Influenza A virus, being responsible for seasonal epidemics and reoccurring pandemics, represents a worldwide threat to public health. High mutation rates facilitate the generation of viral escape mutants, rendering vaccines and drugs directed against virus-encoded targets potentially ineffective. In contrast, targeting host cell determinants temporarily dispensable for the host but crucial for virus replication could prevent viral escape. Here we report the discovery of 287 human host cell genes influencing influenza A virus replication in a genome-wide RNA interference (RNAi) screen. Using an independent assay we confirmed 168 hits (59%) inhibiting either the endemic H1N1 (119 hits) or the current pandemic swine-origin (121 hits) influenza A virus strains, with an overlap of 60%. Notably, a subset of these common hits was also essential for replication of a highly pathogenic avian H5N1 strain. In-depth analyses of several factors provided insights into their infection stage relevance. Notably, SON DNA binding protein (SON) was found to be important for normal trafficking of influenza virions to late endosomes early in infection. We also show that a small molecule inhibitor of CDC-like kinase 1 (CLK1) reduces influenza virus replication by more than two orders of magnitude, an effect connected with impaired splicing of the viral M2 messenger RNA. Furthermore, influenza-virus-infected p27(-/-) (cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1B; Cdkn1b) mice accumulated significantly lower viral titres in the lung, providing in vivo evidence for the importance of this gene. Thus, our results highlight the potency of genome-wide RNAi screening for the dissection of virus-host interactions and the identification of drug targets for a broad range of influenza viruses.

alpha-Piperidine-beta-sulfone hydroxamate derivatives were explored that are potent for matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-2, -9, and -13 and are sparing of MMP-1. The investigation of the beta-sulfones subsequently led to the discovery of hitherto unknown alpha-sulfone hydroxamates that are superior to the corresponding beta-sulfones in potency for target MMPs, selectivity vs MMP-1, and exposure when dosed orally. alpha-Piperidine-alpha-sulfone hydroxamate 35f (SC-276) was advanced through antitumor and antiangiogenesis assays and was selected for development. Compound 35f demonstrates excellent antitumor activity vs MX-1 breast tumor in mice when dosed orally as monotherapy or in combination with paclitaxel.

α-Sulfone-α-piperidine and α-tetrahydropyranyl hydroxamates were explored that are potent inhibitors of MMP's-2, -9, and -13 that spare MMP-1, with oral efficacy in inhibiting tumor growth in mice and left-ventricular hypertrophy in rats and in the bovine cartilage degradation ex vivo explant system. α-Piperidine 19v (SC-78080/SD-2590) was selected for development toward the initial indication of cancer, while α-piperidine and α-tetrahydropyranyl hydroxamates 19w (SC-77964) and 9i (SC-77774), respectively, were identified as backup compounds.

The X-ray crystal structure of the dapE-encoded N-succinyl-l,l-diaminopimelic acid desuccinylase from Haemophilus influenzae (HiDapE) bound by the products of hydrolysis, succinic acid and l,l-DAP, was determined at 1.95 Å. Surprisingly, the structure bound to the products revealed that HiDapE undergoes a significant conformational change in which the catalytic domain rotates ∼50° and shifts ∼10.1 Å (as measured at the position of the Zn atoms) relative to the dimerization domain. This heretofore unobserved closed conformation revealed significant movements within the catalytic domain compared to that of wild-type HiDapE, which results in effectively closing off access to the dinuclear Zn(II) active site with the succinate carboxylate moiety bridging the dinculear Zn(II) cluster in a μ-1,3 fashion forming a bis(μ-carboxylato)dizinc(II) core with a Zn-Zn distance of 3.8 Å. Surprisingly, His194.B, which is located on the dimerization domain of the opposing chain ∼10.1 Å from the dinuclear Zn(II) active site, forms a hydrogen bond (2.9 Å) with the oxygen atom of succinic acid bound to Zn2, forming an oxyanion hole. As the closed structure forms upon substrate binding, the movement of His194.B by more than ∼10 Å is critical, based on site-directed mutagenesis data, for activation of the scissile carbonyl carbon of the substrate for nucleophilic attack by a hydroxide nucleophile. Employing the HiDapE product-bound structure as the starting point, a reverse engineering approach called product-based transition-state modeling provided structural models for each major catalytic step. These data provide insight into the catalytic reaction mechanism and also the future design of new, potent inhibitors of DapE enzymes.

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