严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2环境稳定性的研究进展

2019冠状病毒病疫情席卷全球,其病原体严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2(severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2,SARS-CoV-2)主要通过呼吸道飞沫以及密切接触(直接或间接接触)传播。接触病毒污染物体导致感染的风险也受到了广泛关注。本文对SARS-CoV-2在环境中稳定性的相关研究进行了综述。对SARS-CoV-2不同变异毒株的环境稳定性研究发现,在室温和常规湿度条件下,不同毒株在环境中的存活时间均与病毒滴度有关,低滴度(<10^4.0 TCID₅₀)病毒可在不同材料表面存活1～3d,高滴度(>10^5.0TCID₅₀)病毒可存活3～7d。各种毒株在低温条件下均更加稳定。此外,研究未发现不同毒株对消毒剂的敏感性存在差异,醇基消毒剂、含氯消毒剂、表面活性剂等均能有效灭活SARS-CoV-2的不同变异株。当面临可能被病毒污染的环境时,应注意做好个人防护和手卫生,及时对环境表面进行消毒灭菌,以降低感染的风险。     

严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2疫苗

在严重急性呼吸综合症冠状病毒2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2, SARS-CoV-2)全球大流行并无终止迹象的情况下,急需研制出安全、有效的SARS-CoV-2疫苗。现对SARS-CoV-2疫苗研制的相关问题作一综述。     

严重急性呼吸系统综合征冠状病毒2感染/疫苗接种引起的免疫印记

先前发生的病毒感染或疫苗接种引起的免疫应答,强烈影响机体对该病毒后续暴露的免疫应答,这种现象被称为免疫印记。免疫印记也可出现在感染严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2(severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2,SARS-CoV-2)或接种SARS-CoV-2疫苗的个体。发生了免疫印记的个体对再次遇到的完全相同的SARS-CoV-2毒株发动更强的免疫反应,而对新暴露的SARS-CoV-2变异株仅能发动微弱的免疫反应。免疫印记是SARS-CoV-2变异株在以前感染SARS-CoV-2或接种SARS-CoV-2疫苗的人群形成突破感染的一个不可忽略的原因。克服免疫印记是研制能预防未来SARS-CoV-2突变株感染的SARS-CoV-2疫苗的迫切任务。     

严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2的突变株及其疫苗

伴随着严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2(severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2,SARS-CoV-2)疫苗(也称COVID-19疫苗)在世界各地预防接种的展开,SARS-CoV-2突变株也在世界多地相继出现,其中有的突变株可能对现行SARS-CoV-2疫苗诱导的抗体产...     

严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2 Omicron变异株研究进展

世界卫生组织(World Health Organization, WHO)于2021年11月26日将首次在南非报告的新型冠状病毒 B．1.1.529 变异株列为受关注变种(variant of concern, VOC),并将其命名为奥密克戎(Omicron)。该变异株存在约50个突变,仅在刺突蛋白区域就有至少30个突变,远远超过其他流行株的突变位点数量。根据对突变位点的分析以及初步实验证实,该毒株可能具有极强的传染性以及免疫逃逸能力。Omicron变异株会怎样影响新冠疫情的走向引起了各国的广泛关注,本文将从Omicron变异株的基本特征、检测、致病性、传染性、免疫逃逸等方面进行综述。     

严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒及其特异诊断与防治

2003年4月中旬,世界卫生组织正式确认严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒为该病的病原体。本文就此冠状病毒基因组与蛋白质组的研究进展做一综述,并对其感染的特异诊断、预防和治疗进行回顾与展望。     

新型冠状病毒抗体和小分子抑制剂的研究现状

世界卫生组织已宣布新型冠状病毒感染（coronavirus disease 2019,COVID-19）的爆发为全球大流行。中和抗体和小分子抑制剂在预防及治疗COVID-19中发挥重要作用。尽管已开发出了多种中和抗体以及疫苗,但是随着病原体严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2(severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2,SARS-CoV-2)的不断变异,现有的抗体及疫苗面临巨大的挑战。小分子抑制剂主要通过干扰病毒与宿主的结合以及病毒自身的复制达到消灭病毒以及抑制病毒感染的作用,并且对SARS-CoV-2突变株具有广谱抑制作用,是当前研究的热点。近年来国内外学者对SARS-CoV-2的小分子抑制剂做了大量的研究工作,本文根据中和抗体识别的抗原表位以及小分子抑制剂的作用机制分别对用于预防及治疗COVID-19的中和抗体和小分子抑制剂进行综述,讨论其研究现状,并展望小分子抑制剂的应用前景,以期为该领域的进一步研究提供参考。     

