scholarly journals An E460D substitution in the NS5 protein of tick-borne encephalitis virus confers resistance to the inhibitor Galidesivir (BCX4430) and also attenuates the virus for mice

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludek Eyer ◽  
Antoine Nougairède ◽  
Marie Uhlířová ◽  
Jean-Sélim Driouich ◽  
Darina Zouharová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Culture ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Rna Virus ◽  
Encephalitis Virus ◽  
Viral Fitness ◽  
Rna Dependent Rna Polymerase ◽  
Virus Inhibitor ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis Virus ◽  
Ebola Virus Infection

AbstractThe adenosine analogue Galidesivir (BCX4430), a broad-spectrum RNA virus inhibitor, has entered a Phase 1 clinical safety and pharmacokinetics study in healthy subjects and is under clinical development for treatment of Ebola virus infection. Moreover, Galidesivir also inhibits the reproduction of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and numerous other medically important flaviviruses. Until now, studies of this antiviral agent have not yielded resistant viruses. Here, we demonstrate that an E460D substitution, in the active site of TBEV RNA-dependent-RNA-polymerase (RdRp), confers resistance to Galidesivir in cell culture. Stochastic molecular simulations indicate that the steric freedom caused by the E460D substitution increases close electrostatic interactions between the inhibitor and the interrogation residue of the TBEV RdRp motif F, resulting in rejection of the analogue as an incorrect/modified nucleotide. Galidesivir-resistant TBEV exhibited no cross-resistance to structurally different antiviral nucleoside analogues, such as 7-deaza-2’-C-methyladenosine, 2’-C-methyladenosine and 4’-azido-aracytidine. Although, the E460D substitution led only to a subtle decrease in viral fitness in cell culture, Galidesivir-resistant TBEV was highly attenuated in vivo, with 100% survival rate and no clinical signs observed in infected mice. Our results contribute to understanding the molecular basis of Galidesivir antiviral activity, flavivirus resistance to nucleoside inhibitors and the potential contribution of viral RdRp to flavivirus neurovirulence.ImportanceTick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a pathogen that causes severe human neuroinfections in large areas of Europe and Asia and for which there is currently no specific therapy. We have previously found that Galidesivir (BCX4430), a broad-spectrum RNA virus inhibitor, which is under clinical development for treatment of Ebola virus infection, has a strong antiviral effect against TBEV. For any antiviral drug, it is important to generate drug-resistant mutants to understand how the drug works. Here, we produced TBEV mutants resistant to Galidesivir and found that the resistance is caused by a single amino acid substitution in an active site of the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, an enzyme which is crucial for replication of viral RNA genome. Although, this substitution led only to a subtle decrease in viral fitness in cell culture, Galidesivir-resistant TBEV was highly attenuated in a mouse model. Our results contribute to understanding the molecular basis of Galidesivir antiviral activity.

scholarly journals An E460D Substitution in the NS5 Protein of Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus Confers Resistance to the Inhibitor Galidesivir (BCX4430) and Also Attenuates the Virus for Mice

2019 ◽  
Vol 93 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludek Eyer ◽  
Antoine Nougairède ◽  
Marie Uhlířová ◽  
Jean-Sélim Driouich ◽  
Darina Zouharová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Culture ◽  
Yellow Fever Virus ◽  
Rna Virus ◽  
Encephalitis Virus ◽  
Viral Fitness ◽  
Virus Infections ◽  
Rna Dependent Rna Polymerase ◽  
Virus Inhibitor ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis Virus

