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Yang D, Wang X, Yang X, Qi S, Zhao F, Guo D, Li C, Zhu Q, Xing X, Cao Y, Sun D. Construction and immune effect evaluation of the S protein heptad repeat-based nanoparticle vaccine against porcine epidemic diarrhea virus. Virology 2024; 596:110113. [PMID: 38801794 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2024.110113] [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: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), a highly virulent enteropathogenic coronavirus, is a significant threat to the pig industry. High frequency mutations in the PEDV genome have limited the effectiveness of current vaccines in providing immune protection. Developing efficient vaccines that can quickly adapt to mutant strains is a challenging but crucial task. In this study, we chose the pivotal protein heptad repeat (HR) responsible for coronavirus entry into host cells, as the vaccine antigen. HR-Fer nanoparticles prepared using ferritin were evaluated them as PEDV vaccine candidates. Nanoparticle vaccines elicited stronger neutralizing antibody responses in mice compared to monomer vaccines. Additionally, HR protein delivered via nanoparticles increased antigen uptake by antigen-presenting cells in vitro by 2.75-fold. The collective results suggest that HR can be used as antigens for vaccines, and the HR vaccine based on ferritin nanoparticles significantly enhances immunogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Yang
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, No. 5 Xinfeng Road, Sartu District, Daqing, 163319, China
| | - Xinglin Wang
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, No. 5 Xinfeng Road, Sartu District, Daqing, 163319, China
| | - Xu Yang
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, No. 5 Xinfeng Road, Sartu District, Daqing, 163319, China
| | - Shanshan Qi
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, No. 5 Xinfeng Road, Sartu District, Daqing, 163319, China
| | - Feiyu Zhao
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, No. 5 Xinfeng Road, Sartu District, Daqing, 163319, China
| | - Donghua Guo
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, No. 5 Xinfeng Road, Sartu District, Daqing, 163319, China
| | - Chunqiu Li
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, No. 5 Xinfeng Road, Sartu District, Daqing, 163319, China
| | - Qinghe Zhu
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, No. 5 Xinfeng Road, Sartu District, Daqing, 163319, China
| | - Xiaoxu Xing
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, No. 5 Xinfeng Road, Sartu District, Daqing, 163319, China
| | - Yang Cao
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, No. 5 Xinfeng Road, Sartu District, Daqing, 163319, China.
| | - Dongbo Sun
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, No. 5 Xinfeng Road, Sartu District, Daqing, 163319, China.
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Cao N, Cai Y, Huang X, Jiang H, Huang Z, Xing L, Lu L, Jiang S, Xu W. Inhibition of influenza A virus and SARS-CoV-2 infection or co-infection by griffithsin and griffithsin-based bivalent entry inhibitor. mBio 2024; 15:e0074124. [PMID: 38587427 PMCID: PMC11077956 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00741-24] [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: 03/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Outbreaks of acute respiratory viral diseases, such as influenza and COVID-19 caused by influenza A virus (IAV) and SARS-CoV-2, pose a serious threat to global public health, economic security, and social stability. This calls for the development of broad-spectrum antivirals to prevent or treat infection or co-infection of IAV and SARS-CoV-2. Hemagglutinin (HA) on IAV and spike (S) protein on SARS-CoV-2, which contain various types of glycans, play crucial roles in mediating viral entry into host cells. Therefore, they are key targets for the development of carbohydrate-binding protein-based antivirals. This study demonstrated that griffithsin (GRFT) and the GRFT-based bivalent entry inhibitor GL25E (GRFT-L25-EK1) showed broad-spectrum antiviral effects against IAV infection in vitro by binding to HA in a carbohydrate-dependent manner and effectively protected mice from lethal IAV infection. Although both GRFT and GL25E could inhibit infection of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants, GL25E proved to be significantly more effective than GRFT and EK1 alone. Furthermore, GL25E effectively inhibited in vitro co-infection of IAV and SARS-CoV-2 and demonstrated good druggability, including favorable safety and stability profiles. These findings suggest that GL25E is a promising candidate for further development as a broad-spectrum antiviral drug for the prevention and treatment of infection or co-infection from IAV and SARS-CoV-2.IMPORTANCEInfluenza and COVID-19 are highly contagious respiratory illnesses caused by the influenza A virus (IAV) and SARS-CoV-2, respectively. IAV and SARS-CoV-2 co-infection exacerbates damage to lung tissue and leads to more severe clinical symptoms, thus calling for the development of broad-spectrum antivirals for combating IAV and SARS-CoV-2 infection or co-infection. Here we found that griffithsin (GRFT), a carbohydrate-binding protein, and GL25E, a recombinant protein consisting of GRFT, a 25 amino acid linker, and EK1, a broad-spectrum coronavirus inhibitor, could effectively inhibit IAV and SARS-CoV-2 infection and co-infection by targeting glycans on HA of IAV and spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2. GL25E is more effective than GRFT because GL25E can also interact with the HR1 domain in SARS-CoV-2 S protein. Furthermore, GL25E possesses favorable safety and stability profiles, suggesting that it is a promising candidate for development as a drug to prevent and treat IAV and SARS-CoV-2 infection or co-infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Najing Cao
