Discovery of New Potent anti-MERS CoV Fusion Inhibitors

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), capable of zoonotic transmission, has been associated with emerging viral pneumonia in humans. In this study, a set of highly potent peptides were designed to prevent MERS-CoV fusion through competition with heptad repeat domain 2 (HR2) at its HR1 binding site. We designed eleven peptides with stronger estimated HR1 binding affinities than the wild-type peptide to prevent viral fusion with the cell membrane. Eight peptides showed strong inhibition of spike-mediated MERS-CoV cell-cell fusion with IC50 values in the nanomolar range (0.25-2.3 mu M). Peptides #4-6 inhibited 95-98.3% of MERS-CoV plaque formation. Notably, peptide four showed strong inhibition of MERS-CoV plaques formation with EC50 = 0.302 mu M. All peptides demonstrated safe profiles without cytotoxicity up to a concentration of 10 mu M, and this cellular safety, combined with their anti-MERS-CoV antiviral activity, indicate all peptides can be regarded as potential promising antiviral agents.

Automated summary

A highly potent set of peptides was designed to prevent MERS-CoV fusion through competition with HR2 at its HR1 binding site. These peptides demonstrated strong inhibition of MERS-CoV cell-cell fusion and plaque formation, with no cytotoxic effects at high concentrations, suggesting their potential as promising antiviral agents.