Kang Gyuhyun, Lee Sun Hee, Cho Miyeon, Kim Ji-Hyeon, Cho Hyosun, Kang Hyojeung
Vessel-Organ Interaction Research Center, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, College of Pharmacy, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea.
Duksung Innovative Drug Center, College of Pharmacy, Duksung Women's University, Seoul 01369, Republic of Korea.
Pathogens. 2024 Jun 19;13(6):518. doi: 10.3390/pathogens13060518.
MHV-A59 is a beta-coronavirus that causes demyelinating encephalitis and hepatitis in mice. Recently, the mouse infection model of MHV-A59 has been used as an alternative animal infection model for SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, aiding the development of new antiviral drugs. In this study, the MHV-A59 model was employed to investigate the potential of SARS-CoV-2 UTRs as new targets for antiviral drugs. Optimal targets within the MHV-A59 UTRs were identified using a shRNA and siRNA design tool, focusing on RNA secondary stem-loop (SL) structures in the UTRs. We then examined whether the designed RNAi constructs could inhibit MHV-A59 replication. In the 5'UTR, the stem-loop 1 (SL1) was identified as the most effective target, while in the 3'UTR, the minimal element for the initiation of negative-strand RNA synthesis (MIN) proved to be the most effective. Importantly, siRNAs targeting SL1 and MIN structures significantly reduced total RNA synthesis, negative-strand genomic RNA synthesis, subgenomic (sg) RNA synthesis, viral titer, and the plaque size of MHV-A59 compared to the control. Although not statistically significant, the combination of siSL1 and siMIN had a stronger effect on inhibiting MHV-A59 replication than either siRNA monotherapy. Interestingly, while the SL1 structure is present in both MHV and SARS-CoV-2, the MIN structure is unique to MHV. Thus, the SL1 of SARS-CoV-2 may represent a novel and promising target for RNAi-based antiviral drugs.
MHV-A59是一种β冠状病毒,可在小鼠中引起脱髓鞘性脑炎和肝炎。最近,MHV-A59的小鼠感染模型已被用作SARS-CoV和SARS-CoV-2的替代动物感染模型,有助于新型抗病毒药物的开发。在本研究中,采用MHV-A59模型来研究SARS-CoV-2非翻译区(UTR)作为抗病毒药物新靶点的潜力。使用shRNA和siRNA设计工具确定了MHV-A59 UTR内的最佳靶点,重点关注UTR中的RNA二级茎环(SL)结构。然后我们检查了设计的RNAi构建体是否能抑制MHV-A59复制。在5'UTR中,茎环1(SL1)被确定为最有效的靶点,而在3'UTR中,负链RNA合成起始的最小元件(MIN)被证明是最有效的。重要的是,与对照相比,靶向SL1和MIN结构的siRNAs显著降低了MHV-A59的总RNA合成、负链基因组RNA合成、亚基因组(sg)RNA合成、病毒滴度和噬斑大小。虽然无统计学意义,但siSL1和siMIN联合使用对抑制MHV-A59复制的效果比任何一种siRNA单药治疗都更强。有趣的是,虽然SL1结构在MHV和SARS-CoV-2中都存在,但MIN结构是MHV所特有的。因此,SARS-CoV-2的SL1可能代表基于RNAi的抗病毒药物的一个新的有前景的靶点。