Repositioning of Furin inhibitors as potential drugs against SARS-CoV-2 through computational approaches.

The recent spread of SARS-CoV-2 has led to serious concerns about newly emerging infectious coronaviruses. Drug repurposing is a practical method for rapid development of antiviral agents. The viral spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 binds to its major receptor ACE2 to promote membrane fusion.

Missense variants weakening a SOX9 phosphodegron linked to odontogenesis defects, scoliosis and other skeletal features.

SOX9 encodes an SRY-related transcription factor critical for chondrogenesis and sex determination among other processes. Loss-of-function variants cause campomelic dysplasia and Pierre Robin Sequence, while both gain- and loss-of-function variants cause disorders of sex development. SOX9 has also been linked to scoliosis and cancers, but variants are undetermined.