Discovery of Hydrocarbon-Stapled Short α-Helical Peptides as Promising Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) Fusion Inhibitors

作者：Chao Wang, Shuai Xia, Peiyu Zhang, Tianhong Zhang, Weicong Wang, Yangli Tian, Guangpeng Meng, Shibo Jiang, Keliang Liu · 发表于：Journal of Medicinal Chemistry · 年份：2018 · DOI：10.1021/acs.jmedchem.7b01732 · 被引用次数：61 · 研究领域：SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research、Influenza Virus Research Studies、RNA Interference and Gene Delivery

The hexameric α-helical coiled-coil formed between the C-terminal and N-terminal heptad repeat (CHR and NHR) regions of class I viral fusion proteins plays an important role in mediating the fusion of the viral and cellular membranes and provides a clear starting point for molecular mimicry that drives viral fusion inhibitor design. Unfortunately, such peptide mimicry of the short α-helical region in the CHR of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) spike protein has been thwarted by the loss of the peptide's native α-helical conformation when taken out of the parent protein structure. Here, we describe that appropriate all-hydrocarbon stapling of the short helical portion-based peptide to reinforce its bioactive secondary structure remarkably improves antiviral potency. The resultant stapled peptide P21S10 could effectively inhibit infection by MERS-CoV pseudovirus and its spike protein-mediated cell-cell fusion; additionally, P21S10 exhibits improved pharmacokinetic properties than HR2P-M2, suggesting strong potential for development as an anti-MERS-CoV therapeutic.