Anti-viral drugs

Question 1

What are viruses?

Answer 1

• Not part of the life domain, but arent dead
• Infect organisms from all domains of life
• Bacteriophages are example: Genetic material surrounded by capsid (Viral DNA/RNA in shell)
• Inject this into other cells, which then leads to more of the viral DNA/RNA being produced leadng to more virus cells.

Question 2

Are they all the same shape?

Answer 2

Different shapes and sizes and store genetic material differently.

• Nucleic acid coated in protein:
  1. DNA viruses – DNA translated into mRNA by host
  2. RNA viruses – RNA acts as copy of mRNA
  3. Retroviruses – DNA copy made of RNA by viral reverse transcriptase – DNA then integrated into host cell

Question 3

What do virus DNA strands actually code for?

Answer 3

Viruses encode a small number of proteins (ca 20-70) that perform specific tasks and hijack host processes for replicaton:

1. Reverse transcriptases
2. Specific proteases
3. Integrases (Integrate gen material into host genome)
4. Structural proteins of capsid
5. Inhib of host systems

Question 4

How can we attack HIV?

Answer 4

We can attack the following areas:

1. Entry process
2. Reverse transcriptase
3. Integration into host DNA
4. Transcription?
5. Protein processing (HIV protease)
6. Assembly of the viron

Question 5

What specifically can we USE to attack HIV?

Answer 5

• Protease inhibitors
• Can use fucion inhibition to prevent HIV from latching onto cells
• Can also block this by blocking the receptor using an antagonist
• (HIV reverse-transcriptase can mutate itself to avoid inhibitors)

Question 6

What are the possible acting points on SARS-CoV-2?

Answer 6

• Target the entry process
• RNA replication
• Protein processing (specific proteases)
• Assembly of the viron

Question 7

Why are compounds that look like nucleotides interesting?

Answer 7

• They inhibit prrof-reading of RNA-replication enzyme

1. Molnupiravir
   * Originally intended as anti-influenza
   * RNA polymerase inhibitor
   * APP 2021

2.Remdesivir
* Broad spectrum antiviral

Question 8

How many total antivaral dugs are there?

Answer 8

• 39

Question 9

Summarise anti viral targeting.

Answer 9

Anti-virals target processes that are essential and specific for life of viruses
* Entry process
* Reverse transcriptase or RNA rep
* Intergration
* Protein processing
* DNA transcription and translation
* Viron assembly

Question 10

Summarise resistance mechanisms

Answer 10

• Mutagenesis
• Evolution-switching entry mechanism

Question 11

Summarise alternative strategies?

Answer 11

• Vaccines