Benzene with Alkyl Chains Is a Universal Scaffold for Multivalent Virucidal Antivirals.

Most viruses start their invasion by binding to glycoproteins' moieties on the cell surface (heparan sulfate proteoglycans [HSPG] or sialic acid [SA]). Antivirals mimicking these moieties multivalently are known as broad-spectrum multivalent entry inhibitors (MEI). Due to their reversible mechanism, efficacy is lost when concentrations fall below an inhibitory threshold. To overcome this limitation, we modify MEIs with hydrophobic arms rendering the inhibitory mechanism irreversible, i.e., preventing the efficacy loss upon dilution. However, all our HSPG-mimicking MEIs only showed reversible inhibition against HSPG-binding SARS-CoV-2. Here, we present a systematic investigation of a series of small molecules, all containing a core and multiple hydrophobic arms terminated with HSPG-mimicking moieties. We identify the ones that have irreversible inhibition against all viruses including SARS-CoV-2 and discuss their design principles. We show efficacy in vivo against SARS-CoV-2 in a Syrian hamster model through both intranasal instillation and aerosol inhalation in a therapeutic setting (12 h postinfection). We also show the utility of the presented design rules in producing SA-mimicking MEIs with irreversible inhibition against SA-binding influenza viruses.

The autophagy machinery interacts with EBV capsids during viral envelope release.

Autophagy serves as a defense mechanism against intracellular pathogens, but several microorganisms exploit it for their own benefit. Accordingly, certain herpesviruses include autophagic membranes into their infectious virus particles. In this study, we analyzed the composition of purified virions of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a common oncogenic γ-herpesvirus. In these, we found several components of the autophagy machinery, including membrane-associated LC3B-II, and numerous viral proteins, such as the capsid assembly proteins BVRF2 and BdRF1. Additionally, we showed that BVRF2 and BdRF1 interact with LC3B-II via their common protein domain. Using an EBV mutant, we identified BVRF2 as essential to assemble mature capsids and produce infectious EBV. However, BdRF1 was sufficient for the release of noninfectious viral envelopes as long as autophagy was not compromised. These data suggest that BVRF2 and BdRF1 are not only important for capsid assembly but together with the LC3B conjugation complex of ATG5-ATG12-ATG15L1 are also critical for EBV envelope release.

MHC class II-deficient mice allow functional human CD4+ T-cell development.

Humanized mouse models have been developed to study cell-mediated immune responses to human pathogens in vivo. How immunocompetent human T cells are selected in a murine thymus in such humanized mice remains poorly explored. To gain insights into this mechanism, we investigated the differentiation of human immune compartments in mouse MHC class II-deficient immune-compromised mice (humanized Ab0 mice). We observed a strong reduction in human CD4+ T-cell development but despite this reduction Ab0 mice had no disadvantage during Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Viral loads were equally well controlled in humanized Ab0 mice compared to humanized NSG mice, and improved T-cell recognition of autologous EBV-transformed B cells was observed, especially with respect to cytotoxicity. MHC class II blocking experiments with CD4+ T cells from humanized Ab0 mice demonstrated MHC class II restriction of lymphoblastoid cell line recognition. These findings suggest that a small number of CD4+ T cells in humanized mice can be solely selected on human MHC class II molecules, presumably expressed by reconstituted human immune cells, leading to improved effector functions.

Lactic Acidosis Promotes Mitochondrial Biogenesis in Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells, Supporting Proliferation Under Normoxia or Survival Under Hypoxia.

Lactic acidosis, glucose deprivation and hypoxia are conditions frequently found in solid tumors because, among other reasons, tumors switch to Warburg effect and secrete high levels of lactate, which decreases the pH (<6. 9) in the microenvironment. We hypothesized that lung cancer cells consume lactate and induce mitochondrial biogenesis to support survival and proliferation in lactic acidosis with glucose deprivation even under hypoxia. We examined lung adenocarcinoma cell lines (A-427 and A-549), a breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) and non-transformed fibroblasts (MRC-5). Cells were cultured using RPMI-1640 medium with 28 mM lactate varying pH (6.2 or 7.2) under normoxia (atmospheric O2) or hypoxia (2% O2). Cellular growth was followed during 96 h, as well as lactate, glutamine and glutamate levels, which were measured using a biochemical analyzer. The expression levels of monocarboxylate transporters (MCT1 and MCT4) were evaluated by flow cytometry. To evaluate mitochondrial biogenesis, mitochondrial mass was analyzed by flow cytometry and epifluorescence microscopy. Also, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was measured by qPCR. Transcript levels of Nuclear Respiratory Factors (NRF-1 and NRF-2) and Transcription Factor A Mitochondrial (TFAM) were determined using RT-qPCR. The specific growth rate of A-549 and A-427 cells increased in lactic acidosis compared with neutral lactosis, either under normoxia or hypoxia, a phenomenon that was not observed in MRC-5 fibroblasts. Under hypoxia, A-427 and MCF-7 cells did not survive in neutral lactosis but survived in lactic acidosis. Under lactic acidosis, A-427 and MCF-7 cells increased MCT1 levels, reduced MCT4 levels and consumed higher lactate amounts, while A-549 cells consumed glutamine and decreased MCT1 and MCT4 levels with respect to neutral lactosis condition. Lactic acidosis, either under normoxia or hypoxia, increased mitochondrial mass and mtDNA levels compared with neutral lactosis in all tumor cells but not in fibroblasts. A-549 and MCF-7 cells increased levels of NRF-1, NRF-2, and TFAM with respect to MRC-5 cells, whereas A-427 cells upregulated these transcripts under lactic acidosis compared with neutral lactosis. Thus, lung adenocarcinoma cells induce mitochondrial biogenesis to support survival and proliferation in lactic acidosis with glucose deprivation.