Interdiction of Protein Folding for Therapeutic Drug Development in SARS CoV-2

J Phys Chem B. 2020 Sep 24;124(38):8201-8208. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c03716. Epub 2020 Sep 1.

Abstract

In this article, we predict the folding initiation events of the ribose phosphatase domain of protein Nsp3 and the receptor binding domain of the spike protein from the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus-2. The calculations employ the sequential collapse model and the crystal structures to identify the segments involved in the initial contact formation events of both viral proteins. The initial contact locations may provide good targets for therapeutic drug development. The proposed strategy is based on a drug binding to the contact location, thereby aiming to prevent protein folding. Peptides are suggested as a natural choice for such protein folding interdiction drugs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / drug effects*
  • Antiviral Agents / pharmacology*
  • Antiviral Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Betacoronavirus / drug effects
  • COVID-19
  • Coronavirus Infections / drug therapy*
  • Humans
  • Models, Molecular
  • Pandemics
  • Pneumonia, Viral / drug therapy*
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Folding / drug effects*
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus / drug effects*

Substances

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing
  • Antiviral Agents
  • SH2D3C protein, human
  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
  • spike protein, SARS-CoV-2