Download MendeleyCharacterization and applications of a Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus nucleoprotein-specific Affimer: Inhibitory effects in viral replication and development of colorimetric diagnostic tests.
Alvarez-Rodriguez, B., Tiede, C., Hoste, A.C.R., Surtees, R.A., Trinh, C.H., Slack, G.S., Chamberlain, J., Hewson, R., Fresco, A., Sastre, P., Tomlinson, D.C., Millner, P.A., Edwards, T.A., Barr, J.N.(2020) PLoS Negl Trop Dis 14: e0008364-e0008364
- PubMed: 32492018
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0008364
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
6Z0O - PubMed Abstract:
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever orthonairovirus (CCHFV) is one of the most widespread medically important arboviruses, causing human infections that result in mortality rates of up to 60%. We describe the selection of a high-affinity small protein (Affimer-NP) that binds specifically to the nucleoprotein (NP) of CCHFV. We demonstrate the interference of Affimer-NP in the RNA-binding function of CCHFV NP using fluorescence anisotropy, and its inhibitory effects on CCHFV gene expression in mammalian cells using a mini-genome system. Solution of the crystallographic structure of the complex formed by these two molecules at 2.84 Å resolution revealed the structural basis for this interference, with the Affimer-NP binding site positioned at the critical NP oligomerization interface. Finally, we validate the in vitro application of Affimer-NP for the development of enzyme-linked immunosorbent and lateral flow assays, presenting the first published point-of-care format test able to detect recombinant CCHFV NP in spiked human and animal sera.
Organizational Affiliation:
School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom.
