A Novel, Broad-Acting Peptide Inhibitor of Double-Stranded DNA Virus Gene Expression and Replication

Zsolt Ruzsics; Katja Hoffmann; André Riedl; Adalbert Krawczyk; Marek Widera; Helene Sertznig; Leonie Schipper; Valeria Kapper-Falcone; Monika Debreczeny; Wolfgang Ernst; Reingard Grabherr; Hartmut Hengel; Hanna Harant

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2020.601555

A Novel, Broad-Acting Peptide Inhibitor of Double-Stranded DNA Virus Gene Expression and Replication

Front Microbiol. 2020 Nov 17:11:601555. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.601555. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Zsolt Ruzsics^{1

2

3}, Katja Hoffmann^{1

2}, André Riedl^{1

2}, Adalbert Krawczyk^{4

5}, Marek Widera^{5

6}, Helene Sertznig⁵, Leonie Schipper⁵, Valeria Kapper-Falcone^{1

2

3}, Monika Debreczeny⁷, Wolfgang Ernst⁸, Reingard Grabherr⁸, Hartmut Hengel^{1

2

3}, Hanna Harant⁹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Virology, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
² Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
³ German Consulting Laboratory for HSV and VZV, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
⁴ Department of Infectious Diseases, West German Centre of Infectious Diseases, Universitätsmedizin Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
⁵ Institute for Virology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
⁶ Institute of Medical Virology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany.
⁷ VIBT Imaging Center, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
⁸ Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
⁹ Pivaris BioScience GmbH, Vienna, Austria.

Abstract

Viral infections are a global disease burden with only a limited number of antiviral agents available. Due to newly emerging viral pathogens and increasing occurrence of drug resistance, there is a continuous need for additional therapeutic options, preferably with extended target range. In the present study, we describe a novel antiviral peptide with broad activity against several double-stranded DNA viruses. The 22-mer peptide TAT-I24 potently neutralized viruses such as herpes simplex viruses, adenovirus type 5, cytomegalovirus, vaccinia virus, and simian virus 40 in cell culture models, while being less active against RNA viruses. The peptide TAT-I24 therefore represents a novel and promising drug candidate for use against double-stranded DNA viruses.

Keywords: adenovirus; antiviral peptide; cytomegalovirus; herpes simplex virus; polyomavirus.