scholarly journals Computational drug repurposing against SARS-CoV-2 reveals plasma membrane cholesterol depletion as key factor of antiviral drug activity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Szilvia Barsi ◽  
Henrietta Papp ◽  
Alberto Valdeolivas Urbelz ◽  
Dániel J. Tóth ◽  
Anett Kuczmog ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Drug Repurposing ◽  
Antiviral Effect ◽  
Membrane Cholesterol ◽  
General Hypothesis ◽  
Gene Expression Signatures ◽  
Disease Signature ◽  
Plasma Membrane Cholesterol

AbstractComparing SARS-CoV-2 infection-induced gene expression signatures to drug treatment-induced gene expression signatures is a promising bioinformatic tool to repurpose existing drugs against SARS-CoV-2. The general hypothesis of signature based drug repurposing is that drugs with inverse similarity to a disease signature can reverse disease phenotype and thus be effective against it. However, in the case of viral infection diseases, like SARS-CoV-2, infected cells also activate adaptive, antiviral pathways, so that the relationship between effective drug and disease signature can be more ambiguous.To address this question, we analysed gene expression data from in vitro SARS-CoV-2 infected cell lines, and gene expression signatures of drugs showing anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity. Our extensive functional genomic analysis showed that both infection and treatment with in vitro effective drugs leads to activation of antiviral pathways like NFkB and JAK-STAT. Based on the similarity - and not inverse similarity - between drug and infection-induced gene expression signatures, we were able to predict the in vitro antiviral activity of drugs. We also identified SREBF1/2, key regulators of lipid metabolising enzymes, as the most activated transcription factors by several in vitro effective antiviral drugs. Using a fluorescently labeled cholesterol sensor, we showed that these drugs decrease the cholesterol levels of plasma-membrane. Supplementing drug-treated cells with cholesterol reversed the in vitro antiviral effect, suggesting the depleting plasma-membrane cholesterol plays a key role in virus inhibitory mechanism.Our results can help to more effectively repurpose approved drugs against SARS-CoV-2, and also highlights key mechanisms behind their antiviral effect.Abstract Figure

Abstract 365: Inhibiting Hmg Coa Reductase Reduces Palmitate-Induced Inflammation in Adipocytes

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asha K Pathak ◽  
Chang Yeop Han ◽  
Mohamed Omer ◽  
Shari Wang ◽  
Alan Chait
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Er Stress ◽  
Lipid Raft ◽  
Cholesterol Content ◽  
Membrane Cholesterol ◽  
Hmg Coa Reductase ◽  
Pre Treatment ◽  
Coa Reductase ◽  
Plasma Membrane Cholesterol

Adipose tissue inflammation associates with insulin resistance and increased cardiovascular disease risk. We previously observed that 3T3-L1 adipocytes exposed to palmitate become inflamed and demonstrate increased plasma membrane cholesterol and lipid raft content. It is known that palmitate induces translocation of NAPH oxidase and toll-like receptor 4 into lipid rafts, increasing adipocyte inflammation. However, it is unclear (1) how palmitate alters plasma membrane cholesterol content; and (2) whether increased cholesterol content in the plasma membrane is related to adipocyte inflammation induced by palmitate exposure. We hypothesize that mechanisms involved in increasing plasma membrane cholesterol content after palmitate treatment could be related to cholesterol synthesis and/or ER stress, and that increased cholesterol in lipid rafts is essential for induction of inflammation in adipocytes. To test these hypotheses, differentiated murine 3T3-L1 adipocytes were exposed to palmitate for 24 hours, with and without pre-treatment with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) or HDL. RT-PCR was used to evaluate gene expression of inflammation ( Saa3 , Ccl2 ), ER stress ( Bip , Chop ), and HMG-CoA reductase ( Hmgcr ). Cholera toxin subunit β staining and flow cytometry were used to evaluate plasma membrane lipid raft content. In differentiated adipocytes, palmitate-induced inflammation neither increased expression of ER stress genes nor HMG-CoA reductase gene expression. However, treatment with 3 different statins (simvastatin, lovastatin, atorvastatin) significantly reduced palmitate-induced adipocyte inflammation as indicated by decreased gene expression of Saa3 and Ccl2 ( P <0.05). A similar effect was seen with pre-treatment with HDL. Lipid raft content induced by palmitate was decreased by HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (difference in mean fluorescence intensity P <0.05) and also by pre-treatment with HDL. These findings indicate that ER stress was not involved in increased plasma membrane cholesterol after palmitate-induced inflammation in adipocytes. However, regulating cholesterol content in lipid rafts plays an important role in adipocyte inflammation induced by palmitate.

scholarly journals Plasma Membrane Cholesterol Modulates Cellular Vacuolation Induced by the Helicobacter pylori Vacuolating Cytotoxin

2002 ◽  
Vol 70 (8) ◽  
pp. 4112-4123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hetal K. Patel ◽  
David C. Willhite ◽  
Rakhi M. Patel ◽  
Dan Ye ◽  
Christopher L. Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Detectable Effect ◽  
Membrane Cholesterol ◽  
Vacuolating Cytotoxin ◽  
Vacuole Biogenesis ◽  
Plasma Membrane Cholesterol

ABSTRACT The Helicobacter pylori vacuolating cytotoxin (VacA) induces the degenerative vacuolation of mammalian cells both in vitro and in vivo. Here, we demonstrate that plasma membrane cholesterol is essential for vacuolation of mammalian cells by VacA. Vacuole biogenesis in multiple cell lines was completely blocked when cholesterol was extracted selectively from the plasma membrane by using β-cyclodextrins. Moreover, increasing plasma membrane cholesterol levels strongly potentiated VacA-induced vacuolation. In contrast, inhibiting de novo biosynthesis of cholesterol with lovastatin or compactin had no detectable effect on vacuolation. While depletion of plasma membrane cholesterol has been shown to interfere with both clathrin-mediated endocytosis and caveola-dependent endocytosis, neither of these two internalization pathways was found to be essential for vacuolation of cells by VacA. Depleting plasma membrane cholesterol attenuated the entry of VacA into HeLa cells. In addition, β-cyclodextrin reagents blocked vacuolation of cells that were either preloaded with VacA or had VacA directly expressed within the cytosol. Collectively, our results suggest that plasma membrane cholesterol is important for both the intoxication mechanism of VacA and subsequent vacuole biogenesis.

scholarly journals Monoclonal antibody detection of plasma membrane cholesterol microdomains responsive to cholesterol trafficking

2001 ◽  
Vol 42 (9) ◽  
pp. 1492-1500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard S. Kruth ◽  
Ina Ifrim ◽  
Janet Chang ◽  
Lia Addadi ◽  
Daniele Perl-Treves ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Monoclonal Antibody ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Antibody Detection ◽  
Membrane Cholesterol ◽  
Cholesterol Trafficking ◽  
Plasma Membrane Cholesterol

Cell culturing in a three-dimensional matrix affects the localization and properties of plasma membrane cholesterol

2009 ◽  
Vol 33 (10) ◽  
pp. 1079-1086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadezhda Stefanova ◽  
Galya Staneva ◽  
Diana Petkova ◽  
Teodora Lupanova ◽  
Roumen Pankov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Membrane Cholesterol ◽  
Dimensional Matrix ◽  
Cell Culturing ◽  
Plasma Membrane Cholesterol

scholarly journals Modeling of SARS-CoV-2 Treatment Effects for Informed Drug Repurposing

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Kern ◽  
Verena Schöning ◽  
Carlos Chaccour ◽  
Felix Hammann
Keyword(s):  
Drug Repurposing ◽  
Antiviral Effect ◽  
Drug Candidate ◽  
Appreciable Effect ◽  
Viral Kinetics ◽  
Future Drug ◽  
Dosing Regimens ◽  
Clinical Trial Results

Several repurposed drugs are currently under investigation in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Candidates are often selected solely by their effective concentrations in vitro, an approach that has largely not lived up to expectations in COVID-19. Cell lines used in in vitro experiments are not necessarily representative of lung tissue. Yet, even if the proposed mode of action is indeed true, viral dynamics in vivo, host response, and concentration-time profiles must also be considered. Here we address the latter issue and describe a model of human SARS-CoV-2 viral kinetics with acquired immune response to investigate the dynamic impact of timing and dosing regimens of hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir, ivermectin, artemisinin, and nitazoxanide. We observed greatest benefits when treatments were given immediately at the time of diagnosis. Even interventions with minor antiviral effect may reduce host exposure if timed correctly. Ivermectin seems to be at least partially effective: given on positivity, peak viral load dropped by 0.3–0.6 log units and exposure by 8.8–22.3%. The other drugs had little to no appreciable effect. Given how well previous clinical trial results for hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir are explained by the models presented here, similar strategies should be considered in future drug candidate prioritization efforts.

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