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microorganisms and Infection, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanxing Cai
- Guiyang Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Xin Huang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microorganisms and Infection, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hanxiao Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microorganisms and Infection, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ziqi Huang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microorganisms and Infection, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lixiao Xing
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microorganisms and Infection, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lu Lu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microorganisms and Infection, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shibo Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microorganisms and Infection, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Xu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microorganisms and Infection, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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3
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Bi W, Tang K, Chen G, Xie Y, Polizzi NF, DeGrado WF, Yuan S, Dang B. An enhanced broad-spectrum peptide inhibits Omicron variants in vivo. Cell Rep Med 2024; 5:101418. [PMID: 38340726 PMCID: PMC10897629 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
The continual emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern (VOCs) poses a major challenge to vaccines and antiviral therapeutics due to their extensive evasion of immunity. Aiming to develop potent and broad-spectrum anticoronavirus inhibitors, we generated A1-(GGGGS)7-HR2m (A1L35HR2m) by introducing an angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)-derived peptide A1 to the N terminus of the viral HR2-derived peptide HR2m through a long flexible linker, which showed significantly improved antiviral activity. Further cholesterol (Chol) modification at the C terminus of A1L35HR2m greatly enhanced the inhibitory activities against SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV-2 VOCs, SARS-CoV, and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) pseudoviruses, with IC50 values ranging from 0.16 to 5.53 nM. A1L35HR2m-Chol also potently inhibits spike-protein-mediated cell-cell fusion and the replication of authentic Omicron BA.2.12.1, BA.5, and EG.5.1. Importantly, A1L35HR2m-Chol distributed widely in respiratory tract tissue and had a long half-life (>10 h) in vivo. Intranasal administration of A1L35HR2m-Chol to K18-hACE2 transgenic mice potently inhibited Omicron BA.5 and EG.5.1 infection both prophylactically and therapeutically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenwen Bi
- Research Center for Industries of the Future and Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310030, Zhejiang, China; Frontier Biotechnology Laboratory, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 311215, China; Center for Infectious Disease Research, Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou 310030, Zhejiang, China; Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou 310030, China.
| | - Kaiming Tang
- Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China; State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
| | - Guilin Chen
- Research Center for Industries of the Future and Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310030, Zhejiang, China; Center for Infectious Disease Research, Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou 310030, Zhejiang, China; Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou 310030, China
| | - Yubin Xie
- Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China; State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
| | - Nicholas F Polizzi
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - William F DeGrado
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and the Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Shuofeng Yuan
- Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China; State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Bobo Dang
- Research Center for Industries of the Future and Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310030, Zhejiang, China; Center for Infectious Disease Research, Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou 310030, Zhejiang, China; Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou 310030, China.
