A molecularly engineered antiviral banana lectin inhibits fusion and is efficacious against influenza virus infection in vivo.

ABSTRACT: There is a strong need for a new broad-spectrum antiinfluenza therapeutic, as vaccination and existing treatments are only moderately effective. We previously engineered a lectin, H84T banana lectin (H84T), to retain broad-spectrum activity against multiple influenza strains, including pandemic and avian, while largely eliminating the potentially harmful mitogenicity of the parent compound. The amino acid mutation at position 84 from histidine to threonine minimizes the mitogenicity of the wild-type lectin while maintaining antiinfluenza activity in vitro. We now report that in a lethal mouse model H84T is indeed nonmitogenic, and both early and delayed therapeutic administration of H84T intraperitoneally are highly protective, as is H84T administered subcutaneously. Mechanistically, attac

SUBMITTER: Coves-Datson EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6995028 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature