VP35 knockdown inhibits Ebola virus amplification and protects against lethal infection in mice

Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2006 Mar;50(3):984-93. doi: 10.1128/AAC.50.3.984-993.2006.

Abstract

Phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PMO) are a class of uncharged single-stranded DNA analogs modified such that each subunit includes a phosphorodiamidate linkage and morpholine ring. PMO antisense agents have been reported to effectively interfere with the replication of several positive-strand RNA viruses in cell culture. The filoviruses, Marburg virus and Ebola virus (EBOV), are negative-strand RNA viruses that cause up to 90% lethality in human outbreaks. There is currently no commercially available vaccine or efficacious therapeutic for any filovirus. In this study, PMO conjugated to arginine-rich cell-penetrating peptide (P-PMO) and nonconjugated PMO were assayed for the ability to inhibit EBOV infection in cell culture and in a mouse model of lethal EBOV infection. A 22-mer P-PMO designed to base pair with the translation start site region of EBOV VP35 positive-sense RNA generated sequence-specific and time- and dose-dependent inhibition of EBOV amplification in cell culture. The same oligomer provided complete protection to mice when administered before or after an otherwise lethal infection of EBOV. A corresponding nonconjugated PMO, as well as nonconjugated truncated versions of 16 and 19 base residues, provided length-dependent protection to mice when administered prophylactically. Together, these data suggest that antisense PMO and P-PMO have the potential to control EBOV infection and are promising therapeutic candidates.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Ebolavirus / drug effects*
  • Ebolavirus / genetics
  • Female
  • Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / immunology
  • Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / mortality*
  • Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / prevention & control*
  • Kinetics
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Morpholines / pharmacology*
  • Peptides / chemistry
  • RNA, Viral / genetics
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Vero Cells
  • Viral Proteins / pharmacology*
  • Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins
  • Virus Replication / drug effects
  • Virus Replication / genetics

Substances

  • Morpholines
  • Peptides
  • RNA, Viral
  • VP35 protein, filovirus
  • Viral Proteins
  • Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins