PIK-24 Inhibits RSV-Induced Syncytium Formation via Direct Interaction with the p85 alpha Subunit of PI3K

Phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K) signaling regulates many cellular processes, including cell survival, differentiation, proliferation, cytoskeleton reorganization, and apoptosis. The actin cytoskeleton regulated by PI3K signaling plays an important role in plasma membrane rearrangement. Currently, it is known that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection requires PI3K signaling. However, the regulatory pattern or corresponding molecular mechanism of PI3K signaling on cell-to-cell fusion during syncytium formation remains unclear. This study synthesized a novel PI3K inhibitor PIK-24 designed with PI3K as a target and used it as a molecular probe to investigate the involvement of PI3K signaling in syncytium formation during RSV infection. The results of the antiviral mechanism revealed that syncytium formation required PI3K signaling to activate RHO family GTPases Cdc42, to upregulate the inactive form of cofilin, and to increase the amount of F-actin in cells, thereby causing actin cytoskeleton reorganization and membrane fusion between adjacent cells. PIK-24 treatment significantly abolished the generation of these events by blocking the activation of PI3K signaling. Moreover, PIK-24 had an obvious binding activity with the p85 alpha regulatory subunit of PI3K. The anti-RSV effect similar to PIK-24 was obtained after knockdown of p85 alpha in vitro or knockout of p85 alpha in vivo, suggesting that PIK-24 inhibited RSV infection by targeting PI3K p85 alpha. Most importantly, PIK-24 exerted a potent anti-RSV activity, and its antiviral effect was stronger than that of the classic PI3K inhibitor LY294002, PI-103, and broad-spectrum antiviral drug ribavirin. Thus, PIK-24 has the potential to be developed into a novel anti-RSV agent targeting cellular PI3K signaling. IMPORTANCE PI3K protein has many functions and regulates various cellular processes. As an important regulatory subunit of PI3K, p85 alpha can regulate the activity of PI3K signaling. Therefore, it serves as the key target for virus infection. Indeed, p85 alpha-regulated PI3K signaling facilitates various intracellular plasma membrane rearrangement events by modulating the actin cytoskeleton, which may be critical for RSV-induced syncytium formation. In this study, we show that a novel PI3K inhibitor inhibits RSV-induced PI3K signaling activation and actin cytoskeleton reorganization by targeting the p85 alpha protein, thereby inhibiting syncytium formation and exerting a potent antiviral effect. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the most common respiratory pathogens, causing enormous morbidity, mortality, and economic burden. Currently, no effective antiviral drugs or vaccines exist for RSV infection. This study contributes to understanding the molecular mechanism by which PI3K signaling regulates syncytium formation and provides a leading compound for anti-RSV infection drug development.