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4
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Bains A, Fischer K, Guan W, LiWang PJ. The Antiviral Activity of the Lectin Griffithsin against SARS-CoV-2 Is Enhanced by the Presence of Structural Proteins. Viruses 2023; 15:2452. [PMID: 38140693 PMCID: PMC10747160 DOI: 10.3390/v15122452] [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: 10/14/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Although COVID-19 transmission has been reduced by the advent of vaccinations and a variety of rapid monitoring techniques, the SARS-CoV-2 virus itself has shown a remarkable ability to mutate and persist. With this long track record of immune escape, researchers are still exploring prophylactic treatments to curtail future SARS-CoV-2 variants. Specifically, much focus has been placed on the antiviral lectin Griffithsin in preventing spike protein-mediated infection via the hACE2 receptor (direct infection). However, an oft-overlooked aspect of SARS-CoV-2 infection is viral capture by attachment receptors such as DC-SIGN, which is thought to facilitate the initial stages of COVID-19 infection in the lung tissue (called trans-infection). In addition, while immune escape is dictated by mutations in the spike protein, coronaviral virions also incorporate M, N, and E structural proteins within the particle. In this paper, we explored how several structural facets of both the SARS-CoV-2 virion and the antiviral lectin Griffithsin can affect and attenuate the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus. We found that Griffithsin was a better inhibitor of hACE2-mediated direct infection when the coronaviral M protein is present compared to when it is absent (possibly providing an explanation regarding why Griffithsin shows better inhibition against authentic SARS-CoV-2 as opposed to pseudotyped viruses, which generally do not contain M) and that Griffithsin was not an effective inhibitor of DC-SIGN-mediated trans-infection. Furthermore, we found that DC-SIGN appeared to mediate trans-infection exclusively via binding to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, with no significant effect observed when other viral proteins (M, N, and/or E) were present. These results provide etiological data that may help to direct the development of novel antiviral treatments, either by leveraging Griffithsin binding to the M protein as a novel strategy to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection or by narrowing efforts to inhibit trans-infection to focus on DC-SIGN binding to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arjan Bains
- Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Merced, 5200 North Lake Rd., Merced, CA 95343, USA;
| | - Kathryn Fischer
- Quantitative and Systems Biology, University of California Merced, 5200 North Lake Rd., Merced, CA 95343, USA;
| | - Wenyan Guan
- Materials and Biomaterials Science and Engineering, University of California Merced, 5200 North Lake Rd., Merced, CA 95343, USA;
| | - Patricia J. LiWang
- Molecular Cell Biology, Health Sciences Research Institute, University of California Merced, 5200 North Lake Rd., Merced, CA 95343, USA
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5
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Jiao F, Andrianov AM, Wang L, Furs KV, Gonchar AV, Wang Q, Xu W, Lu L, Xia S, Tuzikov AV, Jiang S. Repurposing Navitoclax to block SARS-CoV-2 fusion and entry by targeting heptapeptide repeat sequence 1 in S2 protein. J Med Virol 2023; 95:e29145. [PMID: 37804480 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.29145] [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: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
Along with the long pandemic of COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has come the dilemma of emerging viral variants of concern (VOC), particularly Omicron and its subvariants, able to deftly escape immune surveillance and the otherwise protective effect of current vaccines and antibody drugs. We previously identified a peptide-based pan-CoV fusion inhibitor, termed as EK1, able to bind the HR1 region in viral spike (S) protein S2 subunit. This effectively blocked formation of the six-helix bundle (6-HB) fusion core and, thus, showed efficacy against all human coronaviruses (HCoVs). EK1 is now in phase 3 clinical trials. However, the peptide drug generally lacks oral availability. Therefore, we herein performed a structure-based virtual screening of the libraries of biologically active molecules and identified nine candidate compounds. One is Navitoclax, an orally active anticancer drug by inhibition of Bcl-2. Like EK1 peptide, it could bind HR1 and block 6-HB formation, efficiently inhibiting fusion and infection of all SARS-CoV-2 variants tested, as well as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, with IC50 values ranging from 0.5 to 3.7 μM. These findings suggest that Navitoclax is a promising repurposed drug candidate for development as a safe and orally available broad-spectrum antiviral drug to combat the current SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, as well as other HCoVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanke Jiao
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microbes and Infection, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Alexander M Andrianov
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Minsk, Belarus
| | - Lijue Wang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microbes and Infection, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Konstantin V Furs
- United Institute of Informatics Problems, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Minsk, Belarus
| | - Anna V Gonchar
- United Institute of Informatics Problems, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Minsk, Belarus
| | - Qian Wang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microbes and Infection, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Xu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microbes and Infection, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lu Lu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microbes and Infection, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shuai Xia
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microbes and Infection, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Alexander V Tuzikov
- United Institute of Informatics Problems, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Minsk, Belarus
| | - Shibo Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microbes and Infection, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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6
