Drug Repurposing for the SARS-CoV-2 Papain-Like Protease.

ABSTRACT: As the pathogen of COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 encodes two essential cysteine proteases that process the pathogen's two large polypeptide products pp1a and pp1ab in the human cell host to form 15 functionally important, mature nonstructural proteins. One of the two enzymes is papain-like protease or PL^Pro . It possesses deubiquitination and deISGylation activities that suppress host innate immune responses toward SARS-CoV-2 infection. To repurpose drugs for PL^Pro , we experimentally screened libraries of 33 deubiquitinase and 37 cysteine protease inhibitors on their inhibition of PL^Pro . Our results showed that 15 deubiquitinase and 1 cysteine protease inhibitors exhibit strong inhibition of PL^Pro at 200 μM. More comprehensive characterizations revealed

SUBMITTER: Cho CC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8653067 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature