Discovery of a small molecule inhibitor targeting dengue virus NS5 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2019 Nov 18;13(11):e0007894. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007894. eCollection 2019 Nov.

Abstract

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection that has spread globally in recent years. Around half of the world's population, especially in the tropics and subtropics, is at risk of infection. Every year, 50-100 million clinical cases are reported, and more than 500,000 patients develop the symptoms of severe dengue infection: dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome, which threaten life in Asia and Latin America. No antiviral drug for dengue is available. The dengue virus (DENV) non-structural protein 5 (NS5), which possesses the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) activity and is responsible for viral replication and transcription, is an attractive target for anti-dengue drug development. In the present study, 16,240 small-molecule compounds in a fragment library were screened for their capabilities to inhibit the DENV type 2 (DENV2) RdRp activities in vitro. Based on in cellulo antiviral and cytotoxity assays, we selected the compound RK-0404678 with the EC50 value of 6.0 μM for DENV2. Crystallographic analyses revealed two unique binding sites for RK-0404678 within the RdRp, which are conserved in flavivirus NS5 proteins. No resistant viruses emerged after nine rounds of serial passage of DENV2 in the presence of RK-0404678, suggesting the high genetic barrier of this compound to the emergence of a resistant virus. Collectively, RK-0404678 and its binding sites provide a new framework for antiviral drug development.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antiviral Agents / isolation & purification*
  • Antiviral Agents / pharmacology*
  • Binding Sites
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Dengue Virus / drug effects*
  • Drug Evaluation, Preclinical
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Protein Binding
  • RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase / chemistry
  • RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase / metabolism
  • Viral Nonstructural Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Viral Nonstructural Proteins / chemistry
  • Viral Nonstructural Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents
  • NS5 protein, dengue virus
  • Viral Nonstructural Proteins
  • RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase

Grants and funding

This research is supported by a contract research fund from the Program of Japan Initiative for Global Research Network on Infectious Diseases (J-GRID) JP18fm0108003 (to TS) from the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) (https://www.amed.go.jp/en/index.html), and a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) 17K07322 (to H.S.) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (https://www.jsps.go.jp/english/index.html). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.