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The papain-like protease (PLpro) plays a critical role in SARS-CoV-2 (SCoV-2) pathogenesis and is essential for viral replication and for allowing the virus to evade the host immune response. Inhibitors of PLpro have great therapeutic potential, however, developing them has been challenging due to PLpro's restricted substrate binding pocket. In this report, we screened a 115 000-compound library for PLpro inhibitors and identified a new pharmacophore, based on a mercapto-pyrimidine fragment that is a reversible covalent inhibitor (RCI) of PLpro and inhibits viral replication in cells. Compound 5 had an IC50 of 5.1 μM for PLpro inhibition and hit optimization yielded a derivative with increased potency (IC50 0.85 μM, 6-fold higher). Activity based profiling of compound 5 demonstrated that it reacts with PLpro cysteines. We show here that compound 5 represents a new class of RCIs, which undergo an addition elimination reaction with cysteines in their target proteins. We further show that their reversibility is catalyzed by exogenous thiols and is dependent on the size of the incoming thiol. In contrast, traditional RCIs are all based upon the Michael addition reaction mechanism and their reversibility is base-catalyzed. We identify a new class of RCIs that introduces a more reactive warhead with a pronounced selectivity profile based on thiol ligand size. This could allow the expansion of RCI modality use towards a larger group of proteins important for human disease.

SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused an ongoing global pandemic with significant mortality and morbidity. At this time, the only FDA-approved therapeutic for COVID-19 is remdesivir, a broad-spectrum antiviral nucleoside analog. Efficacy is only moderate, and improved treatment strategies are urgently needed. To accomplish this goal, we devised a strategy to identify compounds that act synergistically with remdesivir in preventing SARS-CoV-2 replication. We conducted combinatorial high-throughput screening in the presence of submaximal remdesivir concentrations, using a human lung epithelial cell line infected with a clinical isolate of SARS-CoV-2. This identified 20 approved drugs that act synergistically with remdesivir, many with favorable pharmacokinetic and safety profiles. Strongest effects were observed with established antivirals, Hepatitis C virus nonstructural protein 5A (HCV NS5A) inhibitors velpatasvir and elbasvir. Combination with their partner drugs sofosbuvir and grazoprevir further increased efficacy, increasing remdesivir’s apparent potency > 25-fold. We report that HCV NS5A inhibitors act on the SARS-CoV-2 exonuclease proofreader, providing a possible explanation for the synergy observed with nucleoside analog remdesivir. FDA-approved Hepatitis C therapeutics Epclusa® (velpatasvir/sofosbuvir) and Zepatier® (elbasvir/grazoprevir) could be further optimized to achieve potency and pharmacokinetic properties that support clinical evaluation in combination with remdesivir.

Protein translocation across the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane is fundamental for protein sorting and secretion in all kingdoms. Translocation occurs through a protein-conducting channel in the ER membrane, which is formed by Sec61. Targeting of ribosome-nascent chain complexes (RNCs) to Sec61 is mediated by the signal recognition particle (SRP) and its cognate receptor (SR). However, Sec61 has a high affinity for nontranslating ribosomes and it is largely occupied in vivo. We addressed how RNC-SRP complexes can efficiently associate with the rER membrane, although most Sec61 seems to be occupied. We found that the spontaneous dissociation of ribosomes from the ER membrane is extremely slow. Surprisingly, membrane binding of RNC-SRP complexes does not require or cause the dissociation of prebound ribosomes. Instead, RNC-SRP complexes use a Sec61 population for translocation that cannot be bound by nontranslating ribosomes or RNCs alone. Complex formation between RNC-SRP and SR at the ER membrane facilitates the interaction between the RNC and the free Sec61. We have used biochemical and structural approaches to investigate why the free Sec61 fails to be bound by nontranslating ribosomes. Our data suggests that Sec61 is present in two interconvertible forms in the membrane, that are in an equilibrium with each other and provide high-affinity and low-affinity binding sites for ribosomes. The former are quickly occupied, while the latter remain free. The high-affinity binding sites are formed by tetrameric rings of Sec61, which provide several connections that each can break and reform, but together prevent the ribosome from detachment. In contrast, the low-affinity binding sites may correspond to lower oligomeric states of Sec61. Consistent with that, we could capture monomers or dimers of Sec61 bound to eukaryotic ribosomes by electron cryo-microscopy. A ribosome-bound Sec61 dimer was only observed in presence of a nascent chain, which could indicate that Sec61 oligomerization is induced by translocation of a nascent chain. We obtained similar results for bacterial ribosome-channel complexes. However, the low-affinity binding site seems to be more abundant in bacterial membranes, which indicates that the prokaryotic equilibrium between low- and high-affinity binding sites is adjusted differently from eukaryotes. 1 We propose a model, in which Sec61 exists in different oligomeric states in the ER membrane. Tetrameric Sec61 provides a high-affinity binding site for ribosomes and is readily occupied in vivo. Monomeric or dimeric Sec61 is accessible for targeting by the SRP pathway, which facilitates the interaction between RNC and free Sec61. After transfer of the nascent chain into the channel and dissociation of SR and SRP, more Sec61 molecules could be recruited to stabilize the interaction with the translating ribosome. A dynamic oligomerization equilibrium of Sec61 is thus the core of a mechanism that would guarantee efficient protein translocation in vivo.