Dataset Information

Using serpins cysteine protease cross-specificity to possibly trap SARS-CoV-2 Mpro with reactive center loop chimera.

ABSTRACT: Human serine protease inhibitors (serpins) are the main inhibitors of serine proteases, but some of them also have the capability to effectively inhibit cysteine proteases. Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) main protease (Mpro) is a chymotrypsin-type cysteine protease that is needed to produce functional proteins essential for virus replication and transcription. Serpin traps its target proteases by presenting a reactive center loop (RCL) as protease-specific cleavage site, resulting in protease inactivation. Mpro target sites with its active site serine and other flanking residues can possibly interact with serpins. Alternatively, RCL cleavage site of serpins with known evidence of inhibition of cysteine proteases can be replaced by Mpro target site to make chimeric proteins. Purified chimeric serpin can possibly inhibit Mpro that can be assessed indirectly by observing the decrease in ability of Mpro to cleave its chromogenic substrate. Chimeric serpins with best interaction and active site binding and with ability to form 1:1 serpin-Mpro complex in human plasma can be assessed by using SDS/PAGE and Western blot analysis with serpin antibody. Trapping SARS-CoV-2 Mpro cysteine protease using cross-class serpin cysteine protease inhibition activity is a novel idea with significant therapeutic potential.

SUBMITTER: Jairajpuri MA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7463295 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Using serpins cysteine protease cross-specificity to possibly trap SARS-CoV-2 Mpro with reactive center loop chimera.

Jairajpuri Mohamad Aman MA Ansari Shoyab S

Clinical science (London, England : 1979) 20200901 17

Human serine protease inhibitors (serpins) are the main inhibitors of serine proteases, but some of them also have the capability to effectively inhibit cysteine proteases. Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) main protease (Mpro) is a chymotrypsin-type cysteine protease that is needed to produce functional proteins essential for virus replication and transcription. Serpin traps its target proteases by presenting a reactive center loop (RCL) as protease-specific cleavage ...[more]

PMID: 32869854

Similar Datasets

Project description:Serine protease inhibitors (serpins) regulate proteolytic events within diverse biological processes, including digestion, coagulation, inflammation and immune responses. The presence of serpins in Fasciola hepatica excretory-secretory products indicates that the parasite exploits these to regulate proteases encountered during its development within vertebrate hosts. Interrogation of the F. hepatica genome identified a multi-gene serpin family of seven members that has expanded by gene duplication and divergence to create an array of inhibitors with distinct specificities. We investigated the molecular properties and functions of two representatives, FhSrp1 and FhSrp2, highly expressed in the invasive newly excysted juvenile (NEJ). Consistent with marked differences in the reactive centre loop (RCL) that executes inhibitor-protease complexing, the two recombinant F. hepatica serpins displayed distinct inhibitory profiles against an array of mammalian serine proteases. In particular, rFhSrp1 efficiently inhibited kallikrein (Ki = 40 nM) whilst rFhSrp2 was a highly potent inhibitor of chymotrypsin (Ki = 0.07 nM). FhSrp1 and FhSrp2 are both expressed on the NEJ surface, predominantly around the oral and ventral suckers, suggesting that these inhibitors protect the parasites from the harmful proteolytic effects of host proteases, such as chymotrypsin, during invasion. Furthermore, the unusual inhibition of kallikrein suggests that rFhSrp1 modulates host responses such as inflammation and vascular permeability by interfering with the kallikrein-kinin system. A vaccine combination of rFhSrp1 and rFhSrp2 formulated in the adjuvant Montanide ISA 206VG elicited modest but non-significant protection against a challenge infection in a rat model, but did induce some protection against liver pathogenesis when compared to a control group and a group vaccinated with two well-studied vaccine candidates, F. hepatica cathepsin L2 and L3. This work highlights the importance of F. hepatica serpins to regulate host responses that enables parasite survival during infection and, coupled with the vaccine data, encourages future vaccine trials in ruminants.

Project description:Serine protease inhibitors (serpins) are a diverse family of proteins that is conserved across taxa. The diversity of Amblyomma americanum serpins (AAS) is far more complex than previously thought as revealed by discovery of 57 and 33 AAS transcripts that are respectively expressed in male and female A. americanum ticks, with 30 found in both. While distinct reproductively, both male and female metastriate ticks, such as A. americanum, require a blood meal. Thus, 30 AAS sequences found in both male and female ticks could play important role(s) in regulating tick feeding and thus represent attractive candidates for anti-tick vaccine development. Of significant interest, 19 AAS sequences expressed in male and female ticks are also part of the 48 AAS sequences expressed in fed female tick salivary glands or midguts; two organs through which the tick interacts with host blood and immune response factors. Considered the most important domain for serpin function, the reactive center loop (RCL) is further characterized by a single 'P1' site amino acid residue, which is central to determining the protease regulated by the serpin. In this study, a diversity of 17 different P1 site amino acid residues were predicted, suggesting that A. americanum serpins potentially regulate a large number of proteolytic pathways. Our data also indicate that some serpins in this study could regulate target protease common to all tick species, in that more than 40% of AAS show 58-97% inter-species amino acid conservation. Of significance, 24% of AAS showed 62-100% inter-species conservation within the functional RCL domain, with 10 RCLs showing ?90-100% conservation. In vertebrates, serpins with basic residues at the P1 site regulate key host defense pathways, which the tick must evade to feed successfully. Interestingly, we found that AAS sequences with basic or polar uncharged residues at the putative P1 site are more likely to be conserved across tick species. Another notable observation from our data is that AAS sequences found only in female ticks and those found in both males and females, but not those found only in male ticks, were highly conserved in other tick species. While descriptive, this study provides the basis for more in-depth studies exploring the roles of serpins in tick feeding physiology.

Dataset Information

Using serpins cysteine protease cross-specificity to possibly trap SARS-CoV-2 Mpro with reactive center loop chimera.

Publications

Using serpins cysteine protease cross-specificity to possibly trap SARS-CoV-2 Mpro with reactive center loop chimera.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure