METHODS AND COMPOUNDS TO INHIBIT ENVELOPED VIRUS RELEASE
A compound having an antiviral activity for inhibiting release of an enveloped virus from a cell is disclosed, including methods of inhibiting release of an enveloped virus from a cell. The antiviral activity of the compound includes inhibiting formation of an associative complex or disrupting formation of an associative complex. The associative complex comprises an L-domain motif of the enveloped virus and at least one cellular polypeptide, or fragment thereof, capable of binding the L-domain motif of the enveloped virus.
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This application claims benefit of priority to U.S. provisional application No. 61/745,336 filed on Dec. 21, 2012, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNot applicable.
SEQUENCE LISTINGThe instant application contains a Sequence Listing that has been submitted in ASCII format via EFS-Web and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Said ASCII copy, created in final form on Dec. 20, 2013, is named NWN01-012-US_ST25.txt, and is 68,266 bytes in size.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to methods for identifying compounds that inhibit interactions with the Nedd4 family of ubiquitin ligases and Tsg101, including inhibitors of virus budding.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThere is considerable interest developing antiviral reagents to combat viral infections. The two most prevalent antiviral strategies focus on creating immunity to viral infection by use of vaccines or by interfering with a necessary virus-specific process essential to virus maintenance, replication and propagation in the host.
Vaccines have been successfully developed for many viruses to combat viral infections. So-called live vaccines containing attenuated version(s) of the target virus provide a convenient means of conferring immunity as typically only one inoculation is required. The drawbacks to most live virus vaccines lie in their limited shelf life, the requirement for maintaining appropriate storage conditions to preserve the vaccine reagent, and the possibility of revertance to high virulence due to their active replication. These drawbacks can be avoided by using so-called inactivated virus vaccines containing a completely inert virus particle or a sub-viral component like a protein. The drawback to inactive viral vaccines is that multiple inoculations are required to confer full immunity. Furthermore, vaccines have an attendant risk that adverse reactions might arise in certain populations following immunization (for example, autoimmunity responses associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS)).
Antiviral compounds that specifically target a viral replication process have also proven effective for treating some virus infections. Examples of such reagents include small molecule inhibitors selective for a given viral protein, such as a viral replicase (for example, the nucleoside analog 3′-azidothymidine for inhibiting the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase) or a viral protease (for example, Darunavir for inhibiting HIV-1 protease). Owing to their small molecular size and chemical composition, antiviral compounds can be formulated as pharmaceutical compositions having significant shelf life and can typically retain their potency over a larger temperature range during storage than many vaccines. However, HIV-1 and other virus can mutate to escape the effectiveness of the antiviral drugs when such drugs are targeted against virus-specific proteins. In particular, HIV-specific drugs have side-effects that cause patients to interrupt therapy that can lead to drug-resistant viral strains.
Generally, antiviral compounds are typically used in combinations for maximum efficacy and durability. Though most aspects of the viral replication process are susceptible to targeting and inhibition, the primary focus of antiviral inhibitor drug development is on early stage processes of viral replication, when the copy number of viral protein or nucleic acid targets is relatively low.
Late stage replication events include those associated with virus particle assembly and release from the host cell. These viral processes are more difficult targets to develop antiviral reagents. This is due in part to the vastly larger number of virus particles that result from active viral replication.
Enveloped virus particles adopt an outer membrane structure composed of the host cell membrane in its final virus form. Examples of enveloped viruses include retroviruses (for example, human immunodeficiency virus, type 1), rhabdoviruses (for example, rabies virus), and herpes viruses (for example, herpes simplex virus, type 1). For enveloped viruses, the final stages of virus replication include envelope maturation, budding and release.
No antiviral therapeutic reagents have been developed that target the processes of enveloped virus budding and release. This is due in large part to the inability to target virus-specific proteins, owing to the large number of viral proteins present during late phase infection. But more importantly, the host cell-virus interactions responsible for enveloped virus particle maturation, budding and release are only poorly understood.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn a first aspect, a compound having an antiviral activity for inhibiting release of an enveloped virus from a cell is disclosed. In one aspect, the compound has an antiviral activity that includes inhibiting formation of an associative complex or disrupting formation of an associative complex. The associative complex comprises an L-domain motif of the enveloped virus and at least one cellular polypeptide, or fragment thereof, capable of binding the L-domain motif of the enveloped virus.
In a second aspect, a method of inhibiting release of an enveloped virus from a cell is disclosed. The method includes the step of contacting the cell with a compound having an antiviral activity. The antiviral activity includes inhibiting formation of an associative complex or disrupting formation of an associative complex. The associative complex comprises an L-domain motif of the enveloped virus and at least one cellular polypeptide, or fragment thereof, capable of binding the L-domain motif of the enveloped virus.
In a third aspect, a pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound having an antiviral activity for inhibiting release of an enveloped virus from a cell and optionally a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier is disclosed.
The application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.
Disclosed herein are methods and materials to inhibit the interaction of the above-mentioned cellular proteins or fragments thereof with L domain-containing peptides of enveloped viruses. Applicants made the seminal discovery that enveloped viruses use cellular pathways for mediating virus budding and that inhibiting these pathways results in significantly decreased rates of enveloped virus release from cell surfaces. The methods disclosed herein provide a robust, high-throughput approach to identify lead compounds having potent inhibitory effects on enveloped virus protein interactions with the components of these pathways and, thereby, virus particle release.
Referring to
One of these L-domain motifs, termed the PTAP motif (for example, from HIV-1), interacts with the TSG101 protein that becomes recruited as part of the ESCRT complexes. Another of these L-domain motifs, termed PPPY motif (also referred to as the “PY motif” or the “PY L-domain motif;” for example, from ASLV), interacts with the Nedd4 family of proteins that is also recruited by ESCRT-associated proteins. While it is often the case that certain viruses have a viral protein might encode both types of L-domains, typically only one predominates in the viral budding process through interactions with ESCRT machinery. The Applicants have devised novel, robust screening methods to identify compounds that interfere with the interaction between viral L-domains that include the PPPY motif or PTAP motif and ESCRT component, TSG101 or ESCRT-linked component, Nedd4 family proteins. These screening methods enable one to rapidly identify compounds that inhibit the interactions of both Nedd4 and TSG101 with the viral L-domain motifs, thereby providing a high-throughput strategy to obtain candidate lead compounds having utility as novel antiviral agents for inhibiting virus budding and release from infected cells.
Some candidate lead compounds can display potency at inhibiting only Nedd4- or TSG101-mediated ESCRT pathways, thereby offering specific antiviral activity for one type of virus or virus family. Yet other candidate lead compounds can display potency at inhibiting both Nedd4- or TSG101-mediated ESCRT pathways, thereby offering broad-spectrum antiviral activity to a plurality of diverse enveloped virus families. Thus, the screening methods disclosed herein contemplate identification of compounds having either narrow- or broad-spectrum antiviral effects.
One preferred embodiment of such a screening method is depicted in
Permutations and variations of the embodiment of the screening assay (
Likewise, the preferred choices of the viral peptide sequences for inclusion in probe 101 are routine in nature, as are the preferred choices of whether a single copy or a plurality of copies of said viral sequences are to be included in probe 101. For example, three tandemly-linked copies of the PPPY motif from the Δp2b Gag protein of ALSV (for example, SEQ ID NO:17) provided a Kd of 0.20 μM for the WWP2 polypeptide (SEQ ID NO:24), as compared to the corresponding monomer that had a Kd of 18 μM. Though any specific viral peptide sequence can be included in probe 101, preferred embodiments include L-domain motifs, including those of Table I (SEQ ID NOS: 1-16) and ESCRT-linked protein (for example, Nedd4 family polypeptides (for example, WWP1 (SEQ ID NO:29), WWP2 (SEQ ID NO:24), Nedd4 L, among others) and TSG101 polypeptide, or a fragment thereof), binding variants thereof, as well as others known in the art.
Furthermore, additional representative viral L-domain motifs can be identified from a variety of viruses belonging to different enveloped virus families using standard biochemical and molecular techniques. These L-domain motifs can be screened using modifications of the assay presented in
Likewise, the choice of cellular ESCRT component polypeptides of Nedd4 family members (for example, WWP1 (SEQ ID NO:29), WWP2 (SEQ ID NO:24), Nedd4 L, among others) and TSG101 depends upon the solubility attributes of the selected protein. For example, while the recombinant Nedd4 polypeptides are soluble under assay conditions, the full-length TSG101 was not. In the case of conducting this screening assay with TSG101, a soluble recombinant polypeptide fragment derived from the full-length protein having the binding domain for the viral L-domain motifs was prepared and used for screening assays (See SEQ ID NO:33, Table VI). One particularly sensitive assay for detecting candidate inhibitor interactions with TSG101 (SEQ ID NO:33) is based upon the ability of the candidate to alter the thermal denaturation profile of protein folding for a soluble fragment of TSG101 peptide (SEQ ID NO:33), as assessed by fluorescence methods. These assays and other aspects are described in detail in the Examples.
A high-throughput assay using the screening method of
Another preferred embodiment of an in vitro screening method is depicted in
Commercial instruments are available to enable high-throughput screening of test compounds 204 for their ability to bind ESCRT component protein 202 (for example, TSG101 (SEQ ID NOs:32 or 33) or a Nedd4 family polypeptide (for example, WWP1 (SEQ ID NO:29), WWP2 (SEQ ID NO:24), Nedd4 L, among others)) for example, the Epic® technology; PerkinElmer, Inc. (Watham, Mass.)). As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, either the ESCRT component protein 202 or the test compound 204 may be immobilized to substrate 201. However, it is preferable to immobilize ESCRT component protein 202 to provide a high-throughput platform for screening a plurality of test compounds 204 in parallel for their ability to form associative complex 205. These assays and other aspects are described in detail in the Examples.
This screening method can be used in conjunction with the method outlined in
The advantages of performing the screening method of
The fluorescence-based thermal shift assay is based on the observation that a protein unfolds upon heating, exposing the hydrophobic residues within its tertiary structure. The unfolding temperature (Tm) is determined by the protein's primary sequence and solution environment. The FTS assay uses a fluorescent dye sensitive to a hydrophobic environment to probe protein stability and its modulation by small molecule ligands. The dye has a low fluorescence quantum yield when in a polar environment. Once in contact with the hydrophobic core normally buried within a folded protein that has become exposed during the thermal unfolding (melting) process, the quantum yield of the dye increases, thus providing a reporting signal. Furthermore, a protein's stability can be affected by ligand binding, resulting in an increase or decrease in its melting temperature. FTS assay uses the Tm shift upon binding of a ligand to identify hit compounds for drug discovery. See Pantoliano M W, Petrella E C, Kwasnoski J D, Lobanov V S, Myslik J, Graf E, Carver T, Asel E, Springer B A, Lane P, Salemme F R. (2001) High-density miniaturized thermal shift assays as a general strategy for drug discovery. J Biomol Screen 6: 429-440; Lo M C, Aulabaugh A, Jin G, Cowling R, Bard J, et al. (2004) Evaluation of fluorescence-based thermal shift assays for hit identification in drug discovery. Anal Biochem 332: 153-159, which are incorporated by reference in their entireties.
In Vivo Screening Methods-Based Molecular Genetic Assays, Cell-Based VLP Production Assays And Whole-Virus Replication AssaysAs an alternative or complementary embodiment to the described screening methods in vitro, an in vivo screening method is contemplated as depicted in
Candidate compounds having an inhibitory effect of fluorescence have also been evaluated for their ability to interfere with normal cellular physiology and growth by, for example, determining cytotoxicity profiles of the compounds as a function of dose response and incubation time with the cells. One advantage of the in vivo assay is that it provides additional opportunities to survey test compounds that otherwise might not be possible with the aforementioned biochemical assays (for example, with assays involving certain ESCRT component polypeptides having limited solubility in vitro). Other further advantages of in vivo assays of this sort is that they can provide a useful model for studying compound transport and clearance in cells as would be important for determining ADME profiles (for examples, bioactivity, bioavailability, bio-inactivation, among others) at a cellular level, as well as provide additional confirmatory evidence of the biological potency of the compounds in a more meaningful, biological context.
For candidate lead compounds identified through one or more of the aforementioned screening methods, biological assays have been established to evaluate the specific antiviral inhibitory effects the compounds have on virus budding and release. In one assay, virus like particle (“VLP”) production can be evaluated as a function of test compound dose. For example, human 293 cells can permit use of ASLV gag expression systems to study viral protein expression and VLP production as a function of test compound dose response. Likewise, human 293 cells can be used to follow VLP production with HIV-1 gag expression systems as a function of test compound dose response. Follow-up experiments well within the skilled artisan's grasp include evaluating other aspects of viral replication, as monitored by standard biochemical assays (PCR, RT-PCR, western blot methods and the like) as well as cell toxicity effects. These assays and other aspects are described in detail in the Examples or are otherwise well understood in the art.
VLP production assays have provided evidence of candidate lead compounds showing antiviral inhibitory effect on virus particle release as a function of dose, experiments then can proceed to demonstrate the antiviral effect in whole virus replication assays. Three preferred whole virus replication assay systems include the rhabdovirus VSV replication system, the herpes virus KSHV replication system, HSV-1 replication assay in Vero cells, and HIV-1 virus replication system with assays in the physiological host, i.e., CD4+ T cells. These assays and other aspects are described in detail in the Examples.
The aforementioned in vitro and in vivo screening methods can be combined either in series or in parallel (and in any order) to identify compounds having either narrow-spectrum activity against a few viruses or broad-spectrum antiviral activity against many different viruses. For example, lead compounds identified that interact with Nedd4 family members can be evaluated for their ability to interact with TSG101 or to disrupt TSG101-viral L-domain interactions. In this manner, different antiviral compounds can be discerned having discrete types of inhibitory activity. Further, one can identify gradients of antiviral potency across entire classes of viruses by evaluating the dose response profiles in a combination of biochemical and biological assays with different virus families having different viral L-domain motifs, as described herein. Moreover, combinations of compounds have TSG101-specific inhibitory activity and Nedd4 family-specific inhibitory activity can be tested against virus infection to determine whether the drug combinations block virus access to the ESCRT-complex dependent pathways are blocked for enveloped virus release.
These approaches have clear utility for two simple reasons. First, L-domains encoding the aforementioned PY motifs and PTAP motifs can be found with viral proteins for single virus families. Thus, viruses having both types of L-domains can potentially utilize both pathways mediated by Nedd 4 and TSG101. Second, the L-domains used by viruses are interchangeable. Thus, there is a need for compounds to disrupt both interactions between viral L-domains with the two different pathways mediated by Nedd 4 and TSG101, wherein virus budding and release can occur from different cellular membranes.
The identified compound inhibitors have utility as antiviral therapeutic agents. The therapy is a post infection treatment that will slow down the spread of virus by preventing particles from releasing from infected cell surfaces. The accumulation of particles will enhance detection by the immune system, which will clear the infection. The human body already has an innate immunity response that targets the release of virus particles late in infection. Thus, the above approach has viability because it will complement the natural immunity mechanism.
By using the in vivo screening assays described herein, several compounds have been identified having inhibitory effects on viral L-domain motif interaction with ESCRT component polypeptides, or in the alternative, having the capability to bind directly to the ESCRT component polypeptides. These compounds are listed in Tables II-IV.
Candidate compound NSC306711; 813419-93-1 has the following structure (I):
Candidate compound NSC128437 has the following structure (II):
Candidate compound CD27-G10 has the following structure (III):
Candidate compound CD23-G07 has the following structure (IV):
Candidate compound CD15-B10 has the following structure (V):
Additional candidate compounds were identified with the fluorescence polarization assay and Epic label-free binding assay using WWP2 (SEQ ID NO:24) as the target. These candidate compounds and their properties are presented in Table III. The respective binding assays using the Epic label-free system are depicted in
Additional candidate compounds were identified with the fluorescence polarization assay and Epic label-free binding assay using a soluble fragment of TSG101 (SEQ ID NO:33) as the target. These candidate compounds and their properties are presented in Table IV. The fluorescence-based thermal shift assay is another exemplary binding assay for identifying lead candidates (
These compounds were further evaluated as antiviral inhibitors of virus budding and release using the methods disclosed herein. Cultured T cells contacted with either Benserazide Hydrochloride (K21) or Oxytetracycline (N20) [candidate PY-binding motif inhibitors against the Nedd 4 peptide family members] and then subsequently infected with HIV-1 displayed a significant reduction in HIV-1 particle release, as adjudged by detection of HIV-1 CA protein in the cell culture media by ELISA (see Table V).
Vero cells were inoculated with HSV-1 (strain F) at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 0.01 for 2 hr. The cells were washed and treated with 0.10 M sodium citrate buffer to inactivate viruses on the outside of the cells (for example, in the culture medium). The culture medium was replaced with fresh culture medium containing no inhibitor compound or different concentrations (40 μM or 80 μM) of inhibitor compounds F15 or N16 (candidate PTAP motif inhibitors against the TSG101 peptide [SEQ ID NO:33]) for 48 hr. The supernatants (culture medium) and total cells (culture medium and cells) were collected for determining infectious virus titer. The virus titers were determined by standard plaque assay on Vero cells.
As shown in
Still referring to
Furthermore, the inhibitor compounds disrupted infectious particle assembly for virions that remained associated with cells in an unreleased state (
To rule out the possibility that the reduced infectious virion production was attributed to the inhibitor compounds exhibiting a general cytotoxic effect on the host cells, cytotoxicity assays were performed on uninfected cells, wherein the cells were contacted with culture medium containing the inhibitor compounds in a concentration range from 0 μM to 100 μM. As shown in
Thus, the methods disclosed herein can provide compounds having antiviral activity for inhibiting envelope virus release from cells. Moreover, the methods provided herein can identify compounds having antiviral activity for inhibiting formation of or disrupting an associative complex, wherein the associative complex comprises an isolated enveloped virus L-domain motif and at least one isolated cellular polypeptide, or fragment thereof, capable of binding the isolated virus L-domain motif. Furthermore the disclosed methods can yield compounds having binding affinity for at least one isolated cellular polypeptide, or fragment thereof, capable of binding the isolated virus L-domain motif.
Pharmaceutical CompositionsPharmaceutical compositions comprising a compound having an antiviral activity for inhibiting release of an enveloped virus from a cell are contemplated herein. Such compositions can include pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Such carriers are amenable for enhancing one or more ADME characteristics, including solubility and bioavailability of compound inhibitors in physiologically acceptable or suitable media systems or biological fluids. For example, compound inhibitors having poor solubility can be encapsulated in nanoparticles or vesicles comprising at least one micelle-forming lipid. Examples of such delivery systems are disclosed in the literature, as exemplified by one or more of the following citations, the contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties: U.S. Pat. Publication No. US2002/0099164 A1 to Watterson et al.; U.S. Pat. Publication No. US2008/0008749 A1 to Pearlman et al.; and U.S. Pat. Publication No. US2013/0164379 A1 to Gartel et al.
Exemplary pharmaceutical compositions are well known in the art and fully amenable for use with the present compound inhibitors described herein. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,202,553 to Lan et al., the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
EXAMPLES Example 1 Materials and Methods Expression and Purification of Nedd4 Related Proteins.Construction and Purification of WWP2 Protein.
The WWP2 encoding gene was excised by EcoRl and Xhol (NEB) cleavage from WWP2_pCNA3.1 construct and was ligated to pET28b(+) His-tag plasmid (Novagen) by using T4 DNA ligase (NEB) in 50 mM Tris-HCL (pH 7.5), 10 mM MgCl2, 10 mM dithiothreitol, 1 mM ATP, 25 mg/ml bovine serum albumin at 16° C. overnight. E. coli. BL21 DE3 cells (Invitrogen) were transformed with WWP2_pET28b and were expressed protein by 0.1 mM (final) IPTG induction for 3 hrs at 25° C. His-tagged WWP2 proteins were purified with His-Bind column (Novagen). Proteins were purified by manufacturer's protocol. Cells were lysed by sonication for 2 min at 4° C. in the presence of 1× binding buffer (20 mM Tris-HCl, 0.5 M NaCl, 5 mM Imidazole, pH 7.9) with a proteinase inhibitor cocktail-EDTA free (Roche), 0.1% NP40, and 1 mM PMSF. The cell debris and inclusion bodies were pelleted by centrifugation at 9000 rpm for 8 min. The supernatant fraction was then passed through a 0.45 μm filter and loaded onto a Ni+2-NTA His-Bind column at 4° C. The column was washed with Binding buffer (10 times bed volume of resin) followed by an equivalent amount of Wash buffer (20 mM Tris-HCl, 0.5 M NaCl, 60 mM Imidazole, pH 7.9). Poly H is containing protein could be eluted with Elute buffer (20 mM Tris-HCl, 0.5 M NaCl, 1 M Imidazole, pH 7.9) and dialyzes against 1× binding buffer without imidazole.
