9QQV

Structure of the F13 protein of Vaccinia virus in complex with G243-1720

This is a non-PDB format compatible entry.

Summary for 9QQV

• Entry DOI: 10.2210/pdb9qqv/pdb
• Descriptor: Envelope phospholipase OPG057, GLYCEROL, CITRIC ACID, ... (5 entities in total)
• Functional Keywords: poxvirus, phospholipase d, vaccinia virus, viral protein
• Biological source: Vaccinia virus Western Reserve
• Total number of polymer chains: 1
• Total formula weight: 45269.45

Authors

Vernuccio, R.,Guardado-Calvo, P. (deposition date: 2025-04-02, release date: 2025-12-24, Last modification date: 2025-12-31)

Primary citation

Chen, J.,Hu, L.,Vernuccio, R.,Shi, N.,Tian, J.,Zhang, Y.,Tian, S.,Cao, X.,Ha, Z.,Lu, J.,Battini, L.,Raynal, B.,Haouz, A.,Xue, J.,Cai, Q.,Zhao, Y.,Lu, Y.,Smith, G.L.,Xie, Y.,Lu, H.,Guardado-Calvo, P.,Zhang, P.,Zhang, R.
Development of a replication-defective mpox virus platform for fundamental and therapeutic research.
Nat Commun, 2025

PubMed Abstract: The recent global outbreaks of mpox highlight the urgent need for both fundamental research and antiviral development. However, studying the mpox virus (MPXV), with its large and complex genome, remains challenging due to the requirement for high-containment facilities. Here, we describe a strategy for de novo assembly of MPXV clade IIb genomes in bacterial artificial chromosomes using transformation-associated recombination cloning. Leveraging CRISPR-Cas9 and Lambda Red recombination, we engineer replication-defective MPXV particles with dual deletions of OPG96 (M2R) and OPG158 (A32.5 L)-genes essential for virion assembly, that are capable of recapitulating key stages of the viral life cycle. We apply this system to screen a compound library and identify G243-1720, a potent anti-poxvirus inhibitor with broad activity in vitro and in vivo. G243-1720 blocks the formation of extracellular enveloped virions and cell-cell spread. Resistance mutation selection, crystallographic analysis, analytical ultracentrifugation, and mass photometry reveal that, despite its distinct chemical structure, G243-1720 shares a mode of action with tecovirimat, both functioning by affecting dimerization of protein OPG57 (F13). Our findings underscore the potential of G243-1720 as a promising broad-spectrum anti-poxvirus lead compound and demonstrate the utility of replication-defective MPXV particles as a reliable platform for viral biology studies and antiviral development.

PubMed: 41397984
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-67487-w

Experimental method

X-RAY DIFFRACTION (3.4 Å)