An experimental and theoretical approach to understand Fever, DENF & its cure

Author(s):  
Vijay Kumar Vishvakarma ◽  
Ramesh Chandra ◽  
Prashant Singh

: Fever is a response of human body due to an increase the temperature against the certain stimuli. It may be associated with several reasons and one of the major causes of fever is mosquito bite. Fever due to dengue virus (DENV) infection is being paid most attention out of several other fevers because of a large number of deaths reported worldwide. Dengue virus is transmitted by biting of the mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. DENV1, DENV2, DENV3 and DENV4 are the four serotypes of dengue virus and these serotypes have 65% similarities in their genomic structure. Genome of DENV is composed of single stranded RNA and it encodes for the polyprotein. Structural and non-structural proteins (nsP) are the two major part of protese. Researchers have paid high attention on the non-structural protease (nsP) of DENV like nsP1, nsP2A, nsP2B, nsP3, nsP4A, nsP4B and nsP5. The NS2B-NS3 protease of DENV is the prime target of the researchers as it is responsible for the catalytic activity. In the present time, Dengvaxia (vaccine) is being recommended to the patients suffering severely due to DENV infection in few countries only. Till date, neither a vaccine nor an effective medicine is available to combat with all four serotypes. This review describes the fever, its causes and studies to cure the infection due to DENV using theoretical and experimental approaches.

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar R. Burrone ◽  
José L. Slon Campos ◽  
Monica Poggianella ◽  
Jyoti Rana

: The assembly and secretion of flaviviruses are part of an elegantly regulated process. During maturation, the viral polyprotein undergoes several co- and post-translational cleavage events mediated by both viral and host proteases. Among these, sequential cleavage at the N- and C-termini of the hydrophobic capsid anchor (Ca) at the junction of C-PrM has been considered essential for the production of flaviviruses. Here, using a refined dengue pseudovirus production system, we show that Ca plays a key role in the processing efficiency of dengue virus type 2 (DENV2) structural proteins and the assembly of viral particles. The replacement of the relatively short DENV2 Ca with the homologous regions from West Nile or Zika viruses or, alternatively, the increase in its length, improved cleavage, and hence particle assembly. Furthermore, we show that the substitution of the Ca conserved proline residue (Pro-110), as alanine abolishes pseudovirus production, regardless of the Ca sequence length. Using two experimental approaches, we investigated the need for sequential cleavage (first on the cytosolic side, then on the luminal side) and found that, while cleavage at the Ca-Pr boundary is essential for the assembly of infective particles, the same is not true for cleavage at the C-Ca boundary. We show that both the mature (C) and unprocessed capsids (C-Ca) of DENV2 were equally efficient in packaging the viral RNA and in assembling the infective particles. This was further confirmed with mutants, in which cleavage at the luminal side, by the signal peptidase, occurred independently of cleavage at the cytosolic side, by the viral NS2B/NS3 protease. We thus demonstrate that, unlike other flaviviruses, DENV2 capsid does not require a cleavable Ca sequence and that sequential cleavage is not an obligatory requirement for the morphogenesis of infective particles.


2019 ◽  
pp. 40-47
Author(s):  
Reni Herman

Dengue infection is an endemic disease in the tropics and subtropics, caused by dengue virus (DENV) infection. Some compounds have been shown to have antiviral effects on some viruses. In silico study is conducted to predict the stability of natural ingredient compounds: artemisinin, catechin, mangiferin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and quercetin in their interactions with dengue virus proteins at molecular level. This study is carried out using the 2008 version of the Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) software. Ligands are ribavirin as antiviral control whereas artemisinin, mangiferin, EGCG, and quercetin with 3D mole format structures. The downloaded DENV protein with PDB document format is the DENV serotype 2 envelope protein with 1OKE code, non structural protein 3 (NS3) with 2VBC code and NS5 protein with 1L9K code. In silico test generally showed that catechin, mangiferin, EGCG, and quercetin had more stable docking ligands to DENV’s proteins. In particular, mangiferin had stable docking ligand to envelope proteins, NS3 (helicase and protease) and in NS5-methyltransferase compared to ribavirin. Catechin stabled on NS3-protease, EGCG on NS3 (helicase and protease) and quercetin on NS3-protease. Artemisinin had less stabled bonds than ribavirin. The results indicated that catechin, mangiferin, EGCG, and quercetin had potential inhibition to DENV proteins whereas mangiferin was the most potential compound to inhibit dengue virus protein targets.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiv Bharadwaj ◽  
Kyung Eun Lee ◽  
Vivek Dhar Dwivedi ◽  
Umesh Yadava ◽  
Aleksha Panwar ◽  
...  

