Facile access to potent antiviral quinazoline heterocycles with fluorescence properties via merging metal-free domino reactions.

Most of the known approved drugs comprise functionalized heterocyclic compounds as subunits. Among them, non-fluorescent quinazolines with four different substitution patterns are found in a variety of clinically used pharmaceuticals, while 4,5,7,8-substituted quinazolines and those displaying their own specific fluorescence, favourable for cellular uptake visualization, have not been described so far. Here we report the development of a one-pot synthetic strategy to access these 4,5,7,8-substituted quinazolines, which are fluorescent and feature strong antiviral properties (EC50 down to 0.6±0.1 µM) against human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). Merging multistep domino processes in one-pot under fully metal-free conditions leads to sustainable, maximum efficient and high-yielding organic synthesis. Furthermore, generation of artesunic acid-quinazoline hybrids and their application against HCMV (EC50 down to 0.1±0.0 µM) is demonstrated. Fluorescence of new antiviral hybrids and quinazolines has potential applications in molecular imaging in drug development and mechanistic studies, avoiding requirement of linkage to external fluorescent markers.

Inhibitors of dual-specificity tyrosine phosphorylation-regulated kinases (DYRK) exert a strong anti-herpesviral activity.

Infection with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a serious medical problem, particularly in immunocompromised individuals and neonates. The success of (val)ganciclovir therapy is hampered by low drug compatibility and induction of viral resistance. A novel strategy of antiviral treatment is based on the exploitation of cell-directed signaling, e. g. pathways with a known relevance for carcinogenesis and tumor drug development. Here we describe a principle for putative antiviral drugs based on targeting dual-specificity tyrosine phosphorylation-regulated kinases (DYRKs). DYRKs constitute an evolutionarily conserved family of protein kinases with key roles in the control of cell proliferation and differentiation. Members of the DYRK family are capable of phosphorylating a number of substrate proteins, including regulators of the cell cycle, e.g. DYRK1B can induce cell cycle arrest, a critical step for the regulation of HCMV replication. Here we provide first evidence for a critical role of DYRKs during viral replication and the high antiviral potential of DYRK inhibitors (SC84227, SC97202 and SC97208, Harmine and AZ-191). Using established replication assays for laboratory and clinically relevant strains of HCMV, concentration-dependent profiles of inhibition were obtained. Mean inhibitory concentrations (EC50) of 0.98 ± 0.08 µM/SC84227, 0.60 ± 0.02 µM/SC97202, 6.26 ± 1.64 µM/SC97208, 0.71 ± 0.019 µM/Harmine and 0.63 ± 0.23 µM/AZ-191 were determined with HCMV strain AD169-GFP for the infection of primary human fibroblasts. A first analysis of the mode of antiviral action suggested a block of viral replication at the early-late stage of HCMV gene expression. Moreover, rhesus macaque cytomegalovirus (RhCMV), varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) showed a similarly high sensitivity to these compounds. Thus, we conclude that DYRK signaling represents a promising target pathway for the development of novel anti-herpesviral strategies.

Synthesis of Novel Hybrids of Quinazoline and Artemisinin with High Activities against Plasmodium falciparum, Human Cytomegalovirus, and Leukemia Cells.

Many quinazoline derivatives have been synthesized over the last few decades with great pharmacological potential, such as antimalarial, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, and antiviral. But so far, no quinazoline-artemisinin hybrids have been reported in the literature. In the present study, five novel quinazoline-artemisinin hybrids were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro biological activity against malarial parasites (Plasmodium falciparum 3D7), leukemia cells (CCRF-CEM and CEM/ADR5000), and human cytomegalovirus. Remarkably, hybrid 9 (EC50 = 1.4 nM), the most active antimalarial compound of this study, was not only more potent than artesunic acid (EC50 = 9.7 nM) but at the same time more active than the clinically used drugs dihydroartemisinin (EC50 = 2.4 nM) and chloroquine (EC50 = 9.8 nM). Furthermore, hybrids 9 and 10 were the most potent compounds with regard to anticytomegaloviral activity (EC50 = 0.15-0.21 µM). They were able to outperform ganciclovir (EC50 = 2.6 µM), which is the relevant standard drug of antiviral therapy, by a factor of 12-17. Moreover, we identified a new highly active quinazoline derivative, compound 14, that is most effective in suppressing cytomegalovirus replication with an EC50 value in the nanomolar range (EC50 = 50 nM). In addition, hybrid 9 exhibited an antileukemia effect similar to that of artesunic acid, with EC50 values in the low micromolar range, and was 45 times more active toward the multidrug-resistant CEM/ADR5000 cells (EC50 = 0.5 µM) than the standard drug doxorubicin.

