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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2021.07.26.453805

CIGB-300 synthetic peptide, an antagonist of CK2 kinase activity, as a treatment for Covid-19. A computational biology approach

Miranda, J.·Bringas, R.·de-Cossio, J. F.·Perera, Y.
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Abstract

Drug repositioning became the first choice for treating Covid-19 patients due to the urgent need to deal with the pandemic. Similarities in the hijacking mechanisms used by SARS-CoV-2 and several type of cancer, suggest the repurposing of cancer drugs to treat Covid-19. CK2 kinase antagonists have been proposed for the treatment of cancer. A recent study in cells infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus found a significant CK2 kinase activity, and the use of a CK2 inhibitor showed antiviral responses. CIGB-300, originally designed as an anticancer peptide, is an antagonist of CK2 kinase activity that binds to CK2 phospho-acceptor sites. Recent preliminary results show an antiviral activity of CIGB-300 versus a surrogate model of coronavirus. Here we present a computational biology study that provides evidences at the molecular level of how CIGB-300 might interfere with SARS-CoV-2 life cycle inside infected human cells. First, from SARS-CoV studies, we infer the potential incidence of CIGB-300 in SARS-CoV-2 interference on immune response. Next, from the analysis of multiple Omics data, we propose the action of CIGB-300 since early stage of viral infections perturbing the virus hijacking of RNA splicing machinery. It was also predicted the interference of CIGB-300 in virus-host interactions responsible for the high infectivity and the particular immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Further, we provide evidences of CIGB-300 attenuation of phenotypes related to muscle, bleeding, coagulation and respiratory disorders.

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Miranda, J., Bringas, R., de-Cossio, J. F., Perera, Y.. 2021-07-26. CIGB-300 synthetic peptide, an antagonist of CK2 kinase activity, as a treatment for Covid-19. A computational biology approach. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.26.453805

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