Q1 · CROSS-FIELD
ArticleOA
Author: Sanada, Takahiro ; Kawaoka, Yoshihiro ; Ishigaki, Hirohito ; Shichinohe, Shintaro ; Saito, Makoto ; Yamane, Daisuke ; Sakoda, Yoshihiro ; Ikejiri, Ai ; Tsukiyama-Kohara, Kyoko ; Ogasawara, Kazumasa ; Nakayama, Misako ; Ozawa, Makoto ; Ito, Risa ; Honda, Tomoko ; Kida, Hiroshi ; Yamamoto, Naoki ; Munakata, Tsubasa ; Le, Thi Quynh Mai ; Kohara, Michinori ; Itoh, Yasushi ; Suga, Hiroaki ; Yamaji, Kenzaburo ; Yasui, Fumihiko ; Katoh, Takayuki
AbstractMost anti-influenza drugs currently used, such as oseltamivir and zanamivir, inhibit the enzymatic activity of neuraminidase. However, neuraminidase inhibitor-resistant viruses have already been identified from various influenza virus isolates. Here, we report the development of a class of macrocyclic peptides that bind the influenza viral envelope protein hemagglutinin, named iHA. Of 28 iHAs examined, iHA-24 and iHA-100 have inhibitory effects on the in vitro replication of a wide range of Group 1 influenza viruses. In particular, iHA-100 bifunctionally inhibits hemagglutinin-mediated adsorption and membrane fusion through binding to the stalk domain of hemagglutinin. Moreover, iHA-100 shows powerful efficacy in inhibiting the growth of highly pathogenic influenza viruses and preventing severe pneumonia at later stages of infection in mouse and non-human primate cynomolgus macaque models. This study shows the potential for developing cyclic peptides that can be produced more efficiently than antibodies and have multiple functions as next-generation, mid-sized biomolecules.