However, to remove the poly H is sequence to yield a native protein, the column was instead washed with 10 times the bed volume with thrombin cleavage buffer (20 mM Tris-HCl, pH7.5, 150 mM NaCl, 2.5 mM CaCl2). Then 1 bed volume of biotinylated thrombin solution (lu/mg of protein, Novagen) was added and the column incubated at room temperature overnight. Untagged proteins were eluted by thrombin cleavage buffer. The biotinylated thrombins were cleared by steptaviding agarose (supplied in the Novagen Thrombin cleavage kit) using a ratio of 16-μl resin per unit of enzyme. Finally, proteins were dialyzed with 1× binding buffer without imidazole. Uncleaved protein could be recovered from the column as above. The nucleotide and amino acid sequence of the WWP2 recombinant protein are shown in Table VI.
The complete sequence of the pET28b expression vector that includes the WWP2 recombinant protein is presented below.
wherein the bold font denote the locations of the initiator and terminator codons for the recombinant peptide pro-form; the upper case letters denote pET28b vector sequences; the lower case letter denote the WWP2 coding sequences, the single-underlined sequences are the poly-His coding sequences, the double-underlined sequences encode the Thrombin cleavage site, the italicized font includes the FLAG-tag coding sequences in frame with the WWP2 coding sequences as configured in the expression vector, pET28b (Novagen).
Construction and Preparation of WWP1 Protein.
The WWP1 encoding gene was amplified by PCR reaction from FLAG-WWP1_pCNA3.1 construct and was ligated to pET28b(+) His-tag plasmid (Novagen). His-tagged WWP1 plasmids were transformed into BL21 DE3 cells. Protein expression and purification were followed the procedure of WWP2 protein preparation. The WWP1 encoding gene was amplified by PCR reaction using Deep Vent polymerase (NEB) from the FLAG-WWP1_pCNA3.1 construct using the oligodeoxynucleotides 5′-ATAGGATTCATGGCCACTGCTTCACCAAGGTCT-3′ forward primer (SEQ ID NO:26) and 5′-ATAGCGGCCGCTCATTCTTGTCCAAATCCCTCTGT-3′ reverse primer (SEQ ID NO:27) and was ligated to pET28b(+) His-tag plasmid between the EcoRl and Not cloning sites. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences for WWP1 recombinant protein are illustrated in Table VII.
The complete sequence of the pET28b expression vector that includes the WWP1 recombinant protein is presented below.
wherein the bold font denote the locations of the initiator and terminator codons for the recombinant peptide pro-form; the upper case letters denote pET28b vector sequences; the lower case letter denote the WWP1 coding sequences, the italicized font includes the leader peptide coding sequence that includes a polyhistidine motif and thrombin cleavage site derived from the expression vector, pET28b (Novagen).
Fluorescent Polarization Assay (FPA) to Detect Binding of the Nedd4 Proteins WWP1/2 to Peptides Containing the PY L-Domain Motif Sequences:
The FPA uses a fluorescein labeled peptide (FTIC-peptide) probe with three tandem PY motif binding units (FITC-ATASAPPPYVGSGGGATASAPPPYVGSGGGATASAPPPYVGSGGGRRR-OH, Biosynthesis, TX (SEQ ID NO: 18); (SEQ ID NO: 17 corresponds to SEQ ID NO: 18 without the N-terminal FITC moiety) derived from the p2 region of avian sarcoma/leucosis virus (ASLV) gag gene. With the tandem probe, a Kd of 0.2 μM was obtained from WWP2 protein dose-response study with highest protein concentration at 19.6 μM and FITC-peptide probe concentration of 5 nM. In contrast, Kd value for the probe with a single binding unit is >15 mM. Screens for compounds that disrupt the binding of the FTIC-peptide and WWP2 (SEQ ID NO:24) were carried out in 384-well plate format with 25 ml assay volume at ˜0.5 mM WWP2. Non-binding solid black plates (Corning Costar 3575) were used. The assay buffer contained 20 mM Tris and 150 mM NaCl at pH 7.9. FP was measured on either a Biotek Synergy4 or an Analyst GT plate reader. Data analysis was performed using the in-house software excelHTS. The typical Z value of a screen plate was greater than 0.7. Each assay plate included 16 negative control wells containing protein-probe mix but no compounds and 16 wells containing only probe. The difference in FP values of these wells was used as 100% readout signal to calculate the percentage of inhibition of a compound well.
The FTIC-labeled probe was premixed at a concentration of 20 nM with WWP1/2 protein at 0.5 mM. Then 25 ml of the protein-probe mix was added to assay plates by using a ViaFill dispenser. A Labcyte Echo550 acoustic transfer robot was used to transfer compounds (30 to 100 nl, equal to 10 to 50 mM) to the assay plates. The plates were shaken to ensure proper assay mix. Then FP was measured on an Analyst GT plate reader equipped with a plate stacker so that data of multiple plates were recorded in a single file to facilitate data reduction and analysis. The first read was performed one hour after compound addition then the plates were sealed and stored at 4° C. overnight before reading again after 18 hours.
Hit Confirmation by TAMRA Probe in Dose-Response Format.
The primary hits include false positives due to experimental error and fluorescent compounds that fluoresce or absorb in the FTIC emission range. After primary screen, a hit confirmation screen was performed using TAMRA-probe in dose-response format to rid false positives. TAMRA excites and emits at a longer wavelength range than FITC. The false positives caused by overlap of excitation/emission wavelengths of FITC and some fluorescent compounds can be delineated.
Example 3 Screening for Small Molecule Compounds that Bind to Nedd4 ProteinsEpic Label-Free Assay Procedure to Measure Binding of Compounds to WWP2/1:
High sensitivity biochemical plates (PerkinElmer Cat. No. 6057468) are used in WWP2 (SEQ ID NO:24) binding assay to maximize protein immobilization. The plate was activated before use with 10 μl of 200 mM EDC(N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N′-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride) (Sigma Cat. No. 03449)/50 mM sulfo-NHS(N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide) (Pierce Cat. No. 24510) diluted in H2O. After 30 min incubation at room temperature, the plates are washed 3 times with 25 μl H2O and then centrifuged inverted at 800 RPM for 1 min. WWP2 (SEQ ID NO:24) immobilization was accomplished by adding 10 μl of 80 μg/ml protein in HEPES buffer (100 mM HEPES, 150 mM NaCl, pH 7.5) followed by centrifugation at 800 RPM for 1 minute, and then incubated for 3 hours at room temperature or overnight at 4° C. Plates were then washed three times with assay buffer (HEPES buffer with 0.5% DMSO) and then followed with a final volume of 15 μl assay buffer. The binding assay was performed in 4 or 6-point dose-response format. Testing compounds were diluted with assay buffer in 384-well compound plates. Because compound stocks are in DMSO that affects the Epic label-free readout, the compound plates were prepared by Echo550 acoustic dispenser to keep DMSO content balanced for all wells. Compounds were then transferred to assay plates by a multichannel robotic liquid handler. An alternative approach was to add compounds in dose-curve format directly to assay plates using the nanoliter dispenser Echo550.
