Screening of Small-Molecule Libraries Using SARS-CoV-2-Derived Sequences Identifies Novel Furin Inhibitors.
Détails
ID Serval
serval:BIB_9F00CF02496F
Type
Article: article d'un périodique ou d'un magazine.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Titre
Screening of Small-Molecule Libraries Using SARS-CoV-2-Derived Sequences Identifies Novel Furin Inhibitors.
Périodique
International journal of molecular sciences
ISSN
1422-0067 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
1422-0067
Statut éditorial
Publié
Date de publication
07/05/2024
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
25
Numéro
10
Langue
anglais
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article
Publication Status: epublish
Publication Status: epublish
Résumé
SARS-CoV-2 is the pathogen responsible for the most recent global pandemic, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of victims worldwide. Despite remarkable efforts to develop an effective vaccine, concerns have been raised about the actual protection against novel variants. Thus, researchers are eager to identify alternative strategies to fight against this pathogen. Like other opportunistic entities, a key step in the SARS-CoV-2 lifecycle is the maturation of the envelope glycoprotein at the RARR685↓ motif by the cellular enzyme Furin. Inhibition of this cleavage greatly affects viral propagation, thus representing an ideal drug target to contain infection. Importantly, no Furin-escape variants have ever been detected, suggesting that the pathogen cannot replace this protease by any means. Here, we designed a novel fluorogenic SARS-CoV-2-derived substrate to screen commercially available and custom-made libraries of small molecules for the identification of new Furin inhibitors. We found that a peptide substrate mimicking the cleavage site of the envelope glycoprotein of the Omicron variant (QTQTKSHRRAR-AMC) is a superior tool for screening Furin activity when compared to the commercially available Pyr-RTKR-AMC substrate. Using this setting, we identified promising novel compounds able to modulate Furin activity in vitro and suitable for interfering with SARS-CoV-2 maturation. In particular, we showed that 3-((5-((5-bromothiophen-2-yl)methylene)-4-oxo-4,5 dihydrothiazol-2-yl)(3-chloro-4-methylphenyl)amino)propanoic acid (P3, IC <sub>50</sub> = 35 μM) may represent an attractive chemical scaffold for the development of more effective antiviral drugs via a mechanism of action that possibly implies the targeting of Furin secondary sites (exosites) rather than its canonical catalytic pocket. Overall, a SARS-CoV-2-derived peptide was investigated as a new substrate for in vitro high-throughput screening (HTS) of Furin inhibitors and allowed the identification of compound P3 as a promising hit with an innovative chemical scaffold. Given the key role of Furin in infection and the lack of any Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved Furin inhibitor, P3 represents an interesting antiviral candidate.
Mots-clé
Furin/antagonists & inhibitors, Furin/metabolism, SARS-CoV-2/drug effects, SARS-CoV-2/metabolism, Humans, Small Molecule Libraries/pharmacology, Small Molecule Libraries/chemistry, Antiviral Agents/pharmacology, Antiviral Agents/chemistry, COVID-19/virology, Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/metabolism, Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/antagonists & inhibitors, Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/chemistry, Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/genetics, Drug Evaluation, Preclinical/methods, Furin, HTS, SARS-CoV-2, cleavage, envelope glycoprotein, exosite, in vitro, inhibitor, peptide, protease, virus
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Oui
Création de la notice
14/06/2024 14:27
Dernière modification de la notice
15/06/2024 6:04