The Prolyl Isomerase Pin1 Promotes the Herpesvirus-Induced Phosphorylation-Dependent Disassembly of the Nuclear Lamina Required for Nucleocytoplasmic Egress.

The nuclear lamina lines the inner nuclear membrane providing a structural framework for the nucleus. Cellular processes, such as nuclear envelope breakdown during mitosis or nuclear export of large ribonucleoprotein complexes, are functionally linked to the disassembly of the nuclear lamina. In general, lamina disassembly is mediated by phosphorylation, but the precise molecular mechanism is still not completely understood. Recently, we suggested a novel mechanism for lamina disassembly during the nuclear egress of herpesviral capsids which involves the cellular isomerase Pin1. In this study, we focused on mechanistic details of herpesviral nuclear replication to demonstrate the general importance of Pin1 for lamina disassembly. In particular, Ser22-specific lamin phosphorylation consistently generates a Pin1-binding motif in cells infected with human and animal alpha-, beta-, and gammaherpesviruses. Using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we showed that binding of Pin1 to a synthetic lamin peptide induces its cis/trans isomerization in vitro. A detailed bioinformatic evaluation strongly suggests that this structural conversion induces large-scale secondary structural changes in the lamin N-terminus. Thus, we concluded that a Pin1-induced conformational change of lamins may represent the molecular trigger responsible for lamina disassembly. Consistent with this concept, pharmacological inhibition of Pin1 activity blocked lamina disassembly in herpesvirus-infected fibroblasts and consequently impaired virus replication. In addition, a phospho-mimetic Ser22Glu lamin mutant was still able to form a regular lamina structure and overexpression of a Ser22-phosphorylating kinase did not induce lamina disassembly in Pin1 knockout cells. Intriguingly, this was observed in absence of herpesvirus infection proposing a broader importance of Pin1 for lamina constitution. Thus, our results suggest a functional model of similar events leading to disassembly of the nuclear lamina in response to herpesviral or inherent cellular stimuli. In essence, Pin1 represents a regulatory effector of lamina disassembly that promotes the nuclear pore-independent egress of herpesviral capsids.

Cytomegalovirus pUL50 is the multi-interacting determinant of the core nuclear egress complex (NEC) that recruits cellular accessory NEC components.

Nuclear egress of herpesvirus capsids through the nuclear envelope is mediated by the multimeric nuclear egress complex (NEC). The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) core NEC is defined by an interaction between the membrane-anchored pUL50 and its nuclear co-factor pUL53, tightly associated through heterodimeric corecruitment to the nuclear envelope. Cellular proteins, such as p32/gC1qR, emerin and protein kinase C (PKC), are recruited by direct interaction with pUL50 for the multimeric extension of the NEC. As a functionally important event, the recruitment of both viral and cellular protein kinases leads to site-specific lamin phosphorylation and nuclear lamina disassembly. In this study, interaction domains within pUL50 for its binding partners were defined by co-immunoprecipitation. The interaction domain for pUL53 is located within the pUL50 N-terminus (residues 10-169), interaction domains for p32/gC1qR (100-358) and PKC (100-280) overlap in the central part of pUL50, and the interaction domain for emerin is located in the C-terminus (265-397). Moreover, expression and formation of core NEC proteins at the nuclear rim were consistently detected in cells permissive for productive HCMV replication, including two trophoblast-cell lines. Importantly, regular nuclear-rim formation of the core NEC was blocked by inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) activity. In relation to the recently published crystal structure of the HCMV core NEC, our findings result in a refined view of NEC assembly. In particular, we suggest that CDKs may play an important regulatory role in NEC formation during HCMV replication.

