Scientists are making progress in developing antivirals to manage mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, and Covid-19. The mpox virus has spread to over 100 countries since May 2022 and caused more than 86,900 infections globally. A team from the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB) in Prague has deciphered the structure of the protein methyltransferase from the monkeypox virus. They have prepared substances to block the function of the protein, which may constitute the first step towards creating a new group of antivirals.
The IOCB team believes that this discovery could also apply to diseases caused by other viruses, including Covid-19 induced by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. ‘Our colleagues perfectly combine structural biology and cutting-edge medicinal chemistry. Thanks to that, we are closer to discovering new antivirals,’ said Prof. Jan Konvalinka, the director of IOCB Prague.
The monkeypox virus multiplies in a host cell and needs to recognize its own RNA molecules to defend itself against external attack. The virus adds a cap to its RNA to confuse the human body, which triggers an innate antiviral immunity response in infected cells. Monkeypox symptoms resemble those of smallpox, a disease that has already been eradicated, and until recently, the virus causing it was found only in Central and Western Africa. Its natural reservoirs reside in rodents and primates, and in humans, it can cause a disease with an estimated mortality rate of three to six per cent.
‘Our colleagues perfectly combine structural biology and cutting-edge medicinal chemistry. Thanks to that, we are closer to discovering new antivirals,’ said Prof. Jan Konvalinka, the director of IOCB Prague. The IOCB team has been studying viruses that cause serious diseases for many years. They have previously focused on the Zika virus from the flavivirus group or the SARS-CoV-2 virus from the coronavirus group. The deadly Covid virus has infected over 763 million and claimed more than 6.9 million lives globally.
The spread of the monkeypox virus worldwide has caused concern, and experts, the general population, and public authorities are nervously watching the threat of another global viral pandemic. ‘Native RNA molecules carry a special marker called a cap for easier recognition. An unmarked molecule triggers an innate antiviral immunity response in infected cells. Therefore, viruses try to deceive the human body and, for example, the monkeypox virus confuses it by also adding a cap to its RNA,’ explained Evzen Boura from the IOCB.
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