title: The New High Resolution Crystal Structure of NS2B-NS3 Protease of Zika Virus.
abstract: Zika virus (ZIKV) is the cause of a significant viral disease affecting humans, which has spread throughout many South American countries and has also become a threat to Southeastern Asia. This commentary discusses the article "Crystal structure of unlinked NS2B-NS3 protease from Zika virus" published recently in the journalScienceby Zhang et al. of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. They resolved a 1.58 Å resolution structure of the NS2B-NS3 protease of ZIKV and demonstrated how peptide and non-peptide inhibitors interact with this structure, along with the different conformational states that were observed. This protease crystal structure offers new opportunities for the design and development of novel antiviral drugs used for the treatment and control of ZIKV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Islamia College University, Peshawar 25120, Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa, Pakistan. shahbiochemist@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Syed Lal
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Badshah
authors.affiliation: National Center of Excellence in Physical Chemistry, University of Peshawar, Peshawar 25120, Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa, Pakistan. naeeem64@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Abdul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naeem
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia. yahia@ksu.edu.sa.
authors.forename: Yahia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mabkhot
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D003716:Dengue Virus / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry; D013020:South America; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D000071244:Zika Virus
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases
keywords: Zika virus; inhibitors; microcephaly; non-structural protein; protease