Patel H, Kukol A.. Evolutionary conservation of influenza A PB2 sequences reveals potential target sites for small molecule inhibitors. Virology 2017;509:112-120.
The influenza A basic polymerase protein 2 (PB2) functions as part of a heterotrimer to replicate the viral RNA genome. To investigate novel PB2 antiviral target sites, this work identified evolutionary conserved regions across the PB2 protein sequence amongst all sub-types and hosts, as well as ligand binding hot spots which overlap with highly conserved areas. Fifteen binding sites were predicted in different PB2 domains; some of which reside in areas of unknown function. Virtual screening of ~50,000 drug-like compounds showed binding affinities of up to -10.3kcal/mol. The highest affinity molecules were found to interact with conserved residues including Gln138, Gly222, Ile529, Asn540 and Thr530. A library containing 1738 FDA approved drugs was screened additionally and revealed Paliperidone as a top hit with a binding affinity of -10kcal/mol. Predicted ligands are ideal leads for new antivirals as they were targeted to evolutionary conserved binding sites.
See Also:
Latest articles in those days:
- High-throughput pseudovirus neutralisation maps the antigenic landscape of influenza A/H1N1 viruses 17 hours ago
- Timely vaccine strain selection and genomic surveillance improve evolutionary forecast accuracy of seasonal influenza A/H3N2 17 hours ago
- Evaluation of a Novel Data Source for National Influenza Surveillance: Influenza Hospitalization Data in the National Healthcare Safety Network, United States, September 2021-April 2024 17 hours ago
- Scenarios for pre-pandemic zoonotic influenza preparedness and response 17 hours ago
- Stability of Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus in Milk from Infected Cows and Virus-Spiked Milk 2 days ago
[Go Top] [Close Window]


