Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Volume 103, Issue 38, Pages 13938-13943Publisher
NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0601036103
Keywords
viral entry; antiviral drugs; high-throughput screen
Categories
Funding
- NIAID NIH HHS [F32 AI052859, P30 AI036214] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
HIV-1 enters cells by membrane fusion, mediated by the trimeric viral envelope glycoprotein gp160, which is processed by a single proteolytic cleavage into stably associated gp120 and gp41. The gp120/gp41 trimer can be triggered to undergo an irreversible conformational change. Using a protein-based assay designed to mimic the gp41 conformational change, we screened for small molecules that prevent the formation of postfusion gp41. Several compounds were identified. One set of structurally related molecules inhibited formation of a postfusion-like assembly with an IC50 of approximate to 5 mu M. The compounds also inhibited envelope-mediated membrane fusion in both cell-cell fusion and viral infectivity assays. Thus, our screen identifies effective fusion inhibitors. Tested against a panel of envelope proteins from primary HIV-1 isolates, the compounds inhibited fusion across a broad range of clades, including both M and T tropic strains. They bind in a highly conserved, hydrophobic pocket on the inner core of the gp41 trimer, a region previously identified as a potential inhibitor site.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available