Fluorogenic in vitro activity assay for the main protease Mpro from SARS-CoV-2 and its adaptation to the identification of inhibitors

Summary: This protocol describes an in vitro fluorogenic assay to measure the proteolytic activity and identify inhibitors of Mpro, the main protease produced by SARS-CoV-2 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). Studies to identify potential inhibitors of Mpro mainly rely on in silico mo...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Julien Ihssen, Greta Faccio, Chunyan Yao, Teja Sirec, Urs Spitz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2021-09-01
Series:STAR Protocols
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666166721004998
Description
Summary:Summary: This protocol describes an in vitro fluorogenic assay to measure the proteolytic activity and identify inhibitors of Mpro, the main protease produced by SARS-CoV-2 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). Studies to identify potential inhibitors of Mpro mainly rely on in silico molecular dynamics simulations or on FRET (Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer) substrates. The protocol is based on an aminomethyl coumarin substrate. High sensitivity, specificity, and an easily detectable fluorescent read-out are the advantages offered by this rapid assay, which allows high throughput screening of new Mpro inhibitors.
ISSN:2666-1667