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High-throughput screening identifies established drugs as SARS-CoV-2 PLpro inhibitors.

ABSTRACT: A new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has been identified as the etiologic agent for the COVID-19 outbreak. Currently, effective treatment options remain very limited for this disease; therefore, there is an urgent need to identify new anti-COVID-19 agents. In this study, we screened over 6,000 compounds that included approved drugs, drug candidates in clinical trials, and pharmacologically active compounds to identify leads that target the SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease (PLpro). Together with main protease (M^pro), PLpro is responsible for processing the viral replicase polyprotein into functional units. Therefore, it is an attractive target for antiviral drug development. Here we discovered four compounds, YM155, cryptotanshinone, tanshinone I and GRL0617 that inhibit SARS-CoV-2 PLpro with IC₅₀ values ranging from 1.39 to 5.63 μmol/L. These compounds also exhibit strong antiviral activities in cell-based assays. YM155, an anticancer drug candidate in clinical trials, has the most potent antiviral activity with an EC₅₀ value of 170 nmol/L. In addition, we have determined the crystal structures of this enzyme and its complex with YM155, revealing a unique binding mode. YM155 simultaneously targets three "hot" spots on PLpro, including the substrate-binding pocket, the interferon stimulating gene product 15 (ISG15) binding site and zinc finger motif. Our results demonstrate the efficacy of this screening and repurposing strategy, which has led to the discovery of new drug leads with clinical potential for COVID-19 treatments.

SUBMITTER: Zhao Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8052528 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BACKGROUND: Previous studies from our laboratory and others have demonstrated that in addition to altering chromatin acetylation and conformation, histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) disrupt the acetylation status of numerous transcription factors and other proteins. A whole genome yeast deletion library screen was used to identify components of the transcriptional apparatus that modulate the sensitivity to the hydroxamic acid-based HDACi, CG-1521. RESULTS: Screening 4852 haploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae deletion strains for sensitivity to CG-1521 identifies 407 sensitive and 80 resistant strains. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis shows that strains sensitive to CG-1521 are highly enriched in processes regulating chromatin remodeling and transcription as well as other ontologies, including vacuolar acidification and vesicle-mediated transport. CG-1521-resistant strains include those deficient in the regulation of transcription and tRNA modification. Components of the SAGA histone acetyltransferase (HAT) complex are overrepresented in the sensitive strains, including the catalytic subunit, Gcn5. Cell cycle analysis indicates that both the wild-type and gcn5? strains show a G1 delay after CG-1521 treatment, however the gcn5? strain displays increased sensitivity to CG-1521-induced cell death compared to the wild-type strain. To test whether the enzymatic activity of Gcn5 is necessary in the response to CG-1521, growth assays with a yeast strain expressing a catalytically inactive variant of the Gcn5 protein were performed and the results show that this strain is less sensitive to CG-1521 than the gcn5? strain. CONCLUSION: Genome-wide deletion mutant screening identifies biological processes that affect the sensitivity to the HDAC inhibitor CG-1521, including transcription and chromatin remodeling. This study illuminates the pathways involved in the response to CG-1521 in yeast and provides incentives to understand the mechanisms of HDAC inhibitors in cancer cells. The data presented here demonstrate that components of the SAGA complex are involved in mediating the response to CG-1521. Additional experiments suggest that functions other than the acetyltransferase activity of Gcn5 may be sufficient to attenuate the effects of CG-1521 on cell growth.

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High-throughput screening identifies established drugs as SARS-CoV-2 PLpro inhibitors.

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