严重急性呼吸综合征(SARS)冠状病毒核蛋白的鉴定与分析

利用蛋白质组学技术,对纯化的严重急性呼吸综合征(SARS)冠状病毒颗粒所含核蛋白进行初步分离与鉴定。质谱分析结果最终表明,SARS冠状病毒核蛋白的分子量位于47kD与52kD之间,所获得的SARS冠状病毒核蛋白的质谱分析数据覆盖了所预测病毒核蛋白氨基酸序列的87％,且符合率为100％。从而首次从蛋白质水平对SARS冠状病毒核蛋白的氨基酸序列进行了证实。     

严重急性呼吸综合征(SARS)冠状病毒S蛋白的鉴定与分析

利用293细胞对SARS病人样品进行病毒扩增,培养上清中病毒颗粒经过纯化后,利用蛋白质组学技术,对纯化得到的SARS冠状病毒颗粒蛋白进行初步分离与鉴定。其中质谱分析结果最终表明,分子量约150kD的蛋白质的氨基酸序列与SARS—CoV基因组所预测S蛋白质序列高度吻合,从而首次从蛋白质水平对SARS冠状病毒S蛋白的氨基酸序列进行了证实。     

不同严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2抗体检测试剂盒的诊断应用评价

本文评估了6个品牌的严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2(severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2,SARS­CoV­2)特异性抗体检测试剂盒的性能,以指导临床合理选用。收集2020年1月30日至2020年5月11日期间上海市(复旦大学附属)公共卫生临床中心的住院患者样本资料共245例,其中包括SARS­CoV­2感染确诊患者122例,排除SARS­CoV­2感染的其他疾病患者123例。选用6个品牌的抗体检测试剂盒(3种为胶体金法,3种为化学发光法)检测所有患者的血清样本,同步采用聚合酶链反应(polymerase chain reaction,PCR)检测SARS­CoV­2核酸,统计临床灵敏度、特异性、阴性预测值和阳性预测值等指标,比较各检测方法间的差异。 结果显示,各检测试剂盒在临床特异性方面表现相近,但临床灵敏度差异明显,IgG的灵敏度高于IgM。化学发光试剂灵敏度为72.1%～85.2%,整体优于胶体金试剂的47.5%～84.4%。所有试剂检测结果与SARS­CoV­2核酸诊断结果相比均有统计学差异(P<0.05)。SARS­CoV­2抗体的特异性检出率随时间而上升,核酸确诊患者≥16 d抗体检出率最高可达96%。 结果表明,SARS­CoV­2抗体检测可作为核酸诊断的辅助手段,IgG和IgM 联合诊断可提高检测的灵敏度。但是不同试剂盒性能表现有差异,应根据不同临床需求和应用场景选择合适的试剂盒。     

Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Potential Inhibitory Activities of Some Natural Antiviral Compounds Via Molecular Docking and Dynamics Approaches