ABSTRACT The adenosine analogue galidesivir (BCX4430), a broad-spectrum RNA virus inhibitor, has entered a phase 1 clinical safety and pharmacokinetics study in healthy subjects and is under clinical development for treatment of Ebola and yellow fever virus infections. Moreover, galidesivir also inhibits the reproduction of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and numerous other medically important flaviviruses. Until now, studies of this antiviral agent have not yielded resistant viruses. Here, we demonstrate that an E460D substitution in the active site of TBEV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) confers resistance to galidesivir in cell culture. Galidesivir-resistant TBEV exhibited no cross-resistance to structurally different antiviral nucleoside analogues, such as 7-deaza-2′-C-methyladenosine, 2′-C-methyladenosine, and 4′-azido-aracytidine. Although the E460D substitution led to only a subtle decrease in viral fitness in cell culture, galidesivir-resistant TBEV was highly attenuated in vivo, with a 100% survival rate and no clinical signs observed in infected mice. Furthermore, no virus was detected in the sera, spleen, or brain of mice inoculated with the galidesivir-resistant TBEV. Our results contribute to understanding the molecular basis of galidesivir antiviral activity, flavivirus resistance to nucleoside inhibitors, and the potential contribution of viral RdRp to flavivirus neurovirulence. IMPORTANCE Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a pathogen that causes severe human neuroinfections in Europe and Asia and for which there is currently no specific therapy. We have previously found that galidesivir (BCX4430), a broad-spectrum RNA virus inhibitor, which is under clinical development for treatment of Ebola and yellow fever virus infections, has a strong antiviral effect against TBEV. For any antiviral drug, it is important to generate drug-resistant mutants to understand how the drug works. Here, we produced TBEV mutants resistant to galidesivir and found that the resistance is caused by a single amino acid substitution in an active site of the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, an enzyme which is crucial for replication of the viral RNA genome. Although this substitution led only to a subtle decrease in viral fitness in cell culture, galidesivir-resistant TBEV was highly attenuated in a mouse model. Our results contribute to understanding the molecular basis of galidesivir antiviral activity.

scholarly journals Changing the Protease Specificity for Activation of a Flavivirus, Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus

2008 ◽  
Vol 82 (17) ◽  
pp. 8272-8282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Fischl ◽  
Sigrid Elshuber ◽  
Sabrina Schrauf ◽  
Christian W. Mandl
Keyword(s):  
Cell Culture ◽  
Cleavage Site ◽  
Encephalitis Virus ◽  
Wild Type Virus ◽  
Sequence Motif ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽  
Protease Specificity ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis Virus ◽  
Cleavage Motif

ABSTRACT The infectivity of flavivirus particles depends on a maturation process that is triggered by the proteolytic cleavage of the precursor of the M protein (prM). This activation cleavage is naturally performed by ubiquitous cellular proteases of the furin family, which typically recognize the multibasic sequence motif R-X-R/K-R. Previously, we demonstrated that a tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) mutant with an altered cleavage motif, R-X-R, produced immature, noninfectious particles that could be activated by exogenous trypsin, which cleaves after single basic residues. Here, we report the adaptation of this mutant to chymotrypsin, a protease specific for large, hydrophobic amino acid residues. Using selection pressure in cell culture, two different mutations conferring a chymotrypsin-dependent phenotype were identified. Surprisingly, one of these mutations (Ser85Phe) occurred three positions upstream of the natural cleavage site. The other mutation (Arg89His) arose at the natural cleavage position but involved a His residue, which is not a typical chymotrypsin cleavage site. Efficient cleavage of protein prM and activation by the heterologous protease were confirmed using various recombinant TBEV mutants. Mutants with only the originally selected mutations exhibited unimpaired export kinetics and were genotypically stable during at least six cell culture passages. However, in contrast to the wild-type virus or trypsin-dependent mutants, chymotrypsin-dependent mutants were not neurovirulent in suckling mice. Our results demonstrate that flaviviruses with altered protease specificities can be generated and suggest that this approach can be used for the construction of viral mutants or vectors that can be activated on demand and have restricted tissue tropism and virulence.

Susceptibility of Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus to Inactivation by Heat, Acidic pH, Chemical, or UV Treatment

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Wiesner ◽  
Carla Schmutte ◽  
Imke Steffen
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Exposure ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
Rna Virus ◽  
Encephalitis Virus ◽  
Acidic Ph ◽  
Uv Treatment ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽  
The Family ◽  
Positive Sense ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis Virus

Abstract Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a single-stranded, positive-sense RNA virus in the family Flaviviridae that is endemic in parts of Europe and Asia and can cause meningitis or encephalitis. Due to the disease severity, TBEV requires handling under heightened biosafety measures. The establishment and validation of inactivation procedures is a prerequisite for downstream analyses and management of occupational exposure. Therefore, different procedures for TBEV inactivation were tested. Our results suggest that TBEV is susceptible to inactivation by heat, acidic pH, different concentrations of alcohol, formaldehyde, or detergents, and exposure to UV irradiation, which may depend on sample size and composition.

