Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which caused the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, remains a global health concern despite vaccines, neutralizing antibodies, and antiviral drugs. Emerging mutations can reduce the effectiveness of these treatments, suggesting that targeting host cell factors may be a valuable alternative. N-myristoyltransferases (NMT) are essential enzymes for protein N-myristoylation, affecting stability, interaction, localization, and function of numerous proteins. We demonstrate that selective inhibition of host cell NMT decreases SARS-CoV-2 infection by 90% in human lung and primary nasal epithelial cells, and choroid plexus-cortical neuron organoids. NMT inhibition does not affect viral entry, replication or release, but impairs the maturation and incorporation of viral envelope proteins into newly assembled virions, leading to compromised infectivity of released virions. The inhibition of host NMT triggers a Golgi-bypassing pathway for SARS-CoV-2 progeny virion egress, which occurs through endoplasmic reticulum and lysosomal intermediates.
Competing Interest Statement
E.W.T. is a founding director and shareholder of Myricx Pharma Ltd and a named inventor on patents covering NMT inhibitors (WO2017001812A1, PCT/GB2019/053613), is an advisor of and holds share options in Sasmara Therapeutics and receives current or recent funding from Myricx Pharma Ltd, Pfizer Ltd, Kura Oncology, AstraZeneca, Merck & Co. and GSK. W.W.K. and E.W.T. are named inventors on an Imperial College patent covering NMT inhibitors in the treatment of cancer, autoimmune-and inflammatory disorders (WO 2022/090746A1). Other authors declare no competing interests.
Footnotes
Manuscript has been significantly updated with new results and authors.
