: 36611052 PMCID: PMC9825083 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26778-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as the cause of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) global pandemic, and its variants, especially those with higher transmissibility and substantial immune evasion, have highlighted the imperative for developing novel therapeutics as sustainable solutions other than vaccination to combat coronaviruses (CoVs). Beside receptor recognition and virus entry, members of the SARS-CoV-2 replication/transcription complex are promising targets for designing antivirals. Here, the interacting residues that mediate protein-protein interactions (PPIs) of nsp10 with nsp16 and nsp14 were comprehensively analyzed, and the key residues' interaction maps, interaction energies, structural networks, and dynamics were investigated. Nsp10 stimulates both nsp14's exoribonuclease (ExoN) and nsp16's 2'O-methyltransferase (2'O-MTase). Nsp14 ExoN is an RNA proofreading enzyme that supports replication fidelity. Nsp16 2'O-MTase is responsible for the completion of RNA capping to ensure efficient replication and translation and escape from the host cell's innate immune system. The results of the PPIs analysis proposed crucial information with implications for designing SARS-CoV-2 antiviral drugs. Based on the predicted shared protein-protein interfaces of the nsp16-nsp10 and nsp14-nsp10 interactions, a set of dual-target peptide inhibitors was designed. The designed peptides were evaluated by molecular docking, peptide-protein interaction analysis, and free energy calculations, and then further optimized by in silico saturation mutagenesis. Based on the predicted evolutionary conservation of the interacted target residues among CoVs, the designed peptides have the potential to be developed as dual target pan-coronavirus inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Arabi-Jeshvaghani
- grid.411750.60000 0001 0454 365XDepartment of Cell and Molecular Biology & Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Javadi‐Zarnaghi
- grid.411750.60000 0001 0454 365XDepartment of Cell and Molecular Biology & Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Mohamad Reza Ganjalikhany
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology & Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.
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Boonserm P, Khunrae P, Sutthibutpong T. A computational study on the molecular mechanisms of panduratin A as a potential inhibitor on SARS-CoV-2 protein targets. Heliyon 2023; 9:e12780. [PMID: 36628324 PMCID: PMC9816080 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Panduratin A from Boesebergia rotunda was recently reported as a potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 compound. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the inhibition by Panduratin A and its target remained unclear. Molecular docking calculations were performed between panduratin A and five important proteins, i.e., main protease (Mpro), papain-like protease (PLpro), receptor binding domain (RBD) of spike proteins, RNA-dependent-RNA-polymerase (RdRp), and 2'-O-methyltransferase (MTase). The estimated binding free energy and the interaction networks extracted from the best docking mode for each complex suggested that MTase was the most probable target for panduratin A inhibition. To further validate the ability of panduratin A to inhibit MTase, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and binding free energy calculations were performed for panduratin A-MTase complex, in comparison with another MTase complex with sinefungin as a positive control. Chemical features of panduratin A and sinefungin were compared for their contribution in MTase binding. It was found that both molecules could bind to the S-Adenosyl methionine (SAM) binding pocket and prevent the SAM entrance co-substrate, which could eventually halt the function of MTase. Despite a slightly weaker binding free energy, the equilibrated positional binding of panduratin A was found at a closer distance to the active sites. Therefore, this study proposed MTase as a possible target of panduratin A, along with the mechanisms of inhibition, prompting another future in vitro study as a verification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patamalai Boonserm
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Pongsak Khunrae
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Thana Sutthibutpong
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand,Center of Excellence in Theoretical and Computational Science (TACS-CoE), Faculty of Science, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand,Corresponding author. Theoretical and Computational Science Center (TaCS), Science Laboratory Building, Faculty of Science, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), 126 Pracha-Uthit Road, Bang Mod, Thrung Khru, Bangkok, Thailand.,
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30
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Panda SK, Gupta PSS, Rana MK. Potential targets of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 of clinical drug fluvoxamine: Docking and molecular dynamics studies to elucidate viral action. Cell Biochem Funct 2023; 41:98-111. [PMID: 36478589 DOI: 10.1002/cbf.3766] [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: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has continued evolving for survival and adaptation by mutating itself into different variants of concern, including omicron. Several studies and clinical trials found fluvoxamine, an Food and Drug Administration-approved antidepressant drug, to be effective at preventing mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from progressing to severe diseases. However, the mechanism of fluvoxamine's direct antiviral action against COVID-19 is still unknown. Fluvoxamine was docked with 11 SARS-CoV-2 targets and subjected to stability, conformational changes, and binding free energy analyses to explore its mode of action. Of the targets, nonstructural protein 14 (NSP14), main protease (Mpro), and papain-like protease (PLpro) had the best docking scores with fluvoxamine. Consistent with the docking results, it was confirmed by molecular dynamics simulations that the NSP14 N7-MTase ((N7-guanine)-methyltransferase)-fluvoxamine, Mpro-fluvoxamine, and PLpro-fluvoxamine complexes are stable, with the lowest binding free energies of -105.1, -82.7, and - 38.5 kJ/mol, respectively. A number of hotspot residues involved in the interaction were also identified. These include Glu166, Asp187, His41, and Cys145 in Mpro, Gly163 and Arg166 in PLpro, and Glu302, Gly333, and Phe426 in NSP14, which could aid in the development of better antivirals against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saroj Kumar Panda
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Berhampur, Odisha, India
| | - Parth Sarthi Sen Gupta
- School of Biosciences and Bioengineering, D. Y. Patil International University (DYPIU), Akurdi, Pune, Maharashtra, India
| | - Malay Kumar Rana
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Berhampur, Odisha, India
