In Silico Structure-Based Design of Antiviral Peptides Targeting the Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus Glycoprotein Gn
Shuo-Feng Yuan,
Lei Wen,
Kenn Ka-Heng Chik,
Jiang Du,
Zi-Wei Ye,
Jian-Li Cao,
Kai-Ming Tang,
Rong-Hui Liang,
Jian-Piao Cai,
Cui-Ting Luo,
Fei-Fei Yin,
Gang Lu,
Hin Chu,
Mi-Fang Liang,
Dong-Yan Jin,
Kwok-Yung Yuen,
Jasper Fuk-Woo Chan
Affiliations
Shuo-Feng Yuan
State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
Lei Wen
State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
Kenn Ka-Heng Chik
State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
Jiang Du
Key Laboratory of Tropical Translational Medicine of Ministry of Education, Hainan Medical University, Haikou 571199, China
Zi-Wei Ye
State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
Jian-Li Cao
State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
Kai-Ming Tang
State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
Rong-Hui Liang
State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
Jian-Piao Cai
State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
Cui-Ting Luo
State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
Fei-Fei Yin
Key Laboratory of Tropical Translational Medicine of Ministry of Education, Hainan Medical University, Haikou 571199, China
Gang Lu
Key Laboratory of Tropical Translational Medicine of Ministry of Education, Hainan Medical University, Haikou 571199, China
Hin Chu
State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
Mi-Fang Liang
Key Laboratory for Medical Virology and National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China
Dong-Yan Jin
School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
Kwok-Yung Yuen
State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
Jasper Fuk-Woo Chan
State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is an emerging tick-borne bunyavirus in Asia that causes severe disease. Despite its clinical importance, treatment options for SFTSV infection remains limited. The SFTSV glycoprotein Gn plays a major role in mediating virus entry into host cells and is therefore a potential antiviral target. In this study, we employed an in silico structure-based strategy to design novel cyclic antiviral peptides that target the SFTSV glycoprotein Gn. Among the cyclic peptides, HKU-P1 potently neutralizes the SFTSV virion. Combinatorial treatment with HKU-P1 and the broad-spectrum viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibitor favipiravir exhibited synergistic antiviral effects in vitro. The in silico peptide design platform in this study may facilitate the generation of novel antiviral peptides for other emerging viruses.
