tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Peptides
. 2021 Aug 19;170638.
doi: 10.1016/j.peptides.2021.170638. Online ahead of print.
An angiotensin-converting enzyme-2-derived heptapeptide GK-7 for SARS-CoV-2 spike blockade
Songling Han[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Gaomei Zhao[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Zhuanzhuan Wei[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yin Chen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jianqi Zhao[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yongwu He[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ying-Juan He[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jining Gao[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Shilei Chen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Changhong Du[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Tao Wang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Wei Sun[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Yi Huang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Cheng Wang[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Junping Wang[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is a global concern and necessitates efficient drug antagonists. Angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) is the main receptor of SARS-CoV-2 spike 1 (S1), which mediates viral invasion into host cells. Herein, we designed and prepared short peptide inhibitors containing 4-6 critical residues of ACE2 that contribute to the interaction with SARS-CoV-2 S1. Among the candidates, a peptide termed GK-7 (GKGDFRI), which was designed by extracting residues ranging from Gly353 to Ile359 in the ligand-binding domain of ACE2, exhibited the highest binding affinity (25.1 nM) with the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain (RBD). GK-7 bound to the RBD and decreased SARS-CoV-2 S1 attachment to A549 human alveolar epithelial cells. Owing to spike blockade, GK-7 inhibited SARS-CoV-2 spike pseudovirion infection in a dose-dependent manner, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration of 2.96 μg/mL. Inspiringly, pulmonary delivery of GK-7 by intranasal administration did not result in toxicity in mice. This study revealed an easy-to-produce peptide inhibitor for SARS-CoV-2 spike blockade, thus providing a promising candidate for COVID-19 treatment.
Keywords: Angiotensin-converting enzyme-2; Antiviral peptide; Receptor binding domain; SARS-CoV-2; Spike.
. 2021 Aug 19;170638.
doi: 10.1016/j.peptides.2021.170638. Online ahead of print.
An angiotensin-converting enzyme-2-derived heptapeptide GK-7 for SARS-CoV-2 spike blockade
Songling Han[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Gaomei Zhao[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Zhuanzhuan Wei[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yin Chen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jianqi Zhao[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yongwu He[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ying-Juan He[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jining Gao[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Shilei Chen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Changhong Du[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Tao Wang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Wei Sun[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Yi Huang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Cheng Wang[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Junping Wang[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34419496
- DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2021.170638
Abstract
The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is a global concern and necessitates efficient drug antagonists. Angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) is the main receptor of SARS-CoV-2 spike 1 (S1), which mediates viral invasion into host cells. Herein, we designed and prepared short peptide inhibitors containing 4-6 critical residues of ACE2 that contribute to the interaction with SARS-CoV-2 S1. Among the candidates, a peptide termed GK-7 (GKGDFRI), which was designed by extracting residues ranging from Gly353 to Ile359 in the ligand-binding domain of ACE2, exhibited the highest binding affinity (25.1 nM) with the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain (RBD). GK-7 bound to the RBD and decreased SARS-CoV-2 S1 attachment to A549 human alveolar epithelial cells. Owing to spike blockade, GK-7 inhibited SARS-CoV-2 spike pseudovirion infection in a dose-dependent manner, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration of 2.96 μg/mL. Inspiringly, pulmonary delivery of GK-7 by intranasal administration did not result in toxicity in mice. This study revealed an easy-to-produce peptide inhibitor for SARS-CoV-2 spike blockade, thus providing a promising candidate for COVID-19 treatment.
Keywords: Angiotensin-converting enzyme-2; Antiviral peptide; Receptor binding domain; SARS-CoV-2; Spike.