Comparison of the Interactomes of SARS-CoV2 Virus E Protein and BRD4 with Bet-Inhibition – Implications for Repurposing Approved Drugs and Therapeutic Targets

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19 respiratory disease, has infected 2,029,930 people worldwide and caused 136,320 deaths.Unfortunately, however, the scarcity of information about the mechanisms of SARS-CoV2 infection hamper identification of effective therapies or existing FDA approved drugs. This report models current information about the SARS-CoV2 viral proteins and their cellular interacting proteins by comparing the B cell interactomes of BRD4, with or without BET inhibition, or the E protein encoded by SARS-CoV2. Similarities with published cellular interactants of SARS-CoV2 proteins with BRD4-interacting protein candidates, with or without BET inhibition, suggest 61 cellular protein drug targets and 132 FDA approved drugs. Sample testing the model by experimentation confirmed interaction of the E protein of SARS-CoV2 with BRD4, histones, and other chromosome maintenance proteins, and of the Spike (S) protein with CANX. The implications to SARSCoV2 disease diagnosis, therapy and vaccine creation are discussed.