Project description:IntroductionSevere Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused the devastating pandemic named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Unfortunately, the discovery of antiviral agents to combat COVID-19 is still an unmet need. Transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) is an important mediator in viral infection and thus, TMPRRS2 inhibitors may be attractive agents for COVID-19 treatment.Areas coveredThis review article discusses the role of TMPRSS2 in SARS-CoV-2 cell entry and summarizes the inhibitors of TMPRSS2 and their potential anti-SARS activity. Two known TMPRSS2 inhibitors, namely camostat and nafamostat, approved drugs for the treatment of pancreatitis, are under clinical trials as potential drugs against COVID-19.Expert opinionDue to the lack of the crystal structure of TMPRSS2, homology models have been developed to study the interactions of known inhibitors, including repurposed drugs, with the enzyme. However, novel TMPRSS2 inhibitors have been identified through high-throughput screening, and appropriate assays studying their in vitro activity have been set up. The discovery of TMPRSS2's crystal structure will facilitate the rational design of novel inhibitors and in vivo studies and clinical trials will give a clear answer if TMPRSS2 inhibitors could be a new weapon against COVID-19.
Project description:The human family of type II transmembrane serine proteases includes 17 members. The defining features of these proteases are an N-terminal transmembrane domain and a C-terminal serine protease of the chymotrypsin (S1) fold, separated from each other by a variable stem region. Recently accumulated evidence suggests a critical role for these proteases in development of cancer and metastatic capacity. Both the cancer relevance and the accessibility of the extracellularly oriented catalytic domain for therapeutic and imaging agents have fueled drug discovery interest in the type II class of transmembrane serine proteases. Typically, the initial hit discovery processes aim to identify molecules with verifiable activity at the drug target and with sufficient drug-like characters. We present here protocols for structure-based virtual screening of candidate ligands for transmembrane serine protease hepsin. The methods describe use of the 3D structure of the catalytic site of hepsin for molecular docking with ZINC, which is a molecular database of > 30 million purchasable compounds. Small candidate subsets were experimentally tested with demonstrable hits, which provided meaningful cues of the ligand structures for further lead development.
Project description:Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) emergence has resulted in a global health crisis. As a consequence, discovering an effective therapy that saves lives and slows the spread of the pandemic is a global concern currently. In silico drug repurposing is highly regarded as a precise computational method for obtaining fast and reliable results. Transmembrane serine-type 2 (TMPRSS2) is a SARS CoV-2 enzyme that is essential for viral fusion with the host cell. Inhibition of TMPRSS2 may block or lessen the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this study, we aimed to perform an in silico drug repurposing to identify drugs that can effectively inhibit SARS-CoV-2 TMPRSS2. As there is no 3D structure of TMPRSS2 available, homology modeling was performed to build the 3D structure of human TMPRSS2. 3848 world-approved drugs were screened against the target. Based on docking scores and visual outcomes, the best-fit drugs were chosen. Molecular dynamics (MD) and density functional theory (DFT) studies were also conducted. Five potential drugs (Amikacin, isepamicin, butikacin, lividomycin, paromomycin) exhibited promising binding affinities. In conclusion, these findings empower purposing these agents.
Project description:SARS-CoV-2 uses the ACE2 receptor and the cellular protease TMPRSS2 for entry into target cells. The present study aimed to establish if the TMPRSS2 polymorphisms are associated with COVID-19 disease. The study included 609 patients with COVID-19 confirmed by RT-PCR test and 291 individuals negative for the SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed by RT-PCR test and without antibodies anti-SARS-CoV-2. Four TMPRSS2 polymorphisms (rs12329760, rs2298659, rs456298, and rs462574) were determined using the 5'exonuclease TaqMan assays. Under different inheritance models, the rs2298659 (pcodominant2 = 0.018, precessive = 0.006, padditive = 0.019), rs456298 (pcodominant1 = 0.014, pcodominant2 = 0.004; pdominant = 0.009, precessive = 0.004, padditive = 0.0009), and rs462574 (pcodominant1 = 0.017, pcodominant2 = 0.004, pdominant = 0.041, precessive = 0.002, padditive = 0.003) polymorphisms were associated with high risk of developing COVID-19. Two risks (ATGC and GAAC) and two protectives (GAGC and GAGT) haplotypes were detected. High levels of lactic acid dehydrogenase (LDH) were observed in patients with the rs462574AA and rs456298TT genotypes (p = 0.005 and p = 0.020, respectively), whereas, high heart rate was present in patients with the rs462574AA genotype (p = 0.028). Our data suggest that the rs2298659, rs456298, and rs462574 polymorphisms independently and as haplotypes are associated with the risk of COVID-19. The rs456298 and rs462574 genotypes are related to high levels of LDH and heart rate.