Coronaviruses caused an outbreak pandemic disease characterized by a severe acute respiratory distress syndrome leading to the infection of more than 200 million patients and the death of more than 4 million individuals. The primary treatment is either supportive or symptomatic. Natural products have an important role in the development of various drugs. Thus, screening of natural compounds with reported antiviral activities can lead to the discovery of potential inhibitory entities against coronaviruses. In the current study, an in-silico molecular docking experiment was conducted on the effects of some of these natural antiviral phytoconstituents, (e.g., procyanidin B2, theaflavin, quercetin, ellagic acid, caffeoylquinic acid derivatives, berginin, eudesm-1β, 6α, 11-triol and arbutin), on the crystal structure of SARS-CoV-2 main protease (PDB ID: 6w63) using AutoDock-Vina software. Many of the docked compounds revealed good binding affinity, with procyanidin B2 (–8.6 Kcal/mol) and theaflavin (–8.5 Kcal/mol) showing a better or similar binding score as the ligand (–8.5 Kcal/mol). Molecular dynamics simulations were carried out at 100 ns and revealed that procyanidin B2 forms a more stable complex with SARS-CoV-2 main protease than theaflavin. Procyanidin B2, theaflavin, and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid were evaluated for toxicity by ProTox-II webserver and were non-toxic according to the predicted LD50 values and safe on different organs and pathways. Additionally, these phytoconstituents showed good ADME properties and acceptable lipophilicity, as evaluated using WLOGP. Amongst the tested compounds, procyanidin B2 showed the highest lipophilic value. It is worth mentioning that these natural inhibitiors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease are components of green and black tea that can be used as a supporting supplement for COVID patients or as potential nuclei for further drug design and development campaigns.     

Deoxyribonuclease I Inhibitory Properties,Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics Simulations of 1-(Pyrrolidin-2-yl)propan-2-one Derivatives

Deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I) inhibitory properties of two 1-(pyrrolidin-2-yl)propan-2-one derivatives were examined in vitro. Determined IC₅₀ values of 1-[1-(4-methoxyphenyl)pyrrolidin-2-yl]propan-2-one ( 1 ) (192.13±16.95 μM) and 1-[1-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)pyrrolidin-2-yl]propan-2-one ( 2 ) (132.62±9.92 μM) exceed IC₅₀ value of crystal violet, used as a positive control, 1.89- and 2.73-times, respectively. Compounds are predicted to be nontoxic and to have favorable pharmacokinetic profiles, with high gastrointestinal absorption and blood-brain barrier permeability. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations suggest that interactions with Glu 39, Glu 78, Arg 111, Pro 137, Asp 251 and His 252 are an important factor for inhibitors affinity toward the DNase I. Determined inhibitory properties along with predicted ADMET profiles and observed interactions would be beneficial for the discovery of new active 1-(pyrrolidin-2-yl)propan-2-one-based inhibitors of DNase I.     

Molecular Structure-Based Screening of the Constituents of Calotropis procera Identifies Potential Inhibitors of Diabetes Mellitus Target Alpha Glucosidase

Diabetes mellitus is a disorder characterized by higher levels of blood glucose due to impaired insulin mechanisms. Alpha glucosidase is a critical drug target implicated in the mechanisms of diabetes mellitus and its inhibition controls hyperglycemia. Since the existing standard synthetic drugs have therapeutic limitations, it is imperative to identify new potent inhibitors of natural product origin which may slow carbohydrate digestion and absorption via alpha glucosidase. Since plant extracts from Calotropis procera have been extensively used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, the present study used molecular docking and dynamics simulation techniques to screen its constituents against the receptor alpha glucosidase. Taraxasterol, syriogenin, isorhamnetin-3-O-robinobioside and calotoxin were identified as potential novel lead compounds with plausible binding energies of −40.2, −35.1, −34.3 and −34.3 kJ/mol against alpha glucosidase, respectively. The residues Trp⁴⁸¹, Asp⁵¹⁸, Leu⁶⁷⁷, Leu⁶⁷⁸ and Leu⁶⁸⁰ were identified as critical for binding and the compounds were predicted as alpha glucosidase inhibitors. Structurally similar compounds with Tanimoto coefficients greater than 0.7 were reported experimentally to be inhibitors of alpha glucosidase or antidiabetic. The structures of the molecules may serve as templates for the design of novel inhibitors and warrant in vitro assaying to corroborate their antidiabetic potential.     

Isobaric and Isothermal Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Diatomic Systems

Abstract

Isobaric molecular dynamics simulations were carried out for diatomic systems using different algorithms available in the literature. Two-centered Lennard-Jones potentials with and without quadrupolar interactions were used. Thermodynamic properties obtained from the isobaric algorithms compared very well with those of an equivalent simulation in the microcanonical ensemble; however, some differences were observed when similar comparisons were carried out for dynamic properties. More specifically, the constant pressure constraint affects the translational dynamics of the system because of the non-negligible differences between the momenta and the instantaneous velocities of the molecules.

