We are excited to announce that the Whittaker Lab received funding on a grant from @everycathealth to research feline coronavirus (FCoV) ORF3c and Envelope (E) proteins. This will be a collaboration with Dr. Isaiah Arkin’s Lab at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Dr. Arkin’s team specializes in the structural biology of membrane proteins. ORF3c and E proteins are suspected viroporins, or ion channels, that form on the viral envelope or the host cell membrane to facilitate infection. These proteins are important for infection as they allow the virus to enter or exit the host cells more easily. Any small molecule that inhibits these ion channel proteins could be a potential new treatment for FIP. This collaborative grant allow both labs to screen inhibitors of 3c and E proteins in cell culture. The goal is the development of combination therapy for FIP.
Structural Model of 3c protein Zehr et al, 2023 BioRx preprint