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Bains A, Guan W, LiWang PJ. The Effect of Select SARS-CoV-2 N-Linked Glycan and Variant of Concern Spike Protein Mutations on C-Type Lectin-Receptor-Mediated Infection. Viruses 2023; 15:1901. [PMID: 37766307 PMCID: PMC10535197 DOI: 10.3390/v15091901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 virion has shown remarkable resilience, capable of mutating to escape immune detection and re-establishing infectious capabilities despite new vaccine rollouts. Therefore, there is a critical need to identify relatively immutable epitopes on the SARS-CoV-2 virion that are resistant to future mutations the virus may accumulate. While hACE2 has been identified as the receptor that mediates SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility, it is only modestly expressed in lung tissue. C-type lectin receptors like DC-SIGN can act as attachment sites to enhance SARS-CoV-2 infection of cells with moderate or low hACE2 expression. We developed an easy-to-implement assay system that allows for the testing of SARS-CoV-2 trans-infection. Using our assay, we assessed how SARS-CoV-2 Spike S1-domain glycans and spike proteins from different strains affected the ability of pseudotyped lentivirions to undergo DC-SIGN-mediated trans-infection. Through our experiments with seven glycan point mutants, two glycan cluster mutants and four strains of SARS-CoV-2 spike, we found that glycans N17 and N122 appear to have significant roles in maintaining COVID-19's infectious capabilities. We further found that the virus cannot retain infectivity upon the loss of multiple glycosylation sites, and that Omicron BA.2 pseudovirions may have an increased ability to bind to other non-lectin receptor proteins on the surface of cells. Taken together, our work opens the door to the development of new therapeutics that can target overlooked epitopes of the SARS-CoV-2 virion to prevent C-type lectin-receptor-mediated trans-infection in lung tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arjan Bains
- Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Merced, 5200 North Lake Rd., Merced, CA 95343, USA;
| | - Wenyan Guan
- Materials and Biomaterials Science and Engineering, University of California Merced, 5200 North Lake Rd., Merced, CA 95343, USA;
| | - Patricia J. LiWang
- Molecular Cell Biology, Health Sciences Research Institute, University of California Merced, 5200 North Lake Rd., Merced, CA 95343, USA
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7
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Nangarlia A, Hassen FF, Canziani G, Bandi P, Talukder C, Zhang F, Krauth D, Gary EN, Weiner DB, Bieniasz P, Navas-Martin S, O'Keefe BR, Ang CG, Chaiken I. Irreversible Inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 by Lectin Engagement with Two Glycan Clusters on the Spike Protein. Biochemistry 2023; 62:2115-2127. [PMID: 37341186 PMCID: PMC10663058 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.3c00109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
Host cell infection by SARS-CoV-2, similar to that by HIV-1, is driven by a conformationally metastable and highly glycosylated surface entry protein complex, and infection by these viruses has been shown to be inhibited by the mannose-specific lectins cyanovirin-N (CV-N) and griffithsin (GRFT). We discovered in this study that CV-N not only inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection but also leads to irreversibly inactivated pseudovirus particles. The irreversibility effect was revealed by the observation that pseudoviruses first treated with CV-N and then washed to remove all soluble lectin did not recover infectivity. The infection inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus mutants with single-site glycan mutations in spike suggested that two glycan clusters in S1 are important for both CV-N and GRFT inhibition: one cluster associated with the RBD (receptor binding domain) and the second with the S1/S2 cleavage site. We observed lectin antiviral effects with several SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus variants, including the recently emerged omicron, as well as a fully infectious coronavirus, therein reflecting the breadth of lectin antiviral function and the potential for pan-coronavirus inactivation. Mechanistically, observations made in this work indicate that multivalent lectin interaction with S1 glycans is likely a driver of the lectin infection inhibition and irreversible inactivation effect and suggest the possibility that lectin inactivation is caused by an irreversible conformational effect on spike. Overall, lectins' irreversible inactivation of SARS-CoV-2, taken with their breadth of function, reflects the therapeutic potential of multivalent lectins targeting the vulnerable metastable spike before host cell encounter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aakansha Nangarlia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
| | - Farah Fazloon Hassen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
| | - Gabriela Canziani
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
| | - Praneeta Bandi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
| | - Choya Talukder
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
| | - Fengwen Zhang
- Laboratory of Retrovirology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10065, United States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Douglas Krauth
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
| | - Ebony N Gary
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - David B Weiner
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Paul Bieniasz
- Laboratory of Retrovirology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10065, United States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Sonia Navas-Martin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Molecular Virology & Translational Neuroscience, Institute for Molecular Medicine & Infectious Disease, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
| | - Barry R O'Keefe
- Molecular Targets Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
- Natural Products Branch, Developmental Therapeutics Program, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Charles G Ang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
| | - Irwin Chaiken
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
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8
