SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 Exoribonuclease Removes the Natural Antiviral 3′-Deoxy-3′,4′-didehydro-cytidine Nucleotide from RNA
The on-going global pandemic of COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2, which features a proofreading mechanism to facilitate the replication of its large RNA genome. The 3′-to-5′ exoribonuclease (ExoN) activity of SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 14 (nsp14) removes nucleotides misincorporated during RNA...
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2022-08-01
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author | Nicholas H. Moeller Kellan T. Passow Daniel A. Harki Hideki Aihara |
author_facet | Nicholas H. Moeller Kellan T. Passow Daniel A. Harki Hideki Aihara |
author_sort | Nicholas H. Moeller |
collection | DOAJ |
description | The on-going global pandemic of COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2, which features a proofreading mechanism to facilitate the replication of its large RNA genome. The 3′-to-5′ exoribonuclease (ExoN) activity of SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 14 (nsp14) removes nucleotides misincorporated during RNA synthesis by the low-fidelity viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and thereby compromises the efficacy of antiviral nucleoside/nucleotide analogues. Here we show biochemically that SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 can excise the natural antiviral chain-terminating nucleotide, 3′-deoxy-3′,4′-didehydro-cytidine 5′-monophosphate (ddhCMP), incorporated by RdRp at the 3′ end of an RNA strand. Nsp14 ExoN processes an RNA strand terminated with ddhCMP more efficiently than that with a non-physiological chain terminator 3′-deoxy-cytidine monophosphate (3′-dCMP), whereas RdRp is more susceptible to chain termination by 3′-dCTP than ddhCTP. These results suggest that nsp14 ExoN could play a role in protecting SARS-CoV-2 from ddhCTP, which is produced as part of the innate immune response against viral infections, and that the SARS-CoV-2 enzymes may have adapted to minimize the antiviral effect of ddhCTP. |
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issn | 1999-4915 |
language | English |
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spelling | doaj.art-972751b4ffcf4df18b9fb7aef07a33e92023-12-03T14:39:35ZengMDPI AGViruses1999-49152022-08-01148179010.3390/v14081790SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 Exoribonuclease Removes the Natural Antiviral 3′-Deoxy-3′,4′-didehydro-cytidine Nucleotide from RNANicholas H. Moeller0Kellan T. Passow1Daniel A. Harki2Hideki Aihara3Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USADepartment of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USAInstitute for Molecular Virology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USADepartment of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USAThe on-going global pandemic of COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2, which features a proofreading mechanism to facilitate the replication of its large RNA genome. The 3′-to-5′ exoribonuclease (ExoN) activity of SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 14 (nsp14) removes nucleotides misincorporated during RNA synthesis by the low-fidelity viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and thereby compromises the efficacy of antiviral nucleoside/nucleotide analogues. Here we show biochemically that SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 can excise the natural antiviral chain-terminating nucleotide, 3′-deoxy-3′,4′-didehydro-cytidine 5′-monophosphate (ddhCMP), incorporated by RdRp at the 3′ end of an RNA strand. Nsp14 ExoN processes an RNA strand terminated with ddhCMP more efficiently than that with a non-physiological chain terminator 3′-deoxy-cytidine monophosphate (3′-dCMP), whereas RdRp is more susceptible to chain termination by 3′-dCTP than ddhCTP. These results suggest that nsp14 ExoN could play a role in protecting SARS-CoV-2 from ddhCTP, which is produced as part of the innate immune response against viral infections, and that the SARS-CoV-2 enzymes may have adapted to minimize the antiviral effect of ddhCTP.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/8/1790SARS-CoV-2nsp14proofreadingchain terminatorddhCTPRNA-dependent RNA polymerase |
spellingShingle | Nicholas H. Moeller Kellan T. Passow Daniel A. Harki Hideki Aihara SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 Exoribonuclease Removes the Natural Antiviral 3′-Deoxy-3′,4′-didehydro-cytidine Nucleotide from RNA Viruses SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 proofreading chain terminator ddhCTP RNA-dependent RNA polymerase |
title | SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 Exoribonuclease Removes the Natural Antiviral 3′-Deoxy-3′,4′-didehydro-cytidine Nucleotide from RNA |
title_full | SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 Exoribonuclease Removes the Natural Antiviral 3′-Deoxy-3′,4′-didehydro-cytidine Nucleotide from RNA |
title_fullStr | SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 Exoribonuclease Removes the Natural Antiviral 3′-Deoxy-3′,4′-didehydro-cytidine Nucleotide from RNA |
title_full_unstemmed | SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 Exoribonuclease Removes the Natural Antiviral 3′-Deoxy-3′,4′-didehydro-cytidine Nucleotide from RNA |
title_short | SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 Exoribonuclease Removes the Natural Antiviral 3′-Deoxy-3′,4′-didehydro-cytidine Nucleotide from RNA |
title_sort | sars cov 2 nsp14 exoribonuclease removes the natural antiviral 3 deoxy 3 4 didehydro cytidine nucleotide from rna |
topic | SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 proofreading chain terminator ddhCTP RNA-dependent RNA polymerase |
url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/8/1790 |
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