Polyprotein cleavage mechanism of SARS CoV Mpro and chemical modification of the octapeptide

The cleavage mechanism of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus main proteinase (M(pro) or 3CL(pro)) for the octapeptide AVLQSGFR is studied using molecular mechanics (MM) and quantum mechanics (QM). The catalytic dyad His-41 and Cys-145 in the active pocket between domain I and II seem to polarize the pi-electron density of the peptide bond between Gln and Ser in the octapeptide, leading to an increase of positive charge on C(CO) of Gln and negative charge on N(NH) of Ser. The possibility of enhancing the chemical bond between Gln and Ser based on the "distorted key" theory [Anal. Biochem. 233 (1996) 1] is examined. The scissile peptide bond between Gln and Ser is found to be solidified through "hybrid peptide bond" by changing the carbonyl group CO of Gln to CH(2) or CF(2). This leads to a break of the pi-bond system for the peptide bond, making the octapeptide (AVLQSGFR) a "distorted key" and a potential starting system for the design of anti SARS drugs.     

Binding mechanism of coronavirus main proteinase with ligands and its implication to drug design against SARS

In order to stimulate the development of drugs against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), based on the atomic coordinates of the SARS coronavirus main proteinase determined recently [Science 13 (May) (2003) (online)], studies of docking KZ7088 (a derivative of AG7088) and the AVLQSGFR octapeptide to the enzyme were conducted. It has been observed that both the above compounds interact with the active site of the SARS enzyme through six hydrogen bonds. Also, a clear definition of the binding pocket for KZ7088 has been presented. These findings may provide a solid basis for subsite analysis and mutagenesis relative to rational design of highly selective inhibitors for therapeutic application. Meanwhile, the idea of how to develop inhibitors of the SARS enzyme based on the knowledge of its own peptide substrates (the so-called "distorted key" approach) was also briefly elucidated.     

Molecular modeling and chemical modification for finding peptide inhibitor against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus main proteinase

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a respiratory disease caused by a newly found virus, called SARS coronavirus. In this study, the cleavage mechanism of the SARS coronavirus main proteinase (Mpro or 3CLpro) on the octapeptide NH2-AVLQ downward arrowSGFR-COOH was investigated using molecular mechanics and quantum mechanics simulations based on the experimental structure of the proteinase. It has been observed that the catalytic dyad (His-41/Cys-145) site between domains I and II attracts the pi electron density from the peptide bond Gln-Ser, increasing the positive charge on C(CO) of Gln and the negative charge on N(NH) of Ser, so as to weaken the Gln-Ser peptide bond. The catalytic functional group is the imidazole group of His-41 and the S in Cys-145. Ndelta1 on the imidazole ring plays the acid-base catalytic role. Based on the "distorted key theory" [K.C. Chou, Anal. Biochem. 233 (1996) 1-14], the possibility to convert the octapeptide to a competent inhibitor has been studied. It has been found that the chemical bond between Gln and Ser will become much stronger and no longer cleavable by the SARS enzyme after either changing the carbonyl group CO of Gln to CH2 or CF2 or changing the NH of Ser to CH2 or CF2. The octapeptide thus modified might become an effective inhibitor or a potential drug candidate against SARS.     

The interaction between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 3C-like proteinase and a dimeric inhibitor by capillary electrophoresis

3C-like proteinase of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus has been demonstrated to be a key target for drug design against SARS. The interaction between SARS coronavirus 3C-like (3CL) proteinase and an octapeptide interface inhibitor was studied by affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE). The binding constants were estimated by the change of migration time of the analytes in the buffer solution containing different concentrations of SARS 3CL proteinase. The results showed that SARS 3CL proteinase was able to complex with the octapeptide competitively, with binding constants of 2.44 x 10(4) M(-1) at 20 degrees C and 2.11 x 10(4)M(-1) at 37 degrees C. In addition, the thermodynamic parameters deduced reveal that hydrophobic interaction might play major roles, along with electrostatic force, in the binding process. The ACE method used here could be developed to be an effective and simple way of applying large-scale drug screening and evaluation.     

Immunopathogenesis of coronavirus infections: implications for SARS

At the end of 2002, the first cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) were reported, and in the following year, SARS resulted in considerable mortality and morbidity worldwide. SARS is caused by a novel species of coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and is the most severe coronavirus-mediated human disease that has been described so far. On the basis of similarities with other coronavirus infections, SARS might, in part, be immune mediated. As discussed in this Review, studies of animals that are infected with other coronaviruses indicate that excessive and sometimes dysregulated responses by macrophages and other pro-inflammatory cells might be particularly important in the pathogenesis of disease that is caused by infection with these viruses. It is hoped that lessons from such studies will help us to understand more about the pathogenesis of SARS in humans and to prevent or control outbreaks of SARS in the future.     