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Seyedi SH, Alhagh MS, Ahmadizad M, Ardalan N, Hosseininezhadian Koushki E, Farshadfar C, Amjadi B. Structural screening into the recognition of a potent inhibitor against non-structural protein 16: a molecular simulation to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2022; 40:14115-14130. [PMID: 34762019 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.2001374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
COVID-19 infection is caused by endemic crown infection (SARS-CoV-2) and is associated with lung damage and severe immune response. Non-Structural Proteins are the central components of coronaviral transcription and replication machinery in SARS-CoV-2 and also stimulate mRNA cap methylation to avoid the immune response. Non-Structural Protein 16 (NSP16) is one of the primary targets for the drug discovery of coronaviruses. Discovering an effective inhibitor against the NSP16 in comparison with Sinefungin was the main purpose of this investigation. Binding free-energy calculations, computational methods of molecular dynamics, docking, and virtual screening were utilized in this study. The ZINC and PubChem databases were applied to screen some chemical compounds regarding Sinefungin as a control inhibitor. Based on structural similarity to Sinefungin, 355 structures were obtained from the mentioned databases. Subsequently, this set of compounds were monitored by AutoDock Vina software, and ultimately the potent inhibitor (PUBCHEM512713) was chosen. At the next stage, molecular dynamics were carried out by GROMACS software to evaluate the potential elected compounds in a simulated environment and in a timescale of 100 nanoseconds. MM-PBSA investigation exhibited that the value of binding free energy for PUBCHEM512713 (-30.829 kJ.mol-1) is more potent than Sinefungin (-11.941 kJ.mol-1). Furthermore, the results of ADME analysis illustrated that the pharmacokinetics, drug-likeness, and lipophilicity parameters of PUBCHEM512713 are admissible for human utilization. Finally, our data suggested that PUBCHEM512713 is an effective drug candidate for inhibiting the NSP16 and is suitable for in vitro and in vivo studies.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyed Hamid Seyedi
- Department of Biochemistry, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj, Iran
| | - Mohammad Shakib Alhagh
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran
| | - Mehran Ahmadizad
- Department of Biochemistry, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj, Iran
| | - Noeman Ardalan
- Department of Microbiology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Chiako Farshadfar
- Department of Biochemistry, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj, Iran
| | - Barzan Amjadi
- Department of Biochemistry, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj, Iran
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32
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Li R, Niu Z, Liu Y, Bai X, Wang D, Chen C. Crystal structure and cap binding analysis of the methyltransferase of langat virus. Antiviral Res 2022; 208:105459. [PMID: 36347437 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2022.105459] [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: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a major dangerous human pathogen, as TBEV infection can cause serious illness that can lead to irreversible neurological sequelae and even death. Langat virus (LGTV), a member of the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) serogroup, belongs to the family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus. Its nonstructural protein 5 (NS5) protein contains a methyltransferase (MTase) domain that can methylate RNA cap structures, which is critical for viral replication. We determined the structure of LGTV NS5 methyltransferase bound to S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (SAH) at a 1.70 Å resolution. Sequence analysis and structural comparison of homologous MTases suggests that folds and structures are closely conserved throughout Flavivirus species and play important roles. This study provides the key structural information on LGTV MTase and the foundation for research on antiviral drugs targeting LGTV MTase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruixue Li
- School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Ziping Niu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Yujie Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Xue Bai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Deping Wang
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology at Shanxi Medical University, Ministry of Education, the Department of Physiology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China.
| | - Chen Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China.
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33
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Rani R, Long S, Pareek A, Dhaka P, Singh A, Kumar P, McInerney G, Tomar S. Multi-target direct-acting SARS-CoV-2 antivirals against the nucleotide-binding pockets of virus-specific proteins. Virology 2022; 577:1-15. [PMID: 36244310 PMCID: PMC9539459 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2022.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 08/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The nucleotide-binding pockets (NBPs) in virus-specific proteins have proven to be the most successful antiviral targets for several viral diseases. Functionally important NBPs are found in various structural and non-structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2. In this study, the first successful multi-targeting attempt to identify effective antivirals has been made against NBPs in nsp12, nsp13, nsp14, nsp15, nsp16, and nucleocapsid (N) proteins of SARS-CoV-2. A structure-based drug repurposing in silico screening approach with ADME analysis identified small molecules targeting NBPs in SARS-CoV-2 proteins. Further, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) experiments validated the binding of top hit molecules to the purified N-protein. Importantly, cell-based antiviral assays revealed antiviral potency for INCB28060, darglitazone, and columbianadin with EC50 values 15.71 μM, 5.36 μM, and 22.52 μM, respectively. These effective antivirals targeting multiple proteins are envisioned to direct the development of antiviral therapy against SARS-CoV-2 and its emerging variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruchi Rani
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Siwen Long
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, SE-17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Akshay Pareek
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Preeti Dhaka
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Ankur Singh
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Pravindra Kumar
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Gerald McInerney
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, SE-17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Shailly Tomar
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India.
