[Introduction to the antivirals against Dengue virus].

Dengue virus (DENV) is part of the Flaviviridae family and has been classify by the Word Health Organization (WHO) as one of the top 10 health concerns. It is the most widespread mosquito-borne human disease. Considering the increasing number of severe dengue, the expansion of the vector territory due to climate change and population movement, it is urgent to find a way to counteract the virus.

A broad-spectrum antiviral molecule, QL47, selectively inhibits eukaryotic translation.

Small-molecule inhibitors of translation are critical tools to study the molecular mechanisms of protein synthesis. In this study, we sought to characterize how QL47, a host-targeted, small-molecule antiviral agent, inhibits steady-state viral protein expression. We demonstrate that this small molecule broadly inhibits both viral and host protein synthesis and targets a translation step specific to eukaryotic cells.

Zika virus enhances monocyte adhesion and transmigration favoring viral dissemination to neural cells.

Zika virus (ZIKV) invades and persists in the central nervous system (CNS), causing severe neurological diseases. However the virus journey, from the bloodstream to tissues through a mature endothelium, remains unclear. Here, we show that ZIKV-infected monocytes represent suitable carriers for viral dissemination to the CNS using human primary monocytes, cerebral organoids derived from embryonic stem cells, organotypic mouse cerebellar slices, a xenotypic human-zebrafish model, and human fetus brain samples.

Structure-Activity Relationship Study of QL47: A Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Agent.

Here we report the structure-activity relationship (SAR) investigations of QL-XII-47 (QL47), a compound that possesses broad-spectrum antiviral activity against dengue virus and other RNA viruses. A medicinal chemistry campaign initiated from QL47, a previously reported covalent BTK inhibitor, to derive YKL-04-085, which is devoid of any kinase activity when screened against a panel of 468 kinases and with improved pharmacokinetic properties. Both QL47 and YKL-04-085 are potent inhibitors of viral translation and exhibit cellular antiviral activity at 35-fold lower concentrations relative to inhibition of host-cell proliferation.

Discovery of host-targeted covalent inhibitors of dengue virus.

We report here on an approach targeting the host reactive cysteinome to identify inhibitors of host factors required for the infectious cycle of Flaviviruses and other viruses. We used two parallel cellular phenotypic screens to identify a series of covalent inhibitors, exemplified by QL-XII-47, that are active against dengue virus. We show that the compounds effectively block viral protein expression and that this inhibition is associated with repression of downstream processes of the infectious cycle, and thus significantly contributes to the potent antiviral activity of these compounds.