title: The phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate 5-kinase inhibitor apilimod blocks filoviral entry and infection.
abstract: Phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate 5-kinase (PIKfyve) is a lipid kinase involved in endosome maturation that emerged from a haploid genetic screen as being required for Ebola virus (EBOV) infection. Here we analyzed the effects of apilimod, a PIKfyve inhibitor that was reported to be well tolerated in humans in phase 2 clinical trials, for its effects on entry and infection of EBOV and Marburg virus (MARV). We first found that apilimod blocks infections by EBOV and MARV in Huh 7, Vero E6 and primary human macrophage cells, with notable potency in the macrophages (IC50, 10 nM). We next observed that similar doses of apilimod block EBOV-glycoprotein-virus like particle (VLP) entry and transcription-replication competent VLP infection, suggesting that the primary mode of action of apilimod is as an entry inhibitor, preventing release of the viral genome into the cytoplasm to initiate replication. After providing evidence that the anti-EBOV action of apilimod is via PIKfyve, we showed that it blocks trafficking of EBOV VLPs to endolysosomes containing Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1), the intracellular receptor for EBOV. Concurrently apilimod caused VLPs to accumulate in early endosome antigen 1-positive endosomes. We did not detect any effects of apilimod on bulk endosome acidification, on the activity of cathepsins B and L, or on cholesterol export from endolysosomes. Hence by antagonizing PIKfyve, apilimod appears to block EBOV trafficking to its site of fusion and entry into the cytoplasm. Given the drug's observed anti-filoviral activity, relatively unexplored mechanism of entry inhibition, and reported tolerability in humans, we propose that apilimod be further explored as part of a therapeutic regimen to treat filoviral infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: Integrated Research Facility, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dyall
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America.|Institute of Molecular Virology and Cell Biology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hoenen
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Alyson B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.affiliation: Integrated Research Facility, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Huanying
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Integrated Research Facility, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Janie Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Integrated Research Facility, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Michelotti
authors.affiliation: Integrated Research Facility, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: William H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Dewey
authors.affiliation: Integrated Research Facility, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Lisa Evans
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: DeWald
authors.affiliation: Integrated Research Facility, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Richard S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.affiliation: Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.affiliation: Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Rajarshi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Guha
authors.affiliation: Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Carleen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Klumpp-Thomas
authors.affiliation: Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Crystal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McKnight
authors.affiliation: Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Yu-Chi
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.affiliation: Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Integrated Research Facility, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America.|Emerging Viral Pathogens Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Peter B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Jahrling
authors.affiliation: Integrated Research Facility, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Lisa E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Hensley
authors.affiliation: Integrated Research Facility, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Gene G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Olinger
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Judith M
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0532-996X
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: White
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001692:Biological Transport; D002460:Cell Line; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D029043:Ebolavirus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D006835:Hydrazones; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D008264:Macrophages / Q000821:virology; D029024:Marburgvirus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D009025:Morpholines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015739:Nocodazole / Q000494:pharmacology; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; D011743:Pyrimidines; D017312:Toremifene / Q000494:pharmacology; D014227:Triazines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014709:Vero Cells; D053586:Virus Internalization / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D006835:Hydrazones; D009025:Morpholines; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; D011743:Pyrimidines; D014227:Triazines; D017312:Toremifene; C504227:apilimod; D015739:Nocodazole