The binding of compounds to WWP2 (SEQ ID NO:24) was measured on the EnSpire label-free plate reader. After 25 minutes of thermal equilibration, a baseline reading was taken on the label-free plates with protein immobilized in assay buffer. In the next step, 25 μl of reconstituted compounds were added to the plates and mixed. The final reading was taken after 25 min of thermal equilibration and over a period of 60 minutes. The label-free responses were measured as shifts in reflected wavelength and were expressed in picometers (pm). Results were analyzed using the EnSpire label-free user interface software. The difference between the last baseline measurements and the signal max was used to determine the binding of compounds to WWP2.
Example 4 Expression of Soluble TSG101 Fragment Containing PTAP-Motif Binding DomainThe full-length nucleotide and amino acid sequence of TSG101 is presented in Table VIII. The full-length TSG101 polypeptide (SEQ ID NO:32) is not sufficiently soluble for performing the in vitro screening assays disclosed herein. Accordingly, a truncated TSG101 peptide that contains amino acids corresponding to positions 2-145 of the full-length TSG101 peptide and includes a PTAP-binding domain was prepared having sufficient solubility for these in vitro screening assays. The resultant TSG101 peptide (SEQ ID NO:33) used for these studies is illustrated in Table VIII.
The complete sequence of the pET28b expression vector that includes the truncated TSG101 is presented below.
wherein the bold font denote the locations of the initiator and terminator codons for the recombinant peptide pro-form; the upper case letters denote pET28b vector sequences; the lower case letter denote the truncated TSG101 (2-145) coding sequences, the italicized font includes the leader peptide coding sequence that includes a polyhistidine motif and thrombin cleavage site derived from the expression vector, pET28b (Novagen). The underlined sequence is a TEV cleavage site introduced at the amino terminus of the TGS101 peptide sequence.
The NU-HTA has developed a robotic pipeline for small molecule protein ligand screening by FTS. See Luan C H, Light S H, Dunne S F, Anderson W F. Ligand screening using Fluorescence Thermal Shift Analysis (FTS). In Structural Genomics and Drug Discovery: Methods and Protocols. Methods Mol. Biol. 2013, Humana Press (In press), which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. The pipeline uses an Echo550 acoustic transfer robot (Labcyte, CA) for compound addition and the Mosquito robot (TTP LabTechnologies, UK) for protein dispensing followed by thermal scanning coupled with fluorescence detection which is performed on a real-time PCR machine CFX384 (Bio-Rad Laboratories). The method does not require any labeling on either protein or compound. A fluorescent dye Sypro-Orange (Invitrogen) is used for assay detection. TSG101 (SEQ ID NO:33) has a thermal unfolding profile ideal for using FTS as primary screen assay.
Compound Library Screening.For primary screening, the TSG101 protein (SEQ ID NO:33) was premixed at a concentration of 2 uM with a 5× concentration of Sypro-Orange in Hepes buffer (100 mM HEPES, 150 mM NaCl, pH 7.5). Then 10 uL of the protein-dye mix was added to an assay plate. And 10 to 50 nanoliters of compound, equal to 10 to 50 uM, were added. The plate was shaken to ensure proper mixing and then sealed with optical seal and centrifuged. The thermal scan was performed from 10 to 95° C. with a temperature ramp rate of 1.5° C./min. The fluorescence was recorded every 10 sec. Data analysis and report generation were performed by using the in-house software excelFTS. Hit compounds identified were tested in dose-response format.
Validation of the Confirmed Hits with TSG101 by FP and EpicLF.
The confirmed hits from the primary FTS screening were validated by fluorescent polarization (FP) and Epic label-free (EpicLF) assays. The EpicLF assay was performed on an EnSpire multifunction plate reader (Perkin Elmer) to determine the Kd of hit compound binding to TSG101 (SEQ ID NO:33) as described generally in Example 3 for candidate compound binding to Nedd 4 peptide family members. The hit compounds were also tested by FP assay to determine the IC50 of disrupting TSG101 (SEQ ID NO: 33) and PTAP-probe interaction as described generally in Example 2 for candidate compound screening to determine IC50 of disrupting Nedd 4 peptide family members and PY-probe interaction.
For this purpose, tandem-linked versions of the PTAP motif from HIV-1 gag was designed and synthesized for use in these experiments. The structures of the resulting peptides are presented below.
Cells will be transfected with suitable vector constructs to express (either transiently or stably) EGFP reconstituted from a two-hybrid system comprising a fusion protein containing PTAPP motifs and the N-terminal portion of EGFP and a fusion protein containing TSG101 polypeptides and the C-terminal portion of EGFP. Following establishment of stable EGFP expression, the ability of test compound to enter the cells and inhibit EGFP expression will be evaluated. A reduction of EGFP fluorescence as a function of test compound administration to cells will indicate that the compound inhibits formation of functional GFP complexes from the two component system. Controls will be performed that include evaluation the cytotoxicity of the test compounds having positive effect in this assay.
Plasmids for CEGFP-N1.
The plasmid pCEGFP-N1, which places CEGFP under control of the T7 promoter, was created by PCR amplification (Deep Vent polymerase) of the gene for C-terminal EGFP (from 159 to 265 amino acids) from pEGFP-N1 using the oligonucleotides 5′-ataggatccaccgg tcgccaccggtggctctggc aagaacgg catcaaggtg aacttcaa-3′ forward primer (SEQ ID NO:35) and 5′-gtcgcggccgctttacttgtacagctcgtccatg-3′ reverse primer (SEQ ID NO:36). The 4-residue linker (GGSG (SEQ ID NO:37)) is located at the beginning of the CEGFP gene. This was followed by digestion of PCR products and the plasmid pEGFP-N1 with NheI and XhoI, and then ligation with T4 DNA ligase. The C-terminal EGFP ligation was confirmed by DNA sequencing by using sequencing primer (5′-gcagagctggtttagtg-3′ forward (SEQ ID NO:38), from 561 to 577 bp of pEGFP-N1 sequences).
Plasmids for NEGFP-C3.
The plasmid pNEGFP-N1, which places NEGFP under control of the T7 promoter, was created by PCR amplification (Deep Vent polymerase) of the gene for N-terminal EGFP (from 1 to 158 amino acids) from pEGFP-C3 using the oligonucleotides 5′-cagatcc gctagcgctaccggtcgcca ccatggtgag forward primer (SEQ ID NO:39) and 5′-atactcgagatctgagtacccagagccagagccaccctgatgtcggccatgatatag-3′ reverse primer (SEQ ID NO:40). The 6-residue peptide linker (GGSGSG [(SEQ ID NO:41)]) is located at the end of the NEGFP gene. This was followed by digestion of PCR products and the plasmid pEGFP-C3 with BamHI and NotI, and then ligation with T4 DNA ligase. The N-terminal EGFP ligation was confirmed by DNA sequencing by using sequencing primer 5′ gtgggaggttttttaaa-3′ reverse (from 1451 to 1467 by of pEGFP-C3 sequences) (SEQ ID NO:42).
