Synthesis, Anti-TMV Activities, and Action Mechanisms of a Novel Cytidine Peptide Compound

Cytidine has a broad range of applications in the pharmaceutical field as an intermediate of antitumor or antiviral agent. Here, a series of new cytidine peptide compounds were synthesized using cytidine and Boc group-protected amino acids and analyzed for their antiviral activities against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). Among these compounds, the structure of an effective antiviral cytidine peptide SN11 was characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and high-resolution mass spectrometer. The compound SN11 has a molecular formula of C₁₅H₂₂N₆O₈ and is named 2-amino-N-(2- ((1- (3,4-dihydroxy-5-(hydroxymethyl) tetrahydrofuran-2-yl) -2-oxo-1,2-dihydropyrimidin-4-yl) amino) -2-oxyethyl) amino). The protection, inactivation, and curation activities of SN11 at a concentration of 500 μg/mL against TMV in Nicotiana glutinosa were 82.6%, 84.2%, and 72.8%, respectively. SN11 also effectively suppressed the systemic transportation of a recombinant TMV carrying GFP reporter gene (p35S-30B:GFP) in Nicotiana benthamiana by reducing viral accumulation to 71.3% in the upper uninoculated leaves and inhibited the systemic infection of TMV in Nicotiana tabacum plants. Furthermore, the results of RNA-seq showed that compound SN11 induced differential expression of genes involved in the biogenesis and function of ribosome, plant hormone signal transduction, plant pathogen interaction, and chromatin. These results validate the antiviral mechanisms of the cytidine peptide compound and provide a theoretical basis for their potential application in the management of plant virus diseases.