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μ-Opioid receptors are among the most studied G protein-coupled receptors because of the therapeutic value of agonists, such as morphine, that are used to treat chronic pain. However, these drugs have significant side effects, such as respiratory suppression, constipation, allodynia, tolerance, and dependence, as well as abuse potential. Efforts to fine tune pain control while alleviating the side effects of drugs, both physiological and psychological, have led to the development of a wide variety of structurally diverse agonist ligands for the μ-opioid receptor, as well as compounds that target κ- and δ-opioid receptors. In recent years, the identification of allosteric ligands for some G protein-coupled receptors has provided breakthroughs in obtaining receptor subtype-selectivity that can reduce the overall side effect profiles of a potential drug. However, positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) can also have the specific advantage of only modulating the activity of the receptor when the orthosteric agonist occupies the receptor, thus maintaining spatial and temporal control of receptor signaling in vivo. This second advantage of allosteric modulators may yield breakthroughs in opioid receptor research and could lead to drugs with improved side-effect profiles or fewer tolerance and dependence issues compared with orthosteric opioid receptor agonists. Here, we describe the discovery and characterization of μ-opioid receptor PAMs and silent allosteric modulators, identified from high-throughput screening using a β-arrestin-recruitment assay.

Influenza nucleoprotein (NP) plays multiple roles in the virus life cycle, including an essential function in viral replication as an integral component of the ribonucleoprotein complex, associating with viral RNA and polymerase within the viral core. The multifunctional nature of NP makes it an attractive target for antiviral intervention, and inhibitors targeting this protein have recently been reported. In a parallel effort, we discovered a structurally similar series of influenza replication inhibitors and show that they interfere with NP-dependent processes via formation of higher-order NP oligomers. Support for this unique mechanism is provided by site-directed mutagenesis studies, biophysical characterization of the oligomeric ligand:NP complex, and an X-ray cocrystal structure of an NP dimer of trimers (or hexamer) comprising three NP_A:NP_B dimeric subunits. Each NP_A:NP_B dimeric subunit contains two ligands that bridge two composite, protein-spanning binding sites in an antiparallel orientation to form a stable quaternary complex. Optimization of the initial screening hit produced an analog that protects mice from influenza-induced weight loss and mortality by reducing viral titers to undetectable levels throughout the course of treatment.