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<p>The recent global outbreaks of mpox highlight the urgent need for both fundamental research and antiviral development. However, studying the mpox virus (MPXV), with its large and complex genome, remains challenging due to the requirement for high-containment facilities. Here, we describe a strategy for de novo assembly of MPXV clade IIb genomes in bacterial artificial chromosomes using transformation-associated recombination cloning. Leveraging CRISPR-Cas9 and Lambda Red recombination, we engineer replication-defective MPXV particles with dual deletions of <i>OPG96</i> (<i>M2R</i>) and <i>OPG158</i> (<i>A32.5 L</i>)—genes essential for virion assembly, that are capable of recapitulating key stages of the viral life cycle. We apply this system to screen a compound library and identify G243-1720, a potent anti-poxvirus inhibitor with broad activity in vitro and in vivo. G243-1720 blocks the formation of extracellular enveloped virions and cell-cell spread. Resistance mutation selection, crystallographic analysis, analytical ultracentrifugation, and mass photometry reveal that, despite its distinct chemical structure, G243-1720 shares a mode of action with tecovirimat, both functioning by affecting dimerization of protein OPG57 (F13). Our findings underscore the potential of G243-1720 as a promising broad-spectrum anti-poxvirus lead compound and demonstrate the utility of replication-defective MPXV particles as a reliable platform for viral biology studies and antiviral development.</p>

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Development of a replication-defective mpox virus platform for fundamental and therapeutic research

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年12月15日

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  • Jiannan Chen,
  • Liyuan Hu,
  • Riccardo Vernuccio,
  • Ning Shi,
  • Jiaxin Tian,
  • Yuyi Zhang,
  • Sicheng Tian,
  • Xinyu Cao,
  • Zhuo Ha,
  • Jiahan Lu,
  • Leandro Battini,
  • Bertrand Raynal,
  • Ahmed Haouz,
  • Jing Xue,
  • Qiliang Cai,
  • Yiqi Zhao,
  • Yongxu Lu,
  • Geoffrey L. Smith,
  • Youhua Xie,
  • Huijun Lu,
  • Pablo Guardado-Calvo,
  • Ping Zhang,
  • Rong Zhang

摘要

The recent global outbreaks of mpox highlight the urgent need for both fundamental research and antiviral development. However, studying the mpox virus (MPXV), with its large and complex genome, remains challenging due to the requirement for high-containment facilities. Here, we describe a strategy for de novo assembly of MPXV clade IIb genomes in bacterial artificial chromosomes using transformation-associated recombination cloning. Leveraging CRISPR-Cas9 and Lambda Red recombination, we engineer replication-defective MPXV particles with dual deletions of OPG96 (M2R) and OPG158 (A32.5 L)—genes essential for virion assembly, that are capable of recapitulating key stages of the viral life cycle. We apply this system to screen a compound library and identify G243-1720, a potent anti-poxvirus inhibitor with broad activity in vitro and in vivo. G243-1720 blocks the formation of extracellular enveloped virions and cell-cell spread. Resistance mutation selection, crystallographic analysis, analytical ultracentrifugation, and mass photometry reveal that, despite its distinct chemical structure, G243-1720 shares a mode of action with tecovirimat, both functioning by affecting dimerization of protein OPG57 (F13). Our findings underscore the potential of G243-1720 as a promising broad-spectrum anti-poxvirus lead compound and demonstrate the utility of replication-defective MPXV particles as a reliable platform for viral biology studies and antiviral development.