Unprecedented Thiacalixarene Fucoclusters as Strong Inhibitors of Ebola cis-Cell Infection and HCMV-gB Glycoprotein/DC-SIGN C-type Lectin Interaction

Glycan-protein interactions control numerous biological events from cell-cell recognition and signaling to pathogen host cell attachment for infections. To infect cells, some viruses bind to immune cells with the help of DC-SIGN (dendritic cell [DC]-specific ICAM3-grabbing nonintegrin) C-type lectin expressed on dendritic and macrophage cell membranes, via their envelope protein. Prevention of this infectious interaction is a serious therapeutic option. Here, we describe the synthesis of the first water-soluble tetravalent fucocluster pseudopeptide-based 1,3-alternate thiacalixarenes as viral antigen mimics designed for the inhibition of DC-SIGN, to prevent viral particle uptake. Their preparation exploits straightforward convergent strategies involving one-pot Ugi four-component (Ugi-4CR) and azido-alkyne click chemistry reactions as key steps. Surface plasmon resonance showed strong inhibition of DC-SIGN interaction properties by tetravalent ligands designed with high relative potencies and β avidity factors. All ligands block DC-SIGN active sites at nanomolar IC ₅₀ preventing cis-cell infection by Ebola viral particles pseudotyped with EBOV glycoprotein (Zaire species of Ebola virus) on Jurkat cells that express DC-SIGN. In addition, we observed strong inhibition of DC-SIGN/human cytomegalovirus (HCMV)-gB recombinant glycoprotein interaction. This finding opens the way to the simple development of new models of water-soluble glycocluster-based thia-calixarenes with wide-ranging antimicrobial activities.