Activity profiling and crystal structures of inhibitor-bound SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease: A framework for anti-COVID-19 drug design.
Rut, W., Lv, Z., Zmudzinski, M., Patchett, S., Nayak, D., Snipas, S.J., El Oualid, F., Huang, T.T., Bekes, M., Drag, M., Olsen, S.K.(2020) Sci Adv 6
- PubMed: 33067239 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abd4596
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
6WUU, 6WX4 - PubMed Abstract: 
Viral papain-like cysteine protease (PLpro, NSP3) is essential for SARS-CoV-2 replication and represents a promising target for the development of antiviral drugs. Here, we used a combinatorial substrate library and performed comprehensive activity profiling of SARS-CoV-2 PLpro. On the scaffold of the best hits from positional scanning, we designed optimal fluorogenic substrates and irreversible inhibitors with a high degree of selectivity for SARS PLpro. We determined crystal structures of two of these inhibitors in complex with SARS-CoV-2 PLpro that reveals their inhibitory mechanisms and provides a molecular basis for the observed substrate specificity profiles. Last, we demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 PLpro harbors deISGylating activity similar to SARSCoV-1 PLpro but its ability to hydrolyze K48-linked Ub chains is diminished, which our sequence and structure analysis provides a basis for. Together, this work has revealed the molecular rules governing PLpro substrate specificity and provides a framework for development of inhibitors with potential therapeutic value or drug repurposing.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department of Chemical Biology and Bioimaging, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wyb. Wyspianskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland. wioletta.rut@pwr.edu.pl tony.huang@nyulangone.org miklosbekes@icloud.com olsens@uthscsa.edu marcin.drag@pwr.edu.pl.