- |||||||||| Review, Journal: Targeting the multifunctional HBV core protein as a potential cure for chronic hepatitis B. (Pubmed Central) - Jul 14, 2021
This review article highlights the recent research progress on the structure and function of core protein in HBV replication cycle, the mode of action of CpAMs, as well as the current status and perspectives on the discovery and development of core protein-targeting antivirals. This article forms part of a symposium in Antiviral Research on "Wide-ranging immune and direct-acting antiviral approaches to curing HBV and HDV infections."
- |||||||||| Journal: A lysine ring in HIV capsid pores coordinates IP6 to drive mature capsid assembly. (Pubmed Central) - Jun 24, 2021
Finally, in single molecule TIRF microscopy experiments, capsid lattices in permeabilised K25 mutant virions are rapidly lost and cannot be stabilised by IP6. These results suggest that the coordination of IP6 by a second charged ring in mature hexamers drives the assembly of conical capsids capable of reverse transcription and infection.
- |||||||||| Journal: Engineering a Virus-like Particle to Display Peptide Insertions Using an Apparent Fitness Landscape. (Pubmed Central) - Jun 22, 2021
This library generates a discrete map of three amino acid insertions permitted at this location, validates the FG loop as a valuable position for peptide insertion, and illuminates how properties such as charge, flexibility, and hydrogen bonding can interact to preserve or disrupt capsid assembly. Taken together, the results highlight the potential to engineer VLPs in a systematic manner, paving the way to exploring the applications of peptide insertions in biomedically relevant settings.
- |||||||||| tenofovir disoproxil fumarate / Generic mfg.
Journal: Discovery of Novel Pyrimidine-Based Capsid Assembly Modulators as Potent Anti-HBV Agents. (Pubmed Central) - Jun 22, 2021 One of the synthesized derivatives, compound 23h (R = MeSO, R = 1-piperidin-4-amine, R = 3-Cl-4-F-aniline) displayed potent inhibitory effects in the in vitro assays (52% inhibition in the protein-based assay at 100 nM and an IC value of 181 nM in the serum HBV DNA quantification assay). Moreover, treatment with compound 23h for 5 weeks significantly decreased serum levels of HBV DNA levels (3.35 log reduction) in a human liver-chimeric uPA/SCID mouse model, and these effects were significantly increased when 23h was combined with tenofovir, a nucleotide analogue inhibitor of reverse transcriptase used for the treatment of HBV infection.
- |||||||||| Review, Journal, IO biomarker: Toward a new era of hepatitis B virus therapeutics: The pursuit of a functional cure. (Pubmed Central) - Jun 22, 2021
Ultimately, it is increasingly recognized that elimination of HBV requires a treatment regimen based on a combination of multiple drugs. This review describes the rationale for progressive therapeutic interventions and discusses the latest findings in the field of HBV therapeutics.
- |||||||||| Journal: Regulation of HBV Replication by Cyclin Docking Motifs in Core Protein. (Pubmed Central) - Jun 16, 2021
Mutations of these docking sites reduced capsid protein phosphorylation, impaired CDK2 packaging into HBV capsids, and blocked HBV infection. These results provide novel insights regarding CDK2 packaging into HBV capsids and the role of CDK2 in HBV infection and should facilitate the development of antiviral drugs that target the HBV capsid protein.
- |||||||||| Mavyret (glecaprevir/pibrentasvir) / AbbVie, Enanta Pharma
Clinical, Review, Journal: Breakthroughs and challenges in the management of pediatric viral hepatitis. (Pubmed Central) - Jun 8, 2021 Anti-HBV investigational compounds are reviewed in light of the pathophysiology in the pediatric population, including capsid assembly modulators, antigen secretion inhibitors, silencing RNAs, and immune modifiers. Recommendations for screening and management of immunosuppressed children or those with other risk factors or comorbidities are also summarized.
- |||||||||| Review, Journal: Structure, dynamics and phase separation of measles virus RNA replication machinery. (Pubmed Central) - Jun 4, 2021
Here, we review recent progress in this direction, covering the dynamics of the nucleocapsid assembly process, high resolution structure and dynamics of protein:RNA interactions, and the investigation of the role of intrinsic conformational disorder in pre-assembly nucleoprotein/phosphoprotein complexes. Finally, we discuss the role of viral factories in the form of phase-separated membraneless organelles formed by measles virus phospho and nucleoproteins that promote the assembly of nucleocapsid structures.
- |||||||||| Review, Journal: Recent Advances in Hepatitis B Treatment. (Pubmed Central) - Jun 3, 2021
Promising preclinical results have been obtained, and the leading molecules under development have entered clinical evaluation. This review summarizes the key steps of the HBV life cycle, examines the currently approved anti-HBV drugs, and analyzes novel HBV treatment regimens.
- |||||||||| Journal: Amino acid prodrugs of NVR3-778: Design, synthesis and anti-HBV activity. (Pubmed Central) - May 15, 2021
Compound 1a, a l-valine ester prodrug of NVR3-778, was found to show significantly improved water solubility (0.7 mg/mL, pH 2) as we expected, and lower cytotoxicity (CC > 10 µM) than NVR3-778 (CC, 4.81 µM). Moreover, 1a also exhibited acceptable PK properties and comparable in vivo efficacy in HBV DNA hydrodynamic mouse model to that of NVR3-778, suggesting it may serve as a promising lead compound for further anti-HBV drug discovery.
