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Potent Allosteric Dengue Virus NS5 Polymerase Inhibitors: Mechanism of Action and Resistance Profiling.

ABSTRACT: Flaviviruses comprise major emerging pathogens such as dengue virus (DENV) or Zika virus (ZIKV). The flavivirus RNA genome is replicated by the RNA-dependent-RNA polymerase (RdRp) domain of non-structural protein 5 (NS5). This essential enzymatic activity renders the RdRp attractive for antiviral therapy. NS5 synthesizes viral RNA via a "de novo" initiation mechanism. Crystal structures of the flavivirus RdRp revealed a "closed" conformation reminiscent of a pre-initiation state, with a well ordered priming loop that extrudes from the thumb subdomain into the dsRNA exit tunnel, close to the "GDD" active site. To-date, no allosteric pockets have been identified for the RdRp, and compound screening campaigns did not yield suitable drug candidates. Using fragment-based screening via X-ray crystallography, we found a fragment that bound to a pocket of the apo-DENV RdRp close to its active site (termed "N pocket"). Structure-guided improvements yielded DENV pan-serotype inhibitors of the RdRp de novo initiation activity with nano-molar potency that also impeded elongation activity at micro-molar concentrations. Inhibitors exhibited mixed inhibition kinetics with respect to competition with the RNA or GTP substrate. The best compounds have EC50 values of 1-2 ?M against all four DENV serotypes in cell culture assays. Genome-sequencing of compound-resistant DENV replicons, identified amino acid changes that mapped to the N pocket. Since inhibitors bind at the thumb/palm interface of the RdRp, this class of compounds is proposed to hinder RdRp conformational changes during its transition from initiation to elongation. This is the first report of a class of pan-serotype and cell-active DENV RdRp inhibitors. Given the evolutionary conservation of residues lining the N pocket, these molecules offer insights to treat other serious conditions caused by flaviviruses.

SUBMITTER: Lim SP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4976923 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Potent Allosteric Dengue Virus NS5 Polymerase Inhibitors: Mechanism of Action and Resistance Profiling.

Lim Siew Pheng SP Noble Christian Guy CG Seh Cheah Chen CC Soh Tingjin Sherryl TS El Sahili Abbas A Chan Grace Kar Yarn GK Lescar Julien J Arora Rishi R Benson Timothy T Nilar Shahul S Manjunatha Ujjini U Wan Kah Fei KF Dong Hongping H Xie Xuping X Shi Pei-Yong PY Yokokawa Fumiaki F

PLoS pathogens 20160808 8

Flaviviruses comprise major emerging pathogens such as dengue virus (DENV) or Zika virus (ZIKV). The flavivirus RNA genome is replicated by the RNA-dependent-RNA polymerase (RdRp) domain of non-structural protein 5 (NS5). This essential enzymatic activity renders the RdRp attractive for antiviral therapy. NS5 synthesizes viral RNA via a "de novo" initiation mechanism. Crystal structures of the flavivirus RdRp revealed a "closed" conformation reminiscent of a pre-initiation state, with a well ord ...[more]

PMID: 27500641

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Project description:Dengue virus (DENV) NS5 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), an important drug target, synthesizes viral RNA and is essential for viral replication. While a number of allosteric inhibitors have been reported for hepatitis C virus RdRp, few have been described for DENV RdRp. Following a diverse compound screening campaign and a rigorous hit-to-lead flowchart combining biochemical and biophysical approaches, two DENV RdRp nonnucleoside inhibitors were identified and characterized. These inhibitors show low- to high-micromolar inhibition in DENV RNA polymerization and cell-based assays. X-ray crystallography reveals that they bind in the enzyme RNA template tunnel. One compound (NITD-434) induced an allosteric pocket at the junction of the fingers and palm subdomains by displacing residue V603 in motif B. Binding of another compound (NITD-640) ordered the fingers loop preceding the F motif, close to the RNA template entrance. Most of the amino acid residues that interacted with these compounds are highly conserved in flaviviruses. Both sites are important for polymerase de novo initiation and elongation activities and essential for viral replication. This work provides evidence that the RNA tunnel in DENV RdRp offers interesting target sites for inhibition.IMPORTANCE Dengue virus (DENV), an important arthropod-transmitted human pathogen that causes a spectrum of diseases, has spread dramatically worldwide in recent years. Despite extensive efforts, the only commercial vaccine does not provide adequate protection to naive individuals. DENV NS5 polymerase is a promising drug target, as exemplified by the development of successful commercial drugs against hepatitis C virus (HCV) polymerase and HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. High-throughput screening of compound libraries against this enzyme enabled the discovery of inhibitors that induced binding sites in the RNA template channel. Characterizations by biochemical, biophysical, and reverse genetics approaches provide a better understanding of the biological relevance of these allosteric sites and the way forward to design more-potent inhibitors.

Project description:The process of RNA replication by dengue virus is still not completely understood despite the significant progress made in the last few years. Stem-loop A (SLA), a part of the viral 5' untranslated region (UTR), is critical for the initiation of dengue virus replication, but quantitative analysis of the interactions between the dengue virus polymerase NS5 and SLA in solution has not been performed. Here, we examine how solution conditions affect the size and shape of SLA and the formation of the NS5-SLA complex. We show that dengue virus NS5 binds SLA with a 1:1 stoichiometry and that the association reaction is primarily entropy driven. We also observe that the NS5-SLA interaction is influenced by the magnesium concentration in a complex manner. Binding is optimal with 1 mM MgCl2 but decreases with both lower and higher magnesium concentrations. Additionally, data from a competition assay between SLA and single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) indicate that SLA competes with ssRNA for the same binding site on the NS5 polymerase. SLA70 and SLA80, which contain the first 70 and 80 nucleotides (nt), respectively, bind NS5 with similar binding affinities. Dengue virus NS5 also binds SLAs from different serotypes, indicating that NS5 recognizes the overall shape of SLA as well as specific nucleotides.IMPORTANCE Dengue virus is an important human pathogen responsible for dengue hemorrhagic fever, whose global incidence has increased dramatically over the last several decades. Despite the clear medical importance of dengue virus infection, the mechanism of viral replication, a process commonly targeted by antiviral therapeutics, is not well understood. In particular, stem-loop A (SLA) and stem-loop B (SLB) located in the 5' untranslated region (UTR) are critical for binding the viral polymerase NS5 to initiate minus-strand RNA synthesis. However, little is known regarding the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters driving these interactions. Here, we quantitatively examine the energetics of intrinsic affinities, characterize the stoichiometry of the complex of NS5 and SLA, and determine how solution conditions such as magnesium and sodium concentrations and temperature influence NS5-SLA interactions in solution. Quantitatively characterizing dengue virus NS5-SLA interactions will facilitate the design and assessment of antiviral therapeutics that target this essential step of the dengue virus life cycle.

Dataset Information

Potent Allosteric Dengue Virus NS5 Polymerase Inhibitors: Mechanism of Action and Resistance Profiling.

Publications

Potent Allosteric Dengue Virus NS5 Polymerase Inhibitors: Mechanism of Action and Resistance Profiling.

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