Project description:The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2), which caused novel corona virus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, necessitated a global demand for studies related to genes and enzymes of SARS-CoV2. SARS-CoV2 infection depends on the host cell Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme-2 (ACE2) and Transmembrane Serine Protease-2 (TMPRSS2), where the virus uses ACE2 for entry and TMPRSS2 for S protein priming. The TMPRSS2 gene encodes a Transmembrane Protease Serine-2 protein (TMPS2) that belongs to the serine protease family. There is no crystal structure available for TMPS2, therefore, a homology model was required to establish a putative 3D structure for the enzyme. A homology model was constructed using SWISS-MODEL and evaluations were performed through Ramachandran plots, Verify 3D and Protein Statistical Analysis (ProSA). Molecular dynamics simulations were employed to investigate the stability of the constructed model. Docking of TMPS2 inhibitors, camostat, nafamostat, gabexate, and sivelestat, using Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) software, into the constructed model was performed and the protein-ligand complexes were subjected to MD simulations and computational binding affinity calculations. These in silico studies determined the tertiary structure of TMPS2 amino acid sequence and predicted how ligands bind to the model, which is important for drug development for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
Project description:Type II transmembrane serine proteases (TTSPs) are related to tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis in cancer. Genetic variants in these genes may alter their function, leading to cancer onset and progression, and affect patient outcome. Here, 464 breast cancer cases and 370 controls were genotyped for 82 single-nucleotide polymorphisms covering eight genes. Association of the genotypes was estimated against breast cancer risk, breast cancer-specific survival, and survival in different treatment groups, and clinicopathological variables. SNPs in TMPRSS3 (rs3814903 and rs11203200), TMPRSS7 (rs1844925), and HGF (rs5745752) associated significantly with breast cancer risk (Ptrend = 0.008-0.042). SNPs in TMPRSS1 (rs12151195 and rs12461158), TMPRSS2 (rs2276205), TMPRSS3 (rs3814903), and TMPRSS7 (rs2399403) associated with prognosis (P = 0.004-0.046). When estimating the combined effect of the variants, the risk of breast cancer was higher with 4-5 alleles present compared to 0-2 alleles (P = 0.0001; OR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.39-3.94). Women with 6-8 survival-associating alleles had a 3.3 times higher risk of dying of breast cancer compared to women with 1-3 alleles (P = 0.001; HR, 3.30; 95% CI, 1.58-6.88). The results demonstrate the combined effect of variants in TTSPs and their related genes in breast cancer risk and patient outcome. Functional analysis of these variants will lead to further understanding of this gene family, which may improve individualized risk estimation and development of new strategies for treatment of breast cancer.