AbstractDengue virus (DENV) infection causes serious health problems in humans for which no drug is currently available. Recently, DENV NS2B-NS3 protease has been proposed as a primary target for anti-dengue drug discovery due to its important role in new virus particle formation by conducting DENV polyprotein cleavage. Triterpenoids from the medicinal fungus Ganoderma lucidum have been suggested as pharmacologically bioactive compounds and tested as anti-viral agents against various viral pathogens including human immunodeficiency virus. However, no reports are available concerning the anti-viral activity of triterpenoids from Ganoderma lucidum against DENV. Therefore, we employed a virtual screening approach to predict the functional triterpenoids from Ganoderma lucidum as potential inhibitors of DENV NS2B-NS3 protease, followed by an in vitro assay. From in silico analysis of twenty-two triterpenoids of Ganoderma lucidum, four triterpenoids, viz. Ganodermanontriol (−6.291 kcal/mol), Lucidumol A (−5.993 kcal/mol), Ganoderic acid C2 (−5.948 kcal/mol) and Ganosporeric acid A (−5.983 kcal/mol) were predicted to be viral protease inhibitors by comparison to reference inhibitor 1,8-Dihydroxy-4,5-dinitroanthraquinone (−5.377 kcal/mol). These results were further studied for binding affinity and stability using the molecular mechanics/generalized Born surface area method and Molecular Dynamics simulations, respectively. Also, in vitro viral infection inhibition suggested that Ganodermanontriol is a potent bioactive triterpenoid.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1393
Author(s):  
Thanyaporn Dechtawewat ◽  
Sittiruk Roytrakul ◽  
Yodying Yingchutrakul ◽  
Sawanya Charoenlappanit ◽  
Bunpote Siridechadilok ◽  
...  

Dengue virus (DENV) infection causes a spectrum of dengue diseases that have unclear underlying mechanisms. Nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) is a multifunctional protein of DENV that is involved in DENV infection and dengue pathogenesis. This study investigated the potential post-translational modification of DENV NS1 by phosphorylation following DENV infection. Using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), 24 potential phosphorylation sites were identified in both cell-associated and extracellular NS1 proteins from three different cell lines infected with DENV. Cell-free kinase assays also demonstrated kinase activity in purified preparations of DENV NS1 proteins. Further studies were conducted to determine the roles of specific phosphorylation sites on NS1 proteins by site-directed mutagenesis with alanine substitution. The T27A and Y32A mutations had a deleterious effect on DENV infectivity. The T29A, T230A, and S233A mutations significantly decreased the production of infectious DENV but did not affect relative levels of intracellular DENV NS1 expression or NS1 secretion. Only the T230A mutation led to a significant reduction of detectable DENV NS1 dimers in virus-infected cells; however, none of the mutations interfered with DENV NS1 oligomeric formation. These findings highlight the importance of DENV NS1 phosphorylation that may pave the way for future target-specific antiviral drug design.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayant V. Rajan ◽  
Michael McCracken ◽  
Caleigh Mandel-Brehm ◽  
Greg Gromowski ◽  
Simon Pollett ◽  
...  

AbstractNatural dengue virus (DENV) infections occur by mosquito bite but how the inoculation route affects the humoral immune response is unknown. We serologically profiled 20 non-human primates (NHP) from a prior study of DENV1 infection where animals were inoculated by mosquito (N = 10) or subcutaneous injection (N = 10). Using a comprehensive, densely tiled and highly redundant pan-flavivirus programmable phage library containing 91,562 overlapping 62 amino acid peptides, we produced a high-resolution map of linear peptide sequences enriched during DENV seroconversion. Profiles in mosquito-inoculated and subcutaneously-inoculated animals were similar up to 90 days after primary infection, but diverged at 1 year with differences in sero-reactivity in the Envelope (E; residues 215–406; p < 0.08), and Nonstructural-3 (NS3; residues 549–615; p < 0.05) proteins in mosquito-inoculated versus subcutaneously-inoculated animals. Within the E protein, residues 339–384 in domain III accounted for > 99% of the observed sero-reactivity difference. Antibody breadth did not vary by mode of inoculation. The differential reactivity to E domain III seen by phage display validated orthogonally by ELISA, but did not correlate with late neutralization titers. Serological profiling of humoral immune responses to DENV infection in NHP by programmable phage display demonstrated durable differences in sero-reactivity by route of inoculation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 338
Author(s):  
Yen-Chen Chen ◽  
Jeng-Wei Lu ◽  
Chia-Tsui Yeh ◽  
Te-Yu Lin ◽  
Feng-Cheng Liu ◽  
...  

