Characterization of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase from Chikungunya virus and discovery of a novel ligand as a potential drug candidate.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is the causative agent of Chikungunya fever, an acute febrile and arthritogenic illness with no effective treatments available. The development of effective therapeutic strategies could be significantly accelerated with detailed knowledge of the molecular components behind CHIKV replication. However, drug discovery is hindered by our incomplete understanding of their main components.

Chalcones from Angelica keiskei (ashitaba) inhibit key Zika virus replication proteins.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a dangerous human pathogen and no antiviral drugs have been approved to date. The chalcones are a group of small molecules that are found in a number of different plants, including Angelica keiskei Koidzumi, also known as ashitaba. To examine chalcone anti-ZIKV activity, three chalcones, 4-hydroxyderricin (4HD), xanthoangelol (XA), and xanthoangelol-E (XA-E), were purified from a methanol-ethyl acetate extract from A.

High-throughput Antiviral Assays to Screen for Inhibitors of Zika Virus Replication.

Antiviral drug discovery requires the development of reliable biochemical and cellular assays that can be performed in high-throughput screening (HTS) formats. The flavivirus non-structural (NS) proteins are thought to co-translationally assemble on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes, forming the replication complex (RC). The NS3 and NS5 are the most studied enzymes of the RC and constitute the main targets for drug development due to their crucial roles in viral genome replication.

Amphipatic molecules affect the kinetic profile of Pseudomonas putida chlorocatechol 1,2-dioxygenase.

Dioxygenases are nonheme iron enzymes that biodegrade recalcitrant compounds, such as catechol and derivatives, released into the environment by modern industry. Intradiol dioxygenases have attracted much attention due to the interest in their use for bioremediation, which has demanded efforts towards understanding their action mechanism and also how to control it. The role of unexpected amphipatic molecules, observed in crystal structures of intradiol dioxygenases, during catalysis has been poorly explored.