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Samantaray M, Pattabiraman R, Murthy TPK, Ramaswamy A, Murahari M, Krishna S, Kumar SB. Structure-based virtual screening of natural compounds against wild and mutant (R1155K, A1156T and D1168A) NS3-4A protease of Hepatitis C virus. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023:1-18. [PMID: 37646701 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2246583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
NS3-4A, a serine protease, is a primary target for drug development against Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). However, the effectiveness of potent next-generation protease inhibitors is limited by the emergence of mutations and resulting drug resistance. To address this, in this study a structure-based drug design approach is employed to screen a large library of 7320 natural compounds against both wild-type and mutant variants of NS3-4A protease. Telaprevir, a widely used protease inhibitor, was recruited as the control drug. The top 10 compounds with favorable binding affinities underwent drug-likeness evaluation. Based on ADMET studies, complexes of NP_024762 and NP_006776 were selected for molecular dynamic simulations. Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to explore the conformational space and protein dynamics of the protein-ligand complex using a Free Energy Landscape (FEL) approach. The cosine values obtained from FEL analysis ranged from 0 to 1, and eigenvectors with cosine values below 0.2 were chosen for further analysis. To forecast binding free energies and evaluate energy contributions per residue, the MM-PBSA method was employed. The results highlighted the crucial role of amino acids in the catalytic domain for the binding of the protease with phytochemicals. Stable associations between the top compounds and the target protease were confirmed by the formation of hydrogen bonds in the binding pocket involving residues: His1057, Gly1137, Ser1139, and Ala1157. These findings suggest the potential of these compounds for further validation through biological evaluation.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahesh Samantaray
- Department of Bioinformatics, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, India
| | - Ramya Pattabiraman
- Department of Biotechnology, M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - T P Krishna Murthy
- Department of Biotechnology, M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Amutha Ramaswamy
- Department of Bioinformatics, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, India
| | - Manikanta Murahari
- Department of Pharmacy, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation, Vaddeswaram, AP, India
| | - Swati Krishna
- Department of Biotechnology, M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - S Birendra Kumar
- Department of Biotechnology, M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
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2
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Du Pont KE, McCullagh M, Geiss BJ. Conserved motifs in the flavivirus NS3 RNA helicase enzyme. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. RNA 2022; 13:e1688. [PMID: 34472205 PMCID: PMC8888775 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Flaviviruses are a major health concern because over half of the world population is at risk of infection and there are very few antiviral therapeutics to treat diseases resulting from infection. Replication is an essential part of the flavivirus survival. One of the viral proteins, NS3 helicase, is critical for unwinding the double stranded RNA intermediate during flaviviral replication. The helicase performs the unwinding of the viral RNA intermediate structure in an ATP-dependent manner. NS3 helicase is a member of the Viral/DEAH-like subfamily of the superfamily 2 helicase containing eight highly conserved structural motifs (I, Ia, II, III, IV, IVa, V, and VI) localized between the ATP-binding and RNA-binding pockets. Of these structural motifs only three are well characterized for function in flaviviruses (I, II, and VI). The roles of the other structural motifs are not well understood for NS3 helicase function, but comparison of NS3 with other superfamily 2 helicases within the viral/DEAH-like, DEAH/RHA, and DEAD-box subfamilies can be used to elucidate the roles of these structural motifs in the flavivirus NS3 helicase. This review aims to summarize the role of each conserved structural motif within flavivirus NS3 in RNA helicase function. This article is categorized under: RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein-RNA Interactions: Functional Implications RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly E. Du Pont
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Martin McCullagh
- Department of Chemistry, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Brian J. Geiss
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA,Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA,School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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3
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Brugger C, Zhang C, Suhanovsky MM, Kim DD, Sinclair AN, Lyumkis D, Deaconescu AM. Molecular determinants for dsDNA translocation by the transcription-repair coupling and evolvability factor Mfd. Nat Commun 2020; 11:3740. [PMID: 32719356 PMCID: PMC7385628 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17457-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Mfd couples transcription to nucleotide excision repair, and acts on RNA polymerases when elongation is impeded. Depending on impediment severity, this action results in either transcription termination or elongation rescue, which rely on ATP-dependent Mfd translocation on DNA. Due to its role in antibiotic resistance, Mfd is also emerging as a prime target for developing anti-evolution drugs. Here we report the structure of DNA-bound Mfd, which reveals large DNA-induced structural changes that are linked to the active site via ATPase motif VI. These changes relieve autoinhibitory contacts between the N- and C-termini and unmask UvrA recognition determinants. We also demonstrate that translocation relies on a threonine in motif Ic, widely conserved in translocases, and a family-specific histidine near motif IVa, reminiscent of the “arginine clamp” of RNA helicases. Thus, Mfd employs a mode of DNA recognition that at its core is common to ss/ds translocases that act on DNA or RNA. Transcription-repair coupling factors (TRCFs) are large ATPases that mediate the preferential repair of the transcribed DNA strand. Here the authors reveal the cryo-EM structure of DNA-bound Mfd, the bacterial TRCF, and provide molecular insights into its mode of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christiane Brugger
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Cheng Zhang
- Laboratory of Genetics, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Margaret M Suhanovsky
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - David D Kim
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Amy N Sinclair
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Dmitry Lyumkis
- Laboratory of Genetics, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.,Department of Computational and Structural Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Alexandra M Deaconescu
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA.
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El-Tahan RR, Ghoneim AM, Zaghloul H. Dissection of two drug-targeted regions of Hepatitis C virus subtype 4a infecting Egyptian patients. Virus Genes 2020; 56:564-581. [PMID: 32572756 PMCID: PMC7307947 DOI: 10.1007/s11262-020-01776-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Recently, treatment of HCV infection has been improved after the development of direct acting antivirals (DAAs) which target different viral proteins (NS3-4A, NS5A and NS5B). The activity and effectiveness of these DAAs are affected by the presence of resistance associated substitutions (RASs). This study aimed to characterize HCV genotypes circulating among Egyptian HCV patients, to dissect the full sequences of HCV NS3-4A and NS5B regions, and to characterize RASs associated with NS3-4A and NS5B inhibitors in HCV treatment-naïve patients. Genotyping of 80 HCV samples from treatment-naïve patients was done using restriction fragment length polymorphism and phylogenetic analysis based on some full NS5B sequences. Results showed the prevalence of HCV subtype 4a. Twenty four new full sequences of NS3-4A and NS5B regions of subtype 4a were deposited in the GenBank database. In general, the substitutions associated with NS3-4A-targeting drugs were absent predicting possible responsiveness of Egyptian HCV patients to these drugs. In addition, the absence of amino acid substitutions associated with resistance to Sofosbuvir may predict good response to treatment with Sofosbuvir. Some amino acid substitutions associated with resistance to different classes of non-nucleoside inhibitors were detected. Further investigations on treated Egyptian HCV patients may evaluate the effectiveness of the massively used drugs. Many predicted T-cell-binding epitopes in NS3-4A and NS5B regions were found to be highly conserved in the currently studied isolates; a finding that might be important for HCV vaccine development. We demonstrated potential NS3 epitopes that could be used in engineering T cells against HCV epitopes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radwa R El-Tahan
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Damietta University, New Damietta, P.O. 34517, Damietta, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M Ghoneim
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Damietta University, New Damietta, P.O. 34517, Damietta, Egypt.
| | - Hosam Zaghloul
- Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
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5
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Du Pont KE, Davidson RB, McCullagh M, Geiss BJ. Motif V regulates energy transduction between the flavivirus NS3 ATPase and RNA-binding cleft. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:1551-1564. [PMID: 31914411 PMCID: PMC7008374 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.011922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 12/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The unwinding of dsRNA intermediates is critical for the replication of flavivirus RNA genomes. This activity is provided by the C-terminal helicase domain of viral nonstructural protein 3 (NS3). As a member of the superfamily 2 (SF2) helicases, NS3 requires the binding and hydrolysis of ATP/NTP to translocate along and unwind double-stranded nucleic acids. However, the mechanism of energy transduction between the ATP- and RNA-binding pockets is not well-understood. Previous molecular dynamics simulations conducted by our group have identified Motif V as a potential "communication hub" for this energy transduction pathway. To investigate the role of Motif V in this process, here we combined molecular dynamics, biochemistry, and virology approaches. We tested Motif V mutations in both the replicon and recombinant protein systems to investigate viral genome replication, RNA-binding affinity, ATP hydrolysis activity, and helicase-mediated unwinding activity. We found that the T407A and S411A substitutions in NS3 reduce viral replication and increase the helicase-unwinding turnover rates by 1.7- and 3.5-fold, respectively, suggesting that flaviviruses may use suboptimal NS3 helicase activity for optimal genome replication. Additionally, we used simulations of each mutant to probe structural changes within NS3 caused by each mutation. These simulations indicate that Motif V controls communication between the ATP-binding pocket and the helical gate. These results help define the linkage between ATP hydrolysis and helicase activities within NS3 and provide insight into the biophysical mechanisms for ATPase-driven NS3 helicase function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly E Du Pont
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523; Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523
| | - Russell B Davidson
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523
| | - Martin McCullagh
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523.
| | - Brian J Geiss
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523; School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523.
