Review
Virology
Tianshu Xiao, Yongfei Cai, Bing Chen
Summary: HIV-1 infection begins with virion attachment to host cell membrane through Env, binding to receptors CD4 and coreceptors CCR5/CXCR4; understanding the structural biology of HIV-1 Env aids in designing antiviral therapeutics targeting viral entry.
Article
Virology
Wei Tang, Yueyue Li, Qiaoyun Song, Ziqin Wang, Manmei Li, Qiwei Zhang, Ying Wang, Wencai Ye, Yaolan Li
Summary: This study identified a small-molecule inhibitor for the RSV fusion glycoprotein and found that the escape mutation K394R confers cross-resistance to multiple RSV fusion inhibitors. The K394R mutation destabilizes the F protein and enhances its membrane fusion activity, leading to increased resistance to fusion inhibitors.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Remigiusz Worch, Anita Dudek, Paulina Borkowska, Piotr Setny
Summary: The fusion of viral and host cell membranes is a critical step in the life cycle of enveloped viruses. Studies have shown that subunit 2 of hemagglutinin glycoprotein mediates fusion, and fusion peptides possess fusogenic activity, but their mechanism of action remains unclear.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Zhengqin Gao, Rui Fu, Xiaobo Li, Ji Wang, Yuxian He
Summary: 2P23 formulated in gel has shown effectiveness against HIV, stability, and lack of cytotoxicity or inflammatory changes. This study suggests that 2P23 gel is a promising candidate for further development as a safe and effective pre-exposure prophylactic microbicide for the prevention of HIV transmission.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Hui Shao, Jin Zhou, Xiaoqian Lin, Yue Zhou, Yumeng Xue, Weili Hong, Xubo Lin, Xiaoling Jia, Yubo Fan
Summary: Developing new antimicrobial agents to combat drug-resistant pathogens and biofilms is an urgent task. Cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have potential due to their unique membrane rupture mechanism, but their high toxicity and low stability limit their application. In this study, a biomimetic strategy was used to construct cationic peptide-conjugated liposomes, inspired by cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), to enhance antibacterial efficacy and biosafety. Computational simulation and experimental investigations identified the optimal peptide-conjugated liposomes, which showed enhanced antibacterial efficacy without compromising cytotoxicity. This bio-inspired design could contribute to the development of next-generation antimicrobials.
Article
Virology
Li He, Guangyan Zhou, Vladimir Sofiyev, Eddie Garcia, Newton Nguyen, Kathy H. H. Li, Miriam Gochin
Summary: The study investigates the conversion of molecules with better drug-like properties to improve antiviral efficacy. By adding an electrophilic warhead, equilibrium binders can be converted into inhibitors. This method shows promise in inhibiting HIV-1 entry.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Egor Shekunov, Svetlana S. Efimova, Natalia M. Yudintceva, Anna A. Muryleva, Vladimir V. Zarubaev, Alexander Slita, Olga S. Ostroumova
Summary: The research showed that certain plant alkaloids have antiviral effects by inhibiting calcium-mediated fusion of lipid vesicles. By studying the impact of different alkaloids on model membranes and calcium-mediated vesicle fusion, a correlation was revealed. Among them, piperine was proven to have a significant effect on membrane fusion of coronaviruses.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kailu Yang, Chuchu Wang, Alex J. B. Kreutzberger, Ravi Ojha, Suvi Kuivanen, Sergio Couoh-Cardel, Serena Muratcioglu, Timothy J. Eisen, K. Ian White, Richard G. Held, Subu Subramanian, Kendra Marcus, Richard A. Pfuetzner, Luis Esquivies, Catherine A. Doyle, John Kuriyan, Olli Vapalahti, Giuseppe Balistreri, Tom Kirchhausen, Axel T. Brunger
Summary: A newly designed extended HR2 peptide has been shown to effectively inhibit the infection of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, demonstrating a higher antiviral efficacy. This finding may provide new insights for the development of novel therapeutic drugs targeting SARS-CoV-2 and other related viruses.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Danwei Yu, Yuanmei Zhu, Hongxia Yan, Tong Wu, Huihui Chong, Yuxian He
Summary: Research on the mechanism of action of lipopeptide inhibitors such as EK1V1 and IPB02 against HIV-1 and other viruses revealed that their target is the HR1 region of HIV-1 gp41, showing different activities against HIV-1 resistant mutants. This serendipitous discovery provides critical information for the development of broad-spectrum antivirals.