SARS--beginning to understand a new virus

The 114-day epidemic of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) swept 29 countries, affected a reported 8,098 people, left 774 patients dead and almost paralyzed the Asian economy. Aggressive quarantine measures, possibly aided by rising summer temperatures, successfully terminated the first eruption of SARS and provided at least a temporal break, which allows us to consolidate what we have learned so far and plan for the future. Here, we review the genomics of the SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV), its phylogeny, antigenic structure, immune response and potential therapeutic interventions should the SARS epidemic flare up again.     

The substrate specificity of SARS coronavirus 3C-like proteinase

The 3C-like proteinase of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS) has been proposed to be a key target for structural based drug design against SARS. We have designed and synthesized 34 peptide substrates and determined their hydrolysis activities. The conserved core sequence of the native cleavage site is optimized for high hydrolysis activity. Residues at position P4, P3, and P3' are critical for substrate recognition and binding, and increment of beta-sheet conformation tendency is also helpful. A comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) model was constructed. Based on the mutation data and CoMFA model, a multiply mutated octapeptide S24 was designed for higher activity. The experimentally determined hydrolysis activity of S24 is the highest in all designed substrates and is close to that predicted by CoMFA. These results offer helpful information for the research on the mechanism of substrate recognition of coronavirus 3C-like proteinase.     

Crystal structure of Nsp15 endoribonuclease NendoU from SARS‐CoV‐2

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is rapidly spreading around the world. There is no existing vaccine or proven drug to prevent infections and stop virus proliferation. Although this virus is similar to human and animal SARS‐CoVs and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS‐CoVs), the detailed information about SARS‐CoV‐2 proteins structures and functions is urgently needed to rapidly develop effective vaccines, antibodies, and antivirals. We applied high‐throughput protein production and structure determination pipeline at the Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases to produce SARS‐CoV‐2 proteins and structures. Here we report two high‐resolution crystal structures of endoribonuclease Nsp15/NendoU. We compare these structures with previously reported homologs from SARS and MERS coronaviruses.     

严重急性呼吸道综合征冠状病毒疫苗研究现状

冠状病毒被认为是新近爆发的严重急性呼吸道综合征的病原体.迄今公共数据库中已发表了不同国家和地区分离的12个SARS病毒株基因组完整序列.突起蛋白是冠状病毒的主要抗原,包含许多抗原决定簇.SARS冠状病毒突起蛋白的相对保守性为有效疫苗的开发奠定了很好的研究基础.灭活或减毒的冠状病毒疫苗存在一定的局限性和危险性.开展基因工程疫苗和核酸疫苗的制备研究以及相关候选疫苗的联合应用研究将是一个切实可行的途径.     

内蒙地区发热患者血清中冠状病毒抗体的检测

目的分析内蒙地区发热患者中冠状病毒的感染情况。方法以SARS冠状病毒感染Vero细胞涂片为冠状病毒抗原片,用间接免疫荧光法分别检测55例发热患者和68例正常人血清中冠状病毒的IgG、IgM抗体。结果发热患者血清中冠状病毒IgG抗体和IgM抗体阳性率分别为29.1%(16/55)和10.9%(6/55),而正常人血清中只检测到2.9%(2/68)的IgG抗体,且未检测到IgM抗体,2组患者的IgG和IgM抗体阳性率比较差异均有显著性;随机选取7例患者的IgG阳性血清进行SRAS冠状病毒的特异性抗体封闭实验,结果有6例血清仍为阳性,有1例血清转为阴性,说明冠状病毒IgG抗体阳性血清中85.7%为普通冠状病毒特异性,14.3%为SARS冠状病毒特异性。结论普通冠状病毒是内蒙地区发热患者的主要病原体之一,部分患者还存在SARS冠状病毒的既往感染。     

Immunogenicity of a recombinant VSV-Vectored SARS-CoV vaccine induced robust immunity in rhesus monkeys after single-dose immunization

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a highly contagious zoonotic disease caused by SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV). Since its outbreak in Guangdong Province of China in 2002, SARS has caused 8096 infections and 774 deaths by December 31st, 2003. Although there have been no more SARS cases reported in human populations since 2004, the recent emergence of a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) indicates the potential of the recurrence of SARS and other coronavirus disease among humans. Thus, developing a rapid response SARS vaccine to provide protection for human populations is still needed. Spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV can induce neutralizing antibodies, which is a pivotal immunogenic antigen for vaccine development. Here we constructed a recombinant chimeric vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) VSVΔG-SARS, in which the glycoprotein (G) gene is replaced with the SARS-CoV S gene. VSVΔG-SARS maintains the bullet-like shape of the native VSV, with the heterogeneous S protein incorporated into its surface instead of G protein. The results of safety trials revealed that VSVΔG-SARS is safe and effective in mice at a dose of 1×10⁶ TCID₅₀. More importantly, only a single-dose immunization of 2×10⁷ TCID₅₀ can provide high-level neutralizing antibodies and robust T cell responses to non-human primate animal models. Thus, our data indicate that VSVΔG-SARS can be used as a rapid response vaccine candidate. Our study on the recombinant VSV-vectored SARS-CoV vaccines can accumulate experience and provide a foundation for the new coronavirus disease in the future.     