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Windgassen TA, Leroux M, Sandler SJ, Keck JL. Function of a strand-separation pin element in the PriA DNA replication restart helicase. J Biol Chem 2018; 294:2801-2814. [PMID: 30593500 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.006870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Revised: 12/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA helicases are motor proteins that couple the chemical energy of nucleoside triphosphate hydrolysis to the mechanical functions required for DNA unwinding. Studies of several helicases have identified strand-separating "pin" structures that are positioned to intercept incoming dsDNA and promote strand separation during helicase translocation. However, pin structures vary among helicases and it remains unclear whether they confer a conserved unwinding mechanism. Here, we tested the biochemical and cellular roles of a putative pin element within the Escherichia coli PriA DNA helicase. PriA orchestrates replication restart in bacteria by unwinding the lagging-strand arm of abandoned DNA replication forks and reloading the replicative helicase with the help of protein partners that combine with PriA to form what is referred to as a primosome complex. Using in vitro protein-DNA cross-linking, we localized the putative pin (a β-hairpin within a zinc-binding domain in PriA) near the ssDNA-dsDNA junction of the lagging strand in a PriA-DNA replication fork complex. Removal of residues at the tip of the β-hairpin eliminated PriA DNA unwinding, interaction with the primosome protein PriB, and cellular function. We isolated a spontaneous intragenic suppressor mutant of the priA β-hairpin deletion mutant in which 22 codons around the deletion site were duplicated. This suppressor variant and an Ala-substituted β-hairpin PriA variant displayed wildtype levels of DNA unwinding and PriB binding in vitro These results suggest essential but sequence nonspecific roles for the PriA pin element and coupling of PriA DNA unwinding to its interaction with PriB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tricia A Windgassen
- From the Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 and
| | - Maxime Leroux
- the Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003
| | - Steven J Sandler
- the Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003
| | - James L Keck
- From the Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 and
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7
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Inhibitory mechanism of 5-bromo-3-indoleacetic acid for non-structural-3 helicase hepatitis C virus with dynamics correlation network analysis. Comput Biol Chem 2018; 77:167-177. [DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2018.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Revised: 09/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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8
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Xi Y, Zhang Y, Fang J, Whittaker K, Luo S, Huang RP. Prokaryotic Expression of Hepatitis C Virus-NS3 Protein and Preparation of a Monoclonal Antibody. Monoclon Antib Immunodiagn Immunother 2018; 36:251-258. [PMID: 29267148 DOI: 10.1089/mab.2017.0033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a significant health threat that has been extensively investigated worldwide. Improving the sensitivity and specificity of laboratory tests for screening and early diagnosis of HCV in a relevant population is an effective measure to control the spread of HCV. To build a more reliable diagnostic method for HCV, we expressed gene fragments of HCV-NS3 linked to a carrier, pET28a, and then transformed this vector into Escherichia. coli. The produced recombinant NS3 protein with a molecular weight of 38 kDa, which was purified through Ni-chelating affinity chromatography, was used to immunize BALB/C mice, which generated a serum antibody titer of 1:160,000 against the immunogen. Three positive monoclonal isolates (2A5, 2A6, and 5B12) were screened and established. Western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) results of these monoclonal cells show that each could specifically recognize the recombinant protein. Antibodies 2A5 and 2A6 were developed into an ELISA sandwich antibody pair for the recombinant protein. The detection sensitivity of our developed ELISA was 1.6 ng/mL, with a linear range of 2.5-80 ng/mL (R2 = 0.998). Serum NS3 ELISA results show that the average value in the healthy group, liver disease group, and hepatitis C group was 3.71, 7.28, and 13.11 ng/mL, respectively. The positive rates of HCV-NS3 protein in the liver disease group and hepatitis C group was 17.2% and 41.7%, respectively. Detection of HCV-NS3 antigen can be used as an auxiliary test for anti-HCV antibody detection, thus reducing leakage detection and providing a reliable basis for clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Xi
- 1 Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou, China
| | | | - Jianmin Fang
- 2 Raybiotech, Inc. , Guangzhou, China .,3 RayBiotech, Inc. , Norcross, Georgia .,4 South China Biochip Research Center , Guangzhou, China
| | | | - Shuhong Luo
- 2 Raybiotech, Inc. , Guangzhou, China .,3 RayBiotech, Inc. , Norcross, Georgia .,4 South China Biochip Research Center , Guangzhou, China
| | - Ruo-Pan Huang
- 2 Raybiotech, Inc. , Guangzhou, China .,3 RayBiotech, Inc. , Norcross, Georgia .,4 South China Biochip Research Center , Guangzhou, China
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9
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Davidson RB, Hendrix J, Geiss BJ, McCullagh M. Allostery in the dengue virus NS3 helicase: Insights into the NTPase cycle from molecular simulations. PLoS Comput Biol 2018; 14:e1006103. [PMID: 29659571 PMCID: PMC5919694 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2017] [Revised: 04/26/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The C-terminus domain of non-structural 3 (NS3) protein of the Flaviviridae viruses (e.g. HCV, dengue, West Nile, Zika) is a nucleotide triphosphatase (NTPase) -dependent superfamily 2 (SF2) helicase that unwinds double-stranded RNA while translocating along the nucleic polymer. Due to these functions, NS3 is an important target for antiviral development yet the biophysics of this enzyme are poorly understood. Microsecond-long molecular dynamic simulations of the dengue NS3 helicase domain are reported from which allosteric effects of RNA and NTPase substrates are observed. The presence of a bound single-stranded RNA catalytically enhances the phosphate hydrolysis reaction by affecting the dynamics and positioning of waters within the hydrolysis active site. Coupled with results from the simulations, electronic structure calculations of the reaction are used to quantify this enhancement to be a 150-fold increase, in qualitative agreement with the experimental enhancement factor of 10–100. Additionally, protein-RNA interactions exhibit NTPase substrate-induced allostery, where the presence of a nucleotide (e.g. ATP or ADP) structurally perturbs residues in direct contact with the phosphodiester backbone of the RNA. Residue-residue network analyses highlight pathways of short ranged interactions that connect the two active sites. These analyses identify motif V as a highly connected region of protein structure through which energy released from either active site is hypothesized to move, thereby inducing the observed allosteric effects. These results lay the foundation for the design of novel allosteric inhibitors of NS3. Non-structural protein 3 (NS3) is a Flaviviridae (e.g. Hepatitis C, dengue, and Zika viruses) helicase that unwinds double stranded RNA while translocating along the nucleic polymer during viral genome replication. As a member of superfamily 2 (SF2) helicases, NS3 utilizes the free energy of nucleotide triphosphate (NTP) binding, hydrolysis, and product unbinding to perform its functions. While much is known about SF2 helicases, the pathways and mechanisms through which free energy is transduced between the NTP hydrolysis active site and RNA binding cleft remains elusive. Here we present a multiscale computational study to characterize the allosteric effects induced by the RNA and NTPase substrates (ATP, ADP, and Pi) as well as the pathways of short-range, residue-residue interactions that connect the two active sites. Results from this body of molecular dynamics simulations and electronic structure calculations are highlighted in context to the NTPase enzymatic cycle, allowing for development of testable hypotheses for validation of these simulations. Our insights, therefore, provide novel details about the biophysics of NS3 and guide the next generation of experimental studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Russell B. Davidson
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Josie Hendrix
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Brian J. Geiss
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Martin McCullagh
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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10
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NS3 from Hepatitis C Virus Strain JFH-1 Is an Unusually Robust Helicase That Is Primed To Bind and Unwind Viral RNA. J Virol 2017; 92:JVI.01253-17. [PMID: 29070684 PMCID: PMC5730761 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01253-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C viruses (HCV) encode a helicase enzyme that is essential for viral replication and assembly (nonstructural protein 3 [NS3]). This helicase has become the focus of extensive basic research on the general helicase mechanism, and it is also of interest as a novel drug target. Despite the importance of this protein, mechanistic work on NS3 has been conducted almost exclusively on variants from HCV genotype 1. Our understanding of NS3 from the highly active HCV strains that are used to study HCV genetics and mechanism in cell culture (such as JFH-1) is lacking. We therefore set out to determine whether NS3 from the replicatively efficient genotype 2a strain JFH-1 displays novel functional or structural properties. Using biochemical assays for RNA binding and duplex unwinding, we show that JFH-1 NS3 binds RNA much more rapidly than the previously studied NS3 variants from genotype 1b. Unlike NS3 variants from other genotypes, JFH-1 NS3 binds RNA with high affinity in a functionally active form that is capable of immediately unwinding RNA duplexes without undergoing rate-limiting conformational changes that precede activation. Unlike other superfamily 2 (SF2) helicases, JFH-1 NS3 does not require long 3′ overhangs, and it unwinds duplexes that are flanked by only a few nucleotides, as in the folded HCV genome. To understand the physical basis for this, we solved the crystal structure of JFH-1 NS3, revealing a novel conformation that contains an open, positively charged RNA binding cleft that is primed for productive interaction with RNA targets, potentially explaining robust replication by HCV JFH-1. IMPORTANCE Genotypes of HCV are as divergent as different types of flavivirus, and yet mechanistic features of HCV variants are presumed to be held in common. One of the most well-studied components of the HCV replication complex is a helicase known as nonstructural protein 3 (NS3). We set out to determine whether this important mechanical component possesses biochemical and structural properties that differ between common strains such as those of genotype 1b and a strain of HCV that replicates with exceptional efficiency (JFH-1, classified as genotype 2a). Indeed, unlike the inefficient genotype 1b NS3, which has been well studied, JFH-1 NS3 is a superhelicase with strong RNA affinity and high unwinding efficiency on a broad range of targets. Crystallographic analysis reveals architectural features that promote enhanced biochemical activity of JFH-1 NS3. These findings show that even within a single family of viruses, drift in sequence can result in the acquisition of radically new functional properties that enhance viral fitness.
