A molecularly engineered antiviral banana lectin inhibits fusion and is efficacious against influenza virus infection in vivo
Abstract
There is a pressing need for new antiinfluenza therapeutic agents. We show that a molecularly engineered banana lectin (carbohydrate-binding protein) has broad-spectrum activity against all influenza strains tested, including drug-resistant and currently circulating strains; is safe upon repeated administration in mice; and, moreover, is efficacious at treating lethal influenza infection via clinically pertinent routes of administration. We demonstrate that the lectin binds to the viral hemagglutinin glycoprotein and exerts its primary antiviral effect via inhibition of an early stage of the viral life cycle, viral membrane fusion to the host endosomal membrane. Our findings indicate that this engineered lectin, which has a mechanism of action quite distinct from the presently available agents, has potential as an antiinfluenza agent.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jan 13, 2020
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.1915152117
Entities
People
- Akira Ono
- Auroni Gupta
- David M Markovitz
- Donald F. Smee
- E. Bart Tarbet
- Elke Lipka
- Emily Gitlin
- Evelyn M Covés-Datson
- Jezreel Pantaleón García
- Maureen Legendre
- Scott E. Evans
- Steven R. King
- Susana M. Chan
- Vikram V. Kulkarni
Organizations
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- National Institutes of Health
- University of Michigan
- University of Texas at Austin
- Utah State University