SARS冠状病毒Nsp14基因的克隆与表达

对SARS冠状病毒的非结构蛋白Nsp14的基因全长进行了克隆表达。根据公布的SARS冠状病毒的非结构蛋白Nsp14的基因序列设计引物,用PCR的方法把该基因从SARS冠状病毒的cDNA片段中扩增出来,经限制性内切酶BamHI与XhoI双酶切后插入到原核表达载体pET30a( )中,建成重组载体pET30a-Exo。重组载体转化大肠杆菌并进行诱导表达,通过原核表达的方法得到了该蛋白。这为该蛋白的进一步研究奠定了基础。     

The N-terminal octapeptide acts as a dimerization inhibitor of SARS coronavirus 3C-like proteinase

The 3C-like proteinase of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus has been proposed to be a key target for structural-based drug design against SARS. Accurate determination of the dimer dissociation constant and the role of the N-finger (residues 1-7) will provide more insights into the enzyme catalytic mechanism of SARS 3CL proteinase. The dimer dissociation constant of the wild-type protein was determined to be 14.0microM by analytical ultracentrifugation method. The N-finger fragment of the enzyme plays an important role in enzyme dimerization as shown in the crystal structure. Key residues in the N-finger have been studied by site-directed mutagenesis, enzyme assay, and analytical ultracentrifugation. A single mutation of M6A was found to be critical to maintain the dimer structure of the enzyme. The N-terminal octapeptide N8 and its mutants were also synthesized and tested for their potency as dimerization inhibitors. Peptide cleavage assay confirms that peptide N8 is a dimerization inhibitor with a K(i) of 2.20mM. The comparison of the inhibitory activities of N8 and its mutants indicates that the hydrophobic interaction of Met-6 and the electrostatic interaction of Arg-4 contribute most for inhibitor binding. This study describes the first example of inhibitors targeting the dimeric interface of SARS 3CL proteinase, providing a novel strategy for drug design against SARS and other coronaviruses.     

Scientific research progress of COVID‐19/SARS‐CoV‐2 in the first five months

A cluster of pneumonia (COVID‐19) cases have been found in Wuhan China in late December, 2019, and subsequently, a novel coronavirus with a positive stranded RNA was identified to be the aetiological virus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, SARS‐CoV‐2), which has a phylogenetic similarity to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS‐CoV). SARS‐CoV‐2 transmits mainly through droplets and close contact and the elder or people with chronic diseases are high‐risk population. People affected by SARS‐CoV‐2 can be asymptomatic, which brings about more difficulties to control the transmission. COVID‐19 has become pandemic rapidly after onset, and so far the infected people have been above 2 000 000 and more than 130 000 died worldwide according to COVID‐19 situation dashboard of World Health Organization ( https://covid19.who.int ). Here, we summarized the current known knowledge regarding epidemiological, pathogenesis, pathology, clinical features, comorbidities and treatment of COVID‐19/ SARS‐CoV‐2 as reference for the prevention and control COVID‐19.     

冠状病毒PLpro蛋白酶对泛素样分子的DUB活性

SARS冠状病毒基因组中非结构基因nsp3编码的木瓜样蛋白酶 (PLpro) 在病毒基因组复制及逃避宿主天然免疫中发挥重要作用,是研发抗病毒药物的重要靶标．SARS冠状病毒PLpro是一种病毒编码的去泛素化酶 (DUB)．为深入研究SARS冠状病毒 PLpro对泛素样分子 (ubiquitin-like protein,UBL) 的DUB特性,本研究构建缺失 PLpro N末端泛素样结构域 (Ubl) 和下游跨膜结构域 (TM) 的PLpro构建体（constructs）,并构建3种缺失蛋白酶催化活性的突变体,检测PLpro对泛素样分子干扰素刺激基因15 (ISG15)及SUMO-1的作用．实验结果表明,PLpro和PLpro-TM 在细胞内具有很强的去ISG(DeISGylation) 活性;缺失PLpro N末端泛素样结构域(Ubl) 对PLpro 的去ISG15 活性没有影响;对PLpro蛋白酶活性位点C1651 和 H1812 突变后,PLpro-TM的去ISG15活性消失,而对D1826位点突变后不影响此活性．PLpro 不具有去SUMO (DeSUMOylation)活性,而PLpro-TM具有一定的去SUMO活性;PLpro催化活性相关的3个关键氨基酸残基 Cys-His-Asp突变后对去SUMO活性有一定的影响．研究结果提示,SARS PLpro除了具有DUB的活性,还具有体内去ISG活性和去SUMO活性;PLpro蛋白酶活性与其去ISG活性之间有一定相关性;PLpro去SUMO-1 活性具有TM 依赖性．SARS冠状病毒PLpro 对泛素样分子作用特性的研究为阐明病毒逃避宿主天然免疫机制和开发新型抗病毒药物提供重要的理论依据．     