Construct NEGFP-2x PTAPP.
Two copies of PTAPP sequences of HIV Gag were amplified from pGBT9_HIV Gag with 2PTAP template (from Dr. Carol Carter's lab) by PCR reaction by using the oligonucleotides. This was followed by digestion of PCR products and the plasmid pNEGFP-C3 with EcoRI and BamHI, and then ligation with T4 DNA ligase.
Construct CEGFP-TSG101.
TSG101 was amplified by PCR reaction by using the oligonucleotides. This was followed by digestion of PCR products and the plasmid pNEGFP-C3 with EcoRI and BamHI, and then ligation with T4 DNA ligase.
Example 7 Biological Testing of Compounds to Inhibit Virus Budding Detected by Release Of VLPs from CellsTransfection of 293/E Cells and Chemical Inhibitor Treatment.
293/E cells were cultured in DMEM supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, penicillin (1,000 units/ml), and streptomycin (1,000 μg/ml) to 50% confluence at 37° C. Expression of plasmids from p2036 was high in 293/E cells because these cells stably express the EBNA1 protein of EBV and the p2036 constructs contain the EBV FR plasmid maintenance element that EBNA 1 binds. Therefore 293/E cells were used when proteins expressed from p2036 were to be detected by western analysis. In all experiments, 24-well plates of 293/E cells were transfected with 0.5 μg of p2036-ASLV Gag with the X-treme Gene9 transfection reagent (Roche Diagnostics, Alameda, CA, USA) according to the manufacturer's instructions. After 24 h after DNA transfection, the cells were washed with 1×DPS that contained CaCl2 (0.1 mM) and MgCl2 (1 mM) [Gibco #14040-133], and 1 ml of cell culture medium (10% FBS, 1% Penicillin/Streptomycin) containing CaCl2 (0.5 mM) and MgCl2 (5 mM) was added. Thereafter, the inhibitor compounds were added to the culture medium of parallel culture wells at one of the following final concentrations: 5 μM, 10 μM, 20 μM, or 40 μM and the cells remained in contact with the culture medium containing the inhibitor compounds for 5 hr. Cells and virus-like particles (VLPs) released into the cell media were collected 5 h after chemical treatment.
Detection of Gag Proteins by Western Blotting.
For the budding assay, both media and cell lysate fractions were collected. The cell lysate fractions were prepared by suspension in radioimmune precipitation assay (RIPA) buffer [PBS containing 1% Nonidet P-40, 0.5% sodium deoxycholate, 0.1% SDS, and protease inhibitor mixture tablets] 48 hours post-transfection. VLPs were purified from the cell culture medium by centrifugation through a 20% sucrose cushion at 100,000×g for 1 h at 4° C. (Beckman SW50.1 rotor). The pelleted VLPs were suspended in 100 μl of RIPA buffer containing protease inhibitor mixture tablets. For lysate fractions, Gag proteins were immunoprecipitated overnight at 4° C. with an anti-ASLV monoclonal serum (1:500-1:1000 dilution) and 20 μl of protein A-agarose beads. The precipitated proteins were separated by SDS-PAGE and transferred to a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane. After blocking of the membrane with wash buffer (10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0, 150 mM NaCl, and 0.1% Tween 20) containing 5% nonfat dry milk, ASLV Gag proteins were detected with an AMV MA (p19) directed monoclonal antibody (mAb) and an anti-mouse IgG-HRP secondary antibody for ECL (Denville Scientific; Metuchen, N.J.).
Viral Replication Assays.293/E cells in 6-well plates were transfected with HIV-1 luciferase reporter vector consisting of the following plasmids: 1.5 μg of pHIV env-Luc and 0.75 μg of VSV-G (Provided by Tom Hope, Northwestern University). Supernatants containing pseudo-typed virions were harvested 24 or 48 h after the chemical treatments, and the cells were harvested at the same time for western blot analyses. To measure titers, virus particles were filtered through a 0.45 μm filter, and infectivity was assayed by incubating in duplicate 1×105 293/E cells/well with 1 ml of pseudo typed virus in 6-well plates for 5 h. Virus was then removed and cell growth media was added. The cells were lysed in 400 μA of cell culture lysis reagent (Promega, Madison, Wis.) at 72 h post-transfection. The luciferase activity was measured with a luciferase assay kit (Promega, Madison, Wis.) and a FB12 luminometer according to manufacturer's instructions. The data are presented as the average of the duplicates.
Example 8 Biological Testing of Nedd4 Inhibitor Candidate Compounds K21 (Benserazide Hydrochloride) and N20 (Oxytetracycline) by Cell Culture Assays In Vitro Cell-Based Inhibition AssayCOS-1 cells were seeded on twelve-well plates and grown in 1 ml of DMEM with 10% fbs and 1% Penicillin/Streptomycin. The following day, well were confluency was ˜60% were selected for co-transfection with an NL4-3 derived construct (pdeltaEnv) and pIIIEnv for expression of HIV-1 virus-encoded proteins. Inhibitor treatment was done on two sets of transfected cells: one, at 5 hr post-transfection and the other, at 24 hours post-transfection. In each case, the tissue culture media was removed and replaced with treatment Nedd4 inhibitor (100 μM final concentration for K21 and 20 μM final concentration for N20) or DMSO control (1% final concentration) in DMEM with 10% FBS, 1% Penicillin/Streptomycin, 5 mM MgCl2, and 0.5 mM CaCl2. After a 24-hr treatment period, the tissue culture media was collected, cleared of debris by running through a 0.45 um syringe filter and analyzed for amount of virus particles by Elisa p24 capture assay.
Cell Death Evaluation.The standard trypan blue assay, where dead cells are blue when visualized under a light microscope, was used to determine the percent of dead cells in the culture. Briefly, cells from a well of DMSO-treated, K21-treated and N20-treated samples were dislodged from the well with a stream of 1 ml PBS, collected, pelleted at 200 rpm for 2 min, and suspended in 300 μl trypsin-EDTA, incubated at 37° C. for 30 min. A diluted cell suspension was prepared by mixing 200 μl of the trypsin-treated cell suspension and 800 μl of PBS was used for the assay. For the assay itself: from the 1 ml of diluted cell suspension, 50 μl was taken an placed on paraffin and to this was mixed in 50 ml of 0.4% Trypan Blue dye in PBS, after exactly 2 minutes later, the mixture was loaded on a hematocytometer. The hematocytometer was placed on the light microscope stage and a blue cell count and an all cells count (blue and not blue cells) obtained. Two 50 μl aliquots were counted per sample. The results are presented in Table VII.
The levels of actin of cell lysates prepared from DMSO-treated, K21-treated and N20-treated cells were determined by SDS-PAGE followed by Western analysis where the immunoblot were probed with mouse anti-actin antibody. The intensity of the actin bands were essentially comparable for all samples (not shown).
