scholarly journals Selection and Characterization of Rupintrivir-Resistant Norwalk Virus Replicon Cells In Vitro

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitsutaka Kitano ◽  
Myra Hosmillo ◽  
Edward Emmott ◽  
Jia Lu ◽  
Ian Goodfellow
Keyword(s):  
Reverse Genetics ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Murine Norovirus ◽  
Norwalk Virus ◽  
Irreversible Inhibitor ◽  
Antiviral Compounds ◽  
A Cell ◽  
First Time

ABSTRACT Human norovirus (HuNoV) is a major cause of nonbacterial gastroenteritis worldwide, yet despite its impact on society, vaccines and antivirals are currently lacking. A HuNoV replicon system has been widely applied to the evaluation of antiviral compounds and has thus accelerated the process of drug discovery against HuNoV infection. Rupintrivir, an irreversible inhibitor of the human rhinovirus 3C protease, has been reported to inhibit the replication of the Norwalk virus replicon via the inhibition of the norovirus protease. Here we report, for the first time, the generation of rupintrivir-resistant human Norwalk virus replicon cells in vitro . Sequence analysis revealed that these replicon cells contained amino acid substitutions of alanine 105 to valine (A105V) and isoleucine 109 to valine (I109V) in the viral protease NS6. The application of a cell-based fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay for protease activity demonstrated that these substitutions were involved in the enhanced resistance to rupintrivir. Furthermore, we validated the effect of these mutations using reverse genetics in murine norovirus (MNV), demonstrating that a recombinant MNV strain with a single I109V substitution in the protease also showed reduced susceptibility to rupintrivir. In summary, using a combination of different approaches, we have demonstrated that, under the correct conditions, mutations in the norovirus protease that lead to the generation of resistant mutants can rapidly occur.

scholarly journals Reactive centre loop mutants of α-1-antitrypsin reveal position-specific effects on intermediate formation along the polymerization pathway

2013 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Imran Haq ◽  
James A. Irving ◽  
Sarah V. Faull ◽  
Jennifer A. Dickens ◽  
Adriana Ordóñez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Model ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Intermediate Formation ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Molecular Configuration ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Reactive Centre Loop ◽  
A Cell

The common severe Z mutation (E342K) of α1-antitrypsin forms intracellular polymers that are associated with liver cirrhosis. The native fold of this protein is well-established and models have been proposed from crystallographic and biophysical data for the stable inter-molecular configuration that terminates the polymerization pathway. Despite these molecular ‘snapshots’, the details of the transition between monomer and polymer remain only partially understood. We surveyed the RCL (reactive centre loop) of α1-antitrypsin to identify sites important for progression, through intermediate states, to polymer. Mutations at P14P12 and P4, but not P10P8 or P2P1′, resulted in a decrease in detectable polymer in a cell model that recapitulates the intracellular polymerization of the Z variant, consistent with polymerization from a near-native conformation. We have developed a FRET (Förster resonance energy transfer)-based assay to monitor polymerization in small sample volumes. An in vitro assessment revealed the position-specific effects on the unimolecular and multimolecular phases of polymerization: the P14P12 region self-inserts early during activation, while the interaction between P6P4 and β-sheet A presents a kinetic barrier late in the polymerization pathway. Correspondingly, mutations at P6P4, but not P14P12, yield an increase in the overall apparent activation energy of association from ~360 to 550 kJ mol−1.

Quantitative Ratiometric pH Imaging Using a 1,2-Dioxetane Chemiluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer Sensor

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas S. Ryan ◽  
Jeni Gerberich ◽  
Uroob Haris ◽  
ralph mason ◽  
Alexander Lippert
Keyword(s):  
Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Photon Flux ◽  
Ph Homeostasis ◽  
Ph Imaging ◽  
Confounding Variables ◽  
Significant Difference

<p>Regulation of physiological pH is integral for proper whole-body and cellular function, and disruptions in pH homeostasis can be both a cause and effect of disease. In light of this, many methods have been developed to monitor pH in cells and animals. In this study, we report a chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET) probe Ratio-pHCL-1, comprised of an acrylamide 1,2-dioxetane chemiluminescent scaffold with an appended pH-sensitive carbofluorescein fluorophore. The probe provides an accurate measurement of pH between 6.8-8.4, making it viable tool for measuring pH in biological systems. Further, its ratiometric output is independent of confounding variables. Quantification of pH can be accomplished both using common fluorimetry and advanced optical imaging methods. Using an IVIS Spectrum, pH can be quantified through tissue with Ratio-pHCL-1, which has been shown in vitro and precisely calibrated in sacrificed mouse models. Initial studies showed that intraperitoneal injections of Ratio-pHCL-1 into sacrificed mice produce a photon flux of more than 10^10 photons per second, and showed a significant difference in ratio of emission intensities between pH 6.0, 7.0, and 8.0.</p> <b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><br>

Programmable in vitro Co-Encapsidation of Guest Proteins Inside Protein Nanocages

