某小分子群可能预防埃博拉病毒感染
文章来源:未知 文章作者:enread 发布时间:2011-01-20 02:46 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
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Ebola, a virus that causes deadly hemorrhagic fever(出血热) in humans, has no known cure or vaccine1. But a new study by University of Illinois at Chicago scientists has uncovered a family of small molecules3 which appear to bind4 to the virus's outer protein coat and may inhibit5 its entry into human cells. The results are to be published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry and are now online.

Previous studies have shown that small molecules can interfere6 with the Ebola infection process, says Duncan Wardrop, associate professor of chemistry at UIC and corresponding author of the new study. But almost all of these compounds "appear to exert(运用,发挥) their effects by altering the cells' response to the virus once it's entered the cell -- by which time it's too late," he said.

The new findings demonstrate that it is possible for a small molecule2 to bind to the virus before it has a chance to enter the cell and thereby7 prevent infection, he said.

Wardrop collaborated8 with UIC virologist Lijun Rong, who created a screening system that uses a chimeric9(妄想的) HIV-Ebola virus bearing the protein coat of the Ebola virus. The chimera10 looks like Ebola but isn't life-threatening for scientists to work with.

After screening more than 230 candidate compounds, Wardrop and Rong found two molecules that inhibited11 cell entry, but only one that demonstrated specificity for the Ebola virus -- plus a bonus.

"We found that our lead compound also inhibits12 Marburg," Wardrop said, referring to a related virus that, along with Ebola, is one of the deadliest pathogens(病原体) known. "That was a nice surprise. There's growing evidence the two viruses have the same cell-entry mechanism13, and our observations appear to point to this conclusion."

In an effort to find even more potent14 anti-Ebola agents, Wardrop and graduate student Maria Yermolina synthesized a series of derivatives15 of the lead molecule -- a member of a family of compounds called isoxazoles -- and found several that displayed increased activity against Ebola infection. Exactly how and where these small molecules bind to the virus's protein coat is now being determined16 through nuclear magnetic resonance17 spectroscopy(光谱学) , done by Michael Caffrey, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular18 genetics.

While it's too early to predict whether the findings will lead to a new treatment for Ebola or Marburg infections, Wardrop said the positive results so far raise hope. The next step would be to see if small-molecule treatments prove effective in animal models.

The UIC scientists also hope their findings will provide further insight into mechanisms19 the Ebola and Marburg viruses use to enter human cells.

"This knowledge may spur development of new anti-viral agents," Wardrop said.

"From a wider perspective, we're searching for compounds to use as probes to study biological processes. Small molecules which bind to specific proteins and alter their function are invaluable20 to understanding what these proteins do in living cells," he said.



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1 vaccine Ki1wv     
n.牛痘苗,疫苗;adj.牛痘的,疫苗的
参考例句:
  • The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
  • She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。
2 molecule Y6Tzn     
n.分子,克分子
参考例句:
  • A molecule of water is made up of two atoms of hygrogen and one atom of oxygen.一个水分子是由P妈?f婘??妈?成的。
  • This gives us the structural formula of the molecule.这种方式给出了分子的结构式。
3 molecules 187c25e49d45ad10b2f266c1fa7a8d49     
分子( molecule的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
  • Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里,大分子裂变为小分子。
4 bind Vt8zi     
vt.捆,包扎;装订;约束;使凝固;vi.变硬
参考例句:
  • I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
  • He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。
5 inhibit C7jxT     
vt.阻止,妨碍,抑制
参考例句:
  • Don't let ego and greed inhibit clear thinking and hard work.不要让自我和贪婪妨碍清晰的思维和刻苦的工作。
  • They passed a law to inhibit people from parking in the street.他们通过一项法令以阻止人们在街上停车。
6 interfere b5lx0     
v.(in)干涉,干预;(with)妨碍,打扰
参考例句:
  • If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话,可能弊多利少。
  • When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件,棘手的事情就来了。
7 thereby Sokwv     
adv.因此,从而
参考例句:
  • I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市,因此对它不怎么熟悉。
  • He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民,因而得到了投票权。
8 collaborated c49a4f9c170cb7c268fccb474f5f0d4f     
合作( collaborate的过去式和过去分词 ); 勾结叛国
参考例句:
  • We have collaborated on many projects over the years. 这些年来我们合作搞了许多项目。
  • We have collaborated closely with the university on this project. 我们与大学在这个专案上紧密合作。
9 chimeric 29025075f28c6e7a5ff560360ad9f617     
adj.妄想的,荒诞不经的
参考例句:
  • High-intensity-type chimeric hedging may be gas-tight syringe safety connections, never loose. 高强度嵌合式套头,可与针筒安全气密式连接,绝不松脱。 来自互联网
  • His utopia is not as chimeric commonwealth but a practical improvement on what already exists. 他的乌托邦不是空想的联邦,而是对那些已经存在的联邦实际改进。 来自互联网
10 chimera DV3yw     
n.神话怪物;梦幻
参考例句:
  • Religious unity remained as much a chimera as ever.宗教统一仍然和从前一样,不过是个妄想。
  • I am fighting against my chimera.我在与狂想抗争。
11 inhibited Fqvz0I     
a.拘谨的,拘束的
参考例句:
  • Boys are often more inhibited than girls about discussing their problems. 男孩子往往不如女孩子敢于谈论自己的问题。
  • Having been laughed at for his lameness,the boy became shy and inhibited. 那男孩因跛脚被人讥笑,变得羞怯而压抑。
12 inhibits 7fbb1ac5e38d9e83ed670404679a2310     
阻止,抑制( inhibit的第三人称单数 ); 使拘束,使尴尬
参考例句:
  • A small manufacturing sector inhibits growth in the economy. 制造业规模太小有碍经济增长。
  • His bad English inhibits him from speaking freely. 他英语学得不好,这使他不能表达自如。
13 mechanism zCWxr     
n.机械装置;机构,结构
参考例句:
  • The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
  • The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。
14 potent C1uzk     
adj.强有力的,有权势的;有效力的
参考例句:
  • The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
  • We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。
15 derivatives f75369b9e0ef2282b4d10e367e4ee2a9     
n.衍生性金融商品;派生物,引出物( derivative的名词复数 );导数
参考例句:
  • Many English words are derivatives of Latin words. 许多英语词来自拉丁语。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • These compounds are nitrosohydroxylamine derivatives. 这类合成物是亚硝基羟胺衍生物。 来自辞典例句
16 determined duszmP     
adj.坚定的;有决心的
参考例句:
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
17 resonance hBazC     
n.洪亮;共鸣;共振
参考例句:
  • Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments.一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。
  • The areas under the two resonance envelopes are unequal.两个共振峰下面的面积是不相等的。
18 molecular mE9xh     
adj.分子的;克分子的
参考例句:
  • The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms.这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。
  • For the pressure to become zero, molecular bombardment must cease.当压强趋近于零时,分子的碰撞就停止了。
19 mechanisms d0db71d70348ef1c49f05f59097917b8     
n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 );机械装置;[生物学] 机制;机械作用
参考例句:
  • The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
20 invaluable s4qxe     
adj.无价的,非常宝贵的,极为贵重的
参考例句:
  • A computer would have been invaluable for this job.一台计算机对这个工作的作用会是无法估计的。
  • This information was invaluable to him.这个消息对他来说是非常宝贵的。
TAG标签: human virus molecules
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