Effects on HIV-1 Production Accumulation of Gag-Related Proteins in the CellThe levels of Gag-related proteins in cell lysates were immune-precipitated with polyclonal anti CA antibody. Proteins in the immune-precipitate were separated by SDS-PAGE and followed by Western analysis where the blot was probed with mouse anti-CA antibody. The commercial antibody used (NEN NEA-9306) is known to recognize the Gag precursor better than the mature p24 proteins (Dietrich et al 2001). Both GagPr55 and mature p24, as adjudged by their respective band intensities, were essentially comparable for all samples (not shown).
ELISA p24 Capture Assay of Tissue Culture MediaAt 100 μM, K21 was inhibitory to virus particle release. There was a reduction in the amount of virus particle detected in the tissue culture media. This was true whether the inhibitor was added at 5 hrs post-transfection or at 24 hrs post transfection. At 20 μM, N20 was also exerted an inhibitory effect on virus particle release but it was different from that of K21. There was a reduction in the amount of virus particle detected in the tissue culture media when inhibitor was added at 5 hr post-transfection. This reduction was not seen when inhibitor was added 24 hrs post-transfection.
Specific InfectivityThe amount of infectious virus normalized to ng of p24 obtained from the ELISA assay in the tissue cultures was determined by multinuclear activation of a galactosidase indicator (MAGI) assay. In this assay, infectious unit is scored by the blue color that is assumed by infected MAGI cells (Hela cells that have been engineered to express the indicator when the infecting particle is able to simulated natural infection up until expression of HIV-1 Tat). Counts of Blue cells per ng p24 for the DMSO controls, K21-treated and N20-treated samples were comparable.
Example 9 HSV-1 Inhibition Assay by PTAP-Inhibitor Compounds F15 (Esomeprazole Potassium) and N16 (Tenatoprazole) MTS AssayThe cytotoxicity of the compounds was determined by a commercially available assay (Celltiter 96® AQueous One Solution cell proliferation assay reagent; Promega, Madison, Wis.), as described previously (Akkarawongsa et al., 2006). The CellTiter 96® AQueous One Solution Cell Proliferation Assay is a colorimetric method for determining the number of viable cells in proliferation, cytotoxicity or chemosensitivity assays. The CellTiter 96® AQueous One Solution Reagent contains a tetrazolium compound [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium, inner salt; MTS] and an electron coupling reagent (phenazine ethosulfate; PES). PES has enhanced chemical stability, which allows it to be combined with MTS to form a stable solution. The CellTiter 96® AQueous Assay uses phenazine methosulfate (PMS) as the electron coupling reagent, and PMS Solution and MTS Solution are supplied separately. PES has enhanced chemical stability, which allows it to be combined with MTS to form a stable solution. Assays are performed by adding a small amount of the CellTiter 96® AQueous One Solution Reagent directly to culture wells, incubating for 1-4 hours and then recording absorbance at 490 nm with a 96-well plate reader. The quantity of formazan product as measured by the amount of 490 nm absorbance is directly proportional to the number of living cells in culture.
Briefly, Vero cells (1.5×104 cells/well) were seeded in a 96-well plate, and the plate was incubated for 24 h at 37° C. A total of 20 μl of medium containing the desired concentration of inhibitors was added to the cells. Control cells received medium only. After incubation of the cells in the presence of peptide overnight at 37° C., 20 μl of the 96 AQqueous One Solution cell proliferation assay reagent was added to each well. The plate was then incubated for 2 h at 37° C., and the absorbance at 490 nm was determined with a 96-well plate reader (Perkin Elmer).
Assay for Inhibitor Compound Effects on Infected Cells and HSV-1 Virus Production and Release.Vero cells were grown in DMEM supplemented with 10% FBS. Viral infections were performed in DMEM supplemented with 1% heat-inactivated FBS. Vero cells were inoculated HSV-1 (strain F) at indicated concentrations, after 2 h, the cells were washed and treated with 0.1 M sodium citrate buffer (pH 3.0) for 1 min to inactivate unpenetrated viruses, washed again and incubated with fresh medium containing 1% heat-inactivated FBS. At different times after inoculation, one-half of the medium was harvested as a supernatant sample and the cells were scraped into the rest of the half medium containing released viruses as a total virus sample and lysed by sonication. Then virus titers were determined by standard plaque assay on Vero cells.
As shown in
KSHV, a member of the herpes virus family, buds from cells with a Vps4 dependence, probably using the PY motif-dependent pathway. To test the effect of inhibitors on KSHV release, of a recently reported cell line (iSLK.219) will be used that allows the doxycycline (Dox) inducible expression of the KSHV lytic transactivator protein (RTA) and is infected with recombinant KSHV.219. See Myoung J, Ganem D. Generation of a doxycycline-inducible KSHV producer cell line of endothelial origin: maintenance of tight latency with efficient reactivation upon induction. J Virol Methods. 2011, 174(1-2):12-21. PMCID: 3095772 and Vieira J, O'Hearn P M. Use of the red fluorescent protein as a marker of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus lytic gene expression. Virology. 2004; 325(2):225-40. The contents of these printed publication are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Upon Dox treatment of these cells, lytic reactivation results in the production of infectious KSHV carrying a GFP reporter cassette. The ability of individual dominant negative ESCRT proteins interfere with the release of infectious KSHV will be evaluated initially. For this purpose, 105 iSLK.219 cells will be plated per well in 6 well plates and transfected the next day with increasing amounts of control vectors or vectors expressing dominant negative ESCRT proteins (range 0.2 μg-2 mg/well) using Lipofectamine 2000 (Invitrogen) as instructed. Four hours after transfection, growth medium will be exchanged for medium containing 1 mg/ml Dox and cells will be incubated for 48 hours. Resulting virus containing supernatant will be cleared by centrifugation (5 min, 2000 rpm), filtered through 450 nm pore size filters and will titered on the KSHV-negative endothelial cell line SLK by serial dilutions in a 24 well format. For this, 20,000 cells will be infected with filtered virus in serial dilutions into normal growth medium (i.e. 1:1, 1:5, 1:25). Forty-eight hours after infection, SLK cells will be trypsinized, recovered by centrifugation (5 min, 1400 rpm), fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde for 20 min at room temperature, washed once with PBS, suspended in 300 ml PBS and subjected to flow cytometry on a FACS Canto II in order to establish the percentage of green cells. If ESCRT proteins are indeed required for KSHV production, a reduction in virus titer will be expected.
In a parallel positive control experiment, the effect of wild type or dominant negative ESCRT proteins on the release of a GFP-positive lentiviral vector pLCE from SLK cells will be monitored by titration and flow cytometry. The lentiviral vector pLCE is described in Zhang J, Jima D D, Jacobs C, Fischer R, Gottwein E, Huang G, et al. Patterns of microRNA expression characterize stages of human B-cell differentiation. Blood. 2009; 113(19):4586-94, the contents of which are incorporated by reference in its entirety. This experiment will be conducted as outlined above, except that ESCRT vectors will be co-transfected with 0.5 mg pLCE and 0.125 mg each of three packaging plasmids (pMDLgpRRE, pRSV-Rev and pVSV-G). Because lentiviral release depends on the ESCRT machinery, we expect that dominant negative ESCRT vectors will result in a reduction of lentiviral titers. If a dependence of KSHV budding on the ESCRT machinery can be established in the experiments outlined above, iSLK.219 cells will be used to test the effectiveness of novel small molecule inhibitors using the experimental procedure described above.