Furthermore, the following studies were carried out using isobaric MD simulations: 1. Low temperature spontaneous FCC-orthorhombic (and vice versa) transition of a diatomic system with quadrupolar interactions as a function of the molecular bond length. 2. Effect of quadrupolar interaction on isobaric melting of a model diatomic system. 3. Effect of pressure on melting properties of a model diatomic system with quadrupolar interactions.     

Virtual Screening of Repurposed Drugs as Potential Spike Protein Inhibitors of Different SARS-CoV-2 Variants: Molecular Docking Study

Like most of the RNA viruses, SARS-CoV-2 continuously mutates. Although many mutations have an insignificant impact on the virus properties, mutations in the surface protein, especially those in the receptor-binding domain, may lead to immune or vaccine escape variants, or altered binding activities to both the cell receptor and the drugs targeting such a protein. The current study intended to assess the ability of different variants of interest (VOIs) and variants of concern (VOCs) of SARS-CoV-2 for their affinities of binding to different repurposed drugs. Seven FDA approved drugs, namely, camostat, nafamostat mesylate, fenofibrate, umifenovir, nelfinavir, cefoperazone and ceftazidime, were selected based on their reported in vitro and clinical activities against SARA-CoV-2. The S1 protein subunit from eleven different variants, including the latest highly contiguous omicron variant, were used as targets for the docking study. The docking results revealed that all tested drugs possess moderate to high binding energies to the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the S1 protein for all different variants. Cefoperazone was found to possess the highest binding energy to the RBD of the S1 protein of all the eleven variants. Ceftazidime was the second-best drug in terms of binding affinity towards the S1 RBD of the investigated variants. On the other hand, fenofibrate showed the least binding affinity towards the RBD of the S1 protein of all eleven variants. The binding affinities of anti-spike drugs varied among different variants. Most of the interacting amino acid residues of the receptor fall within the RBD (438–506).     

Molecular docking analysis of SARS-CoV-2 linked RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) with compounds from Plectranthus amboinicus

It is of interest to document the moelcular docking analysis of SARS-CoV-2 linked RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) with compounds from Plectranthus amboinicus. Hence, we report the binding features of rutin, Luteolin, Salvianolic acid A, Rosmarinic acid and p-Coumaric acid with the target protein SARS-CoV-2 linked RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) for further consideration.     

Dynamics and Binding Modes of Free cdk2 and its Two Complexes with Inhibitors Studied by Computer Simulations

Abstract

This article presents a molecular dynamics (MD) study of the cdk2 enzyme and its two complexes with the inhibitors isopentenyladenine and roscovitine using the Cornell et al. force field from the AMBER software package. The results show that inserting an inhibitor into the enzyme active site does not considerably change enzyme structure but it seemingly changes the distribution of internal motions. The inhibitor causes differences in the domain motions in free cdk2 and in its complexes. It was found out that repulsion of roscovitine N9 substituent causes conformational change on Lys 33 side chain. Isopentenyladenine forms with Lys 33 side chain terminal amino group a hydrogen bond. It implies that the cavity, where N9 substituent of roscovitine is buried, can adopt larger substituent due to Lys 33 side chain flexibility. The composition of electrostatic and van der Waals interactions between the inhibitor and the enzyme were also calculated along both cdk2/inhibitor MD trajectories together with MM-PB/GBSA analysis. These results show that isopentenyladenine-like inhibitors could be more effective after modifications leading to an increase in their van der Waals contact with the enzyme. We suggest that a way leading to better inhibitors occupying isopentenyladenine binding mode could be: to keep N9 and N7 purine positions free, to keep 3,3-dimethylallylamino group at C6 position, and to add, e.g., benzylamino group at C2 position. The results support the idea that the isopentenyladenine binding mode can be used for cdk2 inhibitors design and that all possibilities to improve this binding mode were not uncovered yet.     

Molecular dynamic simulations on an inhibitor of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins for insights into its interaction mechanism for anti-cancer activity

Inhibition of normal cellular apoptosis or programed cell death is the hallmark of all cancers. Apoptotic dysregulation can result in numerous pathological conditions, such as cancers, autoimmune disorders, and neurodegeneration. Members of the BCL-2 family of proteins regulate the process of apoptosis by its promotion or inhibition and overexpression of the pro-survival anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Mcl-1) has been associated with tumor maintenance, growth and progression Small molecules and peptides which bind the BH3 binding groove of these proteins have been explored in the recent times for their anticancer potential. The first anticancer agents targeting this family of proteins were aimed primarily toward inhibition of Bcl-2. An elevated level of Mcl-1, despite Bcl-2 inhibition, continues to be a cause for resistance in most cancers. However, in silico exploration of Mcl-1 specific drugs and their associated mechanisms have not been clearly elucidated. In order to understand the same, we have carried out docking and molecular dynamic simulations on ABT-263 (Navitoclax), an orally active inhibitor of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Bcl-w proteins; Obatoclax, a pan-Bcl-2 inhibitor as well as Maritoclax, an Mcl-1 specific inhibitor. Docking studies revealed that binding to the hydrophobic grooves is a prerequisite for action on the BCL protein and the binding mechanism and chemical space utilization dictates stability as well as specificity of the inhibitor molecular dynamic simulations showed that on binding, the α-helices of these proteins exhibited less fluctuations than loop regions, also hydrophobic contacts and hydrogen bonding were observed to be the predominant interactions in the drug-receptor complexes.

Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma     

壳聚糖与细菌细胞膜相互作用的分子动力学研究

目的 壳聚糖（chitosan,CS）是一种天然的广谱抗菌活性物质。现有研究表明,壳聚糖与细菌细胞膜的相互作用是其发挥抗菌功能的关键。受限于传统实验技术的表征能力,壳聚糖与细菌细胞膜相互作用的具体机制仍有待研究。本文旨在研究壳聚糖与细菌细胞膜相互作用的分子机制。方法 本研究利用全原子分子动力学模拟技术主要探究了完全脱乙酰化的不同聚合度壳聚糖（八聚糖、十二聚糖和十六聚糖）与革兰氏阴性菌外膜（outer membrane,OM）和革兰氏阳性菌质膜（cytoplasmic membrane,CM）相互作用的动态过程。结果 壳聚糖主要依靠其氨基、碳6位羟基和碳3位羟基与OM和CM的头部极性区发生快速结合。随后壳聚糖末端糖基单元倾向于插入OM内部,深度约1 nm,并与脂质分子脂肪酸链上的羰基形成稳定的氢键相互作用。与之相比,壳聚糖分子难以稳定地插入CM内部。壳聚糖结合对膜结构性质产生影响,主要表现在降低OM和CM的单分子脂质面积,显著减少OM和CM极性区的Ca2+和Na+数目,破坏阳离子介导的脂质间相互作用。结论 本研究证明,壳聚糖带正电的氨基基团是介导其与膜相互作用的关键,并破环脂质间的相互作...     

Molecular dynamics analysis of potent inhibitors of M2 proton channel against H1N1 swine influenza virus

The recent H1N1 (swine) influenza pandemic highlighted the urgent need of having effective anti‐viral strategies. In addition to neuraminidase inhibitors, there is another class of anti-viral drug known as M2 inhibitors that were, in the past, effective in treating seasonal influenza. However, due to the emergence of M2 inhibitor‐resistant influenza viruses, this class of drugs was not recommended for clinical usage in the latest influenza pandemic. In order to identify novel M2 inhibitors, we have performed molecular docking using a traditional Chinese medicine database (http://tcm.cmu.edu.tw/index.php). Docking and subsequent de novo designs gave 10 derivatives that have much better docking results than the control. Of these 10 derivatives, the top three, methyl isoferulate_1, genipin_1 and genipin_2, were selected for molecular dynamics simulation. During the simulation run, the top three derivatives all had stable interactions with M2 residues, Ser31 and Ala30. Methyl isoferulate_1 also has stable interaction to His37. Therefore, we recommend these three derivatives for further biomolecular experiments and clinical studies.