scholarly journals An RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibitor for tick-borne encephalitis virus

Virology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 546 ◽  
pp. 13-19
Author(s):  
Varun Gejji ◽  
Pavel Svoboda ◽  
Michal Stefanik ◽  
Haoqi Wang ◽  
Jiri Salat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Encephalitis Virus ◽  
Rna Dependent Rna Polymerase ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽  
Polymerase Inhibitor ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis Virus

Rigid amphipathic nucleosides suppress reproduction of the tick-borne encephalitis virus

MedChemComm ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 495-499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexey A. Orlov ◽  
Alexey A. Chistov ◽  
Liubov I. Kozlovskaya ◽  
Alexey V. Ustinov ◽  
Vladimir A. Korshun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Culture ◽  
Encephalitis Virus ◽  
Fusion Inhibitors ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis Virus

Rigid amphipathic fusion inhibitors (RAFIs), 5-arylethynyl uracil nucleosides with bulky aryl groups, appeared to have considerable activity against tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in cell culture.

scholarly journals Escape of Tick-Borne Flavivirus from 2′-C-Methylated Nucleoside Antivirals Is Mediated by a Single Conservative Mutation in NS5 That Has a Dramatic Effect on Viral Fitness

2017 ◽  
Vol 91 (21) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludek Eyer ◽  
Hirofumi Kondo ◽  
Darina Zouharova ◽  
Minato Hirano ◽  
James J. Valdés ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Site ◽  
Lethal Dose ◽  
Nucleoside Analogs ◽  
Encephalitis Virus ◽  
Nucleoside Analog ◽  
Viral Fitness ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽  
Tbev Strain ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis Virus

ABSTRACT Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) causes a severe and potentially fatal neuroinfection in humans. Despite its high medical relevance, no specific antiviral therapy is currently available. Here we demonstrate that treatment with a nucleoside analog, 7-deaza-2′-C-methyladenosine (7-deaza-2′-CMA), substantially improved disease outcomes, increased survival, and reduced signs of neuroinfection and viral titers in the brains of mice infected with a lethal dose of TBEV. To investigate the mechanism of action of 7-deaza-2′-CMA, two drug-resistant TBEV clones were generated and characterized. The two clones shared a signature amino acid substitution, S603T, in the viral NS5 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) domain. This mutation conferred resistance to various 2′-C-methylated nucleoside derivatives, but no cross-resistance was seen with other nucleoside analogs, such as 4′-C-azidocytidine and 2′-deoxy-2′-beta-hydroxy-4′-azidocytidine (RO-9187). All-atom molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the S603T RdRp mutant repels a water molecule that coordinates the position of a metal ion cofactor as 2′-C-methylated nucleoside analogs approach the active site. To investigate its phenotype, the S603T mutation was introduced into a recombinant TBEV strain (Oshima-IC) generated from an infectious cDNA clone and into a TBEV replicon that expresses a reporter luciferase gene (Oshima-REP-luc2A). The mutants were replication impaired, showing reduced growth and a small plaque size in mammalian cell culture and reduced levels of neuroinvasiveness and neurovirulence in rodent models. These results indicate that TBEV resistance to 2′-C-methylated nucleoside inhibitors is conferred by a single conservative mutation that causes a subtle atomic effect within the active site of the viral NS5 RdRp and is associated with strong attenuation of the virus. IMPORTANCE This study found that the nucleoside analog 7-deaza-2′-C-methyladenosine (7-deaza-2′-CMA) has high antiviral activity against tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), a pathogen that causes severe human neuroinfections in large areas of Europe and Asia and for which there is currently no specific therapy. Treating mice infected with a lethal dose of TBEV with 7-deaza-2′-CMA resulted in significantly higher survival rates and reduced the severity of neurological signs of the disease. Thus, this compound shows promise for further development as an anti-TBEV drug. It is important to generate drug-resistant mutants to understand how the drug works and to develop guidelines for patient treatment. We generated TBEV mutants that were resistant not only to 7-deaza-2′-CMA but also to a broad range of other 2′-C-methylated antiviral medications. Our findings suggest that combination therapy may be used to improve treatment and reduce the emergence of drug-resistant viruses during nucleoside analog therapy for TBEV infection.

