Fragment-derived inhibitors of human N-myristoyltransferase block capsid assembly and replication of the common cold virus.
Mousnier, A., Bell, A.S., Swieboda, D.P., Morales-Sanfrutos, J., Perez-Dorado, I., Brannigan, J.A., Newman, J., Ritzefeld, M., Hutton, J.A., Guedan, A., Asfor, A.S., Robinson, S.W., Hopkins-Navratilova, I., Wilkinson, A.J., Johnston, S.L., Leatherbarrow, R.J., Tuthill, T.J., Solari, R., Tate, E.W.(2018) Nat Chem 10: 599-606
- PubMed: 29760414 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-018-0039-2
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
5MU6, 5O48, 5O4V, 5O6H, 5O6J - PubMed Abstract: 
Rhinoviruses (RVs) are the pathogens most often responsible for the common cold, and are a frequent cause of exacerbations in asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis. Here we report the discovery of IMP-1088, a picomolar dual inhibitor of the human N-myristoyltransferases NMT1 and NMT2, and use it to demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition of host-cell N-myristoylation rapidly and completely prevents rhinoviral replication without inducing cytotoxicity. The identification of cooperative binding between weak-binding fragments led to rapid inhibitor optimization through fragment reconstruction, structure-guided fragment linking and conformational control over linker geometry. We show that inhibition of the co-translational myristoylation of a specific virus-encoded protein (VP0) by IMP-1088 potently blocks a key step in viral capsid assembly, to deliver a low nanomolar antiviral activity against multiple RV strains, poliovirus and foot and-mouth disease virus, and protection of cells against virus-induced killing, highlighting the potential of host myristoylation as a drug target in picornaviral infections.
Organizational Affiliation: 
National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK.