Emergence and molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 and HIV to target host cells and potential therapeutics

Abstract

The emergence of a new coronavirus, in around late December 2019 which had first been reported in Wuhan, China has now developed into a massive threat to global public health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has named the disease caused by the virus as COVID-19 and the virus which is the culprit was renamed from the initial novel respiratory 2019 coronavirus to SARS-CoV-2. The person-to-person transmission of this virus is ongoing despite drastic public health mitigation measures such as social distancing and movement restrictions implemented in most countries. Understanding the source of such an infectious pathogen is crucial to develop a means of avoiding transmission and further to develop therapeutic drugs and vaccines. To identify the etiological source of a novel human pathogen is a dynamic process that needs comprehensive and extensive scientific validations, such as observed in the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases. In this context, this review is devoted to understanding the taxonomic characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 and HIV. Herein, we discuss the emergence and molecular mechanisms of both viral infections. Nevertheless, no vaccine or therapeutic drug is yet to be approved for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2, although it is highly likely that new effective medications that target the virus specifically will take years to establish. Therefore, this review reflects the latest repurpose of existing antiviral therapeutic drug choices available to combat SARS-CoV-2.

Biochemical and biophysical characterization of the main protease, 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro) from the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV 2

“…However, the presence of salts and especially divalent metal cations destabilized the thermodynamic stability of 3CLpro with no effect observed upon increasing the ionic strength. Due to the high structural similarity of 3CL proteases of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 may be reasoned for the screening and identification of inhibitors of 3CLpro to be used in the development of new antiviral therapeutics to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 3,7,13,15,16,18 . The biochemical and biophysical properties explored here would facilitate the setup of optimum conditions for the 3CLpro enzymatic assay.…”

SARS-CoV-2 Portrayed against HIV: Contrary Viral Strategies in Similar Disguise

“…Based on such findings and due to the similarities of potential HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 drug targets, especially the proteases, a repurposing of anti-HIV-1 drugs was initiated early in the pandemic. However, antiretroviral drugs exhibited only moderate effects against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro and had no efficacy in clinical trials [ 1 , 609 , 610 , 611 , 612 , 613 ].…”

SARS-CoV-2 Portrayed Against HIV: Contrary Viral Strategies in Similar Disguise

“…Based on such findings and due to the similarities of potential HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 drug targets, especially the proteases, a repurposing of anti-HIV-1 drugs was initiated early in the pandemic. However, antiretroviral drugs exhibited only moderate effects against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro and had no efficacy in clinical trials [1,[609][610][611][612][613].…”