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Iyengar SM, Barnsley KK, Vu HY, Bongalonta IJA, Herrod AS, Scott JA, Ondrechen MJ. Identification and characterization of alternative sites and molecular probes for SARS-CoV-2 target proteins. Front Chem 2022; 10:1017394. [PMID: 36385993 PMCID: PMC9659918 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.1017394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Three protein targets from SARS-CoV-2, the viral pathogen that causes COVID-19, are studied: the main protease, the 2′-O-RNA methyltransferase, and the nucleocapsid (N) protein. For the main protease, the nucleophilicity of the catalytic cysteine C145 is enabled by coupling to three histidine residues, H163 and H164 and catalytic dyad partner H41. These electrostatic couplings enable significant population of the deprotonated state of C145. For the RNA methyltransferase, the catalytic lysine K6968 that serves as a Brønsted base has significant population of its deprotonated state via strong coupling with K6844 and Y6845. For the main protease, Partial Order Optimum Likelihood (POOL) predicts two clusters of biochemically active residues; one includes the catalytic H41 and C145 and neighboring residues. The other surrounds a second pocket adjacent to the catalytic site and includes S1 residues F140, L141, H163, E166, and H172 and also S2 residue D187. This secondary recognition site could serve as an alternative target for the design of molecular probes. From in silico screening of library compounds, ligands with predicted affinity for the secondary site are reported. For the NSP16-NSP10 complex that comprises the RNA methyltransferase, three different sites are predicted. One is the catalytic core at the conserved K-D-K-E motif that includes catalytic residues D6928, K6968, and E7001 plus K6844. The second site surrounds the catalytic core and consists of Y6845, C6849, I6866, H6867, F6868, V6894, D6895, D6897, I6926, S6927, Y6930, and K6935. The third is located at the heterodimer interface. Ligands predicted to have high affinity for the first or second sites are reported. Three sites are also predicted for the nucleocapsid protein. This work uncovers key interactions that contribute to the function of the three viral proteins and also suggests alternative sites for ligand design.
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Russ A, Wittmann S, Tsukamoto Y, Herrmann A, Deutschmann J, Lagisquet J, Ensser A, Kato H, Gramberg T. Nsp16 shields SARS-CoV-2 from efficient MDA5 sensing and IFIT1-mediated restriction. EMBO Rep 2022; 23:e55648. [PMID: 36285486 PMCID: PMC9724656 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202255648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Methylation of the mRNA 5' cap by cellular methyltransferases enables efficient translation and avoids recognition by innate immune factors. Coronaviruses encode viral 2'-O-methyltransferases to shield their RNA from host factors. Here, we generate recombinant SARS-CoV-2 harboring a catalytically inactive 2'-O-methyltransferase Nsp16, Nsp16mut, and analyze viral replication in human lung epithelial cells. Although replication is only slightly attenuated, we find SARS-CoV-2 Nsp16mut to be highly immunogenic, resulting in a strongly enhanced release of type I interferon upon infection. The elevated immunogenicity of Nsp16mut is absent in cells lacking the RNA sensor MDA5. In addition, we report that Nsp16mut is highly sensitive to type I IFN treatment and demonstrate that this strong antiviral effect of type I IFN is mediated by the restriction factor IFIT1. Together, we describe a dual role for the 2'-O-methyltransferase Nsp16 during SARS-CoV-2 replication in avoiding efficient recognition by MDA5 and in shielding its RNA from interferon-induced antiviral responses, thereby identifying Nsp16 as a promising target for generating attenuated and highly immunogenic SARS-CoV-2 strains and as a potential candidate for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Russ
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular VirologyFriedrich‐Alexander University Erlangen‐NürnbergErlangenGermany
| | - Sabine Wittmann
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular VirologyFriedrich‐Alexander University Erlangen‐NürnbergErlangenGermany
| | - Yuta Tsukamoto
- Institute of Cardiovascular ImmunologyUniversity Hospital Bonn, University of BonnBonnGermany
| | - Alexandra Herrmann
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular VirologyFriedrich‐Alexander University Erlangen‐NürnbergErlangenGermany
| | - Janina Deutschmann
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular VirologyFriedrich‐Alexander University Erlangen‐NürnbergErlangenGermany
| | - Justine Lagisquet
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular VirologyFriedrich‐Alexander University Erlangen‐NürnbergErlangenGermany
| | - Armin Ensser
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular VirologyFriedrich‐Alexander University Erlangen‐NürnbergErlangenGermany
| | - Hiroki Kato
- Institute of Cardiovascular ImmunologyUniversity Hospital Bonn, University of BonnBonnGermany
| | - Thomas Gramberg
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular VirologyFriedrich‐Alexander University Erlangen‐NürnbergErlangenGermany
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36
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Ghosh AK, Mishevich JL, Mesecar A, Mitsuya H. Recent Drug Development and Medicinal Chemistry Approaches for the Treatment of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19. ChemMedChem 2022; 17:e202200440. [PMID: 36165855 PMCID: PMC9538661 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202200440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, continues to be a major public health crisis around the globe. Development of vaccines and the first cluster of antiviral drugs has brought promise and hope for prevention and treatment of severe coronavirus disease. However, continued development of newer, safer, and more effective antiviral drugs are critically important to combat COVID-19 and counter the looming pathogenic variants. Studies of the coronavirus life cycle revealed several important biochemical targets for drug development. In the present review, we focus on recent drug design and medicinal chemistry efforts in small molecule drug discovery, including the development of nirmatrelvir that targets viral protein synthesis and remdesivir and molnupiravir that target viral RdRp. These are recent FDA approved drugs for the treatment of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arun K Ghosh
- Purdue UniversityDepartments of Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry560 Oval Drive47907West LafayetteUNITED STATES
| | | | - Andrew Mesecar
