(c) Neutralizing antibodies block entry and HeV G/F multicycle replication

(c) Neutralizing antibodies block entry and HeV G/F multicycle replication. HTS screening of a small compound library identifies known and unknown inhibitors. chloroquine, as highly active inhibitors of pseudotyped computer virus contamination. Chloroquine inhibited contamination with live HeV and NiV at a concentration of IKK-16 1 1 M in vitro (50% inhibitory concentration, 2 M), which is usually less than the plasma concentrations present in humans receiving chloroquine treatment for malaria. The mechanism for chloroquine’s antiviral action likely is the inhibition of cathepsin L, a cellular enzyme that is essential for the processing of the viral fusion glycoprotein and the maturation of newly budding virions. Without this processing step, virions are not infectious. The identification of a compound that inhibits a known cellular target that is important for viral maturation but that had not previously been shown to have antiviral activity for henipaviruses highlights the validity of this new screening assay. Given the established security profile and broad experience with chloroquine in humans, the results explained here provide an option for treating individuals infected by these fatal viruses. Nipah (NiV) and Hendra (HeV) viruses are newly emerging zoonoses that cause encephalitis in humans, with fatality rates of up to 75% (3, 7, 8, 12, 13, 30). NiV has caused at least nine significant outbreaks in Bangladesh and India since its emergence in Malaysia in 1998 (3, 7, 8, 12, 13, 30). The computer virus emerged from your fruit bat (flying fox) mammalian reservoir, via the pig, into the human population. However, direct transmission from bats to humans can bypass the pig host, and person-to-person transmission also has now become a main mode of NiV spread (2, 5). HeV, via the same bat host, has caused disease in horses, with transmission to horse-handlers and veterinarians, and since 1995 has caused sporadic illness in Australia (12). Both viruses, in addition to acute disease, may cause asymptomatic contamination in up to 60% of uncovered people and may lead to late-onset disease or the relapse of encephalitis years after initial contamination (25), as well as prolonged or delayed neurological sequelae (11). The vast geographic range of the fruit bat mammalian reservoir raises the possibility of a wide spread of these human diseases, which presently have no clinical treatment or vaccine. The first step in contamination with HeV or NiV is usually binding to the target cells, via the conversation of the viral envelope protein (G) with specific receptor molecules around the cell surface. The receptor for HeV is usually Ephrin B2 (EFNB2) and for NiV is usually either EFNB2 or EFNB3 (11). The fusion of the viral envelope with the plasma membrane of the cell is usually then mediated by the viral fusion protein (F). The F protein is usually synthesized as a precursor protein (F0) that is proteolytically processed posttranslationally to form a trimer of disulfide-linked heterodimers (F1 + F2). This cleavage event places the fusion peptide at the F1 terminus in the mature F protein and is essential for membrane fusion activity. During viral access, the fusion peptides, which are buried in the F trimer, must be uncovered transiently so that they can place into the target cell membrane. The conformational switch that leads to the exposure of the fusion peptides requires an activation step (22), which is initiated by the conversation of G with its receptor. Only virions bearing the mature, cleaved F can undergo activation and thus are infectious (4, 14, 15). We expose here a biosafety level 2 (BSL-2)-amenable high-throughput screening (HTS) assay (9) for inhibitors that target several stages of the IKK-16 henipavirus viral cycle, based on envelope glycoprotein pseudotypes. The cell-based assay allows for the simultaneous evaluation of antiviral activity and the cytotoxicity of compounds. We have validated the method with several different classes of henipavirus access inhibitors as well as protease inhibitors. For this assay, HeV envelope glycoproteins were pseudotyped onto a recombinant vesicular stomatitis computer virus (VSV) that expresses reddish fluorescent protein (RFP) but lacks its attachment protein, G (19, 20). The producing pseudotyped computer virus bears the HeV binding and fusion proteins. The infection of target cells by pseudotyped computer virus in the absence and presence of compounds is usually quantified by assessing the production of reddish fluorescence. This pseudotyped viral access assay, unlike previous ones (31), simulates multicycle replication because the monolayer cells, which express viral glycoproteins, will generate more pseudotyped.269. the inhibition of cathepsin L, a cellular enzyme that is essential for the processing of the viral fusion glycoprotein and the maturation of newly budding virions. Without this processing step, virions are IKK-16 not infectious. The identification of a compound that inhibits a known cellular target that is important for viral maturation but that had not previously been shown to have antiviral activity for henipaviruses highlights the validity of this new screening assay. Given the established security profile and broad experience with chloroquine in humans, the results explained here provide an option for treating individuals infected by these deadly viruses. Nipah (NiV) and Hendra (HeV) viruses are newly emerging zoonoses that cause encephalitis in humans, with fatality rates of up to 75% (3, 7, 8, 12, 13, 30). NiV has caused at least nine significant outbreaks in Bangladesh and India since its emergence in Malaysia in 1998 (3, 7, 8, 12, 13, 30). The virus emerged from the fruit bat (flying fox) mammalian reservoir, via the pig, into the human population. However, direct transmission from bats to humans can bypass the pig host, and person-to-person transmission also has now become a primary mode of NiV spread (2, 5). HeV, via the same bat host, has caused disease in horses, with transmission to horse-handlers and veterinarians, and since 1995 has caused sporadic illness in Australia (12). Both viruses, in addition to acute disease, may cause IKK-16 asymptomatic infection in up to 60% of exposed people and may lead to late-onset disease or the relapse of encephalitis years after initial infection (25), as well as persistent or delayed neurological sequelae (11). The vast geographic range of the fruit bat mammalian reservoir raises the possibility of a wide spread of these human diseases, which presently have no clinical treatment or vaccine. The first step in infection with HeV or NiV is binding to the target cells, via the interaction of the viral envelope protein (G) with specific receptor molecules on the cell surface. The receptor for HeV is Ephrin B2 (EFNB2) and for NiV is either EFNB2 or EFNB3 (11). The fusion of the viral envelope with the plasma membrane of the cell is then mediated by the viral fusion protein (F). The F protein is synthesized as a precursor protein (F0) that is proteolytically processed posttranslationally to form a trimer of disulfide-linked heterodimers (F1 + F2). This cleavage event places the fusion peptide at the F1 terminus in the mature F protein and is essential for membrane fusion activity. During viral entry, the fusion peptides, which are buried in the F trimer, must be exposed transiently so that they can insert into the target cell membrane. The conformational change that leads to the exposure IKK-16 of the fusion peptides requires an activation step (22), which is initiated by the interaction of G with its receptor. Only virions bearing the mature, cleaved F can undergo activation and thus are infectious (4, 14, 15). We introduce here a biosafety level 2 (BSL-2)-amenable high-throughput screening (HTS) assay (9) for inhibitors that target several stages of the henipavirus viral cycle, based on envelope glycoprotein pseudotypes. The cell-based assay allows for the simultaneous evaluation of antiviral activity and the cytotoxicity of compounds. We have validated the method with several different classes of henipavirus entry inhibitors as well as protease inhibitors. For Rabbit Polyclonal to TUBGCP6 this assay, HeV envelope glycoproteins were pseudotyped onto a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) that expresses red fluorescent protein (RFP) but lacks its attachment protein, G (19, 20). The resulting pseudotyped virus bears the HeV binding and fusion proteins. The infection of target cells by pseudotyped virus in the absence and presence of compounds is.