Project description:ObjectivesThe viral entry of SARS-CoV-2 requires host-expressed TMPRSS2 to facilitate the viral spike protein priming. This study aims to test the hypothesis that magnesium (Mg) treatment leads to DNA methylation changes in TMPRSS2.MethodsThis study is nested within the Personalized Prevention of Colorectal Cancer Trial, a double-blind 2 × 2 factorial randomized controlled trial, which enrolled 250 participants from Vanderbilt University Medical Center.ResultsWe found that 12 wk of personalized Mg treatment significantly increased 5-methylcytosine methylation at cg16371860 (TSS1500, promoter) by 7.2% compared to the placebo arm (decreased by 0.1%) in those ages < 65 y. The difference remained statistically significant after adjusting for age, sex, and baseline methylation as well as correction for false discovery rate (adjusted P = 0.014). Additionally, Mg treatment significantly reduced 5-hydroxymethylcytosine levels at cg26337277 (close proximity to TSS200 and the 5' untranslated region, promoter) by 2.3% compared to an increase of 7.1% in the placebo arm after adjusting for covariates in those ages < 65 y (P = 0.003). The effect remained significant at a false discovery rate of 0.10 (adjusted P = 0.088).ConclusionsAmong individuals ages < 65 y with calcium-to-magnesium intake ratios equal to or over 2.6, reducing the ratio to around 2.3 increased 5-methylcytosine modifications (i.e., cg16371860) and reduced 5-hydroxymethylcytosine modifications (i.e., cg26337277) in the TMPRSS2 gene. These findings, if confirmed, provide another mechanism for the role of Mg intervention in the prevention of COVID-19 and treatment of early and mild disease by modifying the phenotype of the TMPRSS2 genotype.
Project description:TMPRSS2 is a type II transmembrane protease with broad expression in epithelial cells of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract, the prostate, and other organs. Although the physiological role of TMPRSS2 remains largely elusive, several endogenous substrates have been identified. TMPRSS2 serves as a major cofactor in SARS-CoV-2 entry, and primes glycoproteins of other respiratory viruses as well. Consequently, inhibiting TMPRSS2 activity is a promising strategy to block viral infection. In this review, we provide an overview of the role of TMPRSS2 in the entry processes of different respiratory viruses. We then review the different classes of TMPRSS2 inhibitors and their clinical development, with a focus on COVID-19 treatment.
Project description:Coronavirus (COVID-19) is an enveloped RNA virus that is diversely found in humans and that has now been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop effective therapies and vaccines against this disease. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate in silico the molecular interactions of drugs with therapeutic indications for treatment of COVID-19 (Azithromycin, Baricitinib and Hydroxychloroquine) and drugs with similar structures (Chloroquine, Quinacrine and Ruxolitinib) in docking models from the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M-pro) protein. The results showed that all inhibitors bound to the same enzyme site, more specifically in domain III of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease. Therefore, this study allows proposing the use of baricitinib and quinacrine, in combination with azithromycin; however, these computer simulations are just an initial step for conceiving new projects for the development of antiviral molecules.
Project description:ObjectivesCoronaviruses (CoVs) cause infections that affect the respiratory tract, liver, central nervous, and the digestive systems in humans and animals. This study focused on the main protease (Mpro) in CoVs (PDB ID: 6LU7) that is used as a potential drug target to combat 2019-CoV. In this study, a total of 35 secondary metabolites from medical plants was selected and docked into the active site of 6LU7 by molecular docking studies to find a potential inhibitory compound that may be used to inhibit Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection pathway.Materials and methodsThe chemical structures of the ligands were obtained from the Drug Bank (https://www.drugbank.ca/). AutoDockTools (ADT ver. 1.5.6) was used for molecular docking studies. The docking results were evaluated using BIOVIA Discovery Studio Visualizer and PyMOL (ver. 2.3.3, Schrodinger, LLC).ResultsPycnamine, tetrahydrocannabinol, oleuropein, quercetin, primulic acid, kaempferol, dicannabidiol, lobelin, colchicine, piperidine, medicagenic acid, and narcotine is found to be potential inhibitors of the COVID-19 Mpro. Among these compounds, pycnamine, which was evaluated against COVID-19 for the first time, showed a high affinity to the COVID-19 Mpro compared with other seconder metabolites and reference drugs.ConclusionOur results obtained from docking studies suggest that pycnamine should be examined in vitro to combat 2019-CoV. Moreover, pycnamine might be a promising lead compound for anti-CoV drugs.