Repurposing screen identifies novel candidates for broad-spectrum coronavirus antivirals and druggable host targets.

Libraries composed of licensed drugs represent a vast repertoire of molecules modulating physiological processes in humans, providing unique opportunities for the discovery of host-targeting antivirals. We screened the Repurposing, Focused Rescue, and Accelerated Medchem (ReFRAME) repurposing library with approximately 12,000 molecules for broad-spectrum coronavirus antivirals and discovered 134 compounds inhibiting an alphacoronavirus and mapping to 58 molecular target categories. Dominant targets included the 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor, the dopamine receptor, and cyclin-dependent kinases. Gene knock-out of the drugs' host targets including cathepsin B and L (CTSB/L; VBY-825), the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR; Phortress), the farnesyl-diphosphate farnesyltransferase 1 (FDFT1; P-3622), and the kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1; Omaveloxolone), significantly modulated HCoV-229E infection, providing evidence that these compounds inhibited the virus through acting on their respective host targets. Counter-screening of all 134 primary compound candidates with SARS-CoV-2 and validation in primary cells identified Phortress, an AHR activating ligand, P-3622-targeting FDFT1, and Omaveloxolone, which activates the NFE2-like bZIP transcription factor 2 (NFE2L2) by liberating it from its endogenous inhibitor KEAP1, as antiviral candidates for both an Alpha- and a Betacoronavirus. This study provides an overview of HCoV-229E repurposing candidates and reveals novel potentially druggable viral host dependency factors hijacked by diverse coronaviruses.

Drug repurposing screen identifies lonafarnib as respiratory syncytial virus fusion protein inhibitor.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of acute lower respiratory tract infection in infants, older adults and the immunocompromised. Effective directly acting antivirals are not yet available for clinical use. To address this, we screen the ReFRAME drug-repurposing library consisting of 12,000 small molecules against RSV. We identify 21 primary candidates including RSV F and N protein inhibitors, five HSP90 and four IMPDH inhibitors. We select lonafarnib, a licensed farnesyltransferase inhibitor, and phase III candidate for hepatitis delta virus (HDV) therapy, for further follow-up. Dose-response analyses and plaque assays confirm the antiviral activity (IC50: 10-118 nM). Passaging of RSV with lonafarnib selects for phenotypic resistance and fixation of mutations in the RSV fusion protein (T335I and T400A). Lentiviral pseudotypes programmed with variant RSV fusion proteins confirm that lonafarnib inhibits RSV cell entry and that these mutations confer lonafarnib resistance. Surface plasmon resonance reveals RSV fusion protein binding of lonafarnib and co-crystallography identifies the lonafarnib binding site within RSV F. Oral administration of lonafarnib dose-dependently reduces RSV virus load in a murine infection model using female mice. Collectively, this work provides an overview of RSV drug repurposing candidates and establishes lonafarnib as a bona fide fusion protein inhibitor.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Two-Step Infection Screen Reveals Inhibitors of Early and Late Life Cycle Stages.

Human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) infection is a leading cause of severe respiratory tract infections. Effective, directly acting antivirals against hRSV are not available. We aimed to discover new and chemically diverse candidates to enrich the hRSV drug development pipeline. We used a two-step screen that interrogates compound efficacy after primary infection and a consecutive virus passaging. We resynthesized selected hit molecules and profiled their activities with hRSV lentiviral pseudotype cell entry, replicon, and time-of-addition assays. The breadth of antiviral activity was tested against recent RSV clinical strains and human coronavirus (hCoV-229E), and in pseudotype-based entry assays with non-RSV viruses. Screening 6,048 molecules, we identified 23 primary candidates, of which 13 preferentially scored in the first and 10 in the second rounds of infection, respectively. Two of these molecules inhibited hRSV cell entry and selected for F protein resistance within the fusion peptide. One molecule inhibited transcription/replication in hRSV replicon assays, did not select for phenotypic hRSV resistance and was active against non-hRSV viruses, including hCoV-229E. One compound, identified in the second round of infection, did not measurably inhibit hRSV cell entry or replication/transcription. It selected for two coding mutations in the G protein and was highly active in differentiated BCi-NS1.1 lung cells. In conclusion, we identified four new hRSV inhibitor candidates with different modes of action. Our findings build an interesting platform for medicinal chemistry-guided derivatization approaches followed by deeper phenotypical characterization in vitro and in vivo with the aim of developing highly potent hRSV drugs.

A condensate-hardening drug blocks RSV replication in vivo.

Biomolecular condensates have emerged as an important subcellular organizing principle1. Replication of many viruses, including human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), occurs in virus-induced compartments called inclusion bodies (IBs) or viroplasm2,3. IBs of negative-strand RNA viruses were recently shown to be biomolecular condensates that form through phase separation4,5. Here we report that the steroidal alkaloid cyclopamine and its chemical analogue A3E inhibit RSV replication by disorganizing and hardening IB condensates. The actions of cyclopamine and A3E were blocked by a point mutation in the RSV transcription factor M2-1. IB disorganization occurred within minutes, which suggests that these molecules directly act on the liquid properties of the IBs. A3E and cyclopamine inhibit RSV in the lungs of infected mice and are condensate-targeting drug-like small molecules that have in vivo activity. Our data show that condensate-hardening drugs may enable the pharmacological modulation of not only many previously undruggable targets in viral replication but also transcription factors at cancer-driving super-enhancers6.

Labyrinthopeptins as virolytic inhibitors of respiratory syncytial virus cell entry.

Acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRI) caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are associated with a severe disease burden among infants and elderly patients. Treatment options are limited. While numerous drug candidates with different viral targets are under development, the utility of RSV entry inhibitors is challenged by a low resistance barrier and by single mutations causing cross-resistance against a wide spectrum of fusion inhibitor chemotypes. We developed a cell-based screening assay for discovery of compounds inhibiting infection with primary RSV isolates. Using this system, we identified labyrinthopeptin A1 and A2 (Laby A1/A2), lantibiotics isolated from Actinomadura namibiensis, as effective RSV cell entry inhibitors with IC50s of 0.39 µM and 4.97 µM, respectively, and with favourable therapeutic index (>200 and > 20, respectively). Both molecules were active against multiple RSV strains including primary isolates and their antiviral activity against RSV was confirmed in primary human airway cells ex vivo and a murine model in vivo. Laby A1/A2 were antiviral in prophylactic and therapeutic treatment regimens and displayed synergistic activity when applied in combination with each other. Mechanistic studies showed that Laby A1/A2 exert virolytic activity likely by binding to phosphatidylethanolamine moieties within the viral membrane and by disrupting virus particle membrane integrity. Probably due to its specific mode of action, Laby A1/A2 antiviral activity was not affected by common resistance mutations to known RSV entry inhibitors. Taken together, Laby A1/A2 represent promising candidates for development as RSV inhibitors. Moreover, the cell-based screening system with primary RSV isolates described here should be useful to identify further antiviral agents.

Protecting-Group-Mediated Diastereoselective Synthesis of C4'-Methylated Uridine Analogs and Their Activity against the Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus.

Adjusting the protecting group strategy, from an alkyl ether to a bidentate ketal at the carbohydrate backbone of uridine, facilitates a switchable diastereoselective α- or ß-C4'/C5'-spirocyclopropanation. Using these spirocyclopropanated nucleosides as key intermediates, we synthesized a variety of C4'-methylated d-ribose and l-lyxose-configured uridine derivatives by a base-mediated ring-opening of the spirocyclopropanol moiety. Investigations of antiviral activity against the human respiratory syncytial virus were carried out for selected derivatives, showing moderate activity.