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Guo L, Lin S, Chen Z, Cao Y, He B, Lu G. Targetable elements in SARS-CoV-2 S2 subunit for the design of pan-coronavirus fusion inhibitors and vaccines. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023; 8:197. [PMID: 37164987 PMCID: PMC10170451 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01472-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused devastating impacts on the public health and the global economy. Rapid viral antigenic evolution has led to the continual generation of new variants. Of special note is the recently expanding Omicron subvariants that are capable of immune evasion from most of the existing neutralizing antibodies (nAbs). This has posed new challenges for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Therefore, exploring broad-spectrum antiviral agents to combat the emerging variants is imperative. In sharp contrast to the massive accumulation of mutations within the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD), the S2 fusion subunit has remained highly conserved among variants. Hence, S2-based therapeutics may provide effective cross-protection against new SARS-CoV-2 variants. Here, we summarize the most recently developed broad-spectrum fusion inhibitors (e.g., nAbs, peptides, proteins, and small-molecule compounds) and candidate vaccines targeting the conserved elements in SARS-CoV-2 S2 subunit. The main focus includes all the targetable S2 elements, namely, the fusion peptide, stem helix, and heptad repeats 1 and 2 (HR1-HR2) bundle. Moreover, we provide a detailed summary of the characteristics and action-mechanisms for each class of cross-reactive fusion inhibitors, which should guide and promote future design of S2-based inhibitors and vaccines against new coronaviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liyan Guo
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Sheng Lin
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Zimin Chen
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Yu Cao
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
- Disaster Medicine Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Bin He
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China.
| | - Guangwen Lu
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China.
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9
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Pseudotyped Viruses for Coronaviruses. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2023; 1407:133-151. [PMID: 36920695 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-99-0113-5_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
Seven coronaviruses have been identified that can infect humans, four of which usually cause mild symptoms, including HCoV-229E, HCoV-NL63, HCoV-OC43, and HCoV-HKU1, three of which are lethal coronaviruses, named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Pseudotyped virus is an important tool in the field of human coronavirus research because it is safe, easy to prepare, easy to detect, and highly modifiable. In addition to the application of pseudotyped viruses in the study of virus infection mechanism, vaccine, and candidate antiviral drug or antibody evaluation and screening, pseudotyped viruses can also be used as an important platform for further application in the prediction of immunogenicity and antigenicity after virus mutation, cross-species transmission prediction, screening, and preparation of vaccine strains with better broad spectrum and antigenicity. Meanwhile, as clinical trials of various types of vaccines and post-clinical studies are also being carried out one after another, the establishment of a high-throughput and fully automated detection platform based on SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped virus to further reduce the cost of detection and manual intervention and improve the efficiency of large-scale detection is also a demand for the development of SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped virus.
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10
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Nabi-Afjadi M, Heydari M, Zalpoor H, Arman I, Sadoughi A, Sahami P, Aghazadeh S. Lectins and lectibodies: potential promising antiviral agents. Cell Mol Biol Lett 2022; 27:37. [PMID: 35562647 PMCID: PMC9100318 DOI: 10.1186/s11658-022-00338-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In nature, lectins are widely dispersed proteins that selectively recognize and bind to carbohydrates and glycoconjugates via reversible bonds at specific binding sites. Many viral diseases have been treated with lectins due to their wide range of structures, specificity for carbohydrates, and ability to bind carbohydrates. Through hemagglutination assays, these proteins can be detected interacting with various carbohydrates on the surface of cells and viral envelopes. This review discusses the most robust lectins and their rationally engineered versions, such as lectibodies, as antiviral proteins. Fusion of lectin and antibody’s crystallizable fragment (Fc) of immunoglobulin G (IgG) produces a molecule called a “lectibody” that can act as a carbohydrate-targeting antibody. Lectibodies can not only bind to the surface glycoproteins via their lectins and neutralize and clear viruses or infected cells by viruses but also perform Fc-mediated antibody effector functions. These functions include complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), and antibody-dependent cell-mediated phagocytosis (ADCP). In addition to entering host cells, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein S1 binds to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and downregulates it and type I interferons in a way that may lead to lung disease. The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein S1 and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) envelope are heavily glycosylated, which could make them a major target for developing vaccines, diagnostic tests, and therapeutic drugs. Lectibodies can lead to neutralization and clearance of viruses and cells infected by viruses by binding to glycans located on the envelope surface (e.g., the heavily glycosylated SARS-CoV-2 spike protein).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Nabi-Afjadi
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Morteza Heydari
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, 13145-1384, Iran
| | - Hamidreza Zalpoor
- Shiraz Neuroscience Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.,Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy and Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran.,American Association of Kidney Patients, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Ibrahim Arman
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Zonguldak Bulent Ecevit University, Zonguldak, Turkey
| | - Arezoo Sadoughi
- Department of Immunology, International Campus, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
| | - Parisa Sahami
- Medical Biology Research Center, Health Technologies Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS), Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Safiyeh Aghazadeh
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, 5756151818, Iran.
