A hnRNPA2B1 agonist effectively inhibits HBV and SARS-CoV-2 omicron in vivo

The twenty-first century has already recorded more than ten major epidemics or pandemics of viral disease,including the devastating COVID-19.Novel effective antivirals with broad-spectrum coverage are urgently needed.Herein,we reported a novel broad-spectrum antiviral compound PAC5.Oral administration of PAC5 eliminated HBV cccDNA and reduced the large antigen load in distinct mouse models of HBV infection.Strikingly,oral administration of PAC5 in a hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 omicron(BA.1)infection significantly decreases viral loads and attenuates lung inflammation.Mechanistically,PAC5 binds to a pocket near Asp49 in the RNA recognition motif of hnRNPA2B1.PAC5-bound hnRNPA2B1 is extensively activated and translocated to the cytoplasm where it initiates the TBK1-IRF3 pathway,leading to the production of type I IFNs with antiviral activity.Our results indicate that PAC5 is a novel small-molecule agonist of hnRNPA2B1,which may have a role in dealing with emerging infectious diseases now and in the future.

Striatal CDK5 Regulates Cholinergic Neuron Activation and Dyskinesia-like Behaviors through BK Channels

Disturbance of the cholinergic system plays a crucial role in the pathological progression of neurological diseases that cause dyskinesia-like behaviors.However,the molecular mechanisms underlying this disturbance remain elusive.Here,we showed that cyclin-dependent kinase 5(Cdk5)was reduced in cholinergic neurons of midbrain according to the single-nucleus RNA sequencing analysis.Serum levels of CDK5 also decreased in patients with Parkinson’s disease accompanied by motor symptoms.Moreover,Cdk5 deficiency in cholinergic neurons triggered paw tremors,abnormal motor coordination,and motor balance deficits in mice.These symptoms occurred along with cholinergic neuron hyperexcitability and increases in the current density of large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+channels(BK channels).Pharmacological inhibition of BK channels restrained the excessive intrinsic excitability of striatal cholinergic neurons in Cdk5-deficient mice.Furthermore,CDK5 interacted with BK channels and negatively regulated BK channel activity via phosphorylation of threonine-908.Restoration of CDK5 expression in striatal cholinergic neurons reduced dyskinesia-like behaviors in ChAT-Cre;Cdk5f/f mice.Together,these findings indicate that CDK5-induced phosphorylation of BK channels involves in cholinergic-neuronmediated motor function,providing a potential new therapeutic target for treating dyskinesia-like behaviors arising from neurological diseases.

BOD1 regulates the cerebellar IV/V lobe-fastigial nucleus circuit associated with motor coordination

Cerebellar ataxias are characterized by a progressive decline in motor coordination,but the specific output circuits and underlying pathological mechanism remain poorly understood.Through cell-type-specific manipulations,we discovered a novel GABAergic Purkinje cell(PC)circuit in the cerebellar IV/V lobe that projected to CaMKIIα+neurons in the fastigial nucleus(FN),which regulated sensorimotor coordination.Furthermore,transcriptomics profiling analysis revealed various cerebellar neuronal identities,and we validated that biorientation defective 1(BOD1)played an important role in the circuit of IV/V lobe to FN.BOD1 deficit in PCs of IV/V lobe attenuated the excitability and spine density of PCs,accompany with ataxia behaviors.Instead,BOD1 enrichment in PCs of IV/V lobe reversed the hyperexcitability of CaMKIIα+neurons in the FN and ameliorated ataxia behaviors in L7-Cre;BOD1f/f mice.Together,these findings further suggest that specific regulation of the cerebellar IV/V lobePCs→FNCaMKIIα+circuit might provide neuromodulatory targets for the treatment of ataxia behaviors.