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noor H. Dashti ◽  
Rufika S. Abidin ◽  
Frank Sainsbury
Keyword(s):  
Self Assembly ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Super Resolution ◽  
Cell Engineering ◽  
Particle Analysis ◽  
Protein Cages

Bioinspired self-sorting and self-assembling systems using engineered versions of natural protein cages have been developed for biocatalysis and therapeutic delivery. The packaging and intracellular delivery of guest proteins is of particular interest for both <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> cell engineering. However, there is a lack of platforms in bionanotechnology that combine programmable guest protein encapsidation with efficient intracellular uptake. We report a minimal peptide anchor for <i>in vivo</i> self-sorting of cargo-linked capsomeres of the Murine polyomavirus (MPyV) major coat protein that enables controlled encapsidation of guest proteins by <i>in vitro</i> self-assembly. Using Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) we demonstrate the flexibility in this system to support co-encapsidation of multiple proteins. Complementing these ensemble measurements with single particle analysis by super-resolution microscopy shows that the stochastic nature of co-encapsidation is an overriding principle. This has implications for the design and deployment of both native and engineered self-sorting encapsulation systems and for the assembly of infectious virions. Taking advantage of the encoded affinity for sialic acids ubiquitously displayed on the surface of mammalian cells, we demonstrate the ability of self-assembled MPyV virus-like particles to mediate efficient delivery of guest proteins to the cytosol of primary human cells. This platform for programmable co-encapsidation and efficient cytosolic delivery of complementary biomolecules therefore has enormous potential in cell engineering.

scholarly journals Biological nanoscale fluorescent probes: From structure and performance to bioimaging

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-221
Author(s):  
Jiafeng Wan ◽  
Xiaoyuan Zhang ◽  
Kai Zhang ◽  
Zhiqiang Su
Keyword(s):  
Fluorescent Probes ◽  
Organic Dyes ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Biological Imaging ◽  
Fluorescent Materials ◽  
And Performance

Abstract In recent years, nanomaterials have attracted lots of attention from researchers due to their unique properties. Nanometer fluorescent materials, such as organic dyes, semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), metal nano-clusters (MNCs), carbon dots (CDs), etc., are widely used in biological imaging due to their high sensitivity, short response time, and excellent accuracy. Nanometer fluorescent probes can not only perform in vitro imaging of organisms but also achieve in vivo imaging. This provides medical staff with great convenience in cancer treatment. Combined with contemporary medical methods, faster and more effective treatment of cancer is achievable. This article explains the response mechanism of three-nanometer fluorescent probes: the principle of induced electron transfer (PET), the principle of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), and the principle of intramolecular charge transfer (ICT), showing the semiconductor QDs, precious MNCs, and CDs. The excellent performance of the three kinds of nano fluorescent materials in biological imaging is highlighted, and the application of these three kinds of nano fluorescent probes in targeted biological imaging is also introduced. Nanometer fluorescent materials will show their significance in the field of biomedicine.

scholarly journals Rational design of protein-specific folding modifiers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anirban Das ◽  
Anju Yadav ◽  
Mona Gupta ◽  
R Purushotham ◽  
Vishram L. Terse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Molecule ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Force Measurements ◽  
Folding Nucleus ◽  
Dynamics Simulations ◽  
General Method

AbstractProtein folding can go wrong in vivo and in vitro, with significant consequences for the living cell and the pharmaceutical industry, respectively. Here we propose a general design principle for constructing small peptide-based protein-specific folding modifiers. We construct a ‘xenonucleus’, which is a pre-folded peptide that resembles the folding nucleus of a protein, and demonstrate its activity on the folding of ubiquitin. Using stopped-flow kinetics, NMR spectroscopy, Förster Resonance Energy transfer, single-molecule force measurements, and molecular dynamics simulations, we show that the ubiquitin xenonucleus can act as an effective decoy for the native folding nucleus. It can make the refolding faster by 33 ± 5% at 3 M GdnHCl. In principle, our approach provides a general method for constructing specific, genetically encodable, folding modifiers for any protein which has a well-defined contiguous folding nucleus.

scholarly journals Identifying SARS-CoV-2 Antiviral Compounds by Screening for Small Molecule Inhibitors of Nsp12/7/8 RNA-dependent RNA Polymerase

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agustina P. Bertolin ◽  
Florian Weissmann ◽  
Jingkun Zeng ◽  
Viktor Posse ◽  
Jennifer C. Milligan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Rna Virus ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Etiologic Agent ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Rdrp Activity ◽  
Chemical Library ◽  
Rna Dependent Rna Polymerase

SummaryThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic has turned into the largest public health and economic crisis in recent history impacting virtually all sectors of society. There is a need for effective therapeutics to battle the ongoing pandemic. Repurposing existing drugs with known pharmacological safety profiles is a fast and cost-effective approach to identify novel treatments. The COVID-19 etiologic agent is the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus. Coronaviruses rely on the enzymatic activity of the replication-transcription complex (RTC) to multiply inside host cells. The RTC core catalytic component is the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) holoenzyme. The RdRp is one of the key druggable targets for CoVs due to its essential role in viral replication, high degree of sequence and structural conservation and the lack of homologs in human cells. Here, we have expressed, purified and biochemically characterised active SARS-CoV-2 RdRp complexes. We developed a novel fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based strand displacement assay for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 RdRp activity suitable for a high-throughput format. As part of a larger research project to identify inhibitors for all the enzymatic activities encoded by SARS-CoV-2, we used this assay to screen a custom chemical library of over 5000 approved and investigational compounds for novel SARS-CoV-2 RdRp inhibitors. We identified 3 novel compounds (GSK-650394, C646 and BH3I-1) and confirmed suramin and suramin-like compounds as in vitro SARS-CoV-2 RdRp activity inhibitors. We also characterised the antiviral efficacy of these drugs in cell-based assays that we developed to monitor SARS-CoV-2 growth.

scholarly journals Selection and Characterization of a Nanobody Biosensor of GTP-Bound RHO Activities

Antibodies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Keller ◽  
Nicolas Bery ◽  
Claudine Tardy ◽  
Laetitia Ligat ◽  
Gilles Favre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Bound State ◽  
Phage Display Library ◽  
Small Gtpases ◽  
Intracellular Expression ◽  
Co Precipitation ◽  
Cytoskeleton Dynamics

RHO (Ras HOmologous) GTPases are molecular switches that activate, in their state bound to Guanosine triphosphate (GTP), key signaling pathways, which involve actin cytoskeleton dynamics. Previously, we selected the nanobody RH12, from a synthetic phage display library, which binds the GTP-bound active conformation of RHOA (Ras Homologous family member A). However, when expressed as an intracellular antibody, its blocking effect on RHO signaling led to a loss of actin fibers, which in turn affected cell shape and cell survival. Here, in order to engineer an intracellular biosensor of RHOA-GTP activation, we screened the same phage nanobody library and identified another RHO-GTP selective intracellular nanobody, but with no apparent toxicity. The recombinant RH57 nanobody displays high affinity towards GTP-bound RHOA/B/C subgroup of small GTPases in vitro. Intracellular expression of the RH57 allowed selective co-precipitation with the GTP-bound state of the endogenous RHOA subfamily. When expressed as a fluorescent fusion protein, the chromobody GFP-RH57 was localized to the inner plasma membrane upon stimulation of the activation of endogenous RHO. Finally, the RH57 nanobody was used to establish a BRET-based biosensor (Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer) of RHO activation. The dynamic range of the BRET signal could potentially offer new opportunities to develop cell-based screening of RHOA subfamily activation modulators.

scholarly journals Förster Resonance Energy Transfer-Based Stability Assessment of PLGA Nanoparticles in Vitro and in Vivo

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 1131-1140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edyta Swider ◽  
Sanish Maharjan ◽  
Karlijne Houkes ◽  
Nicolaas Koen van Riessen ◽  
Carl Figdor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Plga Nanoparticles ◽  
Forster Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Förster Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Stability Assessment ◽  
Förster Resonance

scholarly journals Enhanced efficacy of endonuclease inhibitor baloxavir acid against orthobunyaviruses when used in combination with ribavirin

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (11) ◽  
pp. 3189-3193
Author(s):  
Sebastiaan ter Horst ◽  
Yaiza Fernandez-Garcia ◽  
Marcella Bassetto ◽  
Stephan Günther ◽  
Andrea Brancale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Docking Simulation ◽  
Antiviral Effect ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
La Crosse Virus ◽  
Endonuclease Domain ◽  
Substrate Cleavage

Abstract Objectives Baloxavir acid is an endonuclease inhibitor approved for use against influenza. We evaluated whether this compound also targets the endonuclease domain of orthobunyaviruses and therefore could potentially be used against orthobunyavirus infections. Methods We performed a thermal shift assay and a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based nuclease monitoring assay using the La Crosse virus (LACV) endonuclease and baloxavir acid to prove their interaction and identify an inhibitory effect. Their interaction was further studied in a docking simulation using Glide SP. We show that baloxavir acid inhibits the viral replication of Bunyamwera virus (BUNV)–mCherry in vitro using high-content imaging and virus yield assay. Lastly, we investigated the use of baloxavir acid in combination with ribavirin in vitro by implementing the Zero Interaction Potency response surface model. Results We show that baloxavir acid augments LACV enzyme’s melting temperature with ΔTm 9.5 ± 0.4°C and inhibited substrate cleavage with IC50 0.39 ± 0.03 μM. Moreover, our docking simulation suggests that baloxavir acid is able to establish an efficient binding with the LACV endonuclease. In the cell-based assay, we observed that baloxavir acid and ribavirin inhibited BUNV–mCherry with an EC50 of 0.7 ± 0.2 μM and 26.6 ± 8.9 μM, respectively. When used in combination, we found a maximum synergistic effect of 8.64. Conclusions The influenza endonuclease inhibitor baloxavir acid is able to bind to and interfere with the endonuclease domain of orthobunyaviruses and yields a more potent antiviral effect than ribavirin against BUNV–mCherry. The combination of both compounds results in a more potent antiviral effect, suggesting that these molecules could potentially be combined to treat orthobunyavirus-infected patients.

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