scholarly journals Virtual Screening and In Silico Interactions Studies for Potential Antivirals and Diagnostics against the Spike protein from the Novel Coronavirus SARS-Cov-2

2021 ◽  
Vol 1192 (1) ◽  
pp. 012025
Author(s):  
F I Che Abd Aziz ◽  
F A Ahmad Fuad ◽  
S Tanbin
Keyword(s):  
Monoclonal Antibodies ◽  
Binding Energy ◽  
Virtual Screening ◽  
Spike Protein ◽  
Protein Protein Interaction ◽  
Entry Pathway ◽  
Therapeutic Drugs ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Potential Spike ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Abstract COVID-19 is a newly-emerged respiratory disease that is caused by the SARS-CoV-2, the seventh known Coronaviruses strain that has struck a global pandemic. The sharp increase in the number of positive cases worldwide necessitates highly-sensitive diagnostics kits and effective antiviral drugs to be developed for the populations. One of the antigens that is targeted for antibody neutralisation is the coronavirus Spike protein that consists of the S1 and S2 subunits, which mediated the entry pathway into the host’s cell. Thus, the Spike protein has been suggested as a potential target for Covid-19 diagnostics and drug design. This study aims to evaluate the interactions between the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein and the known monoclonal antibodies from Coronaviruses and to screen for potential Spike protein inhibitors. Virtual screening was conducted based on two compounds, N‐acetyl‐D‐glucosamine (NAG) and Hesperetin, which is a small molecule that binds to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein structure and a natural compound that has prophylactic agents against SARS-CoV-2 infection as it binds to Spike protein, respectively. Protein-protein interaction studies were conducted by using the STRING webserver, prior to performing rigid docking using SWISSDOCK and visualised using USCF Chimera. Meanwhile, ligand-based screening was conducted through Ultrafast Shape Recognition Virtual Screening Database (USR-VS), and structure-based screening was performed via AutoDock4 software. The toxicity of the compounds was predicted using ProTox-II database. Possible interactions have been observed between the known monoclonal antibodies with the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, where M396 monoclonal antibody has shown the strongest interaction with a binding energy of -8.50 kcal/mol. Meanwhile, virtual screening has yielded several compounds that indicate the possibility to inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, where Tamarixetin has shown the strongest binding energy of -7.93 kcal/mol. These findings have potentials to be further evaluated in the future for the development of improved diagnostic kits and potential therapeutic drugs that specifically target the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2.

scholarly journals A Multi-Pronged Approach Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Proteins Using Ultra-Large Virtual Screening

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Gorgulla ◽  
Krishna PadmanabhaDas ◽  
Kendra E. Leigh ◽  
Marco Cespugli ◽  
Patrick D. Fischer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Screening ◽  
In Silico ◽  
Active Sites ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Protein Protein Interaction ◽  
The Face ◽  
Computing Platforms ◽  
Screening Platform ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Further Development

<p>Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), previously known as 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), has spread rapidly across the globe, creating an unparalleled global health burden and spurring a deepening economic crisis. As of July 7th, 2020, almost seven months into the outbreak, there are no approved vaccines and few treatments available. Developing drugs that target multiple points in the viral life cycle could serve as a strategy to tackle the current as well as future coronavirus pandemics. Here we leverage the power of our recently developed <i>in silico</i> screening platform, VirtualFlow, to identify inhibitors that target SARS-CoV-2. VirtualFlow is able to efficiently harness the power of computing clusters and cloud-based computing platforms to carry out ultra-large scale virtual screens. In this unprecedented structure-based multi-target virtual screening campaign, we have used VirtualFlow to screen an average of approximately 1 billion molecules against each of 40 different target sites on 17 different potential viral and host targets in the cloud. In addition to targeting the active sites of viral enzymes, we also target critical auxiliary sites such as functionally important protein-protein interaction interfaces. This multi-target approach not only increases the likelihood of finding a potent inhibitor, but could also help identify a collection of anti-coronavirus drugs that would retain efficacy in the face of viral mutation. Drugs belonging to different regimen classes could be combined to develop possible combination therapies, and top hits that bind at highly conserved sites would be potential candidates for further development as coronavirus drugs. Here, we present the top 200 <i>in silico</i> hits for each target site. While in-house experimental validation of some of these compounds is currently underway, we want to make this array of potential inhibitor candidates available to researchers worldwide in consideration of the pressing need for fast-tracked drug development.</p>

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 variants resist antibody neutralization and broaden host ACE2 usage

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruoke Wang ◽  
Qi Zhang ◽  
Jiwan Ge ◽  
Wenlin Ren ◽  
Rui Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Monoclonal Antibodies ◽  
Molecular Basis ◽  
Spike Protein ◽  
Receptor Binding Domain ◽  
Antibody Neutralization ◽  
Vaccine Protection ◽  
Antigenic Sites ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Crystal Structural

AbstractNew SARS-CoV-2 variants continue to emerge from the current global pandemic, some of which can replicate faster and with greater transmissibility and pathogenicity. In particular, UK501Y.V1 identified in UK, SA501Y.V2 in South Africa, and BR501Y.V3 in Brazil are raising serious concerns as they spread quickly and contain spike protein mutations that may facilitate escape from current antibody therapies and vaccine protection. Here, we constructed a panel of 28 SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses bearing single or combined mutations found in the spike protein of these three variants, as well as additional nine mutations that within or close by the major antigenic sites in the spike protein identified in the GISAID database. These pseudoviruses were tested against a panel of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), including some approved for emergency use to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection, and convalescent patient plasma collected early in the pandemic. SA501Y.V2 pseudovirus was the most resistant, in magnitude and breadth, against mAbs and convalescent plasma, followed by BR501Y.V3, and then UK501Y.V1. This resistance hierarchy corresponds with Y144del and 242-244del mutations in the N-terminal domain as well as K417N/T, E484K and N501Y mutations in the receptor binding domain (RBD). Crystal structural analysis of RBD carrying triple K417N-E484K-N501Y mutations found in SA501Y.V2 bound with mAb P2C-1F11 revealed a molecular basis for antibody neutralization and escape. SA501Y.V2 and BR501Y.V3 also acquired substantial ability to use mouse and mink ACE2 for entry. Taken together, our results clearly demonstrate major antigenic shifts and potentially broadening the host range of SA501Y.V2 and BR501Y.V3, which pose serious challenges to our current antibody therapies and vaccine protection.

scholarly journals Computational Molecular Docking and Virtual Screening Revealed Promising SARS-CoV-2 Drugs

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Hosseini ◽  
Wanqiu Chen ◽  
Charles Wang
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Docking ◽  
Binding Energy ◽  
Virtual Screening ◽  
Clinical Studies ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Docking Approach ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Approved Drugs ◽  
Potential Inhibitors ◽  
Computational Molecular Docking

The pandemic of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is rampaging the world with more than 1.4 million of confirmed cases and more than 85,000 of deaths across world by April 9th, 2020. There is an urgent need to identify effective drugs to fight against the virus. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) belongs to the family of coronaviruses consisting of four structural and 16 non-structured proteins. Three non-structural proteins such as main protease, papain like protease, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase are believed to play a crucial role in the virus replication. We applied a computational ligand-receptor binding modeling and performed a comprehensive virtual screening on the FDA-approved drugs against these three SARS-CoV-2 proteins using AutoDock Vina. Our computational studies indicated that Simeprevir, Ledipasvir, Idarubicin, Saquinavir, Ledipasivir, Partitaprevir, Glecaprevir, and Velpatasvir are all promising inhibitors, which displayed a lower binding energy (higher inhibitory effect) than Remdesivir, Lopinavir, and Ritonavir. However, we found that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, which showed efficacy in treating the COVID-19 in recent clinical studies, had high binding energy with all three proteins, suggesting they may work through a different mechanism. We also identified several novel drugs as potential inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2, including antiviral Raltegravir; antidiabetic Amaryl; antibiotics Retapamulin, Rifimixin, and Rifabutin; antiemetic Fosaprepitant and Netupitant. In summary, our computational molecular docking approach and virtual screening identified some promising candidate SARS-CoV-2 drugs that may be considered for further clinical studies.

scholarly journals A potential spice with multifunctional pharmacological properties can prevent COVID-19 disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1840
Author(s):  
Subha Bose Banerjee
Keyword(s):  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Replication Process ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Therapeutic Drugs ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Therapeutic Properties ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Pharmacologically Active

Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is the major health crisis in the world. World Health Organisation has declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic. There are no effective drugs to treat COVID-19 infection. Till date include remdesivir, umifenovir, favipiravir, lopinavir/ritonavir, ribavirin, hydroxychloroquine, etc. are used to treat this disease. There is an urgent need for public health measures, not only to limit the spread of the virus, but also to implement preventive approaches to control severe COVID-19 disease. Most drugs on the market have shown unwanted symptoms and toxic effects related to these drugs. In this situation people are searching for safe herbal extracts and pharmacologically active molecules having numerous therapeutic properties. Garlic (Allium sativum L.; Family: Amaryllidaceae) is an aromatic herbaceous annual spice with numerous therapeutic properties. Garlic is one of the most efficient natural antibiotics against the wide spectrum of viruses and bacteria. Organosulfur (e.g. allicin and alliin) and flavonoid (e.g. quercetin) compounds are responsible for immunomodulatory effects of this healthy spice. The viral replication process is accelerated with the main structural protease of severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The formation of hydrogen bonds between this serine-type protease and garlic bioactives in the active site regions inhibits the COVID-19 outbreak. Intake of garlic and its derived-products in regular diet as an adjuvant therapy may minimise side effects and toxicity of the main therapeutic drugs of COVID-19 infection.

scholarly journals Rapid isolation and profiling of a diverse panel of human monoclonal antibodies targeting the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth J. Zost ◽  
Pavlo Gilchuk ◽  
Rita E. Chen ◽  
James Brett Case ◽  
Joseph X. Reidy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Monoclonal Antibodies ◽  
Cross Reactivity ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Receptor Binding Domain ◽  
Human Monoclonal Antibodies ◽  
S Protein ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Antibody Discovery ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Rapid Antibody

Antibodies are a principal determinant of immunity for most RNA viruses and have promise to reduce infection or disease during major epidemics. The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has caused a global pandemic with millions of infections and hundreds of thousands of deaths to date1,2. In response, we used a rapid antibody discovery platform to isolate hundreds of human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein. We stratify these mAbs into five major classes based on their reactivity to subdomains of S protein as well as their cross-reactivity to SARS-CoV. Many of these mAbs inhibit infection of authentic SARS-CoV-2 virus, with most neutralizing mAbs recognizing the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of S. This work defines sites of vulnerability on SARS-CoV-2 S and demonstrates the speed and robustness of new antibody discovery methodologies.

scholarly journals Sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 Variants to Neutralization by Convalescent Sera and a VH3-30 Monoclonal Antibody

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuai Yue ◽  
Zhirong Li ◽  
Yao Lin ◽  
Yang Yang ◽  
Mengqi Yuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Monoclonal Antibody ◽  
Monoclonal Antibodies ◽  
Binding Activity ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Neutralizing Capacity ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Medical Countermeasures

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Though vaccines and neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been developed to fight COVID-19 in the past year, one major concern is the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs). Indeed, SARS-CoV-2 VOCs such as B.1.1.7 (UK), B.1.351 (South Africa), P.1 (Brazil), and B.1.617.1 (India) now dominate the pandemic. Herein, we found that binding activity and neutralizing capacity of sera collected from convalescent patients in early 2020 for SARS-CoV-2 VOCs, but not non-VOC variants, were severely blunted. Furthermore, we observed evasion of SARS-CoV-2 VOCs from a VH3-30 mAb 32D4, which was proved to exhibit highly potential neutralization against wild-type (WT) SARS-CoV-2. Thus, these results indicated that SARS-CoV-2 VOCs might be able to spread in convalescent patients and even harbor resistance to medical countermeasures. New interventions against these SARS-CoV-2 VOCs are urgently needed.

scholarly journals In vitro and in vivo preclinical studies predict REGEN-COV protection against emergence of viral escape in humans

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Copin ◽  
Alina Baum ◽  
Elzbieta Wloga ◽  
Kristen E. Pascal ◽  
Stephanie Giordano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Monoclonal Antibodies ◽  
Therapeutic Option ◽  
Viral Escape ◽  
Spike Protein ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Preclinical Studies ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Emerging Virus

SummaryMonoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 are a clinically validated therapeutic option against COVID-19. As rapidly emerging virus mutants are becoming the next major concern in the fight against the global pandemic, it is imperative that these therapeutic treatments provide coverage against circulating variants and do not contribute to development of treatment emergent resistance. To this end, we investigated the sequence diversity of the spike protein and monitored emergence of minor virus variants in SARS-COV-2 isolates found in nature or identified from preclinical in vitro and in vivo studies and in the clinic. This study demonstrates that a combination of noncompeting antibodies not only provides full coverage against currently circulating variants but also protects against emergence of new such variants and their potential seeding into the population in a clinical setting.

