School of Life Science, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang 473061, China.
Research Center of Henan Provincial Agricultural Biomass Resource Engineering and Technology, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang 473061, China.
Molecules. 2024 Jun 26;29(13):3022. doi: 10.3390/molecules29133022.
Considering the high evolutionary rate and great harmfulness of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), it is imperative to develop new pharmacological antagonists. Human angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) functions as a primary receptor for the spike protein (S protein) of SARS-CoV-2. Thus, a novel functional peptide, KYPAY (K5), with a boomerang structure, was developed to inhibit the interaction between ACE2 and the S protein by attaching to the ACE2 ligand-binding domain (LBD). The inhibition property of K5 was evaluated via molecular simulations, cell experiments, and adsorption kinetics analysis. The molecular simulations showed that K5 had a high affinity for ACE2 but a low affinity for the cell membrane. The umbrella sampling (US) simulations revealed a significant enhancement in the binding potential of this functional peptide to ACE2. The fluorescence microscopy and cytotoxicity experiments showed that K5 effectively prevented the interaction between ACE2 and the S protein without causing any noticeable harm to cells. Further flow cytometry research indicated that K5 successfully hindered the interaction between ACE2 and the S protein, resulting in 78% inhibition at a concentration of 100 μM. This work offers an innovative perspective on the development of functional peptides for the prevention and therapy of SARS-CoV-2.
考虑到严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2(SARS-CoV-2)的高进化率和极大危害性,开发新的药理学拮抗剂迫在眉睫。人血管紧张素转换酶 2(ACE2)是 SARS-CoV-2 刺突蛋白(S 蛋白)的主要受体。因此,设计了一种具有回飞镖结构的新型功能肽 KYPAY(K5),通过附着在 ACE2 的配体结合域(LBD)上来抑制 ACE2 和 S 蛋白之间的相互作用。通过分子模拟、细胞实验和吸附动力学分析评估了 K5 的抑制特性。分子模拟表明,K5 与 ACE2 具有高亲和力,而与细胞膜的亲和力较低。伞状采样(US)模拟显示,这种功能肽与 ACE2 的结合势显著增强。荧光显微镜和细胞毒性实验表明,K5 能有效阻止 ACE2 和 S 蛋白之间的相互作用,而对细胞没有造成明显的伤害。进一步的流式细胞术研究表明,K5 能成功抑制 ACE2 和 S 蛋白之间的相互作用,在 100μM 的浓度下抑制率达到 78%。这项工作为开发预防和治疗 SARS-CoV-2 的功能肽提供了新的视角。