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Title: Molecular mechanism of respiratory syncytial virus fusion inhibitors

Journal Article · · Nature Chemical Biology
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [5];  [5];  [6];  [4];  [7];  [8];  [4];  [1]
  1. Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH (United States). Dept. of Biochemistry
  2. Janssen Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Leiden (Netherlands)
  3. The Research Inst. at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH (United States). Center for Vaccines & Immunity
  4. Janssen Infectious Diseases & Vaccines BVBA, Beerse (Belgium). Respiratory Infections Research
  5. Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Beerse (Belgium). Discovery Sciences
  6. Janssen Infectious Diseases & Vaccines BVBA, Beerse (Belgium). Medicinal Chemistry Dept.
  7. Janssen R&D LLC, Spring House, PA (United States). Computational Chemistry
  8. The Research Inst. at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH (United States). Center for Vaccines & Immunity; The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States). College of Medicine. Dept. of Pediatrics

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of pneumonia and bronchiolitis in young children and the elderly. Therapeutic small molecules have been developed that bind the RSV F glycoprotein and inhibit membrane fusion, yet their binding sites and molecular mechanisms of action remain largely unknown. In this paper, we show that these inhibitors bind to a three-fold-symmetric pocket within the central cavity of the metastable prefusion conformation of RSV F. Inhibitor binding stabilizes this conformation by tethering two regions that must undergo a structural rearrangement to facilitate membrane fusion. Inhibitor-escape mutations occur in residues that directly contact the inhibitors or are involved in the conformational rearrangements required to accommodate inhibitor binding. Resistant viruses do not propagate as well as wild-type RSV in vitro, indicating a fitness cost for inhibitor escape. Finally and collectively, these findings provide new insight into class I viral fusion proteins and should facilitate development of optimal RSV fusion inhibitors.

Research Organization:
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); National Inst. of Health (NIH) (United States); Charles H. Hood Foundation (United States)
Contributing Organization:
The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States); Janssen Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Leiden (Netherlands); The Research Inst. at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH (United States); Janssen Infectious Diseases & Vaccines BVBA, Beerse (Belgium); Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Beerse (Belgium); Janssen R&D LLC, Spring House, PA (United States)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357; AI 095684
OSTI ID:
1239404
Journal Information:
Nature Chemical Biology, Vol. 12, Issue 2; ISSN 1552-4450
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 87 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Potent single-domain antibodies that arrest respiratory syncytial virus fusion protein in its prefusion state journal February 2017
Therapeutic efficacy of a respiratory syncytial virus fusion inhibitor journal August 2017
Structure and immunogenicity of pre-fusion-stabilized human metapneumovirus F glycoprotein journal November 2017
Respiratory syncytial virus entry and how to block it journal February 2019
Structural basis of influenza virus fusion inhibition by the antiviral drug Arbidol journal December 2016
Structures of the prefusion form of measles virus fusion protein in complex with inhibitors journal February 2018
Interferon-induced transmembrane proteins inhibit cell fusion mediated by trophoblast syncytins journal November 2019
Benzimidazole-based derivatives as privileged scaffold developed for the treatment of the RSV infection: a computational study exploring the potency and cytotoxicity profiles journal January 2017
Respiratory syncytial virus: prospects for new and emerging therapeutics journal June 2017
Antiviral Activity of Oral JNJ-53718678 in Healthy Adult Volunteers Challenged With Respiratory Syncytial Virus: A Placebo-Controlled Study journal April 2018
Small molecule inhibits respiratory syncytial virus entry and infection by blocking the interaction of the viral fusion protein with the cell membrane journal November 2018
Five Residues in the Apical Loop of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus Fusion Protein F 2 Subunit Are Critical for Its Fusion Activity journal May 2018
Mutations in the Fusion Protein of Measles Virus That Confer Resistance to the Membrane Fusion Inhibitors Carbobenzoxy-d-Phe-l-Phe-Gly and 4-Nitro-2-Phenylacetyl Amino-Benzamide journal September 2017
Measles Virus Bearing Measles Inclusion Body Encephalitis-Derived Fusion Protein Is Pathogenic after Infection via the Respiratory Route journal February 2019
Inhibiting Human Parainfluenza Virus Infection by Preactivating the Cell Entry Mechanism journal February 2019
Respiratory syncytial virus infection in adults journal September 2019
Targeting viral entry as a strategy for broad-spectrum antivirals journal January 2019
A comparison of RSV and influenza in vitro kinetic parameters reveals differences in infecting time journal February 2018
Alternative conformations of a major antigenic site on RSV F journal July 2019
Single-Domain Antibodies As Therapeutics against Human Viral Diseases journal December 2017
Role of Type I Interferon (IFN) in the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Immune Response and Disease Severity journal March 2019
Overview of Current Therapeutics and Novel Candidates Against Influenza, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infections journal June 2019
The Morphology and Assembly of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Revealed by Cryo-Electron Tomography journal August 2018
Heme Oxygenase-1 Modulates Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Replication and Lung Pathogenesis during Infection journal May 2017
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in Adults journal July 2000
Benzimidazole-based derivatives as privileged scaffold developed for the treatment of the RSV infection: a computational study exploring the potency and cytotoxicity profiles text January 2017
Benzimidazole-based derivatives as privileged scaffold developed for the treatment of the RSV infection: a computational study exploring the potency and cytotoxicity profiles text January 2017
Hijacking the Fusion Complex of Human Parainfluenza Virus as an Antiviral Strategy journal February 2020
Dichloro-Phenyl-Benzotriazoles: A New Selective Class of Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Entry Inhibitors journal April 2019
Peptide Antiviral Strategies as an Alternative to Treat Lower Respiratory Viral Infections journal June 2019
Respiratory Viral Infections in Patients With Cancer or Undergoing Hematopoietic Cell Transplant journal December 2018
Anti-RSV Peptide-Loaded Liposomes for the Inhibition of Respiratory Syncytial Virus journal May 2018
Measles Virus Fusion Protein: Structure, Function and Inhibition journal April 2016
Targeting Host Cell Surface Nucleolin for RSV Therapy: Challenges and Opportunities journal September 2017