scholarly journals In silico Antibody Mutagenesis for Optimizing its Binding to the Spike Protein of SARS-CoV-2

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Binquan Luan ◽  
Tien Huynh
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Monoclonal Antibodies ◽  
Drug Discovery ◽  
In Silico ◽  
Spike Protein ◽  
Computing Power ◽  
Atomic Structures ◽  
Protein Mutagenesis ◽  
Small Molecule Drugs ◽  
Global Pandemic

<p>Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing global pandemic and there are currently no FDA approved medicines for treatment or prevention. Inspired by promising outcomes for convalescent plasma treatment, developing antibody drugs (biologics) to block SARS-CoV-2 infection has been the focus of drug discovery, along with tremendous efforts in repurposing small-molecule drugs. In the last several months, experimentally, many human neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were successfully extracted from plasma of recovered COVID-19 patients. Currently, several mAbs targeting the SARS-CoV-2's spike protein (Spro) are in clinical trials. With known atomic structures of mAb-Spro complex, it becomes possible to <i>in silico</i> investigate the molecular mechanism of mAb's binding with Spro and design more potent mAbs through protein mutagenesis studies, complementary to existing experimental efforts. Leveraging superb computing power nowadays, we propose a fully automated <i>in silico</i> protocol for quickly identifying possible mutations in a mAb (e.g.~CB6) to enhance its binding affinity with Spro for the design of more efficacious therapeutic mAbs.</p>

scholarly journals High affinity binding of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein enhances ACE2 carboxypeptidase activity

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinghua Lu ◽  
Peter D. Sun
Keyword(s):  
Spike Protein ◽  
Affinity Binding ◽  
Ang Ii ◽  
High Affinity Binding ◽  
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 ◽  
High Affinity ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Biological Substrates ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Entry Receptor

AbstractA novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has emerged to a global pandemic and caused significant damages to public health. Human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2) was identified as the entry receptor for SARS-CoV-2. As a carboxypeptidase, ACE2 cleaves many biological substrates besides Ang II to control vasodilatation and permeability. Given the nanomolar high affinity between ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, we wonder how this interaction would affect the enzymatic activity of ACE2. Surprisingly, SARS-CoV-2 trimeric spike protein increased ACE2 proteolytic activity ~3-10 fold when fluorogenic caspase-1 substrate and Bradykinin-analog peptides were used to characterize ACE2 activity. In addition, the enhancement was mediated by ACE2 binding of RBD domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike. These results highlighted the altered activity of ACE2 during SARS-CoV-2 infection and would shed new lights on the pathogenesis of COVID-19 and its complications for better treatments.

scholarly journals Anthraquinone Derivatives as an Immune Booster and their Therapeutic Option Against COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 325-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pukar Khanal ◽  
B. M. Patil ◽  
Jagdish Chand ◽  
Yasmin Naaz
Keyword(s):  
Binding Energy ◽  
Binding Affinity ◽  
Immune Modulation ◽  
Therapeutic Option ◽  
Docking Study ◽  
Spike Protein ◽  
Pathway Database ◽  
Anthraquinone Derivatives ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Immune Booster

Abstract Anthraquinone derivatives are identified for their immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral efficacy. Hence, the present study aimed to investigate the reported anthraquinone derivatives as immune booster molecules in COVID-19 infection and evaluate their binding affinity with three reported targets of novel coronavirus i.e. 3C-like protease, papain-like protease, and spike protein. The reported anthraquinone derivatives were retrieved from an open-source database and filtered based on a positive druglikeness score. Compounds with positive druglikeness scores were predicted for their targets using DIGEP-Pred and the interaction among modulated proteins was evaluated using STRING. Further, the associated pathways were recorded concerning the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway database. Finally, the docking was performed using autodock4 to identify the binding efficacy of anthraquinone derivatives with 3C-like protease, papain-like protease, and spike protein. After docking the pose of ligand scoring minimum binding energy was chosen to visualize the ligand–protein interaction. Among 101 bioactives, 36 scored positive druglikeness score and regulated multiple pathways concerned with immune modulation and (non-) infectious diseases. Similarly, docking study revealed torososide B to possess the highest binding affinity with papain-like protease and 3C-like protease and 1,3,6-trihydroxy-2-methyl-9,10-anthraquinone-3-O-(6′-O-acetyl)-β-d-xylopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-β-d-glucopyranoside with spike protein. Graphic Abstract

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document