Special Issue "Viral Entry Inhibitors"

Guest Editor
Dr. Asim Kumar Debnath
Head, Laboratory of Molecular Modeling & Drug Design, Member, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, 310 E 67th Street, New York, NY 10065, USA
Website: http://www.nybloodcenter.org/Molecular-Modeling-Drug-Design.do?sid0=76&page_id=259
E-Mail: ADebnath@NYBloodCenter.org
Phone: +(212) 570 3373
Fax: +(212) 570 3168

Dear Colleagues,

Virus entry into host cells is the earliest step in a productive infection process for both enveloped and non-enveloped viruses. The mechanism of virus entry of enveloped viruses has been studied quite extensively and two drugs targeted to the entry pathway of HIV-1 have been approved by the US FDA. Many more inhibitors are currently being studied to inhibit HIV-1 entry. However, the entry process of non-enveloped viruses is poorly understood. In this special issue, we hope to capture the recent developments in our understanding of the entry mechanism of both enveloped and non-enveloped viruses and their inhibition.

Dr. Asim Kumar Debnath
Guest Editor

Submission

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• virus entry
• enveloped and non-enveloped viruses
• entry inhibitors
• fusion inhibitors
• mechanism of virus entry
• pathogenesis
• drug-resistance

Type of Paper: Review
Title: New and Promising Developments in the Inhibition of Hepatitis C Virus Entry
Authors: Julie Blaising ¹, Claire Gondeau ² and Eve-Isabelle Pécheur ^1,*
Affiliations : ¹ UMR INSERM 1052 / CNRS 5286, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France; ² INSERM U1040, Institut de Recherche en Biothérapie, Hôpital St Eloi, Montpellier, France ; * Corresponding author. E-mail : eve-isabelle.pecheur@inserm.fr
Abstract: Cell entry of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an attractive target for therapeutic intervention, with opportunities to prevent multiple virus-receptor interactions and inhibit viral fusion. Entry inhibitors could restrict viral spreading, prevent re-infection of the liver graft in patients undergoing transplantation and complement viral replication inhibitors currently used or under development. In this review we will provide an update on recently described molecules targeting one or several stages of HCV entry, and analyze their molecular mechanisms of action. Emphasis will be given to bioactive compounds from botanical extracts. Finally we will describe the use of human primary hepatocytes as a valuable and relevant cell model to screen antiviral drugs against HCV.

Type of Paper: Article
Title: Diverse Entry Strategies of Viruses in the Reoviridae: Insights from Structural Studies
Author: Z. Hong Zhou ^1,2
Affiliations: ¹ Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics; ² California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI); University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA),Los Angeles, CA 90095-7364, USA
Abstract: Viruses in the Reoviridae family are non-enveloped, dsRNA viruses that infect plants, insects, and animals, including humans. Despite of sharing a similar inner core, these viruses have striking differences in their overall architectures – most with triple shells, some with double shells and the simplest with only a single shell.  Three-dimensional structures of several representative members of this diverse family of viruses and their cell attachment protein with sialic acids are now available at atomic or near-atomic resolutions. These structures reveal drastic differences in the outermost shells, but great similarities in their innermost protein shells among these viruses.  Comparisons of atomic models of these viruses point to divergent mechanisms employed by these viruses to infect very different hosts, while maintaining a similar core structure to perform their conserved function of RNA transcription and replication.