Susceptibility and Resistance of SARS-CoV-2 Variants to LCB1 and Its Multivalent Derivatives

Bibliographic Details
Title: Susceptibility and Resistance of SARS-CoV-2 Variants to LCB1 and Its Multivalent Derivatives
Authors: Hongliang Jin, Yani Gong, Lin Cheng, Yuanmei Zhu, Zheng Zhang, Yuxian He
Source: Viruses, Vol 16, Iss 1, p 36 (2023)
Publisher Information: MDPI AG, 2023.
Publication Year: 2023
Collection: LCC:Microbiology
Subject Terms: SARS-CoV-2, receptor binding motif (RBM), LCB1, multivalent inhibitor, drug resistance, Microbiology, QR1-502
More Details: LCB1 is a computationally designed three-helix miniprotein that precisely targets the spike (S) receptor-binding motif (RBM) of SARS-CoV-2, exhibiting remarkable antiviral efficacy; however, emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants could substantially compromise its neutralization effectiveness. In this study, we constructed two multivalent LCB1 fusion proteins termed LCB1T and LCB1T-Fc, and characterized their potency in inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus and authentic virus in vitro. In the inhibition of various SARS-CoV-2 variants, the two LCB1 fusion proteins exhibited markedly improved inhibitory activities compared to LCB1 as anticipated; however, it was observed that relative to the D614G mutation hosting variant, the variants Delta, Lambda, and Omicron BQ.1.1, XBB, XBB.1.5, and EG.5.1 caused various degrees of resistance to the two fusion proteins’ inhibition, with XBB, XBB.1.5, and EG.5.1 variants showing high-level resistance. Moreover, we demonstrated that bat coronavirus RaTG13 and pangolin coronavirus PCoV-GD/PCoV-GX were highly sensitive to two LCB1 fusion proteins, but not LCB1, inhibition. Importantly, our findings revealed a notable decrease in the blocking capacity of the multivalent LCB1 inhibitor on the interaction between the virus’s RBD/S and the cell receptor ACE2 when confronted with the XBB variant compared to WT and the Omicron BA.1 variant. In conclusion, our studies provide valuable insights into the antiviral profiling of multivalent LCB1 inhibitors and offer a promising avenue for the development of novel broad-spectrum antiviral therapeutics.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 1999-4915
Relation: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/16/1/36; https://doaj.org/toc/1999-4915
DOI: 10.3390/v16010036
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/3441ed4d6ee34825aa02d1ceb91bb797
Accession Number: edsdoj.3441ed4d6ee34825aa02d1ceb91bb797
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
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More Details
ISSN:19994915
DOI:10.3390/v16010036
Published in:Viruses
Language:English