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11
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He Y, Staley JP, Andersen GR, Nielsen KH. Structure of the DEAH/RHA ATPase Prp43p bound to RNA implicates a pair of hairpins and motif Va in translocation along RNA. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2017; 23:1110-1124. [PMID: 28416566 PMCID: PMC5473145 DOI: 10.1261/rna.060954.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2017] [Accepted: 04/10/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Three families of nucleic acid-dependent ATPases (DEAH/RHA, Ski2-like, and NS3/NPH-II), termed the DExH ATPases, are thought to execute myriad functions by processive, ATP-dependent, 3' to 5' translocation along single-stranded nucleic acid. While the mechanism of translocation of the viral NS3/NPH-II family has been studied extensively, it has not been clear if or how the principles that have emerged for this family extend to the other two families. Here we report the crystal structure of the yeast DEAH/RHA family ATPase Prp43p, which functions in splicing and ribosome biogenesis, in complex with poly-uracil and a nonhydrolyzable ATP analog. The structure reveals a conserved DEAH/RHA-specific variation of motif Ib within the RecA1 domain of the catalytic core, in which the motif elongates as a β-hairpin that bookends the 3' end of a central RNA stack, a function that in the viral and Ski-2 families is performed by an auxiliary domain. Supporting a fundamental role in translocation, mutations in this hairpin abolished helicase activity without affecting RNA binding or ATPase activity. While the structure reveals differences with viral ATPases in the RecA1 domain, our structure demonstrates striking similarities with viral ATPases in the RecA2 domain of the catalytic core, including both a prominent β-hairpin that bookends the 5' end of the RNA stack and a dynamic motif Va that is implicated in mediating translocation. Our crystal structure, genetic, and biochemical experiments, as well as comparisons with other DExH ATPases, support a generalized mechanism for the DExH class of helicases involving a pair of bookends that inchworm along RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangzi He
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, DK8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Jonathan P Staley
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Gregers Rom Andersen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, DK8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Klaus H Nielsen
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
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12
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Reynolds KA, Cameron CE, Raney KD. Melting of Duplex DNA in the Absence of ATP by the NS3 Helicase Domain through Specific Interaction with a Single-Strand/Double-Strand Junction. Biochemistry 2015; 54:4248-58. [PMID: 26091150 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.5b00214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Helicases unwind double-stranded nucleic acids, remove secondary structures from single-stranded nucleic acids, and remove proteins bound to nucleic acids. For many helicases, the mechanisms for these different functions share the ability to translocate with a directional bias as a result of ATP binding and hydrolysis. Nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) is an essential enzyme expressed by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and is known to catalyze the unwinding of both DNA and RNA substrates in a 3'-to-5' direction. We investigated the role of nucleic acid binding in the unwinding mechanism by examining ATP-independent unwinding. We observed that even in the absence of ATP, the NS3 helicase domain (NS3h) unwound duplexes only when they contained a 3'-tail (i.e., 3'-to-5' directionality). Blunt-ended duplexes and 5'-tailed duplexes were not melted even in the presence of a large excess concentration of the protein. NS3h was found to diffuse rapidly along single-stranded DNA at a rate of 30 nucleotides(2) s(-1). Upon encountering an appropriate single-strand/double-strand (ss/ds) junction, NS3h slowly melted the duplex under conditions with an excess protein concentration relative to DNA concentration. When a biotin-streptavidin block was placed into the ssDNA region, no melting of DNA was observed, suggesting that NS3h must diffuse along the ssDNA, and that the streptavidin blocked the diffusion. We conclude that the specific interaction between NS3h and the ss/dsDNA junction, coupled with diffusion, allows binding energy to melt duplex DNA with a directional bias. Alternatively, we found that the full-length NS3 protein did not exhibit strict directionality and was dependent on duplex DNA length. NS3 was able to unwind the duplex even in the presence of the biotin-streptavidin block. We propose a noncanonical model of unwinding for NS3 in which the enzyme binds directly to the duplex via protein-protein interactions to melt the substrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly A Reynolds
- †Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205, United States
| | - Craig E Cameron
- ‡Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Kevin D Raney
- †Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205, United States
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13
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X-ray structure of the pestivirus NS3 helicase and its conformation in solution. J Virol 2015; 89:4356-71. [PMID: 25653438 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.03165-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Pestiviruses form a genus in the Flaviviridae family of small enveloped viruses with a positive-sense single-stranded RNA genome. Viral replication in this family requires the activity of a superfamily 2 RNA helicase contained in the C-terminal domain of nonstructural protein 3 (NS3). NS3 features two conserved RecA-like domains (D1 and D2) with ATPase activity, plus a third domain (D3) that is important for unwinding nucleic acid duplexes. We report here the X-ray structure of the pestivirus NS3 helicase domain (pNS3h) at a 2.5-Å resolution. The structure deviates significantly from that of NS3 of other genera in the Flaviviridae family in D3, as it contains two important insertions that result in a narrower nucleic acid binding groove. We also show that mutations in pNS3h that rescue viruses from which the core protein is deleted map to D3, suggesting that this domain may be involved in interactions that facilitate particle assembly. Finally, structural comparisons of the enzyme in different crystalline environments, together with the findings of small-angle X-ray-scattering studies in solution, show that D2 is mobile with respect to the rest of the enzyme, oscillating between closed and open conformations. Binding of a nonhydrolyzable ATP analog locks pNS3h in a conformation that is more compact than the closest apo-form in our crystals. Together, our results provide new insight and bring up new questions about pNS3h function during pestivirus replication. IMPORTANCE Although pestivirus infections impose an important toll on the livestock industry worldwide, little information is available about the nonstructural proteins essential for viral replication, such as the NS3 helicase. We provide here a comparative structural and functional analysis of pNS3h with respect to its orthologs in other viruses of the same family, the flaviviruses and hepatitis C virus. Our studies reveal differences in the nucleic acid binding groove that could have implications for understanding the unwinding specificity of pNS3h, which is active only on RNA duplexes. We also show that pNS3h has a highly dynamic behavior--a characteristic probably shared with NS3 helicases from all Flaviviridae members--that could be targeted for drug design by using recent algorithms to specifically block molecular motion. Compounds that lock the enzyme in a single conformation or limit its dynamic range of conformations are indeed likely to block its helicase function.
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Ventura GT, da Costa ECB, Capaccia AM, Mohana-Borges R. pH-dependent conformational changes in the HCV NS3 protein modulate its ATPase and helicase activities. PLoS One 2014; 9:e115941. [PMID: 25551442 PMCID: PMC4281115 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0115941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2014] [Accepted: 11/29/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects 170 to 200 million people worldwide and is, therefore, a major health problem. The lack of efficient treatments that specifically target the viral proteins or RNA and its high chronicity rate make hepatitis C the cause of many deaths and hepatic transplants annually. The NS3 protein is considered an important target for the development of anti-HCV drugs because it is composed of two domains (a serine protease in the N-terminal portion and an RNA helicase/NTPase in the C-terminal portion), which are essential for viral replication and proliferation. We expressed and purified both the NS3 helicase domain (NS3hel) and the full-length NS3 protein (NS3FL) and characterized pH-dependent structural changes associated with the increase in their ATPase and helicase activities at acidic pH. Using intrinsic fluorescence experiments, we have observed that NS3hel was less stable at pH 6.4 than at pH 7.2. Moreover, binding curves using an extrinsic fluorescent probe (bis-ANS) and ATPase assays performed under different pH conditions demonstrated that the hydrophobic clefts of NS3 are significantly more exposed to the aqueous medium at acidic pH. Using fluorescence spectroscopy and anisotropy assays, we have also observed more protein interaction with DNA upon pH acidification, which suggests that the hydrophobic clefts exposure on NS3 might be related to a loss of stability that could lead it to adopt a more open conformation. This conformational change at acidic pH would stimulate both its ATPase and helicase activities, as well as its ability to bind DNA. Taken together, our results indicate that the NS3 protein adopts a more open conformation due to acidification from pH 7.2 to 6.4, resulting in a more active form at a pH that is found near Golgi-derived membranes. This increased activity could better allow NS3 to carry out its functions during HCV replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Tavares Ventura
- Laboratório de Genômica Estrutural, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Emmerson Corrêa Brasil da Costa
- Laboratório de Genômica Estrutural, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Anne Miranda Capaccia
- Laboratório de Genômica Estrutural, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Ronaldo Mohana-Borges
- Laboratório de Genômica Estrutural, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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15
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Bhattacharyya B, Keck JL. Grip it and rip it: structural mechanisms of DNA helicase substrate binding and unwinding. Protein Sci 2014; 23:1498-507. [PMID: 25131811 DOI: 10.1002/pro.2533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2014] [Revised: 07/30/2014] [Accepted: 08/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Maintenance and faithful transmission of genomic information depends on the efficient execution of numerous DNA replication, recombination, and repair pathways. Many of the enzymes that catalyze steps within these pathways require access to sequence information that is buried in the interior of the DNA double helix, which makes DNA unwinding an essential cellular reaction. The unwinding process is mediated by specialized molecular motors called DNA helicases that couple the chemical energy derived from nucleoside triphosphate hydrolysis to the otherwise non-spontaneous unwinding reaction. An impressive number of high-resolution helicase structures are now available that, together with equally important mechanistic studies, have begun to define the features that allow this class of enzymes to function as molecular motors. In this review, we explore the structural features within DNA helicases that are used to bind and unwind DNA. We focus in particular on "aromatic-rich loops" that allow some helicases to couple single-stranded DNA binding to ATP hydrolysis and "wedge/pin" elements that provide mechanical tools for DNA strand separation when connected to translocating motor domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Basudeb Bhattacharyya
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse, Wisconsin, 53601
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16