EMERGING MICROBES & INFECTIONS
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Tanay Bhatt, Binita Dam, Sneha Uday Khedkar, Sahil Lall, Subhashini Pandey, Sunny Kataria, Johan Ajnabi, Shah-E-Jahan Gulzar, Paul M. Dias, Morris Waskar, Janhavi Raut, Varadharajan Sundaramurthy, Praveen Kumar Vemula, Naresh Ghatlia, Amitabha Majumdar, Colin Jamora
Summary: The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants poses a threat to global vaccination programs, necessitating the exploration of additional strategies for containment. Human cathelicidin (LL37), an antimicrobial peptide, has been found to neutralize multiple strains of SARS-CoV-2 by disrupting the viral membrane. This antiviral activity can be enhanced by niacinamide, and there is an inverse correlation between LL37 levels and COVID-19 disease severity, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic avenue.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Danwei Yu, Yuanmei Zhu, Tao Jiao, Tong Wu, Xia Xiao, Bo Qin, Huihui Chong, Xiaobo Lei, Lili Ren, Sheng Cui, Jianwei Wang, Yuxian He
Summary: The study identified the critical role of the membrane-proximal external region (MPER) sequence of SARS-CoV-2 spike fusion protein in viral infectivity and developed novel lipopeptides with significantly improved inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV-2 fusion and infection. The new inhibitors also showed potent activity against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and cross-inhibited other human CoVs. Structural characterization revealed the mechanisms underlying the high binding and inhibition of the new inhibitors, providing important insights for peptide therapeutics development against SARS-CoV-2 and other CoVs.
EMERGING MICROBES & INFECTIONS
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Lin He, Chen Wang, Yuanyuan Zhang, Huihui Chong, Xiaoyan Hu, Dan Li, Hui Xing, Yuxian He, Yiming Shao, Kunxue Hong, Liying Ma
Summary: This study suggests that Lipopeptide-19 exhibits potent anti-HIV activity against various subtype clinical isolates and has high drug resistance barrier.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Wenlong Jiao, Shengda Xie, Zhenjie Liang, Junhui Pan, Xingmiao Yang, He Tong, Yundi Zhao, Ruibing Cao
Summary: The study found that the porcine TIM-1 gene plays an important role in promoting infection of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), with the 34th amino acid position being a critical factor. Different TIM-1 variants have varying degrees of promotion in JEV infection.
VETERINARY MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xinxin Gao, Ann De Maziere, Rhiannon Beard, Judith Klumperman, Rami N. Hannoush
Summary: This study demonstrates the effects of fatty acylation on the cellular uptake and cytosolic distribution of peptides, laying the groundwork for the future development of bioactive peptides with enhanced intracellular distribution.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Jichun Li, Qing Li, Shuai Xia, Jiahuang Tu, Longbo Zheng, Qian Wang, Shibo Jiang, Chao Wang
Summary: This study successfully developed a short peptide mimetic as a MERS-CoV fusion inhibitor by reproducing the key recognition features of the HR2 helix. The resulting 23-mer lipopeptide showed comparable inhibitory effect to the 36-mer HR2 peptide HR2P-M2. This has important implications for developing short peptide-based antiviral agents to treat MERS-CoV infection.