DEFINITIONSWhen introducing elements of aspects of the embodiments, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. The word “or” means any one member of a particular list and also includes any combination of members of that list, unless otherwise specified.
The modal verb “may” refers to the preferred use or selection of one or more options or choices among several described embodiments or features contained within the same. Where no options or choices are disclosed regarding a particular embodiment or feature contained in the same, the modal verb “may” refers to an affirmative act regarding how to make or use an aspect of a described embodiment or feature contained in the same, or a definitive decision to use a specific skill regarding a described embodiment or feature contained in the same. In this latter context, the model verb “may” has the same meaning and connotation as the auxiliary verb “can.”
The term “about” is used herein to mean approximately, roughly, around, or in the region of. When the term “about” is used in conjunction with a numerical range, it modifies that range by extending the boundaries above and below the numerical values set forth. Preferably, the term “about” is used herein to modify a numerical value above and below the stated value by a variance of 20 percent up or down (higher or lower).
The term “associative complex” refers to two or more molecular entities (for example, two separate polypeptides; an isolated compound and an isolated polypeptide; two separate fusion proteins that interact in a two-hybrid system, two separate proteins, among others) that are present in a complex or that are capable of forming a complex.
The chemical structures described herein are named according to IUPAC nomenclature rules and include art-accepted common names and abbreviations where appropriate. The IUPAC nomenclature can be derived with chemical structure drawing software programs, such as ChemDraw® (PerkinElmer, Inc.), ChemDoodle® (iChemLabs, LLC) and Marvin (ChemAxon Ltd.). The chemical structure controls in the disclosure to the extent that an IUPAC name is misnamed or otherwise conflicts with the chemical structure disclosed herein.
The chemical structures described herein are also cataloged according to CAS Registry Nos. where appropriate. The chemical structure controls in the disclosure to the extent that an CAS Registry No. is misidentified or otherwise conflicts with the chemical structure disclosed herein.
In view of the above, it will be seen that several advantages of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.
Not all of the depicted components illustrated or described may be required. In addition, some implementations and embodiments may include additional components. Variations in the arrangement and type of the components may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims as set forth herein. Additional, different or fewer components may be provided and components may be combined. Alternatively or in addition, a component may be implemented by several components.
The above description illustrates the invention by way of example and not by way of limitation. This description clearly enables one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and describes several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives and uses of the invention, including what is presently believed to be the best mode of carrying out the invention. Additionally, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it will be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
Having described aspects of the invention in detail, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims. As various changes could be made in the above constructions, products, and methods without departing from the scope of aspects of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
All references, citations, patent applications, patent publications specifically mentioned in this disclosure are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
Claims
1. A compound having an antiviral activity for inhibiting release of an enveloped virus from a cell.
2. The compound of claim 1, wherein the antiviral activity comprises:
- (i) inhibiting formation of an associative complex; or
- (ii) disrupting formation of an associative complex,
- wherein the associative complex comprises an L-domain motif of the enveloped virus and at least one cellular polypeptide, or fragment thereof, capable of binding the L-domain motif of the enveloped virus.
3. The compound of claim 2, wherein L-domain motif comprises at least one of a PY-motif or a PTAP-motif.
4. The compound of claim 2, wherein L-domain motif comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOS:1-22.
5. The compound of claim 2, wherein the at least one cellular polypeptide comprises an ESCRT component protein.
6. The compound of claim 5, wherein the ESCRT component protein comprises at least one member selected from a Nedd 4-related family peptide and TSG101, fragments thereof, and combinations thereof.
7. The compound of claim 6, wherein ESCRT component protein comprises one of SEQ ID NOS: 24, 29, 32 and 33.
8. The compound of claim 1, wherein the enveloped virus comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of Lassa fever virus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, Ebola virus, Marberg virus, hepatitis B virus, Herpes simplex virus, type 1, Herpes simplex virus, type 2, cytomegalovirus, Simian virus, type 5, Mumps virus, avian sarcoma leucosis virus, human immunodeficiency virus, type 1, human T-lymphotrophic virus, type 1, equine infectious anemia virus, vesicular stomatitis virus, rabies virus and combinations thereof.
9. The compound of claim 1, wherein the cell comprises a host cell for supporting active replication of the enveloped virus.
10. The compound of claim 1, wherein the compound comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of compounds having the structure of formulas (VII-(XIII): and combinations thereof.
11. A method of inhibiting release of an enveloped virus from a cell, comprising contacting the cell with a compound having an antiviral activity, said antiviral activity comprises:
- (i) inhibiting formation of an associative complex; or
- (ii) disrupting formation of an associative complex,
- wherein the associative complex comprises an L-domain motif of the enveloped virus and at least one cellular polypeptide, or fragment thereof, capable of binding the L-domain motif of the enveloped virus.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein L-domain motif comprises at least one of a PY-motif or a PTAP-motif.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein L-domain motif comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOS:1-22.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one cellular polypeptide comprises an ESCRT complex protein.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the ESCRT component protein comprises at least one member selected from a Nedd 4-related family peptide and TSG101, fragments thereof, and combinations thereof.
16. The method of claim 14, wherein ESCRT component protein comprises one of SEQ ID NOS: 24, 29, 32 and 33.
17. The method of claim 11, wherein the enveloped virus comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of Lassa fever virus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, Ebola virus, Marberg virus, hepatitis B virus, Herpes simplex virus, type 1, Herpes simplex virus, type 2, cytomegalovirus, Simian virus, type 5, Mumps virus, avian sarcoma leucosis virus, human immunodeficiency virus, type 1, human T-lymphotrophic virus, type 1, equine infectious anemia virus, vesicular stomatitis virus, rabies virus and combinations thereof.
18. The method of claim 11, wherein the cell comprises a host cell for supporting active replication of the enveloped virus.
19. The method of claim 11, wherein the compound comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of compounds having the structure of formulas (VII)-(XIII): and combinations thereof.
20. A pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound having an antiviral activity for inhibiting release of an enveloped virus from a cell and optionally a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 21, 2013
Publication Date: Jun 26, 2014
Applicants: The Research Foundation for The State University of New York (Albany, NY), Northwestern University (Evanston, IL)
Inventors: Jonathan Leis (Chicago, IL), Carol Carter (Huntington, NY)
Application Number: 14/138,053
International Classification: A61K 31/65 (20060101); A61K 31/4439 (20060101); A61K 31/53 (20060101); A61K 31/4035 (20060101); A61K 31/4152 (20060101); A61K 31/165 (20060101); A61K 31/437 (20060101);
