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The search for novel therapeutic interventions for viral disease is a challenging pursuit, hallmarked by the paucity of antiviral agents currently prescribed. Targeting of viral proteins has the inextricable challenge of rise of resistance. Safe and effective vaccines are not possible for many viral pathogens. New approaches are required to address the unmet medical need in this area. We undertook a cell-based high-throughput screen to identify leads for development of drugs to treat respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a serious pediatric pathogen. We identified compounds that are potent (nanomolar) inhibitors of RSV in vitro in HEp-2 cells and in primary human bronchial epithelial cells and were shown to act postentry. Interestingly, two scaffolds exhibited broad-spectrum activity among multiple RNA viruses. Using the chemical matter as a probe, we identified the targets and identified a common cellular pathway: the de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway. Both targets were validated in vitro and showed no significant cell cytotoxicity except for activity against proliferative B- and T-type lymphoid cells. Corollary to this finding was to understand the consequences of inhibition of the target to the host. An in vivo assessment for antiviral efficacy failed to demonstrate reduced viral load, but revealed microscopic changes and a trend toward reduced pyrimidine pools and findings in histopathology. We present here a discovery program that includes screen, target identification, validation, and druggability that can be broadly applied to identify and interrogate other host factors for antiviral effect starting from chemical matter of unknown target/mechanism of action.

The mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is a multiprotein signaling complex regulated by oncogenes and tumor suppressors. Outputs downstream of mTORC1 include ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1), eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), and autophagy, and their modulation leads to changes in cell growth, proliferation, and metabolism. Rapamycin, an allosteric mTORC1 inhibitor, does not antagonize equally these outputs, but the reason for this is unknown. Here, we show that the ability of rapamycin to activate autophagy in different cell lines correlates with mTORC1 stability. Rapamycin exposure destabilizes mTORC1, but in cell lines where autophagy is drug insensitive, higher levels of mTOR-bound raptor are detected than in cells where rapamycin stimulates autophagy. Using small interfering RNA (siRNA), we find that knockdown of raptor relieves autophagy and the eIF4E effector pathway from rapamycin resistance. Importantly, nonefficacious concentrations of an ATP-competitive mTOR inhibitor can be combined with rapamycin to synergistically inhibit mTORC1 and activate autophagy but leave mTORC2 signaling intact. These data suggest that partial inhibition of mTORC1 by rapamycin can be overcome using combination strategies and offer a therapeutic avenue to achieve complete and selective inhibition of mTORC1.Mammalian cells have evolved complex signaling networks to regulate and balance anabolic and catabolic processes. A central node in these networks is the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a kinase which senses the availability of nutrients and energy and integrates inputs from growth factors and stress signaling (11,26,46). mTOR is found in two multiprotein complexes, termed mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) and mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2). The two complexes contain common members such as mTOR, GßL, and deptor as well as mTORC1-and mTORC2-specific components such as raptor and rictor, respectively. The function of mTORC2 involves the regulation of cell survival via phosphorylation of Akt (38) and the modulation of actin cytoskeleton dynamics (19). mTORC1, on the other hand, promotes protein synthesis and cell growth by phosphorylating p70 ribosomal S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein-1 (4EBP1) (27). mTORC1 also suppresses the initiation of autophagy presumably through phosphorylation of the Ulk1-mAtg13-FIP200 complex (12,18,20). Autophagy represents a major cellular degradation process that sequesters bulk cytosol into autophagosomes, which then fuse with lysosomes, where acidic hydrolases break down the lumenal content, recycle macromolecules, and provide the cytosol with free fatty acids and amino acids (47). In addition to bulk cytosol, low levels of basal autophagy clear damaged organelles and protein aggregates, thereby maintaining cellular homeostasis. Furthermore, autophagy can be induced by starvation or cytotoxic events to enhance cell survival when growth conditions are unfavorable. Pharmacological activation of autophagy represents an attractive strate...

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Enantioselectivity of Rh(I)-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of dehydroamino acid derivatives and dimethyl itaconate can be enhanced by the appropriate choice of substituents on the aromatic rings of vicinal diarylphosphinites derived from carbohydrates as well as trans-cyclohexane-1,2-diol. For example, the use of phosphinites with electron-donating bis(3,5-dimethylphenyl) groups at phosphorus provide high ee's in these reactions whereas electron-withdrawing aryl substituents decrease the enantioselectivity. In this paper, an attempt is made to clarify the origin of these remarkable electronic effects at two levels. First, crystal structures of a number of precatalysts ([phosphinite](2)Rh(+)[diolefin]X(-)) were determined and their structures were studied in detail to examine the electronic effects, if any, on the ground-state conformations of these molecules. A study of six of these complexes reveals that the gross conformational features of these precatalysts are largely unaffected by electronic effects, which suggests that other explanations have to be sought for the electronic amplification of enantioselectivity. One possibility is a change in the diastereomeric equilibrium between the initially formed [substrate]Rh(+)[phosphinite] complexes as a function of electronic effect of the ligand. In the Rh-catalyzed hydrogenation of dimethyl itaconate, we have examined this equilibrium between the major and minor complexes by (31)P NMR. There is a clear difference in the ratio of these two diastereomers when 3,5-dimethylphenylphosphinite vis-à-vis the unsubstituted diphenylphosphinite is used. Electron-deficient ligands such as 1,2-bis-3,5-diflurophenylphosphinite and 1,2-bis-3,5-bis-trifluromethylphenylphosphinite appear to form these diastereomers more readily at room temperature, even though the exact ratio of the diastereomers could not be established with any certainty.