CROMATIC: Cro ss-Relationship Ma p of Cavi ti es from C oronaviruses

J Chem Inf Model. 2022 Jun 27;62(12):2901-2908. doi: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00169. Epub 2022 Jun 13.

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiologic agent of COVID-19 disease, has rapidly imposed an urgent need to identify effective drug candidates. In this context, the high resolution and non-redundant beta-Coronavirus protein cavities database is pivotal to help virtual screening protocols. Furthermore, the cross-relationship among cavities can lead to highlighting multitarget therapy chances. Here, we first collect all protein cavities on SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV X-ray structures, and then, we compute a similarity map by using molecular interaction fields (MIFs). All the results come together in CROMATIC (CROss-relationship MAp of CaviTIes from Coronaviruses). CROMATIC encloses both a comprehensive and a non-redundant version of the cavities collection and a similarity map revealing, on the one hand, cavities that are conserved among the three Coronaviruses and, on the other hand, unexpected similarities among cavities that can represent a key starting point for multitarget therapy strategies. Similarity analysis was also performed for the available structures of SARS-CoV-2 spike variants, linking sequence mutations to three-dimensional interaction alterations. The CROMATIC repository is freely available to the scientific community at https://github.com/moldiscovery/sars-cromatic.

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19 Drug Treatment*
  • Humans
  • Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus* / genetics
  • SARS-CoV-2

Supplementary concepts

  • SARS-CoV-2 variants