Download MendeleyAutoinhibition of suicidal capsid protease from O'nyong'nyong virus.
Chykunova, Y., Plewka, J., Wilk, P., Sienczyk, M., Dubin, G., Pyrc, K.(2024) Int J Biol Macromol 262: 130136-130136
- PubMed: 38354926
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.130136
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
8P61 - PubMed Abstract:
Alphaviruses pose a significant threat to public health. Capsid protein encoded in the alphaviral genomes constitutes an interesting therapy target, as it also serves as a protease (CP). Remarkably, it undergoes autoproteolysis, leading to the generation of the C-terminal tryptophan that localizes to the active pocket, deactivating the enzyme. Lack of activity hampers the viral replication cycle, as the virus is not capable of producing the infectious progeny. We investigated the structure and function of the CP encoded in the genome of O'nyong'nyong virus (ONNV), which has instigated outbreaks in Africa. Our research provides a high-resolution crystal structure of the ONNV CP in its active state and evaluates the enzyme's activity. Furthermore, we demonstrated a dose-dependent reduction in ONNV CP proteolytic activity when exposed to indole, suggesting that tryptophan analogs may be a promising basis for developing small molecule inhibitors. It's noteworthy that the capsid protease plays an essential role in virus assembly, binding viral glycoproteins through its glycoprotein-binding hydrophobic pocket. We showed that non-aromatic cyclic compounds like dioxane disrupt this vital interaction. Our findings provide deeper insights into ONNV's biology, and we believe they will prove instrumental in guiding the development of antiviral strategies against arthritogenic alphaviruses.
Organizational Affiliation:
Virogenetics Laboratory of Virology, Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7a, 30-387 Krakow, Poland; Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Krakow, Poland.
