The SARS-CoV-2 M^pro Dimer-Based Screening System: A Synthetic Biology Tool for Identifying Compounds with Dimerization Inhibitory Potential.

ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 endemic remains a global concern. The search for effective antiviral candidates is still needed to reduce disease risk. However, the availability of high biosafety level laboratory facilities for drug screening is limited in number. To address this issue, a screening system that could be utilized at lower biosafety levels remains essential. This study aimed to develop a novel SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M^pro) dimer-based screening system (DBSS) utilizing synthetic biology in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). We linked the SARS-CoV-2 M^pro with the DNA-binding domain of AraC regulatory protein, which regulates the reporter gene expression. Protein modeling and molecular docking showed that saquinavir could bind to AraC-M^pro both in its monomer and

SUBMITTER: Giri-Rachman EA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10877612 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature