Biology subjects

Ozkul, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Ozkul, A..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

A Highly Potent SARS-CoV-2 Blocking Lectin Protein

COVID-19 pandemic effected more than 180 million people around the globe causing more than four million deaths as of July 2021. Sars-CoV-2, the new coronavirus, has been identified as the primary cause of the infection. The number of vaccinated people is increasing however prophylactic drugs are highly demanded to ensure a secure social contact. There have been a number of drug molecules repurposed to fight against Sars-CoV-2, however the proofs for the effectiveness of these drug candidates is limited. Here we demonstrated griffithsin (GRFT), a lectin protein, to block the entry of the Sars-CoV2 into the Vero6 cell lines and IFNAR-/-mouse models by attaching to spike protein of the Sars-CoV-2. Given the current mutation frequency of the Sars-CoV-2 we believe that GRFT protein-based drugs will have a high impact in preventing the transmission both on Wuhan strain as well as any other emerging variants including delta variant causing high speed spread of COVID-19.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2021

High level production and characterization of truncated human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 in Nicotiana benthamiana plant as a potential therapeutic target in COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic, which is caused by SARS-CoV-2 has rapidly spread to more than 222 countries and has put global public health at high risk. The world urgently needs safe, a cost-effective SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus vaccine, therapeutic and antiviral drugs to combat the COVID-19. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), as a key receptor for SARS-CoV-2 infections, has been proposed as a potential therapeutic target in COVID-19 patients. In this study, we report high level production (about [~]0.75 g /kg leaf biomass) of glycosylated and non-glycosylated forms of recombinant human truncated ACE2 in Nicotiana benthamiana plant. The plant produced recombinant human truncated ACE2s successfully bind to the SARC-CoV-2 spike protein, but deglycosylated ACE2 binds more strongly than the glycosylated counterpart. Importantly, both deglycosylated and glycosylated forms of AEC2 stable at elevated temperatures for prolonged periods and demonstrated strong anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vitro. The IC50 values of glycosylated and deglycosylated AEC2 were 0.4 and 24 g/ml, respectively, for the pre-entry infection, when incubated with 100TCID50 of SARS-CoV-2. Thus, plant produced truncated ACE2s are promising cost-effective and safe candidate as a potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2020

Ribavirin shows antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 and downregulates the activity of TMPRSS2 and the expression of ACE2 in vitro

Ribavirin is a guanosine analog and has a broad-spectrum antiviral activity against RNA viruses. Based on this, we aimed to show the anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of this drug molecule via in vitro, in silico and molecular techniques. Ribavirin showed antiviral activity in Vero E6 cells following SARS-CoV-2 infection. In silico analysis suggested that Ribarivin has a broad-spectrum impact on Vero E6 cells. According to the detailed molecular techniques, Ribavirin was shown to decrease TMPRSS2 expression both at mRNA and protein level 48 hours after treatment. The suppressive effect of Ribavirin in ACE2 protein expression was shown to be dependent on cell types. Finally, proteolytic activity assays showed that Ribavirin also showed an inhibitory effect on TMPRSS2 enzyme. As a conclusion, Ribavirin is a potential antiviral drug for the treatment against SARS-CoV-2, and it interferes with the effect of TMPRSS2 and ACE2 expression.

pharmacology and toxicology↗