- Purdue University College of ScienceBiochemistryUNITED STATES
| | - Hiroaki Mitsuya
- National Cancer InstituteHIV and AIDS Malignancy BranchUNITED STATES
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SARS-CoV-2 Uses Nonstructural Protein 16 to Evade Restriction by IFIT1 and IFIT3. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2022:2022.09.26.509529. [PMID: 36203546 PMCID: PMC9536030 DOI: 10.1101/2022.09.26.509529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the molecular basis of innate immune evasion by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an important consideration for designing the next wave of therapeutics. Here, we investigate the role of the nonstructural protein 16 (NSP16) of SARS-CoV-2 in infection and pathogenesis. NSP16, a ribonucleoside 2'- O methyltransferase (MTase), catalyzes the transfer of a methyl group to mRNA as part of the capping process. Based on observations with other CoVs, we hypothesized that NSP16 2'- O MTase function protects SARS-CoV-2 from cap-sensing host restriction. Therefore, we engineered SARS-CoV-2 with a mutation that disrupts a conserved residue in the active site of NSP16. We subsequently show that this mutant is attenuated both in vitro and in vivo , using a hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Mechanistically, we confirm that the NSP16 mutant is more sensitive to type I interferon (IFN-I) in vitro . Furthermore, silencing IFIT1 or IFIT3, IFN-stimulated genes that sense a lack of 2'- O methylation, partially restores fitness to the NSP16 mutant. Finally, we demonstrate that sinefungin, a methyltransferase inhibitor that binds the catalytic site of NSP16, sensitizes wild-type SARS-CoV-2 to IFN-I treatment. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of SARS-CoV-2 NSP16 in evading host innate immunity and suggest a possible target for future antiviral therapies. Importance Similar to other coronaviruses, disruption of SARS-CoV-2 NSP16 function attenuates viral replication in a type I interferon-dependent manner. In vivo , our results show reduced disease and viral replication at late times in the hamster lung, but an earlier titer deficit for the NSP16 mutant (dNSP16) in the upper airway. In addition, our results confirm a role for IFIT1, but also demonstrate the necessity of IFIT3 in mediating dNSP16 attenuation. Finally, we show that targeting NSP16 activity with a 2'- O methyltransferase inhibitor in combination with type I interferon offers a novel avenue for antiviral development.
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Manan A, Pirzada RH, Haseeb M, Choi S. Toll-like Receptor Mediation in SARS-CoV-2: A Therapeutic Approach. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231810716. [PMID: 36142620 PMCID: PMC9502216 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231810716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2022] [Revised: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The innate immune system facilitates defense mechanisms against pathogen invasion and cell damage. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) assist in the activation of the innate immune system by binding to pathogenic ligands. This leads to the generation of intracellular signaling cascades including the biosynthesis of molecular mediators. TLRs on cell membranes are adept at recognizing viral components. Viruses can modulate the innate immune response with the help of proteins and RNAs that downregulate or upregulate the expression of various TLRs. In the case of COVID-19, molecular modulators such as type 1 interferons interfere with signaling pathways in the host cells, leading to an inflammatory response. Coronaviruses are responsible for an enhanced immune signature of inflammatory chemokines and cytokines. TLRs have been employed as therapeutic agents in viral infections as numerous antiviral Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs are TLR agonists. This review highlights the therapeutic approaches associated with SARS-CoV-2 and the TLRs involved in COVID-19 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdul Manan
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Korea
| | | | - Muhammad Haseeb
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Korea
- S&K Therapeutics, Ajou University Campus Plaza 418, 199 Worldcup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon 16502, Korea
| | - Sangdun Choi
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Korea
- S&K Therapeutics, Ajou University Campus Plaza 418, 199 Worldcup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon 16502, Korea
- Correspondence:
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39
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Low ZY, Zabidi NZ, Yip AJW, Puniyamurti A, Chow VTK, Lal SK. SARS-CoV-2 Non-Structural Proteins and Their Roles in Host Immune Evasion. Viruses 2022; 14:v14091991. [PMID: 36146796 PMCID: PMC9506350 DOI: 10.3390/v14091991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused an unprecedented global crisis and continues to threaten public health. The etiological agent of this devastating pandemic outbreak is the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). COVID-19 is characterized by delayed immune responses, followed by exaggerated inflammatory responses. It is well-established that the interferon (IFN) and JAK/STAT signaling pathways constitute the first line of defense against viral and bacterial infections. To achieve viral replication, numerous viruses are able to antagonize or hijack these signaling pathways to attain productive infection, including SARS-CoV-2. Multiple studies document the roles of several non-structural proteins (NSPs) of SARS-CoV-2 that facilitate the establishment of viral replication in host cells via immune escape. In this review, we summarize and highlight the functions and characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 NSPs that confer host immune evasion. The molecular mechanisms mediating immune evasion and the related potential therapeutic strategies for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Yao Low
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia
| | - Nur Zawanah Zabidi
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia
| | - Ashley Jia Wen Yip
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia
| | - Ashwini Puniyamurti
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia
| | - Vincent T. K. Chow
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Program, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore 117545, Singapore
- Correspondence: (V.T.K.C.); (S.K.L.)
| | - Sunil K. Lal
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia
- Tropical Medicine & Biology Platform, Monash University, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia
- Correspondence: (V.T.K.C.); (S.K.L.)