- |||||||||| Journal: Dynamics of Hepatitis B virus capsid protein dimer regulate assembly through an allosteric network. (Pubmed Central) - May 7, 2021
The differences in dynamics when comparing HBV and human Cp149-Y132A as well as the differences in dynamics when comparing the HBV and WHV Cps allowed us to map an allosteric network within the HBV dimer. Through a careful comparison of structure, stability and dynamics using four different capsid protein dimers, we conclude that protein subunit dynamics regulate HBV capsid assembly.
- |||||||||| [VIRTUAL] Disorder in the C-terminus of VP Dictates AAP Requirement for AAV Capsid Assembly () - Apr 30, 2021 - Abstract #ASGCT2021ASGCT_288;
Conversely, VPs with reduced flexibility at the 2-fold or 5-fold axis do not autonomously oligomerize and are more prone to degradation, necessitating non-VP factors for promoting VP oligomerization via the 2-fold or 5-fold axis; and therefore, they are dependent on AAP for VP oligomerization and subsequent capsid assembly. Taken together, our data suggest that enhanced disorder in the C-terminus of VP that promotes structural flexibility in the 2-fold and 5-fold axis regions plays a critical role in conferring the ability to undergo AAP-independent capsid assembly.
- |||||||||| Journal: Berberine Chloride is an Alphavirus Inhibitor That Targets Nucleocapsid Assembly. (Pubmed Central) - Apr 10, 2021
BBC acted on a late step in the alphavirus exit pathway, namely the formation of the nucleocapsid containing the infectious viral RNA. Better understanding of nucleocapsid formation and its inhibition by BBC will provide important information on the mechanisms of infectious alphavirus production and may enable their future targeting in antiviral strategies.
- |||||||||| lamivudine HBV / Generic mfg.
Journal: Design, diversity-oriented synthesis and biological evaluation of novel heterocycle derivatives as non-nucleoside HBV capsid protein inhibitors. (Pubmed Central) - Apr 2, 2021 Several compounds exhibited prominent anti-HBV activity compared to lead compound NZ-4 and positive drug Lamivudine, especially compound II-8b, showed the most prominent anti-HBV DNA replication activity (IC = 2.2 ± 1.1 μM)...Besides, II-8b can interact HBV capsid protein with good affinity constants (K = 60.0 μM), which is equivalent to lead compound NZ-4 ((K = 50.6 μM). The preliminary structure-activity relationships (SARs) of the newly synthesized compounds were summarized, which may help researchers to discover more potent anti-HBV agents.
- |||||||||| Journal: Adeno-associated virus capsid assembly is divergent and stochastic. (Pubmed Central) - Apr 2, 2021
We estimate that virtually every AAV capsid in a particular preparation has a unique composition. The systematic scoring of the simulations against experimental native MS data offers a sensitive new method to characterize these therapeutically important heterogeneous capsids.
- |||||||||| Journal: Higher Resolution Charge Detection Mass Spectrometry. (Pubmed Central) - Apr 1, 2021
They result from ions with different masses and charges having similar m/z values. Analogous resonances are expected whenever the sample is a heterogeneous mixture assembled from a common building block.
- |||||||||| Journal: Cryo-EM structure in situ reveals a molecular switch that safeguards virus against genome loss. (Pubmed Central) - Mar 30, 2021
This occurs via an inversion of the conformation of the loops that define the constriction in the central tunnel, accompanied by a hydrophilic-hydrophobic switch. The structure also shows how translocation of DNA into the capsid could be modulated by a changing mode of protein-protein interactions between portal and capsid, across a symmetry-mismatched interface.
- |||||||||| [VIRTUAL] Cyclic oxadiazepinone HBV capsid assembly modulators () - Mar 28, 2021 - Abstract #ACSSp2021ACS-Sp_6313;
As such, it is an important target for antiviral drug development. This presentation will describe the expansion of a novel series of pyrazolo piperidine HBV capsid assembly modulators into a series of advanced cyclic oxadiazepinones.
- |||||||||| Viracept (nelfinavir) / ViiV Healthcare, Roche
Journal: Identification of an antiretroviral small molecule that appears to be a host-targeting inhibitor of HIV-1 assembly. (Pubmed Central) - Mar 16, 2021 Notably, the compound colocalizes with HIV-1 Gag in situ; however, unexpectedly, selection experiments failed to identify compound-specific resistance mutations in gag or pol, even though known resistance mutations developed upon parallel nelfinavir selection...However, resistance selection did not result in compound-specific mutations in gag, suggesting that the chemotype does not directly target Gag. We hypothesize that this chemotype represents a first-in-class inhibitor of virus production that acts by targeting a viral-host complex important for HIV-1 Gag assembly.
- |||||||||| Journal: Structure of the Capsid Size-Determining Scaffold of "Satellite" Bacteriophage P4. (Pubmed Central) - Mar 9, 2021
Sixty copies of Sid form an intertwined dodecahedral cage around the T = 4 procapsid, making contact with only one out of the four symmetrically non-equivalent copies of gpN. Our structure provides a basis for understanding the sir mutants in gpN that prevent small capsid formation, as well as the nms "super-sid" mutations that counteract the effect of the sir mutations, and suggests a model for capsid size redirection by Sid.
|