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Aydin C, Mukherjee S, Hanson AM, Frick DN, Schiffer CA. The interdomain interface in bifunctional enzyme protein 3/4A (NS3/4A) regulates protease and helicase activities. Protein Sci 2013; 22:1786-98. [PMID: 24123290 DOI: 10.1002/pro.2378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2013] [Revised: 09/10/2013] [Accepted: 09/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Hepatitis C (HCV) protein 3/4A (NS3/4A) is a bifunctional enzyme comprising two separate domains with protease and helicase activities, which are essential for viral propagation. Both domains are stable and have enzymatic activity separately, and the relevance and implications of having protease and helicase together as a single protein remains to be explored. Altered in vitro activities of isolated domains compared with the full-length NS3/4A protein suggest the existence of interdomain communication. The molecular mechanism and extent of this communication was investigated by probing the domain-domain interface observed in HCV NS3/4A crystal structures. We found in molecular dynamics simulations that the two domains of NS3/4A are dynamically coupled through the interface. Interestingly, mutations designed to disrupt this interface did not hinder the catalytic activities of either domain. In contrast, substrate cleavage and DNA unwinding by these mutants were mostly enhanced compared with the wild-type protein. Disrupting the interface did not significantly alter RNA unwinding activity; however, the full-length protein was more efficient in RNA unwinding than the isolated protease domain, suggesting a more direct role in RNA processing independent of the interface. Our findings suggest that HCV NS3/4A adopts an "extended" catalytically active conformation, and interface formation acts as a switch to regulate activity. We propose a unifying model connecting HCV NS3/4A conformational states and protease and helicase function, where interface formation and the dynamic interplay between the two enzymatic domains of HCV NS3/4A potentially modulate the protease and helicase activities in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cihan Aydin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, 01605
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17
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Phalaphol A, Thueng-In K, Thanongsaksrikul J, Poungpair O, Bangphoomi K, Sookrung N, Srimanote P, Chaicumpa W. Humanized-VH/VHH that inhibit HCV replication by interfering with the virus helicase activity. J Virol Methods 2013; 194:289-99. [PMID: 24036073 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2013.08.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2013] [Revised: 06/10/2013] [Accepted: 08/29/2013] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
NS3 helicase is a pivotal enzyme involved in the early and late phases of hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication. The primary sequence and tertiary structure of this virus enzyme differ from human helicase to a certain extent; thus this virus protein has potential as a novel anti-HCV target. In this study, recombinant C-terminal NS3 protein of HCV genotype 3a with endowed helicase activity was produced and used as antigen by selecting VH/V(H)H display phage clones from an established humanized-camel single domain antibody library that bound specifically to HCV helicase. The VH/V(H)H derived from phage transfected Escherichia coli clones were linked molecularly to a cell penetrating peptide, i.e., penetratin (PEN). The cell penetrable VH/V(H)H (transbodies) could reduce the amounts of the HCV RNA released into the cell culture fluid and inside Huh7 cells infected with pJFH1 replicon with a greater effect on the former compared to the latter. Regions and residues of the helicase bound by the transbodies were determined by phage mimotope searching and multiple alignments as well as homology modeling and molecular docking. The epitope of one transbody (PEN-V(H)H9) encompassed residues 588RLKPTLHGPTPLLYRLGA605 of the domain 3 necessary for helicase activity while another transbody (PEN-VH59) interacted with the areas covering the phenylalanine loop and arginine clamp of the domain 2 which are important for the proper folding of the enzyme as well as nucleic acid substrate binding. Although the molecular mechanisms of the prototypic transbodies on NS3 helicase need further investigation, these transbodies have high potential as novel, safe and mutation tolerable anti-HCV agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aninthita Phalaphol
- Graduate Program in Immunology, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
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18
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Bian Y, Zhao S, Zhu S, Zeng J, Li T, Fu Y, Wang Y, Zheng X, Zhang L, Wang W, Yang B, Zhou Y, Allain JP, Li C. Significance of monoclonal antibodies against the conserved epitopes within non-structural protein 3 helicase of hepatitis C virus. PLoS One 2013; 8:e70214. [PMID: 23894620 PMCID: PMC3722154 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2013] [Accepted: 06/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) of hepatitis C virus (HCV), codes for protease and helicase carrying NTPase enzymatic activities, plays a crucial role in viral replication and an ideal target for diagnosis, antiviral therapy and vaccine development. In this study, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to NS3 helicase were characterized by epitope mapping and biological function test. A total of 29 monoclonal antibodies were produced to the truncated NS3 helicase of HCV-1b (T1b-rNS3, aa1192–1459). Six mAbs recognized 8/29 16mer peptides, which contributed to identify 5 linear and 1 discontinuous putative epitope sequences. Seven mAbs reacted with HCV-2a JFH-1 infected Huh-7.5.1 cells by immunofluorescent staining, of which 2E12 and 3E5 strongly bound to the exposed linear epitope 1231PTGSGKSTK1239 (EP05) or core motif 1373IPFYGKAI1380 (EP21), respectively. Five other mAbs recognized semi-conformational or conformational epitopes of HCV helicase. MAb 2E12 binds to epitope EP05 at the ATP binding site of motif I in domain 1, while mAb 3E5 reacts with epitope EP21 close to helicase nucleotide binding region of domain 2. Epitope EP05 is totally conserved and EP21 highly conserved across HCV genotypes. These two epitope peptides reacted strongly with 59–79% chronic and weakly with 30–58% resolved HCV infected blood donors, suggesting that these epitopes were dominant in HCV infection. MAb 2E12 inhibited 50% of unwinding activity of NS3 helicase in vitro. Novel monoclonal antibodies recognize highly conserved epitopes at crucial functional sites within NS3 helicase, which may become important antibodies for diagnosis and antiviral therapy in chronic HCV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixin Bian
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shuoxian Zhao
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shaomei Zhu
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | | | - Tingting Li
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | | | - Yuanzhan Wang
- Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xin Zheng
- Shenzhen Blood Center, Shenzhen, China
| | - Ling Zhang
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenjing Wang
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | | | - Yuanping Zhou
- Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jean-Pierre Allain
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Hematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Chengyao Li
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- * E-mail:
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19
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Sweeney NL, Shadrick WR, Mukherjee S, Li K, Frankowski KJ, Schoenen FJ, Frick DN. Primuline derivatives that mimic RNA to stimulate hepatitis C virus NS3 helicase-catalyzed ATP hydrolysis. J Biol Chem 2013; 288:19949-57. [PMID: 23703611 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m113.463166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
ATP hydrolysis fuels the ability of helicases and related proteins to translocate on nucleic acids and separate base pairs. As a consequence, nucleic acid binding stimulates the rate at which a helicase catalyzes ATP hydrolysis. In this study, we searched a library of small molecule helicase inhibitors for compounds that stimulate ATP hydrolysis catalyzed by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 helicase, which is an important antiviral drug target. Two compounds were found that stimulate HCV helicase-catalyzed ATP hydrolysis, both of which are amide derivatives synthesized from the main component of the yellow dye primuline. Both compounds possess a terminal pyridine moiety, which was critical for stimulation. Analogs lacking a terminal pyridine inhibited HCV helicase catalyzed ATP hydrolysis. Unlike other HCV helicase inhibitors, the stimulatory compounds differentiate between helicases isolated from various HCV genotypes and related viruses. The compounds only stimulated ATP hydrolysis catalyzed by NS3 purified from HCV genotype 1b. They inhibited helicases from other HCV genotypes (e.g. 1a and 2a) or related flaviviruses (e.g. Dengue virus). The stimulatory compounds interacted with HCV helicase in the absence of ATP with dissociation constants of about 2 μM. Molecular modeling and site-directed mutagenesis studies suggest that the stimulatory compounds bind in the HCV helicase RNA-binding cleft near key residues Arg-393, Glu-493, and Ser-231.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noreena L Sweeney
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, USA
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20
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Structure and Mechanisms of SF1 DNA Helicases. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2013; 767:17-46. [PMID: 23161005 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-5037-5_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Superfamily I is a large and diverse group of monomeric and dimeric helicases defined by a set of conserved sequence motifs. Members of this class are involved in essential processes in both DNA and RNA metabolism in all organisms. In addition to conserved amino acid sequences, they also share a common structure containing two RecA-like motifs involved in ATP binding and hydrolysis and nucleic acid binding and unwinding. Unwinding is facilitated by a "pin" structure which serves to split the incoming duplex. This activity has been measured using both ensemble and single-molecule conditions. SF1 helicase activity is modulated through interactions with other proteins.
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21
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He X, Byrd AK, Yun MK, Pemble CW, Harrison D, Yeruva L, Dahl C, Kreuzer KN, Raney KD, White SW. The T4 phage SF1B helicase Dda is structurally optimized to perform DNA strand separation. Structure 2012; 20:1189-200. [PMID: 22658750 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2012.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2012] [Revised: 04/19/2012] [Accepted: 04/21/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Helicases move on DNA via an ATP binding and hydrolysis mechanism coordinated by well-characterized helicase motifs. However, the translocation along single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and the strand separation of double-stranded (dsDNA) may be loosely or tightly coupled. Dda is a phage T4 SF1B helicase with sequence homology to the Pif1 family of helicases that tightly couples translocation to strand separation. The crystal structure of the Dda-ssDNA binary complex reveals a domain referred to as the "pin" that was previously thought to remain static during strand separation. The pin contains a conserved phenylalanine that mediates a transient base-stacking interaction that is absolutely required for separation of dsDNA. The pin is secured at its tip by protein-protein interactions through an extended SH3 domain thereby creating a rigid strut. The conserved interface between the pin and the SH3 domain provides the mechanism for tight coupling of translocation to strand separation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoping He
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
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22
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Robust full-length hepatitis C virus genotype 2a and 2b infectious cultures using mutations identified by a systematic approach applicable to patient strains. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:E1101-10. [PMID: 22467829 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1203829109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a leading cause of chronic liver diseases worldwide, but treatment options are limited. Basic HCV research required for vaccine and drug development has been hampered by inability to culture patient isolates, and to date only the JFH1 (genotype 2a) recombinant replicates spontaneously in hepatoma cells and releases infectious virus. A JFH1 chimera with the 5' end through NS2 from another genotype 2a strain, J6, had enhanced infectivity. However, the full-length J6 clone (J6CF), which we previously found to be fully functional in vivo, was replication incompetent in vitro. Through a systematic approach of culturing J6 with minimal JFH1 sequences, we identified three mutations in NS3, NS4A, and NS5B that permitted full-length J6 propagation and adaptation with infectivity titers comparable to JFH1-based systems. The most efficient recombinant, J6cc, had six adaptive mutations and did not accumulate additional changes following viral passage. We demonstrated that HCV NS3/NS4A protease-, NS5A- and NS5B polymerase-directed drugs respectively inhibited full-length J6 infection dose dependently. Importantly, the three J6-derived mutations enabled culture adaptation of the genetically divergent isolate J8 (genotype 2b), which differed from the J6 nucleotide sequence by 24%. The most efficient recombinant, J8cc, had nine adaptive mutations and was genetically stable after viral passage. The availability of these robust JFH1-independent genotype 2a and 2b culture systems represents an important advance, and the approach used might permit culture development of other isolates, with implications for improved individualized treatments of HCV patients and for development of broadly efficient vaccines.