BIOORGANIC & MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Ewa D. Micewicz, Ronik Khachatoorian, Samuel W. French, Piotr Ruchala
BIOORGANIC & MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2018)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Gyorgy Biczo, Eszter T. Vegh, Natalia Shalbueva, Olga A. Mareninova, Jason Elperin, Ethan Lotshaw, Sophie Gretler, Aurelia Lugea, Sudarshan R. Malla, David Dawson, Piotr Ruchala, Julian Whitelegge, Samuel W. French, Li Wen, Sohail Z. Husain, Fred S. Gorelick, Peter Hegyi, Zoltan Rakonczay, Ilya Gukovsky, Anna S. Gukovskaya
Article
Immunology
Deborah Stefanova, Antoan Raychev, Jaime Deville, Romney Humphries, Shelley Campeau, Piotr Ruchala, Elizabeta Nemeth, Tomas Ganz, Yonca Bulut
INFECTION AND IMMUNITY
(2018)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Myungwoon Lee, Hongwei Yao, Byungsu Kwon, Alan J. Waring, Peter Ruchala, Chandan Singh, Mei Hong
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Virology
Maud Mavigner, Jakob Habib, Claire Deleage, Elias Rosen, Cameron Mattingly, Katherine Bricker, Angela Kashuba, Franck Amblard, Raymond F. Schinazi, Sherrie Jean, Joyce Cohen, Colleen McGary, Mirko Paiardini, Matthew P. Wood, Donald L. Sodora, Guido Silvestri, Jacob Estes, Ann Chahroudi
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2018)
Article
Microbiology
Bridget S. Fisher, Richard R. Green, Rachel R. Brown, Matthew P. Wood, Tiffany Hensley-McBain, Cole Fisher, Jean Chang, Andrew D. Miller, William J. Bosche, Jeffrey D. Lifson, Maud Mavigner, Charlene J. Miller, Michael Gale, Guido Silvestri, Ann Chahroudi, Nichole R. Klatt, Donald L. Sodora
Article
Surgery
Stephanie A. K. Angarita, Sergio Duarte, Tara A. Russell, Piotr Ruchala, Irmina A. Elliott, Julian P. Whitelegge, Ali Zarrinpar
JOURNAL OF SURGICAL RESEARCH
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Piotr Ruchala, Alan J. Waring, Marianne Cilluffo, Julian P. Whitelegge, Cameron B. Gundersen
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES
(2019)
Article
Biology
Ewa D. Micewicz, Keisuke S. Iwamoto, Josephine A. Ratikan, Christine Nguyen, Michael W. Xie, Genhong Cheng, Gayle M. Boxx, Elisa Deriu, Robert D. Damoiseaux, Julian P. Whitelegge, Piotr P. Ruchala, Rozeta Avetisyan, Michael E. Jung, Greg Lawson, Elizabeta Nemeth, Tomas Ganz, James W. Sayre, William H. McBride, Dorthe Schaue
RADIATION RESEARCH
(2019)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Ewa D. Micewicz, Christine Nguyen, Alina Micewicz, Alan J. Waring, William H. McBrid, Piotr Ruchala
BIOORGANIC & MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2019)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Ronik Khachatoorian, Ewa D. Micewicz, Alina Micewicz, Samuel W. French, Piotr Ruchala
BIOORGANIC & MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2019)
Article
Immunology
Matthew P. Wood, Lianna F. Wood, Megan Templeton, Bridget Fisher, Adriana Lippy, Chloe I. Jones, Cecilia S. Lindestam Arlehamn, Alessandro Sette, James T. Fuller, Patience Murapa, Heather B. Jaspan, Deborah H. Fuller, Donald L. Sodora
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2020)
Article
Hematology
Veena Sangkhae, Allison L. Fisher, Kristine J. Chua, Piotr Ruchala, Tomas Ganz, Elizabeta Nemeth
Article
Immunology
Chloe I. Jones, Suzanne L. Rose, Ashley Shutt, Cristiana Cairo, Natasha M. Bourgeois, Manhattan Charurat, Donald L. Sodora, Matthew P. Wood
Summary: The study found that HIV-exposed but uninfected (HEU) infants exhibit differences in immune responses post BCG vaccine treatment compared to HIV-unexposed infants. HEU monocytes show altered induction of several key innate immune responses, providing important insights into pathways for understanding vaccine responses in HEU infants.
Article
Microbiology
Matthew P. Wood, Chloe I. Jones, Adriana Lippy, Brian G. Oliver, Brynn Walund, Katherine A. Fancher, Bridget S. Fisher, Piper J. Wright, James T. Fuller, Patience Murapa, Jakob Habib, Maud Mavigner, Ann Chahroudi, D. Noah Sather, Deborah H. Fuller, Donald L. Sodora
Summary: This study evaluated immunological and virological parameters in 25 SIV-infected infant rhesus macaques and found that RP infants exhibited low levels of plasma anti-SIV antibody and high viral loads, with 11 out of 25 macaques showing an RP phenotype. Abnormalities in various immune cell populations in RP infants contributed to immune system impairment, ultimately leading to rapid disease progression.