Department of Biotechnology
inStem (Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine)

Structural differences in 3C-like protease (Mpro) from SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2: molecular insights revealed by Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

Publication Type

Journal Article

Date of Publication

November 23, 2022

Journal

Structural chemistry

ISSN

1040-0400

Novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has infected millions of people with thousands of mortalities globally. The main protease (Mpro) is vital in processing replicase polyproteins. Both the CoV’s Mpro shares 97% identity, with 12 mutations, but none are present in the active site. Although many therapeutics and vaccines are available to combat SARS-CoV-2, these treatments may not be practical due to their high mutational rate. On the other hand, Mpro has a high degree of conservation throughout variants, making Mpro a stout drug target. Here, we report a detailed comparison of both the monomeric Mpro and the biologically active dimeric Mpro using MD simulation to understand the impact of the 12 divergent residues (T35V, A46S, S65N, L86V, R88K, S94A, H134F, K180N, L202V, A267S, T285A and I286L) on the molecular microenvironment and the interaction between crucial residues. The present study concluded that the change in the microenvironment of residues at the entrance (T25, T26, M49 and Q189), near the catalytic site (F140, H163, H164, M165 and H172) and in the substrate-binding site (V35, N65, K88 and N180) is due to 12 mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. Furthermore, the involvement of F140, E166 and H172 residues in dimerization stabilizes the Mpro dimer, which should be considered. We anticipate that networks and microenvironment changes identified here might guide repurposing attempts and optimization of new Mpro inhibitors.

Alternate Journal

Struct Chem

PubMed ID

36467259

PubMed Central ID

PMC9686461

Authors

Meet Parmar
Ritik Thumar
Bhumi Patel
Mohd Athar
Prakash C Jha
Dhaval Patel