焦磷酸测序技术在确认北京严重急性呼吸综合征(SARS)病毒株并检测基因突变中的应用

结合严重急性呼吸综合征(SARS)病毒株序列信息分析和高通量测序技术,建立一种快速、简单地确定SARS病毒株并筛查SARS病毒突变位点和突变频率的方法。从感染人SARS病毒的Vero-6细胞中提取病毒RNA,反转录为cDNA后,PCR扩增目的基因片段,采用焦磷酸测序技术(Pyrosequencing Technology,PSQ)进行第2601、7919、9479、19838多个碱基突变位点测序和突变频率分析。通过测序分析多个可能出现突变的位点,确定了该病毒为北京流行株,同时发现第7919位碱基发生了A／G突变。PSQ技术对于高通量筛选研究病毒基因的突变和确定病毒株型别有着简单、快速、灵敏的特点。利用生物信息学分析核酸多态性,结合实验验证,可以确定SARS病毒流行株的特征,有利于对突发事件及早确定传染来源。     

检测人血清中SARS冠状病毒IgG抗体的ELISA方法建立及其应用

为了建立方便、敏感和特异的SARS病毒血清学诊断方法,利用PQE30表达系统在大肠杆菌M15中分段高效表达了SARS病毒N蛋白.通过金属鏊合亲和层析纯化了目的蛋白N-1和N-2,Western blot结果显示,两个表达蛋白均具有较好的抗原性.然后将N-1和N-2蛋白共同包被,建立了检测人血清中SARS病毒IgG抗体的间接ELISA法.用此方法检测120例临床诊断为SARS的病人和244个不同年龄组正常人血清IgG抗体,结果120例SARS病人的第一份血清IgG抗体总阳性率为60.0%,发病第0～7、8～10、11～14、15～27和28天后的血清中,SARS病毒IgG抗体阳性率分别为0、11.1%、60.0%、60.5%和70.3%;而244份正常人血清检测结果均为阴性,包括100份14岁以下儿童血清也未发现假阳性.结果表明,利用大肠杆菌表达的N蛋白完全能够替代全病毒灭活抗原,所建立的间接ELISA方法简单,价格低廉,能保证生物安全,对SARS可疑病例的确诊和排除具有重要的实际应用价值,可用于SARS高危人群的血清流行病学监测,SARS疫情的控制和预防,以及SARS病毒蛋白功能的研究.     

Molecular cloning, expression, purification, and mass spectrometric characterization of 3C-like protease of SARS coronavirus

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is an acute respiratory illness, which has broken out in China. It has been known that SARS coronavirus (SARS_CoV) is a novel human coronavirus and is responsible for SARS infection. Belonging to one of the major proteins associated with SARS_CoV, SARS 3C-like protease (SARS_3CL(pro)) functions as a cysteine protease engaging in the proteolytic cleavage of the viral precursor polyprotein to a series of functional proteins required for coronavirus replication and is considered as an appealing target for designing anti-SARS agents. To facilitate the studies regarding the functions and structures of SARS_3CL(pro), in this report the synthetic genes encoding 3CL(pro) of SARS_CoV were assembled, and the plasmid was constructed using pQE30 as vector and expressed in Escherichia coli M15 cells. The highly yielded ( approximately 15mg/L) expressed protease was purified by use of NTA-Ni(2+) affinity chromatography and FPLC system, and its sequence was determined by LC/MS with the residue coverage of 46.4%.     

SARS病毒核衣壳蛋白、膜蛋白在大肠杆菌中的高效表达和纯化

通过反转录PCR获得了SARS冠状病毒核衣壳蛋白(N)和膜蛋白(M)基因,其序列分析结果与加拿大多伦多株完全一致。将M基因和N基因克隆到大肠杆菌表达载体pET22b和pBV222上,并在大肠杆菌中以包涵体及可溶形式获得高效表达。通过离子交换、金属螯合层析纯化获得电泳纯制品。所获得的核衣壳蛋白具有良好的抗原性,可用于抗SARS抗体检测及亚单位疫苗研究。     

SARS病毒免疫学性状的结构基础分析

运用生物信息学技术,对SARS冠状病毒基因组及其编码区进行了全序列分析,根据其基因和推导蛋白结构特点及同源性分析,探索SARS病毒主要结构蛋白免疫学性状的结构基础及进一步进行免疫学研究的线索,为深入SARS病毒的诊断预防工作提供参考 。