scholarly journals Amino acid changes responsible for attenuation of virus neurovirulence in an infectious cDNA clone of the Oshima strain of Tick-borne encephalitis virus

2004 ◽  
Vol 85 (4) ◽  
pp. 1007-1018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisuke Hayasaka ◽  
Tamara S. Gritsun ◽  
Kentarou Yoshii ◽  
Tomotaka Ueki ◽  
Akiko Goto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Culture ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Cdna Clone ◽  
Infectious Clone ◽  
Encephalitis Virus ◽  
Infectious Cdna Clone ◽  
Amino Acid Substitutions ◽  
Parent Virus ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis Virus

A stable full-length infectious cDNA clone of the Oshima strain of Tick-borne encephalitis virus (Far-Eastern subtype) was developed by a long high-fidelity RT-PCR and one-step cloning procedure. The infectious clone (O-IC) had four amino acid substitutions and produced smaller plaques when compared with the parent Oshima 5-10 strain. Using site-directed mutagenesis, the substitutions were reverted to restore the parent virus sequence (O-IC-pt). Although genetically identical, parent virus Oshima 5-10 and virus recovered from O-IC-pt demonstrated some biological differences that are possibly explained by the presence of quasispecies with differing virulence characteristics within the original virus population. These observations may have implications for vaccines based on modified infectious clones. It was also demonstrated that the amino acid substitution E-S40→P at position 40 in the envelope (E) glycoprotein was responsible for plaque size reduction, reduced infectious virus yields in cell culture and reduced mouse neurovirulence. Additionally, two amino acid substitutions in the non-structural (NS)5 protein (virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase) NS5-V378→A and NS5-R674→K also contributed to attenuation of virulence in mice, but did not demonstrate a noticeable biological effect in baby hamster kidney cell culture. Comparative neurovirulence tests revealed how the accumulation of individual mutations (E-S40→P, NS5-V378→A and NS5-R674→K) can result in the attenuation of a virus.

scholarly journals An E460D Substitution in the NS5 Protein of Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus Confers Resistance to the Inhibitor Galidesivir (BCX4430) and Also Attenuates the Virus in Mice

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Jan Haviernik ◽  
Ludek Eyer ◽  
Antoine Nougairède ◽  
Marie Uhlířová ◽  
Jean-Sélim Driouich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Encephalitis Virus ◽  
Viral Fitness ◽  
Single Amino Acid ◽  
Wild Type Virus ◽  
Cross Resistance ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽  
Single Amino Acid Change ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis Virus

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a pathogen that causes severe human neuroinfections in Europe and Asia for which there is currently no specific therapy. The adenosine analogue galidesivir (BCX4430), a broad-spectrum RNA virus inhibitor, has entered a phase 1 clinical safety and pharmacokinetics study in healthy subjects and is under clinical development for treatment of Ebola and yellow fever virus infections. Moreover, galidesivir also inhibits the reproduction of TBEV and numerous other medically important flaviviruses. Until now, studies of this antiviral agent have not yielded resistant viruses. In our study, we performed serial in vitro passaging of TBEV in the presence of increasing concentrations of galidesivir (up to 50 μM), which resulted in the generation of two drug-resistant TBEV mutants. The first TBEV mutant was characterized by a single amino acid change, E460D. The other carried two amino acid changes, E460D and Y453H. Both mutations mapped to the active site of the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). Galidesivir-resistant TBEV exhibited no cross-resistance to structurally different antiviral nucleoside analogues, such as 7-deaza-2′-C-methyladenosine, 2′-C-methyladenosine, and 4′-azido-aracytidine. Although the E460D substitution led to only a subtle decrease in viral fitness in cell culture, galidesivir-resistant TBEV was highly attenuated in vivo, with a 100% survival rate and no clinical signs observed in infected mice. Furthermore, no virus was detected in the sera, spleen, or brain of mice inoculated with the galidesivir-resistant TBEV. By contrast, infection with wild-type virus resulted in fatal infections for all animals. Our results contribute to understanding the molecular basis of galidesivir antiviral activity, flavivirus resistance to nucleoside inhibitors, and the potential contribution of viral RdRp to flavivirus neurovirulence.

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