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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

High-throughput Screening for Broad-spectrum Chemical Inhibitors of RNA Viruses
Published on: May 5, 2014
Pharmacological Manipulation of UPR: Potential Antiviral Strategy Against Chikungunya Virus
Nishtha Agrawal1,2, Sanjesh Saini1, Madhu Khanna1
1Department of Virology (a Unit of Department of Microbiology), Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007 India.
Abstract:
Viruses invade the host cells and maneuver the cellular translation machinery to translate the viral proteins in substantial amounts, which may disturb Endoplasmic Reticulum homeostasis leading to induction of Unfolded Protein Response (UPR), a host response pathway involved in viral pathogenesis. Here, we investigated the effect of UPR pathways on the pathogenesis of chikungunya virus infection. We observed that chikungunya virus mediated the modulation of UPR. A positive modulation was observed in the activation of IRE1 and ATF6 branch while the PERK branch of UPR observed suppressed upon virus infection. We further investigated the effect of the inhibition of UPR pathways on chikungunya virus replication using inhibitors for each branch. Cells treated with 3-ethoxy-5,6-dibromosalicylaldehyde (IRE1 inhibitor) and AEBSF (ATF6 inhibitor) significantly inhibits the viral replication process. This study has provided a novel perspective in designing antivirals against chikungunya virus.
Supplementary Information:
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12088-022-01046-5.
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