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23
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George SL, Varmaz D, Tavis JE, Chowdhury A. The GB virus C (GBV-C) NS3 serine protease inhibits HIV-1 replication in a CD4+ T lymphocyte cell line without decreasing HIV receptor expression. PLoS One 2012; 7:e30653. [PMID: 22292009 PMCID: PMC3264616 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2010] [Accepted: 12/26/2011] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Persistent infection with GBV-C (GB Virus C), a non-pathogenic virus related to hepatitis C virus (HCV), prolongs survival in HIV infection. Two GBV-C proteins, NS5A and E2, have been shown previously to inhibit HIV replication in vitro. We investigated whether the GBV-C NS3 serine protease affects HIV replication. RESULTS GBV-C NS3 protease expressed in a human CD4+ T lymphocyte cell line significantly inhibited HIV replication. Addition of NS4A or NS4A/4B coding sequence to GBV-C NS3 increased the effect on HIV replication. Inhibition of HIV replication was dose-dependent and was not mediated by increased cell toxicity. Mutation of the NS3 catalytic serine to alanine resulted in loss of both HIV inhibition and protease activity. GBV-C NS3 expression did not measurably decrease CD4 or CXCR4 expression. CONCLUSION GBV-C NS3 serine protease significantly inhibited HIV replication without decreasing HIV receptor expression. The requirement for an intact catalytic serine at the active site indicates that inhibition was mediated by proteolytic cleavage of an unidentified target(s).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L George
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.
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24
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Jiang F, Ramanathan A, Miller MT, Tang GQ, Gale M, Patel SS, Marcotrigiano J. Structural basis of RNA recognition and activation by innate immune receptor RIG-I. Nature 2011; 479:423-7. [PMID: 21947008 PMCID: PMC3430514 DOI: 10.1038/nature10537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 327] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2011] [Accepted: 09/06/2011] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Retinoic-acid-inducible gene-I (RIG-I; also known as DDX58) is a cytoplasmic pathogen recognition receptor that recognizes pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) motifs to differentiate between viral and cellular RNAs. RIG-I is activated by blunt-ended double-stranded (ds)RNA with or without a 5'-triphosphate (ppp), by single-stranded RNA marked by a 5'-ppp and by polyuridine sequences. Upon binding to such PAMP motifs, RIG-I initiates a signalling cascade that induces innate immune defences and inflammatory cytokines to establish an antiviral state. The RIG-I pathway is highly regulated and aberrant signalling leads to apoptosis, altered cell differentiation, inflammation, autoimmune diseases and cancer. The helicase and repressor domains (RD) of RIG-I recognize dsRNA and 5'-ppp RNA to activate the two amino-terminal caspase recruitment domains (CARDs) for signalling. Here, to understand the synergy between the helicase and the RD for RNA binding, and the contribution of ATP hydrolysis to RIG-I activation, we determined the structure of human RIG-I helicase-RD in complex with dsRNA and an ATP analogue. The helicase-RD organizes into a ring around dsRNA, capping one end, while contacting both strands using previously uncharacterized motifs to recognize dsRNA. Small-angle X-ray scattering, limited proteolysis and differential scanning fluorimetry indicate that RIG-I is in an extended and flexible conformation that compacts upon binding RNA. These results provide a detailed view of the role of helicase in dsRNA recognition, the synergy between the RD and the helicase for RNA binding and the organization of full-length RIG-I bound to dsRNA, and provide evidence of a conformational change upon RNA binding. The RIG-I helicase-RD structure is consistent with dsRNA translocation without unwinding and cooperative binding to RNA. The structure yields unprecedented insight into innate immunity and has a broader impact on other areas of biology, including RNA interference and DNA repair, which utilize homologous helicase domains within DICER and FANCM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuguo Jiang
- Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, 679 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
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Yon C, Viswanathan P, Rossignol JF, Korba B. Mutations in HCV non-structural genes do not contribute to resistance to nitazoxanide in replicon-containing cells. Antiviral Res 2011; 91:233-40. [PMID: 21703309 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2011.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2011] [Revised: 05/18/2011] [Accepted: 05/24/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Nitazoxanide (NTZ) exhibits potent antiviral activity against hepatitis C virus (HCV) in cell culture. Previously, HCV replicon-containing cell lines resistant to NTZ were selected, but transfer the HCV NTZ-resistance phenotype was not observed following transfection of whole cell RNA. To further explore the nature of the resistance of HCV to NTZ, full length HCV replicon sequences were obtained from two NTZ-resistant (NTZ-11, TIZ-9), and the parental (RP7) cell lines. Numerous nucleotide changes were observed in individual HCV genomes relative to the RP7 HCV consensus sequence, but no common mutations in the HCV non-structural genes or 3'-UTR were detected. A cluster of single nucleotide mutations was found within a 5-base portion of the 5'-UTR in 20/21 HCV replicon sequences from both resistant cell lines. Three mutations (5'-UTR G17A, G18A, C20U) were individually inserted into CON1 ('wild-type') HCV replicons, showed reduced replication (5 to 50-fold), but none conferred resistance to NTZ. RP7, NTZ-11, and TIZ-9 were cured of HCV genomes by serial passage under interferon. Transfection of cured NTZ-11 and TIZ-9 with either whole cell RNAs from RP7, NTZ-11, or TIZ-9, 'wild-type' or the 5'-UTR mutation-containing replicon RNAs exhibited an NTZ-resistance phenotype. TIZ (the active metabolite of NTZ) was found to be inactive against the activity of HCV polymerase, protease, and helicase in enzymatic assays. These data confirm previous speculations that HCV resistance to NTZ is not due to mutations in the virus, and demonstrate that HCV resistance and most likely the antiviral activity of TIZ are due to interactions with cellular target(s).
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Affiliation(s)
- Changsuek Yon
- Georgetown University Medical Center, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Washington, DC, USA
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26
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Appleby TC, Anderson R, Fedorova O, Pyle AM, Wang R, Liu X, Brendza KM, Somoza JR. Visualizing ATP-dependent RNA translocation by the NS3 helicase from HCV. J Mol Biol 2010; 405:1139-53. [PMID: 21145896 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2010.11.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2010] [Revised: 11/08/2010] [Accepted: 11/16/2010] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The structural mechanism by which nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) from the hepatitis C virus (HCV) translocates along RNA is currently unknown. HCV NS3 is an ATP-dependent motor protein essential for viral replication and a member of the superfamily 2 helicases. Crystallographic analysis using a labeled RNA oligonucleotide allowed us to unambiguously track the positional changes of RNA bound to full-length HCV NS3 during two discrete steps of the ATP hydrolytic cycle. The crystal structures of HCV NS3, NS3 bound to bromine-labeled RNA, and a tertiary complex of NS3 bound to labeled RNA and a non-hydrolyzable ATP analog provide a direct view of how large domain movements resulting from ATP binding and hydrolysis allow the enzyme to translocate along the phosphodiester backbone. While directional translocation of HCV NS3 by a single base pair per ATP hydrolyzed is observed, the 3' end of the RNA does not shift register with respect to a conserved tryptophan residue, supporting a "spring-loading" mechanism that leads to larger steps by the enzyme as it moves along a nucleic acid substrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd C Appleby
- Department of Structural Chemistry, Gilead Sciences, Inc., 333 Lakeside Drive, Foster City, CA 94404, USA.