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40
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Klima M, Khalili Yazdi A, Li F, Chau I, Hajian T, Bolotokova A, Kaniskan HÜ, Han Y, Wang K, Li D, Luo M, Jin J, Boura E, Vedadi M. Crystal structure of
SARS‐CoV
‐2 nsp10–nsp16 in complex with small molecule inhibitors,
SS148
and
WZ16. Protein Sci 2022; 31:e4395. [PMID: 36040262 PMCID: PMC9375521 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
SARS‐CoV‐2 nsp10–nsp16 complex is a 2′‐O‐methyltransferase (MTase) involved in viral RNA capping, enabling the virus to evade the immune system in humans. It has been considered a valuable target in the discovery of antiviral therapeutics, as the RNA cap formation is crucial for viral propagation. Through cross‐screening of the inhibitors that we previously reported for SARS‐CoV‐2 nsp14 MTase activity against nsp10–nsp16 complex, we identified two compounds (SS148 and WZ16) that also inhibited nsp16 MTase activity. To further enable the chemical optimization of these two compounds towards more potent and selective dual nsp14/nsp16 MTase inhibitors, we determined the crystal structure of nsp10–nsp16 in complex with each of SS148 and WZ16. As expected, the structures revealed the binding of both compounds to S‐adenosyl‐L‐methionine (SAM) binding pocket of nsp16. However, our structural data along with the biochemical mechanism of action determination revealed an RNA‐dependent SAM‐competitive pattern of inhibition for WZ16, clearly suggesting that binding of the RNA first may help the binding of some SAM competitive inhibitors. Both compounds also showed some degree of selectivity against human protein MTases, an indication of great potential for chemical optimization towards more potent and selective inhibitors of coronavirus MTases. PDB Code(s): 7R1T and 7R1U
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Klima
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry Czech Academy of Sciences Prague 6 Czech Republic
| | | | - Fengling Li
- Structural Genomics Consortium University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Irene Chau
- Structural Genomics Consortium University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Taraneh Hajian
- Structural Genomics Consortium University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Albina Bolotokova
- Structural Genomics Consortium University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - H. Ümit Kaniskan
- Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York New York USA
| | - Yulin Han
- Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York New York USA
| | - Ke Wang
- Chemical Biology Program Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York New York USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Deyao Li
- Chemical Biology Program Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York New York USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Minkui Luo
- Chemical Biology Program Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York New York USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Jian Jin
- Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York New York USA
| | - Evzen Boura
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry Czech Academy of Sciences Prague 6 Czech Republic
| | - Masoud Vedadi
- Structural Genomics Consortium University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
- Program of Pharmacology Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University New York New York USA
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41
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Zhao H, Liu J, He L, Zhang L, Yu R, Kang C. Virtual screening and molecular dynamics simulation for identification of natural antiviral agents targeting SARS-CoV-2 NSP10. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2022; 626:114-120. [PMID: 35988295 PMCID: PMC9376029 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2022.08.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
New variations of SARS-CoV-2 continue to emerge in the global pandemic, which may be resistant to at least some vaccines in COVID-19, indicating that drug and vaccine development must be continuously strengthened. NSP10 plays an essential role in SARS-CoV-2 viral life cycle. It stimulates the enzymatic activities of NSP14-ExoN and NSP16-O-MTase by the formation of NSP10/NSP14 and NSP10/NSP16 complexes. Inhibiting NSP10 can block the binding of NSP10 to NSP14 and NSP16. This study has identified potential natural NSP10 inhibitors from ZINC database. The protein druggable pocket was identified for screening candidates. Molecular docking of the selected compounds was performed and MM-GBSA binding energy was calculated. After ADMET assessment, 4 hits were obtained for favorable druggability. The analysis of site interactions suggested that the hits all had excellent binding. Molecular dynamics studies revealed that selected natural compounds stably bind to NSP10. These compounds were identified as potential leads against NSP10 for the development of strategies to combat SARS-CoV-2 replication and could serve as the basis for further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huilin Zhao
- School of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266042, China
| | - Jin Liu
- School of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266042, China
| | - Lei He
- School of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266042, China
| | - Lichuan Zhang
- School of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266042, China
| | - Rilei Yu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Congmin Kang
- School of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266042, China.
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42
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Proteolytic Processing of the Coronavirus Replicase Nonstructural Protein 14 Exonuclease Is Not Required for Virus Replication but Alters RNA Synthesis and Viral Fitness. J Virol 2022; 96:e0084122. [PMID: 35924922 PMCID: PMC9400476 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00841-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Coronaviruses (CoVs) initiate replication by translation of the positive-sense RNA genome into the replicase polyproteins connecting 16 nonstructural protein domains (nsp1-16), which are subsequently processed by viral proteases to yield mature nsp. For the betacoronavirus murine hepatitis virus (MHV), total inhibition of translation or proteolytic processing of replicase polyproteins results in rapid cessation of RNA synthesis. The nsp5-3CLpro (Mpro) processes nsps7-16, which assemble into functional replication-transcription complexes (RTCs), including the enzymatic nsp12-RdRp and nsp14-exoribonuclease (ExoN)/N7-methyltransferase. The nsp14-ExoN activity mediates RNA-dependent RNA proofreading, high-fidelity RNA synthesis, and replication. To date, the solved partial RTC structures, biochemistry, and models use or assume completely processed, mature nsp. Here, we demonstrate that in MHV, engineered deletion of the cleavage sites between nsp13-14 and nsp14-15 allowed recovery of replication-competent virus. Compared to wild-type (WT) MHV, the nsp13-14 and nsp14-15 cleavage deletion mutants demonstrated delayed replication kinetics, impaired genome production, altered abundance and patterns of recombination, and impaired competitive fitness. Further, the nsp13-14 and nsp14-15 mutant viruses demonstrated mutation frequencies that were significantly higher than with the WT. The results demonstrate that cleavage of nsp13-14 or nsp14-15 is not required for MHV viability and that functions of the RTC/nsp14-ExoN are impaired when assembled with noncleaved intermediates. These data will inform future genetic, structural, biochemical, and modeling studies of coronavirus RTCs and nsp 13, 14, and 15 and may reveal new approaches for inhibition or attenuation of CoV infection. IMPORTANCE Coronavirus replication requires proteolytic maturation of the nonstructural replicase proteins to form the replication-transcription complex. Coronavirus replication-transcription complex models assume mature subunits; however, mechanisms of coronavirus maturation and replicase complex formation have yet to be defined. Here, we show that for the coronavirus murine hepatitis virus, cleavage between the nonstructural replicase proteins nsp13-14 and nsp14-15 is not required for replication but does alter RNA synthesis and recombination. These results shed new light on the requirements for coronavirus maturation and replication-transcription complex assembly, and they may reveal novel therapeutic targets and strategies for attenuation.
