title: Unexpected similarity between the cytosolic West Nile virus NS3 and the secretory furin-like serine proteinases.
abstract: Many viral proteins undergo proteolytic processing events that are required for virus infection and virion assembly. In this issue of Biochemical Journal, Strongin and co-workers report that the NS3 protease from West Nile virus unexpectedly cleaves certain substrates at pairs of basic residues, a specificity that resembles that of the furin-like PCs (proprotein convertases). This led to the demonstration that furin/PC inhibitors containing poly(D-arginine) are also potent inhibitors of NS3, and that anthrax toxin protective antigen and myelin basic protein are potential NS3 substrates. Structural modelling based on Dengue virus NS3 provided a possible rationale for the observed cleavage specificity of West Nile virus NS3.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemical Neuroendocrinology, Clinical Research Institute of Montreal, 110 Pine Ave West, Montreal, QC, H2W 1R7, Canada. seidahn@ircm.qc.ca
authors.forename: Nabil G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Seidah
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D003600:Cytosol / Q000201:enzymology*; D045683:Furin / Q000378:metabolism*; D020365:RNA Helicases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000201:enzymology*; D043583:Nucleoside-Triphosphatase; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D000085242:Viral Proteases
chemical_list: D045683:Furin; D020365:RNA Helicases; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; C060028:NS3 protein, flavivirus; D043583:Nucleoside-Triphosphatase; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D000085242:Viral Proteases