High-throughput screening for a SARS-CoV-2 frameshifting inhibitor using a cell-free protein synthesis system

• Published in: BioTechniques Vol. 76; no. 4; pp. 161 - 168
• Main Authors: Machida, Kodai, Tanaka, Rin, Miki, Seraya, Noseda, Shotaro, Yuasa-Sunagawa, Mayumi, Imataka, Hiroaki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Future Science Ltd 01-04-2024; Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: cell-free protein synthesis; drug discovery; programmed-1 ribosomal frameshifting; SARS-CoV-2; screening; SARS-CoV-2; screening; cell-free protein synthesis; drug discovery; programmed-1 ribosomal frameshifting
• ISSN: 0736-6205; 1940-9818
• DOI: 10.2144/btn-2023-0102

Programmed-1 ribosomal frameshifting (-1 PRF) is a translational mechanism adopted by some viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. To find a compound that can inhibit -1 PRF in SARS-CoV-2, we set up a high-throughput screening system using a HeLa cell extract-derived cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) system. A total of 32,000 compounds were individually incubated with the CFPS system programmed with a -1 PRF-EGFP template. Several compounds were observed to decrease the -1 PRF-driven fluorescence, and one of them had some suppressive effect on -1 PRF of a SARS-CoV-2 genome sequence in transfected cells. Thus the CFPS system can be used as a tool for a high-throughput screening of chemicals.