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11
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Xing L, Xu X, Xu W, Liu Z, Shen X, Zhou J, Xu L, Pu J, Yang C, Huang Y, Lu L, Jiang S, Liu S. A Five−Helix−Based SARS−CoV−2 Fusion Inhibitor Targeting Heptad Repeat 2 Domain against SARS−CoV−2 and Its Variants of Concern. Viruses 2022; 14:v14030597. [PMID: 35337003 PMCID: PMC8955665 DOI: 10.3390/v14030597] [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: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 03/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The prolonged duration of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has resulted in the continuous emergence of variants of concern (VOC, e.g., Omicron) and variants of interest (VOI, e.g., Lambda). These variants have challenged the protective efficacy of current COVID-19 vaccines, thus calling for the development of novel therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2 and its VOCs. Here, we constructed a novel fusion inhibitor-based recombinant protein, denoted as 5-Helix, consisting of three heptad repeat 1 (HR1) and two heptad repeat 2 (HR2) fragments. The 5-Helix interacted with the HR2 domain of the viral S2 subunit, the most conserved region in spike (S) protein, to block homologous six-helix bundle (6-HB) formation between viral HR1 and HR2 domains and, hence, viral S-mediated cell–cell fusion. The 5-Helix potently inhibited infection by pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 and its VOCs, including Delta and Omicron variants. The 5-Helix also inhibited infection by authentic SARS-CoV-2 wild-type (nCoV-SH01) strain and its Delta variant. Collectively, our findings suggest that 5-Helix can be further developed as either a therapeutic or prophylactic to treat and prevent infection by SARS-CoV-2 and its variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lixiao Xing
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microbes and Infection, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; (L.X.); (W.X.); (Z.L.); (X.S.); (J.Z.); (L.X.); (J.P.)
| | - Xinfeng Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China; (X.X.); (C.Y.); (Y.H.)
| | - Wei Xu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microbes and Infection, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; (L.X.); (W.X.); (Z.L.); (X.S.); (J.Z.); (L.X.); (J.P.)
| | - Zezhong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microbes and Infection, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; (L.X.); (W.X.); (Z.L.); (X.S.); (J.Z.); (L.X.); (J.P.)
| | - Xin Shen
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microbes and Infection, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; (L.X.); (W.X.); (Z.L.); (X.S.); (J.Z.); (L.X.); (J.P.)
| | - Jie Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microbes and Infection, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; (L.X.); (W.X.); (Z.L.); (X.S.); (J.Z.); (L.X.); (J.P.)
| | - Ling Xu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microbes and Infection, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; (L.X.); (W.X.); (Z.L.); (X.S.); (J.Z.); (L.X.); (J.P.)
| | - Jing Pu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microbes and Infection, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; (L.X.); (W.X.); (Z.L.); (X.S.); (J.Z.); (L.X.); (J.P.)
| | - Chan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China; (X.X.); (C.Y.); (Y.H.)
| | - Yuan Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China; (X.X.); (C.Y.); (Y.H.)
| | - Lu Lu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microbes and Infection, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; (L.X.); (W.X.); (Z.L.); (X.S.); (J.Z.); (L.X.); (J.P.)
- Correspondence: (L.L.); (S.J.); (S.L.)
| | - Shibo Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microbes and Infection, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; (L.X.); (W.X.); (Z.L.); (X.S.); (J.Z.); (L.X.); (J.P.)
- Correspondence: (L.L.); (S.J.); (S.L.)
| | - Shuwen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China; (X.X.); (C.Y.); (Y.H.)
- Correspondence: (L.L.); (S.J.); (S.L.)
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