Dengue fever is an arbovirus disease caused by infection with the dengue virus (DENV). Half of the world’s population lives under the threat of dengue fever, however, researchers have yet to develop any drugs that are clinically applicable to this infection. Micafungin is a member of the echinocandins family of anti-fungal drugs, capable of blocking the synthesis of β-1,3-D-glucan in the walls of fungal cells. Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of Micafungin against infections of enterovirus 71 (EV71) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV). This is the first study demonstrating the effectiveness of micafungin in inhibiting the cytopathic effects of dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV-2) in a dose-dependent manner. Time-of-addition assays verified the inhibitory effects of micafungin in pre-treated, co-treated, and full-treatment groups. Binding and entry assays also demonstrated the effectiveness of micafungin in the early stage of DENV-2 infection. The virucidal efficacy of micafungin appears to lie in its ability to destroy the virion. Molecular docking assays revealed the binding of micafungin to the envelope protein of DENV-2, thereby revealing the mechanism by which micafungin affects the early stage of DENV infection and the stability of DENV. Two other micafungin analogs, caspofungin and anidulafungin, were also shown to have the antiviral effects on DENV-2. Finally, immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) confirmed the broad anti-DENV ability of micafungin against dengue virus serotypes 1, 3, and 4 (DENV-1, DENV-3, and DENV-4). Taken together, these results demonstrate the potential of micafungin and its analogs as candidates for the development of broad-spectrum treatments for DENV infection.


2015 ◽  
Vol 89 (14) ◽  
pp. 7170-7186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Chatel-Chaix ◽  
Wolfgang Fischl ◽  
Pietro Scaturro ◽  
Mirko Cortese ◽  
Stephanie Kallis ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTDengue virus (DENV) infection causes the most prevalent arthropod-borne viral disease worldwide. Approved vaccines are not available, and targets suitable for the development of antiviral drugs are lacking. One possible drug target is nonstructural protein 4B (NS4B), because it is absolutely required for virus replication; however, its exact role in the DENV replication cycle is largely unknown. With the aim of mapping NS4B determinants critical for DENV replication, we performed a reverse genetic screening of 33 NS4B mutants in the context of an infectious DENV genome. While the majority of these mutations were lethal, for several of them, we were able to select for second-site pseudoreversions, most often residing in NS4B and restoring replication competence. To identify all viral NS4B interaction partners, we engineered a fully viable DENV genome encoding an affinity-tagged NS4B. Mass spectrometry-based analysis of the NS4B complex isolated from infected cells identified the NS3 protease/helicase as a major interaction partner of NS4B. By combining the genetic complementation map of NS4B with a replication-independent expression system, we identified the NS4B cytosolic loop—more precisely, amino acid residue Q134—as a critical determinant for NS4B-NS3 interaction. An alanine substitution at this site completely abrogated the interaction and DENV RNA replication, and both were restored by pseudoreversions A69S and A137V. This strict correlation between the degree of NS4B-NS3 interaction and DENV replication provides strong evidence that this viral protein complex plays a pivotal role during the DENV replication cycle, hence representing a promising target for novel antiviral strategies.IMPORTANCEWith no approved therapy or vaccine against dengue virus infection, the viral nonstructural protein 4B (NS4B) represents a possible drug target, because it is indispensable for virus replication. However, little is known about its precise structure and function. Here, we established the first comprehensive genetic interaction map of NS4B, identifying amino acid residues that are essential for virus replication, as well as second-site mutations compensating for their defects. Additionally, we determined the NS4B viral interactome in infected cells and identified the NS3 protease/helicase as a major interaction partner of NS4B. We mapped residues in the cytosolic loop of NS4B as critical determinants for interaction with NS3, as well as RNA replication. The strong correlation between NS3-NS4B interaction and RNA replication provides strong evidence that this complex plays a pivotal role in the viral replication cycle, hence representing a promising antiviral drug target.


2012 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 3399-3401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin D. McCormick ◽  
Shufeng Liu ◽  
Jana L. Jacobs ◽  
Ernesto T. A. Marques ◽  
Nicolas Sluis-Cremer ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTWe have developed a robust cytopathic effect-based high-throughput screening assay to identify inhibitors of dengue virus (DENV) infection. Screening of a small natural product library yielded 11 hits. Four of these were found to be potent inhibitors of DENV, although serotype differences were noted. Taken together, these data suggest that screening of larger and more complex molecule libraries may result in the identification of more potent and specific DENV inhibitors.


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