Why the study?
Targeting commonly mimicked short linear motifs could provide broad-spectrum antivirals to improve the treatment of ongoing and future viral outbreaks.
Targeting SLiM-binding pockets could provide a novel strategy for developing broad-spectrum antivirals against current and future viral outbreaks.
May enable broad-spectrum antivirals via common SLiM targets; leaves open clinical efficacy and translation.
Short linear motif (SLiM)-mediated interactions offer a unique strategy for viral intervention due to their compact interfaces, ease of convergent evolution, and key functional roles. Consequently, many viruses extensively mimic host SLiMs to hijack or deregulate cellular pathways and the same motif-binding pocket is often targeted by numerous unrelated viruses. A toolkit of therapeutics targeting commonly mimicked SLiMs could provide prophylactic and therapeutic broad-spectrum antivirals and vastly improve our ability to treat ongoing and future viral outbreaks. In this opinion article, we discuss the therapeutic relevance of SLiMs, advocating their suitability as targets for broad-spectrum antiviral inhibitors.
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Simonetti et al. (2023) studied this question.
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