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Submit Manuscript Volume 32, No 5, May 2022
ISSN: 1001-0602
EISSN: 1748-7838 2018
impact factor 17.848*
(Clarivate Analytics, 2019)
Volume 32 Issue 5, May 2022: 498-500
The P132H mutation in the main protease of Omicron SARS-CoV-2 decreases thermal stability without compromising catalysis or small-molecule drug inhibition
Michael Dominic Sacco1 , Yanmei Hu2 , Maura Verenice Gongora1 , Flora Meilleur3,4 , Michael Trent Kemp1 , Xiujun Zhang1 , Jun Wang2,* , Yu Chen1,*
1Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USADear Editor,
The ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic continues to be a significant threat to global health. First reported in November 2021, the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) is more transmissible and can evade immunity better than previous SARS-CoV-2 variants, fueling an unprecedented surge in cases. To produce functional proteins from its polyprotein, SARS-CoV-2 relies on the cysteine proteases Nsp3/papain-like protease (PLpro) and Nsp5/main protease (Mpro)/3C-like protease to cleave at three and more than 11 sites, respectively.1 Therefore, Mpro and PLpro inhibitors are considered to be one of the most promising SARS-CoV-2 antivirals. On December 22, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for PAXLOVID, a ritonavir-boosted formulation of nirmatrelvir. Nirmatrelvir is a first-in-class orally bioavailable SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitor.2 Thus, the scientific community must vigilantly monitor potential mechanisms of drug resistance, especially because SARS-CoV-2 is naïve to Mpro inhibitors. Mutations have been well identified in variants to this point.3 Notably, Omicron Mpro (OMpro) harbors a single mutation—P132H. In this study, we characterized the enzymatic activity, drug inhibition, and structure of OMpro while evaluating the past and future implications of Mpro mutations.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41422-022-00640-y