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27
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Lemon SM, McKeating JA, Pietschmann T, Frick DN, Glenn JS, Tellinghuisen TL, Symons J, Furman PA. Development of novel therapies for hepatitis C. Antiviral Res 2010; 86:79-92. [PMID: 20417376 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2010.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2010] [Revised: 01/30/2010] [Accepted: 02/01/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The current standard of care for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a combination of pegylated IFN and ribavirin (Peg-IFN/RBV). Because of the adverse effects associated with both IFN and ribavirin and because Peg-IFN/RBV provides only about a 45-50% sustained virological response (SVR, undetectable HCV RNA for greater than 24 weeks after cessation of therapy) in genotype 1-infected individuals, there is a need for more potent anti-HCV compounds with fewer adverse effects. The twenty-first International Conference on Antiviral Research held in May 2009 in Miami Beach, Florida, featured a special session focused on novel targets for HCV therapy. The session included presentations by world-renowned experts in HCV virology and covered a diverse array of potential targets for the development of new classes of HCV therapies. This review contains concise summaries of discussed topics that included the innate immune response, virus entry, the NS2 protease, the NS3 helicase, NS4B, and NS5A. Each presenter discussed the current knowledge of these targets and provided examples of recent scientific breakthroughs that are enhancing our understanding of these targets. As our understanding of the role of these novel anti-HCV targets increases so will our ability to discover new, more safe and effective anti-HCV therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanley M Lemon
- Center for Hepatitis Research, Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA
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Raney KD, Sharma SD, Moustafa IM, Cameron CE. Hepatitis C virus non-structural protein 3 (HCV NS3): a multifunctional antiviral target. J Biol Chem 2010; 285:22725-31. [PMID: 20457607 PMCID: PMC2906261 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.r110.125294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus non-structural protein 3 contains a serine protease and an RNA helicase. Protease cleaves the genome-encoded polyprotein and inactivates cellular proteins required for innate immunity. Protease has emerged as an important target for the development of antiviral therapeutics, but drug resistance has turned out to be an obstacle in the clinic. Helicase is required for both genome replication and virus assembly. Mechanistic and structural studies of helicase have hurled this enzyme into a prominent position in the field of helicase enzymology. Nevertheless, studies of helicase as an antiviral target remain in their infancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin D. Raney
- From the
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205 and
| | - Suresh D. Sharma
- the
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
| | - Ibrahim M. Moustafa
- the
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
| | - Craig E. Cameron
- the
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
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29
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Belon CA, High YD, Lin TI, Pauwels F, Frick DN. Mechanism and specificity of a symmetrical benzimidazolephenylcarboxamide helicase inhibitor. Biochemistry 2010; 49:1822-32. [PMID: 20108979 DOI: 10.1021/bi901974a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
This study examines the effects of 1-N,4-N-bis[4-(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)phenyl]benzene-1,4-dicarboxamide ((BIP)(2)B) on the NS3 helicase encoded by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Molecular beacon-based helicase assays were used to show that (BIP)(2)B inhibits the ability of HCV helicase to separate a variety of RNA and DNA duplexes with half-maximal inhibitory concentrations ranging from 0.7 to 5 microM, depending on the nature of the substrate. In single turnover assays, (BIP)(2)B only inhibited unwinding reactions when it was preincubated with the helicase-nucleic acid complex. (BIP)(2)B quenched NS3 intrinsic protein fluorescence with an apparent dissociation constant of 5 microM, and in the presence of (BIP)(2)B, HCV helicase did not appear to interact with a fluorescent DNA oligonucleotide. In assays monitoring HCV helicase-catalyzed ATP hydrolysis, (BIP)(2)B only inhibited helicase-catalyzed ATP hydrolysis in the presence of intermediate concentrations of RNA, suggesting RNA and (BIP)(2)B compete for the same binding site. HCV helicases isolated from various HCV genotypes were similarly sensitive to (BIP)(2)B, with half-maximal inhibitory concentrations ranging from 0.7 to 2.4 microM. (BIP)(2)B also inhibited ATP hydrolysis catalyzed by related helicases from Dengue virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, and humans. (BIP)(2)B appeared to bind the HCV and human proteins with similar affinity (K(i) = 7 and 8 microM, respectively), but it bound the flavivirus proteins up to 270 times more tightly. Results are discussed in light of a molecular model of a (BIP)(2)B-HCV helicase complex, which is unable to bind nucleic acid, thus preventing the enzyme from separating double-stranded nucleic acid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig A Belon
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York 10595, USA
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Matlock DL, Yeruva L, Byrd AK, Mackintosh SG, Langston C, Brown C, Cameron CE, Fischer CJ, Raney KD. Investigation of translocation, DNA unwinding, and protein displacement by NS3h, the helicase domain from the hepatitis C virus helicase. Biochemistry 2010; 49:2097-109. [PMID: 20108974 DOI: 10.1021/bi901977k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Helicases are motor proteins that are involved in DNA and RNA metabolism, replication, recombination, transcription, and repair. The motors are powered by ATP binding and hydrolysis. Hepatitis C virus encodes a helicase called nonstructural protein (NS3). NS3 possesses protease and helicase activities on its N-terminal and C-terminal domains, respectively. The helicase domain of NS3 is termed NS3h. In vitro, NS3h catalyzes RNA and DNA unwinding in a 3'-5' direction. The directionality of unwinding is thought to arise in part from the enzyme's ability to translocate along DNA, but translocation has not been shown explicitly. We examined the DNA translocase activity of NS3h by using single-stranded oligonucleotide substrates containing a fluorescent probe on the 5' end. NS3h can bind to the ssDNA and in the presence of ATP move toward the 5' end. When the enzyme encounters the fluorescent probe, a fluorescence change is observed that allows translocation to be characterized. Under conditions that favor binding of one NS3h per DNA substrate (100 nM NS3h and 200 nM oligonucleotide), we find that NS3h translocates on ssDNA at a rate of 46 +/- 5 nucleotides/s, and that it can move for 230 +/- 60 nucleotides before dissociating from the DNA. The translocase activity of some helicases is responsible for displacing proteins that are bound to DNA. We studied protein displacement by using a ssDNA oligonucleotide covalently linked to biotin on the 5' end. Upon addition of streptavidin, a "protein block" was placed in the pathway of the helicase. Interestingly, NS3h was unable to displace streptavidin from the end of the oligonucleotide, despite its ability to translocate along the DNA. The DNA unwinding activity of NS3h was examined using a 22 bp duplex DNA substrate under conditions that were identical to those used to study translocation. NS3h exhibited little or no DNA unwinding under single-cycle conditions, supporting the conclusion that NS3h is a relatively poor helicase in its monomeric form, as has been reported. In summary, NS3h translocates on ssDNA as a monomer, but the translocase activity does not correspond to comparable DNA unwinding activity or protein displacement activity under identical conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis L Matlock
- Department of Chemistry, Harding University, Searcy, Arkansas 72143, USA
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31
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Three conformational snapshots of the hepatitis C virus NS3 helicase reveal a ratchet translocation mechanism. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2009; 107:521-8. [PMID: 20080715 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0913380107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 182] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
A virally encoded superfamily-2 (SF2) helicase (NS3h) is essential for the replication of hepatitis C virus, a leading cause of liver disease worldwide. Efforts to elucidate the function of NS3h and to develop inhibitors against it, however, have been hampered by limited understanding of its molecular mechanism. Here we show x-ray crystal structures for a set of NS3h complexes, including ground-state and transition-state ternary complexes captured with ATP mimics (ADP.BeF(3) and ). These structures provide, for the first time, three conformational snapshots demonstrating the molecular basis of action for a SF2 helicase. Upon nucleotide binding, overall domain rotation along with structural transitions in motif V and the bound DNA leads to the release of one base from the substrate base-stacking row and the loss of several interactions between NS3h and the 3' DNA segment. As nucleotide hydrolysis proceeds into the transition state, stretching of a "spring" helix and another overall conformational change couples rearrangement of the (d)NTPase active site to additional hydrogen-bonding between NS3h and DNA. Together with biochemistry, these results demonstrate a "ratchet" mechanism involved in the unidirectional translocation and define the step size of NS3h as one base per nucleotide hydrolysis cycle. These findings suggest feasible strategies for developing specific inhibitors to block the action of this attractive, yet largely unexplored drug target.
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Pena V, Jovin SM, Fabrizio P, Orlowski J, Bujnicki JM, Lührmann R, Wahl MC. Common design principles in the spliceosomal RNA helicase Brr2 and in the Hel308 DNA helicase. Mol Cell 2009; 35:454-66. [PMID: 19716790 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2009.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2009] [Revised: 07/17/2009] [Accepted: 08/12/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Brr2 is a unique DExD/H box protein required for catalytic activation and disassembly of the spliceosome. It contains two tandem helicase cassettes that both comprise dual RecA-like domains and a noncanonical Sec63 unit. The latter may bestow the enzyme with unique properties. We have determined crystal structures of the C-terminal Sec63 unit of yeast Brr2, revealing three domains, two of which resemble functional modules of a DNA helicase, Hel308, despite lacking significant sequence similarity. This structural similarity together with sequence conservation between the enzymes throughout the RecA-like domains and a winged helix domain allowed us to devise a structural model of the N-terminal active cassette of Brr2. We consolidated the model by rational mutagenesis combined with splicing and U4/U6 di-snRNA unwinding assays, highlighting how the RecA-like domains and the Sec63 unit form a functional entity that appears suitable for unidirectional and processive RNA duplex unwinding during spliceosome activation and disassembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Pena
- Abteilung Zelluläre Biochemie, Max-Planck-Institut für Biophysikalische Chemie, Am Fassberg 11, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
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33
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Compensatory mutations in NS3 and NS5A proteins enhance the virus production capability of hepatitis C reporter virus. Virus Res 2009; 145:63-73. [PMID: 19540283 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2009.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2009] [Revised: 06/01/2009] [Accepted: 06/03/2009] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
In this study, an infectious HCV monocistronic reporter virus was constructed by inserting an EGFP gene into the C-terminus of NS5A in the JFH-1 genome. A robust adaptive mutant, which could produce infectious virions as robustly as the JFH-1 wild type in Huh7.5.1 cells, was subsequently isolated by monitoring EGFP fluorescence. Full genomic sequencing revealed five amino acid substitutions, three located in the helicase domain of NS3 and two positioned in the C-terminus of NS5A. Reverse genetics studies suggested that the NS3 and NS5A mutations acted synergistically to enhance virus production capability possibly by accelerating the virion assembly efficiency but did not affect the replication competence of the adaptive reporter virus. Further analysis revealed that the M260K and T462I substitutions in NS3 and NS5A, respectively, were the key mutations. These adaptive mutations were also effective in the context of the JFH-1 genome.
