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Hou Y, Liu Y, Jia X, Zhou M, Mao W, Dong S, Zhang Y, Xiao G, Wang W. Screening and Identification of Lassa Virus Entry Inhibitors from a Fragment-Based Drug Discovery Library. Viruses 2022; 14:v14122649. [PMID: 36560653 PMCID: PMC9782912 DOI: 10.3390/v14122649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Lassa virus (LASV) is a highly pathogenic virus that is categorized as a biosafety level-4 pathogen. Currently, there are no approved drugs or vaccines specific to LASV. In this study, high-throughput screening of a fragment-based drug discovery library was performed against LASV entry using a pseudotype virus bearing the LASV envelope glycoprotein complex (GPC). Two compounds, F1920 and F1965, were identified as LASV entry inhibitors that block GPC-mediated membrane fusion. Analysis of adaptive mutants demonstrated that the transient mutants L442F and I445S, as well as the constant mutant F446L, were located on the same side on the transmembrane domain of the subunit GP2 of GPC, and all the mutants conferred resistance to both F1920 and F1965. Furthermore, F1920 antiviral activity extended to other highly pathogenic mammarenaviruses, whereas F1965 was LASV-specific. Our study showed that both F1920 and F1965 provide a potential backbone for the development of lead drugs for preventing LASV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxia Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Xiaoying Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Minmin Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wenting Mao
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Siqi Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yueli Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Gengfu Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Correspondence:
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Wang P, Liu Y, Zhang G, Wang S, Guo J, Cao J, Jia X, Zhang L, Xiao G, Wang W. Screening and Identification of Lassa Virus Entry Inhibitors from an FDA-Approved Drug Library. J Virol 2018; 92:e00954-18. [PMID: 29899092 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.00954-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Lassa virus (LASV) belongs to the Mammarenavirus genus (family Arenaviridae) and causes severe hemorrhagic fever in humans. At present, there are no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs or vaccines specific for LASV. Here, high-throughput screening of an FDA-approved drug library was performed against LASV entry by using pseudotype virus bearing LASV envelope glycoprotein (GPC). Two hit compounds, lacidipine and phenothrin, were identified as LASV entry inhibitors in the micromolar range. A mechanistic study revealed that both compounds inhibited LASV entry by blocking low-pH-induced membrane fusion. Accordingly, lacidipine showed virucidal effects on the pseudotype virus of LASV. Adaptive mutant analyses demonstrated that replacement of T40, located in the ectodomain of the stable-signal peptide (SSP), with lysine (K) conferred LASV resistance to lacidipine. Furthermore, lacidipine showed antiviral activity against LASV, the closely related Mopeia virus (MOPV), and the New World arenavirus Guanarito virus (GTOV). Drug-resistant variants indicated that V36M in the ectodomain of the SSP mutant and V436A in the transmembrane domain of the GP2 mutant conferred GTOV resistance to lacidipine, suggesting the interface between SSP and GP2 is the target of lacidipine. This study shows that lacidipine is a candidate for LASV therapy, reinforcing the notion that the SSP-GP2 interface provides an entry-targeted platform for arenavirus inhibitor design.IMPORTANCE Currently, there is no approved therapy to treat Lassa fever; therefore, repurposing of approved drugs will accelerate the development of a therapeutic stratagem. In this study, we screened an FDA-approved library of drugs and identified two compounds, lacidipine and phenothrin, which inhibited Lassa virus entry by blocking low-pH-induced membrane fusion. Additionally, both compounds extended their inhibition against the entry of Guanarito virus, and the viral targets were identified as the SSP-GP2 interface.
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Wang W, Zhou Z, Zhang L, Wang S, Xiao G. Structure-function relationship of the mammarenavirus envelope glycoprotein. Virol Sin 2016; 31:380-394. [PMID: 27562602 DOI: 10.1007/s12250-016-3815-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2016] [Accepted: 06/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammarenaviruses, including lethal pathogens such as Lassa virus and Junín virus, can cause severe hemorrhagic fever in humans. Entry is a key step for virus infection, which starts with binding of the envelope glycoprotein (GP) to receptors on target cells and subsequent fusion of the virus with target cell membranes. The GP precursor is synthesized as a polypeptide, and maturation occurs by two cleavage events, yielding a tripartite GP complex (GPC) formed by a stable signal peptide (SSP), GP1 and GP2. The unique retained SSP interacts with GP2 and plays essential roles in virion maturation and infectivity. GP1 is responsible for binding to the cell receptor, and GP2 is a class I fusion protein. The native structure of the tripartite GPC is unknown. GPC is critical for the receptor binding, membrane fusion and neutralization antibody recognition. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlining the structure-function relationship of the three subunits is the key for understanding their function and can facilitate novel avenues for combating virus infections. This review summarizes the basic aspects and recent research of the structure-function relationship of the three subunits. We discuss the structural basis of the receptor-binding domain in GP1, the interaction between SSP and GP2 and its role in virion maturation and membrane fusion, as well as the mechanism by which glycosylation stabilizes the GPC structure and facilitates immune evasion. Understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in these aspects will contribute to the development of novel vaccines and treatment strategies against mammarenaviruses infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China.
| | - Zheng Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Leike Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Shaobo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Gengfu Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
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