1. Characterization of ACTN4 as a novel antiviral target against SARS-CoV-2
- Author
-
Miao Zhu, Fang Huang, Huize Sun, Kunpeng Liu, Zhen Chen, Baocheng Yu, Haojie Hao, Haizhou Liu, Shuang Ding, Xueyan Zhang, Lishi Liu, Kui Zhang, Jierao Ren, Yi Liu, Haibin Liu, Chao Shan, and Wuxiang Guan
- Subjects
Medicine ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 - Abstract
Abstract The various mutations in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pose a substantial challenge in mitigating the viral infectivity. The identification of novel host factors influencing SARS-CoV-2 replication holds potential for discovering new targets for broad-spectrum antiviral drugs that can combat future viral mutations. In this study, potential host factors regulated by SARS-CoV-2 infection were screened through different high-throughput sequencing techniques and further identified in cells. Subsequent analysis and experiments showed that the reduction of m6A modification level on ACTN4 (Alpha-actinin-4) mRNA leads to a decrease in mRNA stability and translation efficiency, ultimately inhibiting ACTN4 expression. In addition, ACTN4 was demonstrated to target nsp12 for binding and characterized as a competitor for SARS-CoV-2 RNA and the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase complex, thereby impeding viral replication. Furthermore, two ACTN4 agonists, YS-49 and demethyl-coclaurine, were found to dose-dependently inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection in both Huh7 cells and K18-hACE2 transgenic mice. Collectively, this study unveils the pivotal role of ACTN4 in SARS-CoV-2 infection, offering novel insights into the intricate interplay between the virus and host cells, and reveals two potential candidates for future anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug development.
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF