Griffithsin shows a broad spectrum ability to bind to theglycoproteins of other viruses, such as thecoronavirus. Griffithsin's three identical carbohydrate binding sites bind to oligosaccharides present on some envelopes of viral glycoproteins. This was demonstrated byin vitro andin vivo studies.[4] For instance, it was shown that griffithsin binds to the SARS-CoV spike glycoprotein to inhibit entry of theSARS virus and thus inhibit infection. A 2014 study showed griffithsin to also possess useful antiviral activity againstEbolavirus.[5][6]
As reported in March 2009, Kenneth Palmer and coworkers modified thetobacco mosaic virus to incorporate the griffithsin gene and infected more than 9,300tobacco plants. They were able to extract enough griffithsin to produce about 100,000 HIV microbicide doses from the leaves.[7]