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34
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Belon CA, Frick DN. Helicase inhibitors as specifically targeted antiviral therapy for hepatitis C. Future Virol 2009; 4:277-293. [PMID: 20161209 PMCID: PMC2714653 DOI: 10.2217/fvl.09.7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) leads to chronic liver disease and affects more than 2% of the world's population. Complications of the disease include fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Current therapy for chronic HCV infection, a combination of ribavirin and pegylated IFN-alpha, is expensive, causes profound side effects and is only moderately effective against several common HCV strains. Specifically targeted antiviral therapy for hepatitis C (STAT-C) will probably supplement or replace present therapies. Leading compounds for STAT-C target the HCV nonstructural (NS)5B polymerase and NS3 protease, however, owing to the constant threat of viral resistance, other targets must be continually developed. One such underdeveloped target is the helicase domain of the HCV NS3 protein. The HCV helicase uses energy derived from ATP hydrolysis to separate based-paired RNA or DNA. This article discusses unique features of the HCV helicase, recently discovered compounds that inhibit HCV helicase catalyzed reactions and HCV cellular replication, and new methods to monitor helicase action in a high-throughput format.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig A Belon
- New York Medical College, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA, Tel.: +1 914 594 3537; Fax: +1 914 594 4058;
| | - David N Frick
- New York Medical College, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA, Tel.: +1 914 594 4190; Fax: +1 914 594 4058;
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35
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Kandil S, Biondaro S, Vlachakis D, Cummins AC, Coluccia A, Berry C, Leyssen P, Neyts J, Brancale A. Discovery of a novel HCV helicase inhibitor by a de novo drug design approach. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2009; 19:2935-7. [PMID: 19414257 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2009.04.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2009] [Revised: 04/14/2009] [Accepted: 04/17/2009] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Herein we report a successful application of a computer-aided design approach to identify a novel HCV helicase inhibitor. A de novo drug design methodology was used to generate an initial set of structures that could potentially bind to a putative binding site. Further structure refinement was carried out through docking a series of focused virtual libraries. The most promising compound was synthesised and it exhibited a submicromolar inhibition of the HCV helicase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahar Kandil
- The Welsh School of Pharmacy, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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36
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Hartjen P, Medom BK, Reinholz M, Borowski P, Baier A. Regulation of the biochemical function of motif VI of HCV NTPase/helicase by the conserved Phe-loop. Biochimie 2009; 91:252-60. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2008.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2008] [Accepted: 09/26/2008] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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37
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Effects of mutagenic and chain-terminating nucleotide analogs on enzymes isolated from hepatitis C virus strains of various genotypes. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2008; 52:1901-11. [PMID: 18391043 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01496-07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of effective therapies for hepatitis C virus (HCV) must take into account genetic variation among HCV strains. Response rates to interferon-based treatments, including the current preferred treatment of pegylated alpha interferon administered with ribavirin, are genotype specific. Of the numerous HCV inhibitors currently in development as antiviral drugs, nucleoside analogs that target the conserved NS5B active site seem to be quite effective against diverse HCV strains. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effects of a panel of nucleotide analogs, including ribavirin triphosphate (RTP) and several chain-terminating nucleoside triphosphates, on the activities of purified HCV NS5B polymerases derived from genotype 1a, 1b, and 2a strains. Unlike the genotype-specific effects on NS5B activity reported previously for nonnucleoside inhibitors (F. Pauwels, W. Mostmans, L. M. Quirynen, L. van der Helm, C. W. Boutton, A. S. Rueff, E. Cleiren, P. Raboisson, D. Surleraux, O. Nyanguile, and K. A. Simmen, J. Virol. 81:6909-6919, 2007), only minor differences in inhibition were observed among the various genotypes; thus, nucleoside analogs that are current drug candidates may be more promising for treatment of a broader variety of HCV strains. We also examined the effects of RTP on the HCV NS3 helicase/ATPase. As with the polymerase, only minor differences were observed among 1a-, 1b-, and 2a-derived enzymes. RTP did not inhibit the rate of NS3 helicase-catalyzed DNA unwinding but served instead as a substrate to fuel unwinding. NS3 added to RNA synthesis reactions relieved inhibition of the polymerase by RTP, presumably due to RTP hydrolysis. These results suggest that NS3 can limit the incorporation of ribavirin into viral RNA, thus reducing its inhibitory or mutagenic effects.
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38
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Abstract
In recent years, the effects of hepatitis C virus (HCV) proteins on hepatocarcinogenesis have undergone intense investigations. The potentially oncogenic proteins include at least three HCV proteins: core (C) protein, NS3, and NS5A. Several authors indicated relationships between subcellular localization, concentration, a specific molecular form of the proteins (full length, truncated, phosphorylated), the presence of specific domains (the nuclear localization signal homologous to e.g. Bcl-2) and their effects on the mechanisms linked to oncogenesis. The involvement of all the proteins has been described as being in control of the cell cycle, through interactions with key proteins of the process (p53, p21, cyclins, proliferating cell nuclear antigen), transcription factors, proto-oncogenes, growth factors/cytokines and their receptors, and proteins linked to the apoptotic process. Untilnow, the involvement of the core protein of HCV in liver carcinogenesis is the most recognized. One of the most common proteins affected by HCV proteins is the p53 tumor-suppressor protein. The p21/WAF1 gene is a major target of p53, and the effect of HCV proteins on the gene is frequently considered in parallel. The results of studies on the effects of HCV proteins on the apoptotic process are controversial. This work summarizes the information collected thus far in the field of HCV molecular virology and principal intracellular signaling pathways in which HCV oncogenic proteins are involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aldona Kasprzak
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical University, Poznań, Poland
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39
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Büttner K, Nehring S, Hopfner KP. Structural basis for DNA duplex separation by a superfamily-2 helicase. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2007; 14:647-52. [PMID: 17558417 DOI: 10.1038/nsmb1246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 249] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2007] [Accepted: 04/06/2007] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
To reveal the mechanism of processive strand separation by superfamily-2 (SF2) 3'-->5' helicases, we determined apo and DNA-bound crystal structures of archaeal Hel308, a helicase that unwinds lagging strands and is related to human DNA polymerase theta. Our structure captures the duplex-unwinding reaction, shows that initial strand separation does not require ATP and identifies a prominent beta-hairpin loop as the unwinding element. Similar loops in hepatitis C virus NS3 helicase and RNA-decay factors support the idea that this duplex-unwinding mechanism is applicable to a broad subset of SF2 helicases. Comparison with ATP-bound SF2 enzymes suggests that ATP promotes processive unwinding of 1 base pair by ratchet-like transport of the 3' product strand. Our results provide a first structural framework for strand separation by processive SF2 3'-->5' helicases and reveal important mechanistic differences from SF1 helicases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Büttner
- Center for Integrated Protein Science, Gene Center and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Feodor-Lynen-Str. 25, 81377 Munich, Germany
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40
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Abstract
Mutations were introduced into the NS3 helicase region of a hepatitis C virus (HCV) Con1 subgenomic replicon to ascertain the role of the helicase in viral replication. One new replicon lacked two-thirds of the NS3 helicase (Deltahel), and six others contained one of the following six amino acid substitutions in NS3: R393A, F438A, T450I, E493K, W501A, and W501F. It has been previously reported that purified R393A, F438A, and W501A HCV helicase proteins do not unwind RNA but unwind DNA, bind RNA, and hydrolyze ATP. On the other hand, previous data suggest that a W501F protein retains most of its unwinding abilities and that purified T450I and E493K HCV helicase proteins have enhanced unwinding abilities. In a hepatoma cell line that has been cured of HCV replicons using interferon, the T450I and W501F replicons synthesized both negative-sense and positive-sense viral RNA and formed colonies after selection with similar efficiencies as the parent replicon. However, the Deltahel, R393A, F438A, and W501A replicons encoded and processed an HCV polyprotein but did not synthesize additional viral RNA or form colonies. Surprisingly the same phenotype was seen for the E493K replicon. The inability of the E493K replicon to replicate might point to a role of pH in viral replication because a previous analysis has shown that, unlike the wild-type NS3 protein, the helicase activity of an E493K protein is not sensitive to pH changes. These results demonstrate that the RNA-unwinding activity of the HCV NS3 helicase is needed for RNA replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela M I Lam
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA
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41
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Frick DN. The hepatitis C virus NS3 protein: a model RNA helicase and potential drug target. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2007; 9:1-20. [PMID: 17263143 PMCID: PMC3571657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The C-terminal portion of hepatitis C virus (HCV) nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) forms a three domain polypeptide that possesses the ability to travel along RNA or single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) in a 3' to 5' direction. Fueled byATP hydrolysis, this movement allows the protein to displace complementary strands of DNA or RNA and proteins bound to the nucleic acid. HCV helicase shares two domains common to other motor proteins, one of which appears to rotate upon ATP binding. Several models have been proposed to explain how this conformational change leads to protein movement and RNA unwinding, but no model presently explains all existing experimental data. Compounds recently reported to inhibit HCV helicase, which include numerous small molecules, RNA aptamers and antibodies, will be useful for elucidating the role of a helicase in positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus replication and might serve as templates for the design of novel antiviral drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- David N Frick
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA.
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42
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Frick DN, Banik S, Rypma RS. Role of divalent metal cations in ATP hydrolysis catalyzed by the hepatitis C virus NS3 helicase: magnesium provides a bridge for ATP to fuel unwinding. J Mol Biol 2006; 365:1017-32. [PMID: 17084859 PMCID: PMC1829317 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2006.10.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2006] [Revised: 10/06/2006] [Accepted: 10/08/2006] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
This study investigates the role of magnesium ions in coupling ATP hydrolysis to the nucleic acid unwinding catalyzed by the NS3 protein encoded by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Analyses of steady-state ATP hydrolysis rates at various RNA and magnesium concentrations were used to determine values for the 15 dissociation constants describing the formation of a productive enzyme-metal-ATP-RNA complex and the four rate constants describing hydrolysis of ATP by the possible enzyme-ATP complexes. These values coupled with direct binding studies, specificity studies and analyses of site-directed mutants reveal only one ATP binding site on HCV helicase centered on the catalytic base Glu291. An adjacent residue, Asp290, binds a magnesium ion that forms a bridge to ATP, reorienting the nucleotide in the active site. RNA stimulates hydrolysis while decreasing the affinity of the enzyme for ATP, magnesium, and MgATP. The binding scheme described here explains the unusual regulation of the enzyme by ATP that has been reported previously. Binding of either free magnesium or free ATP to HCV helicase competes with MgATP, the true fuel for helicase movements, and leads to slower hydrolysis and nucleic acid unwinding.
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Affiliation(s)
- David N Frick
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA.