The broad-spectrum antiinfective drug artesunate interferes with the canonical nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway by targeting RelA/p65.

Infection with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a serious medical problem, particularly in immunocompromised individuals and neonates. The success of standard antiviral therapy is hampered by low drug compatibility and induction of viral resistance. A novel strategy is based on the exploitation of cell-directed signaling inhibitors. The broad antiinfective drug artesunate (ART) offers additional therapeutic options such as oral bioavailability and low levels of toxic side-effects. Here, novel ART-derived compounds including dimers and trimers were synthesized showing further improvements over the parental drug. Antiviral activity and mechanistic aspects were determined leading to the following statements: (i) ART exerts antiviral activity towards human and animal herpesviruses, (ii) no induction of ART-resistant HCMV mutants occurred in vitro, (iii) chemically modified derivatives of ART showed strongly enhanced anti-HCMV efficacy, (iv) NF-κB reporter constructs, upregulated during HCMV replication, could be partially blocked by ART treatment, (v) ART activity analyzed in stable reporter cell clones indicated an inhibition of stimulated NF-κB but not CREB pathway, (vi) solid-phase immobilized ART was able to bind to NF-κB RelA/p65, and (vii) peptides within NF-κB RelA/p65 represent candidates of ART binding as analyzed by in silico docking and mass spectrometry. These novel findings open new prospects for the future medical use of ART and ART-related drug candidates.

New efficient artemisinin derived agents against human leukemia cells, human cytomegalovirus and Plasmodium falciparum: 2nd generation 1,2,4-trioxane-ferrocene hybrids.

In our ongoing search for highly active hybrid molecules exceeding their parent compounds in anticancer, antimalaria as well as antiviral activity and being an alternative to the standard drugs, we present the synthesis and biological investigations of 2nd generation 1,2,4-trioxane-ferrocene hybrids. In vitro tests against the CCRF-CEM leukemia cell line revealed di-1,2,4-trioxane-ferrocene hybrid 7 as the most active compound (IC50 of 0.01 µM). Regarding the activity against the multidrug resistant subline CEM/ADR5000, 1,2,4-trioxane-ferrocene hybrid 5 showed a remarkable activity (IC50 of 0.53 µM). Contrary to the antimalaria activity of hybrids 4-8 against Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 strain with slightly higher IC50 values (between 7.2 and 30.2 nM) than that of their parent compound DHA, hybrids 5-7 possessed very promising activity (IC50 values lower than 0.5 µM) against human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). The application of 1,2,4-trioxane-ferrocene hybrids against HCMV is unprecedented and demonstrated here for the first time.

A novel CDK7 inhibitor of the Pyrazolotriazine class exerts broad-spectrum antiviral activity at nanomolar concentrations.

Protein kinases represent central and multifunctional regulators of a balanced virus-host interaction. Cyclin-dependent protein kinase 7 (CDK7) plays crucial regulatory roles in cell cycle and transcription, both connected with the replication of many viruses. Previously, we developed a CDK7 inhibitor, LDC4297, that inhibits CDK7 in vitro in the nano-picomolar range. Novel data from a kinome-wide evaluation (>330 kinases profiled in vitro) demonstrate a kinase selectivity. Importantly, we provide first evidence for the antiviral potential of the CDK7 inhibitor LDC4297, i.e., in exerting a block of the replication of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in primary human fibroblasts at nanomolar concentrations (50% effective concentration, 24.5 ± 1.3 nM). As a unique feature compared to approved antiherpesviral drugs, inhibition occurred already at the immediate-early level of HCMV gene expression. The mode of antiviral action was considered multifaceted since CDK7-regulated cellular factors that are supportive of HCMV replication were substantially affected by the inhibitors. An effect of LDC4297 was identified in the interference with HCMV-driven inactivation of retinoblastoma protein (Rb), a regulatory step generally considered a hallmark of herpesviral replication. In line with this finding, a broad inhibitory activity of the drug could be demonstrated against a selection of human and animal herpesviruses and adenoviruses, whereas other viruses only showed intermediate drug sensitivity. Summarized, the CDK7 inhibitor LDC4297 is a promising candidate for further antiviral drug development, possibly offering new options for a comprehensive approach to antiviral therapy.