Pharmacological disruption of mSWI/SNF complex activity restricts SARS-CoV-2 infection

The canonical BRG1/BRM-associated factor (cBAF) complex is recruited by HNF1A/B to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) enhancers, promoting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Inhibition of the catalytic activity of SMARCA4 precludes ACE2 expression and reduces susceptibility to SARS-CoV-1 and major SARS-CoV-2 variants. Identification of host determinants of coronavirus infection informs mechanisms of viral pathogenesis and can provide new drug targets. Here we demonstrate that mammalian SWItch/Sucrose Non-Fermentable (mSWI/SNF) chromatin remodeling complexes, specifically canonical BRG1/BRM-associated factor (cBAF) complexes, promote severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and represent host-directed therapeutic targets. The catalytic activity of SMARCA4 is required for mSWI/SNF-driven chromatin accessibility at the ACE2 locus, ACE2 expression and virus susceptibility. The transcription factors HNF1A/B interact with and recruit mSWI/SNF complexes to ACE2 enhancers, which contain high HNF1A motif density. Notably, small-molecule mSWI/SNF ATPase inhibitors or degraders abrogate angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) expression and confer resistance to SARS-CoV-2 variants and a remdesivir-resistant virus in three cell lines and three primary human cell types, including airway epithelial cells, by up to 5 logs. These data highlight the role of mSWI/SNF complex activities in conferring SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and identify a potential class of broad-acting antivirals to combat emerging coronaviruses and drug-resistant variants.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates that the activity of the chromatin remodeling complex mSWI/SNF plays an important role in determining susceptibility to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, highlighting it as a potential therapeutic target for SARS-CoV-2.