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43
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Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has caused millions of deaths in the past two years. Although initially little was understood about this virus, recent research has significantly advanced and landed interferons (IFNs) in the spotlight. While Type I and III IFN have long been known as central to antiviral immunity, in the case of COVID-19 their role was initially controversial. However, the protective function of IFN is now well supported by the identification of human deficiencies in IFN responses as a predictor of disease severity. Here, we will review the cell types and pathways that lead to IFN production as well as the importance of IFN timing and location for disease outcome. We will further discuss the mechanisms that SARS-CoV-2 uses to evade IFN responses, and the current efforts to implement IFNs as therapeutics in the treatment of COVID-19. It is essential to understand the relationships between SARS-CoV-2 and IFN to better inform treatments that exploit IFN functions to alleviate COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Chiale
- Division of Biological SciencesUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
| | - Trever T. Greene
- Division of Biological SciencesUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
| | - Elina I. Zuniga
- Division of Biological SciencesUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
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44
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In-silico screening and in-vitro assay show the antiviral effect of Indomethacin against SARS-CoV-2. Comput Biol Med 2022; 147:105788. [PMID: 35809412 PMCID: PMC9245396 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.105788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused the worldwide spread of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), and till now, it has caused death to more than 6.2 million people. Although various vaccines and drug candidates are being tested globally with limited to moderate success, a comprehensive therapeutic cure is yet to be achieved. In this study, we applied computational drug repurposing methods complemented with the analyses of the already existing gene expression data to find better therapeutics in treatment and recovery. Primarily, we identified the most crucial proteins of SARS-CoV-2 and host human cells responsible for viral infection and host response. An in-silico screening of the existing drugs was performed against the crucial proteins for SARS-CoV-2 infection, and a few existing drugs were shortlisted. Further, we analyzed the gene expression data of SARS-CoV-2 in human lung epithelial cells and investigated the molecules that can reverse the cellular mRNA expression profiles in the diseased state. LINCS L1000 and Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) were utilized to obtain two sets of compounds that can be used to counter SARS-CoV-2 infection from the gene expression perspective. Indomethacin, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), and Vitamin-A were found in two sets of compounds, and in the in-silico screening of existing drugs to treat SARS-CoV-2. Our in-silico findings on Indomethacin were further successfully validated by in-vitro testing in Vero CCL-81 cells with an IC50 of 12 μM. Along with these findings, we briefly discuss the possible roles of Indomethacin and Vitamin-A to counter the SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans.
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45
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Bergant V, Yamada S, Grass V, Tsukamoto Y, Lavacca T, Krey K, Mühlhofer MT, Wittmann S, Ensser A, Herrmann A, Vom Hemdt A, Tomita Y, Matsuyama S, Hirokawa T, Huang Y, Piras A, Jakwerth CA, Oelsner M, Thieme S, Graf A, Krebs S, Blum H, Kümmerer BM, Stukalov A, Schmidt-Weber CB, Igarashi M, Gramberg T, Pichlmair A, Kato H. Attenuation of SARS-CoV-2 replication and associated inflammation by concomitant targeting of viral and host cap 2'-O-ribose methyltransferases. EMBO J 2022; 41:e111608. [PMID: 35833542 PMCID: PMC9350232 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2022111608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The SARS‐CoV‐2 infection cycle is a multistage process that relies on functional interactions between the host and the pathogen. Here, we repurposed antiviral drugs against both viral and host enzymes to pharmaceutically block methylation of the viral RNA 2'‐O‐ribose cap needed for viral immune escape. We find that the host cap 2'‐O‐ribose methyltransferase MTr1 can compensate for loss of viral NSP16 methyltransferase in facilitating virus replication. Concomitant inhibition of MTr1 and NSP16 efficiently suppresses SARS‐CoV‐2 replication. Using in silico target‐based drug screening, we identify a bispecific MTr1/NSP16 inhibitor with anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 activity in vitro and in vivo but with unfavorable side effects. We further show antiviral activity of inhibitors that target independent stages of the host SAM cycle providing the methyltransferase co‐substrate. In particular, the adenosylhomocysteinase (AHCY) inhibitor DZNep is antiviral in in vitro, in ex vivo, and in a mouse infection model and synergizes with existing COVID‐19 treatments. Moreover, DZNep exhibits a strong immunomodulatory effect curbing infection‐induced hyperinflammation and reduces lung fibrosis markers ex vivo. Thus, multispecific and metabolic MTase inhibitors constitute yet unexplored treatment options against COVID‐19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valter Bergant
- Institute of Virology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany
| | - Shintaro Yamada
- Institute of Cardiovascular Immunology, University Hospital Bonn (UKB), Bonn, Germany
| | - Vincent Grass
- Institute of Virology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany
| | - Yuta Tsukamoto
- Institute of Cardiovascular Immunology, University Hospital Bonn (UKB), Bonn, Germany
| | - Teresa Lavacca
- Institute of Virology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany
| | - Karsten Krey
- Institute of Virology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany
| | - Maria-Teresa Mühlhofer
- Institute of Virology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany
| | - Sabine Wittmann
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Armin Ensser
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Alexandra Herrmann
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Anja Vom Hemdt
- Institute of Virology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Yuriko Tomita
- Department of Virology III, National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shutoku Matsuyama
- Department of Virology III, National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takatsugu Hirokawa
- Transborder Medical Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.,Division of Biomedical Science, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.,Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yiqi Huang
- Institute of Virology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany
| | - Antonio Piras
- Institute of Virology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany
| | - Constanze A Jakwerth
- Center for Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Helmholtz Center Munich, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), CPC-M, Munich, Germany
| | - Madlen Oelsner
- Center for Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Helmholtz Center Munich, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), CPC-M, Munich, Germany
| | - Susanne Thieme
- Laboratory for functional genome analysis (LAFUGA), Gene Centre, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | - Alexander Graf
- Laboratory for functional genome analysis (LAFUGA), Gene Centre, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | - Stefan Krebs
- Laboratory for functional genome analysis (LAFUGA), Gene Centre, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | - Helmut Blum
- Laboratory for functional genome analysis (LAFUGA), Gene Centre, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | - Beate M Kümmerer
- Institute of Virology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany
| | - Alexey Stukalov
- Institute of Virology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany
| | - Carsten B Schmidt-Weber
- Center for Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Helmholtz Center Munich, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), CPC-M, Munich, Germany
| | - Manabu Igarashi
- International Collaboration Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.,Division of Global Epidemiology, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Thomas Gramberg
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Andreas Pichlmair
- Institute of Virology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Munich partner site, Germany
| | - Hiroki Kato
- Institute of Cardiovascular Immunology, University Hospital Bonn (UKB), Bonn, Germany
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46
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Gao K, Wang R, Chen J, Cheng L, Frishcosy J, Huzumi Y, Qiu Y, Schluckbier T, Wei X, Wei GW. Methodology-Centered Review of Molecular Modeling, Simulation, and Prediction of SARS-CoV-2. Chem Rev 2022; 122:11287-11368. [PMID: 35594413 PMCID: PMC9159519 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Despite tremendous efforts in the past two years, our understanding of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), virus-host interactions, immune response, virulence, transmission, and evolution is still very limited. This limitation calls for further in-depth investigation. Computational studies have become an indispensable component in combating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to their low cost, their efficiency, and the fact that they are free from safety and ethical constraints. Additionally, the mechanism that governs the global evolution and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 cannot be revealed from individual experiments and was discovered by integrating genotyping of massive viral sequences, biophysical modeling of protein-protein interactions, deep mutational data, deep learning, and advanced mathematics. There exists a tsunami of literature on the molecular modeling, simulations, and predictions of SARS-CoV-2 and related developments of drugs, vaccines, antibodies, and diagnostics. To provide readers with a quick update about this literature, we present a comprehensive and systematic methodology-centered review. Aspects such as molecular biophysics, bioinformatics, cheminformatics, machine learning, and mathematics are discussed. This review will be beneficial to researchers who are looking for ways to contribute to SARS-CoV-2 studies and those who are interested in the status of the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaifu Gao
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Rui Wang
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Jiahui Chen
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Limei Cheng
- Clinical
Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics, Bristol
Myers Squibb, Princeton, New Jersey 08536, United States
| | - Jaclyn Frishcosy
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Yuta Huzumi
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Yuchi Qiu
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Tom Schluckbier
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Xiaoqi Wei
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Guo-Wei Wei
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
- Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan
State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
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47
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Structural basis for SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein recognition by 14-3-3 proteins. J Struct Biol 2022; 214:107879. [PMID: 35781025 PMCID: PMC9245327 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2022.107879] [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: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
14-3-3 proteins are important dimeric scaffolds that regulate the function of hundreds of proteins in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. The SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein forms a complex with human 14-3-3 proteins upon phosphorylation, which has also been described for other coronaviruses. Here, we report a high-resolution crystal structure of 14-3-3 bound to an N phosphopeptide bearing the phosphoserine 197 in the middle. The structure revealed two copies of the N phosphopeptide bound, each in the central binding groove of each 14-3-3 monomer. A complex network of hydrogen bonds and water bridges between the peptide and 14-3-3 was observed explaining the high affinity of the N protein for 14-3-3 proteins.
