The Scorpion Venom Peptide Smp76 Inhibits Viral Infection by Regulating Type-I Interferon Response.

ABSTRACT: Dengue virus (DENV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) have spread throughout many countries in the developing world and infect millions of people every year, causing severe harm to human health and the economy. Unfortunately, there are few effective vaccines and therapies available against these viruses. Therefore, the discovery of new antiviral agents is critical. Herein, a scorpion venom peptide (Smp76) characterized from Scorpio maurus palmatus was successfully expressed and purified in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). The recombinant Smp76 (rSmp76) was found to effectively inhibit DENV and ZIKV infections in a dose-dependent manner in both cultured cell lines and primary mouse macrophages. Interestingly, rSmp76 did not inactivate the viral particles directly but suppressed the established viral infecti

SUBMITTER: Ji Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6335219 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature