Saporin, a Polynucleotide-Adenosine Nucleosidase, May Be an Efficacious Therapeutic Agent for SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Abstract

Saporin, a type I ribosome-inactivating protein from soapwort plant, is a potent protein synthesis inhibitor. Catalytically, saporin is a characteristic N-glycosidase, and it depurinates a specific adenine residue from a universally conserved loop of the major ribosomal RNA (rRNA) of eukaryotic cells. It is well-known that saporin induces apoptosis through different pathways, including ribotoxic stress response, cell signal transduction, genomic DNA fragmentation and RNA abasic lyase (RAlyase) activity, and NAD+ depletion by poly-(ADP)-ribose polymerase hyperactivation. Saporin's high enzymatic activity, high stability, and resistance to conjugation procedures make it a well-suited tool for immunotherapy approaches.In the present study, we focus on saporin-based targeted toxins that may be efficacious therapeutic agents for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Our discussed points suggest that saporin may be a strategic molecule for therapeutic knockout treatments and a powerful candidate for novel drugs in the struggle against coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

• Authors: Idris Arslan, Hafize Akgul, Murat Kara
• Journal: SLAS discovery : advancing life sciences R & D (SLAS Discov) Vol. 26 Issue 3 Pg. 330-335 (03 2021) ISSN: 2472-5560 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 33155515 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Antiviral Agents
• Immunotoxins
• NAD
• Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases
• Saporins

Topics

• Antiviral Agents (chemistry, pharmacology)
• Apoptosis (drug effects)
• Humans
• Immunotoxins (chemistry, pharmacology)
• NAD (metabolism)
• Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases (metabolism)
• Saporins (chemistry, pharmacology)
• Signal Transduction (drug effects)
• COVID-19 Drug Treatment