Biomedicines 2022 Mar 1;10(3). Epub 2022 Mar 1.
Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, Box 1030, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Despite the eradication of smallpox four decades ago, poxviruses continue to be a threat to humans and animals. The arsenal of anti-poxvirus agents is very limited and understanding mechanisms of resistance to agents targeting viral DNA polymerases is fundamental for the development of antiviral therapies. We describe here the phenotypic and genotypic characterization of poxvirus DNA polymerase mutants isolated under selective pressure with different acyclic nucleoside phosphonates, including HPMPC (cidofovir), cHPMPC, HPMPA, cHPMPA, HPMPDAP, HPMPO-DAPy, and PMEO-DAPy, and the pyrophosphate analogue phosphonoacetic acid. Read More