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48
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Moga E, Lynton-Pons E, Domingo P. The Robustness of Cellular Immunity Determines the Fate of SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Front Immunol 2022; 13:904686. [PMID: 35833134 PMCID: PMC9271749 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.904686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Two years after the appearance of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the causal agent of the current global pandemic, it is time to analyze the evolution of the immune protection that infection and vaccination provide. Cellular immunity plays an important role in limiting disease severity and the resolution of infection. The early appearance, breadth and magnitude of SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell response has been correlated with disease severity and it has been thought that T cell responses may be sufficient to clear infection with minimal disease in COVID-19 patients with X-linked or autosomal recessive agammaglobulinemia. However, our knowledge of the phenotypic and functional diversity of CD8+ cytotoxic lymphocytes, CD4+ T helper cells, mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells and CD4+ T follicular helper (Tfh), which play a critical role in infection control as well as long-term protection, is still evolving. It has been described how CD8+ cytotoxic lymphocytes interrupt viral replication by secreting antiviral cytokines (IFN-γ and TNF-α) and directly killing infected cells, negatively correlating with stages of disease progression. In addition, CD4+ T helper cells have been reported to be key pieces, leading, coordinating and ultimately regulating antiviral immunity. For instance, in some more severe COVID-19 cases a dysregulated CD4+ T cell signature may contribute to the greater production of pro-inflammatory cytokines responsible for pathogenic inflammation. Here we discuss how cellular immunity is the axis around which the rest of the immune system components revolve, since it orchestrates and leads antiviral response by regulating the inflammatory cascade and, as a consequence, the innate immune system, as well as promoting a correct humoral response through CD4+ Tfh cells. This review also analyses the critical role of cellular immunity in modulating the development of high-affinity neutralizing antibodies and germinal center B cell differentiation in memory and long-lived antibody secreting cells. Finally, since there is currently a high percentage of vaccinated population and, in some cases, vaccine booster doses are even being administered in certain countries, we have also summarized newer approaches to long-lasting protective immunity and the cross-protection of cellular immune response against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Moga
- Department of Immunology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain,*Correspondence: Esther Moga,
| | - Elionor Lynton-Pons
- Department of Immunology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pere Domingo
- Unidad de enfermedades infecciosas, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
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Melo-Filho CC, Bobrowski T, Martin HJ, Sessions Z, Popov KI, Moorman NJ, Baric RS, Muratov EN, Tropsha A. Conserved coronavirus proteins as targets of broad-spectrum antivirals. Antiviral Res 2022; 204:105360. [PMID: 35691424 PMCID: PMC9183392 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2022.105360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Coronaviruses are a class of single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses that have caused three major outbreaks over the past two decades: Middle East respiratory syndrome–related coronavirus (MERS-CoV), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). All outbreaks have been associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In this study, we have identified and explored conserved binding sites in the key coronavirus proteins for the development of broad-spectrum direct acting anti-coronaviral compounds and validated the significance of this conservation for drug discovery with existing experimental data. We have identified four coronaviral proteins with highly conserved binding site sequence and 3D structure similarity: PLpro, Mpro, nsp10-nsp16 complex(methyltransferase), and nsp15 endoribonuclease. We have compiled all available experimental data for known antiviral medications inhibiting these targets and identified compounds active against multiple coronaviruses. The identified compounds representing potential broad-spectrum antivirals include: GC376, which is active against six viral Mpro (out of six tested, as described in research literature); mycophenolic acid, which is active against four viral PLpro (out of four); and emetine, which is active against four viral RdRp (out of four). The approach described in this study for coronaviruses, which combines the assessment of sequence and structure conservation across a viral family with the analysis of accessible chemical structure – antiviral activity data, can be explored for the development of broad-spectrum drugs for multiple viral families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cleber C Melo-Filho
- Laboratory for Molecular Modeling, Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Tesia Bobrowski
- Laboratory for Molecular Modeling, Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Holli-Joi Martin
- Laboratory for Molecular Modeling, Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Zoe Sessions
- Laboratory for Molecular Modeling, Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Konstantin I Popov
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Nathaniel J Moorman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Ralph S Baric
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Eugene N Muratov
- Laboratory for Molecular Modeling, Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
| | - Alexander Tropsha
- Laboratory for Molecular Modeling, Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
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Ramarao-Milne P, Jain Y, Sng LM, Hosking B, Lee C, Bayat A, Kuiper M, Wilson LO, Twine NA, Bauer DC. Data-driven platform for identifying variants of interest in COVID-19 virus. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:2942-2950. [PMID: 35677774 PMCID: PMC9162986 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
We provide an automated way to identify emerging variants of concern using viral genome and patient-outcome data. We assembled 10,000 sample-strong case-control dataset and identified 117 single nucleotide variants (SNV) associated with adverse patient outcomes. We observe co-evolution of protective and pathogenic interactions between the spike, nsp14, and N region with either orf3a or nsp3. Structural modelling reveals mutation clusters in the Zn binding domain of nsp14 suggesting ongoing adaptation to the human host. Our approach identified Variants Being Monitored (VBM) a week before they were flagged by Health Organizations and offers a clade-independent function-orientated grouping.
New SARS-CoV-2 variants emerge as part of the virus’ adaptation to the human host. The Health Organizations are monitoring newly emerging variants with suspected impact on disease or vaccination efficacy as Variants Being Monitored (VBM), like Delta and Omicron. Genetic changes (SNVs) compared to the Wuhan variant characterize VBMs with current emphasis on the spike protein and lineage markers. However, monitoring VBMs in such a way might miss SNVs with functional effect on disease. Here we introduce a lineage-agnostic genome-wide approach to identify SNVs associated with disease. We curated a case-control dataset of 10,520 samples and identified 117 SNVs significantly associated with adverse patient outcome. While 40% (47) SNV are already monitored and 36% (43) are in the spike protein, we also identified 70 new SNVs that are associated with disease outcome. 31 of these are disease-worsening and predominantly located in the 3′-5′ exonuclease (NSP14) with structural modelling revealing a concise cluster in the Zn binding domain that has known host-immune modulating function. Furthermore, we generate clade-independent VBM groupings by identifying interacting SNVs (epistasis). We find 37 sets of higher-order epistatic interactions joining 5 genomic regions (nsp3, nsp14, Spike S1, ORF3a, N). Structural modelling of these regions provides insights into potential mechanistic pathways of increased virulence as well as orthogonal methods of validation. Clade-independent monitoring of functionally interacting (epistasis, co-evolution) SNVs detected emerging VBM a week before they were flagged by Health Organizations and in conjunction with structural modelling provides faster, mechanistic insight into emerging strains to guide public health interventions.
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