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43
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Abstract
Bacteriophages (prokaryotic viruses) are favourite model systems to study DNA replication in prokaryotes, and provide examples for every theoretically possible replication mechanism. In addition, the elucidation of the intricate interplay of phage-encoded replication factors with 'host' factors has always advanced the understanding of DNA replication in general. Here we review bacteriophage replication based on the long-standing observation that in most known phage genomes the replication genes are arranged as modules. This allows us to discuss established model systems--f1/fd, phiX174, P2, P4, lambda, SPP1, N15, phi29, T7 and T4--along with those numerous phages that have been sequenced but not studied experimentally. The review of bacteriophage replication mechanisms and modules is accompanied by a compendium of replication origins and replication/recombination proteins (available as supplementary material online).
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44
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Abstract
Helicases are promising antiviral drug targets because their enzymatic activities are essential for viral genome replication, transcription, and translation. Numerous potent inhibitors of helicases encoded by herpes simplex virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, hepatitis C virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, West Nile virus, and human papillomavirus have been recently reported in the scientific literature. Some inhibitors have also been shown to decrease viral replication in cell culture and animal models. This review discusses recent progress in understanding the structure and function of viral helicases to help clarify how these potential antiviral compounds function and to facilitate the design of better inhibitors. The above helicases and all related viral proteins are classified here based on their evolutionary and functional similarities, and the key mechanistic features of each group are noted. All helicases share a common motor function fueled by ATP hydrolysis, but differ in exactly how the motor moves the protein and its cargo on a nucleic acid chain. The helicase inhibitors discussed here influence rates of helicase-catalyzed DNA (or RNA) unwinding by preventing ATP hydrolysis, nucleic acid binding, nucleic acid release, or by disrupting the interaction of a helicase with a required cofactor.
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Affiliation(s)
- D N Frick
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA.
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45
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Abstract
To date, although many viral infections can be successfully prevented via vaccination, we lack effective knowledge of vaccines for numerous important human pathogens, including hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Accordingly, antiviral drugs will be needed to treat many viral diseases. Virally encoded enzymes and cellular enzymes adapted for use by viruses for replication might represent useful targets for antiviral drugs. Drugs that target either a viral or cellular polypeptide hold different implications. Inhibitors of unique viral functions have a lower risk of toxicity, whereas inhibitors of cellular enzymes that are used by viruses have a narrower window for efficacy without creating toxicity. All viruses seem to require a helicase function for replication. HCV encodes a viral RNA helicase, and recent findings have shown that HIV-1 adapts a cellular RNA helicase for its viral lifecycle. These observations raise the possibility of small-molecule helicase inhibitors as a general mode of antiviral therapy. Helicases fall into three super-families (SF1, SF2 and SF3) with conserved motifs. The conserved motifs are associated with conserved helicase function. However, outside of the conserved motifs the primary sequences and tertiary structures between helicases are differ greatly. In this regard, differences in primary sequence and tertiary structure between the helicase of a viral pathogen and that of cellular helicases can be exploited to confer specificity to an antiviral inhibitor. The conformation of an active helicase can be broadly divided into an 'open' and a 'closed' complex. Strategies for identifying small-molecule helicase inhibitors include: inhibiting NTPase activity by direct competition with NTP binding; competitively inhibit nucleic-acid binding; inhibiting NTP hydrolysis or NDP release by blocking the movement of domain 2; inhibiting the process that couples NTP hydrolysis to translocation and unwinding of nucleic acid; inhibiting unwinding by sterically blocking helicase translocation; and inhibiting unwinding. Other potential inhibitory mechanisms include those that change the physical conformation of the helicase, or those that disrupt helicase turnover, or those that inhibit helicase interaction with other crucial proteins. Preclinical proof of concept for helicase inhibitors as antiviral agents has been obtained for HSV. This breakthrough finding provides the best evidence to date that it is possible to develop selective, potent inhibitors of a viral helicase as antiviral agents. Searches are ongoing for antihelicase molecules that have activity against HCV or HIV-1.
Although there has been considerable progress in the development of antiviral agents in recent years, there is still a pressing need for new drugs both to improve on the properties of existing agents and to combat the problem of viral resistance. Helicases, both viral and human, have recently emerged as novel targets for the treatment of viral infections. Here, we discuss the role of these enzymes, factors affecting their potential as drug targets and progress in the development of agents that inhibit their activity using the hepatitis C virus-encoded helicase NS3 and the cellular helicase DDX3 adopted for use by HIV-1 as examples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann D. Kwong
- Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., 130 Waverly Street, Cambridge, 02139 Massachusetts USA
| | - B. Govinda Rao
- Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., 130 Waverly Street, Cambridge, 02139 Massachusetts USA
| | - Kuan-Teh Jeang
- The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, 20892 Maryland USA
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Nishikawa F, Funaji K, Fukuda K, Nishikawa S. In vitro selection of RNA aptamers against the HCV NS3 helicase domain. Oligonucleotides 2005; 14:114-29. [PMID: 15294075 DOI: 10.1089/1545457041526335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has two distinct domains, protease and helicase, that are essential for HCV proliferation. Therefore, NS3 is considered a target for anti-HCV treatment. To study RNA aptamers of the NS3 helicase domain, we carried out in vitro selection against the HCV NS3 helicase domain. RNA aptamers obtained after eight generations possessed 5' extended single-stranded regions and the conserved sequence (5'-GGA(U/C)GGAGCC-3') at stem-loop regions. Aptamer 5 showed strong inhibition of helicase activity in vitro. Deletion and mutagenesis analysis clarified that the conserved stem-loop is important and that the whole structure is needed for helicase inhibition. We compared the inhibition of helicase activity between aptamer 5 and 3'+-UTR of HCV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumiko Nishikawa
- Institute for Biological Resources and Functions, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Japan
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47
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Buryanovskyy L, Fu Y, Boyd M, Ma Y, Hsieh TC, Wu JM, Zhang Z. Crystal structure of quinone reductase 2 in complex with resveratrol. Biochemistry 2004; 43:11417-26. [PMID: 15350128 PMCID: PMC3650734 DOI: 10.1021/bi049162o] [Citation(s) in RCA: 179] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Resveratrol has been shown to have chemopreventive, cardioprotective, and antiaging properties. Here, we report that resveratrol is a potent inhibitor of quinone reductase 2 (QR2) activity in vitro with a dissociation constant of 35 nM and show that it specifically binds to the deep active-site cleft of QR2 using high-resolution structural analysis. All three resveratrol hydroxyl groups form hydrogen bonds with amino acids from QR2, anchoring a flat resveratrol molecule in parallel with the isoalloxazine ring of FAD. The unique active-site pocket in QR2 could potentially bind other natural polyphenols such as flavonoids, as proven by the high affinity exhibited by quercetin toward QR2. K562 cells with QR2 expression suppressed by RNAi showed similar properties as resveratrol-treated cells in their resistance to quinone toxicity. Furthermore, the QR2 knockdown K562 cells exhibit increased antioxidant and detoxification enzyme expression and reduced proliferation rates. These observations could imply that the chemopreventive and cardioprotective properties of resveratrol are possibly the results of QR2 activity inhibition, which in turn, up-regulates the expression of cellular antioxidant enzymes and cellular resistance to oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonid Buryanovskyy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla New York 10595
| | - Yue Fu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla New York 10595
| | - Molly Boyd
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla New York 10595
| | - Yuliang Ma
- Proteomics Facility, The Burnham Institute, 10901 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037
| | - Tze-chen Hsieh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla New York 10595
| | - Joseph M. Wu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla New York 10595
| | - Zhongtao Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla New York 10595
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Telephone: 914-594-4728. Fax: 914-594-4058.
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Frick DN, Rypma RS, Lam AMI, Frenz CM. Electrostatic analysis of the hepatitis C virus NS3 helicase reveals both active and allosteric site locations. Nucleic Acids Res 2004; 32:5519-28. [PMID: 15479787 PMCID: PMC524300 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkh891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Multi-conformation continuum electrostatics (MCCE) was used to analyze various structures of the NS3 RNA helicase from the hepatitis C virus in order to determine the ionization state of amino acid side chains and their pK(a)s. In MCCE analyses of HCV helicase structures that lacked ligands, several active site residues were identified to have perturbed pK(a)s in both the nucleic acid binding site and in the distant ATP-binding site, which regulates helicase movement. In all HCV helicase structures, Glu493 was unusually basic and His369 was abnormally acidic. Both these residues are part of the HCV helicase nucleic acid binding site, and their roles were analyzed by examining the pH profiles of site-directed mutants. Data support the accuracy of MCCE predicted pK(a) values, and reveal that Glu493 is critical for low pH enzyme activation. Several key residues, which were previously shown to be involved in helicase-catalyzed ATP hydrolysis, were also identified to have perturbed pK(a)s including Lys210 in the Walker-A motif and the DExD/H-box motif residues Asp290 and His293. When DNA was present in the structure, the calculated pK(a)s shifted for both Lys210 and Asp290, demonstrating how DNA binding might lead to electrostatic changes that stimulate ATP hydrolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- David N Frick
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA.
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49
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Lam AMI, Rypma RS, Frick DN. Enhanced nucleic acid binding to ATP-bound hepatitis C virus NS3 helicase at low pH activates RNA unwinding. Nucleic Acids Res 2004; 32:4060-70. [PMID: 15289579 PMCID: PMC506820 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkh743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The molecular basis of the low-pH activation of the helicase encoded by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) was examined using either a full-length NS3 protein/NS4A cofactor complex or truncated NS3 proteins lacking the protease domain, which were isolated from three different viral genotypes. All proteins unwound RNA and DNA best at pH 6.5, which demonstrate that conserved NS3 helicase domain amino acids are responsible for low-pH enzyme activation. DNA unwinding was less sensitive to pH changes than RNA unwinding. Both the turnover rate of ATP hydrolysis and the K(m) of ATP were similar between pH 6 and 10, but the concentration of nucleic acid needed to stimulate ATP hydrolysis decreased almost 50-fold when the pH was lowered from 7.5 to 6.5. In direct-binding experiments, HCV helicase bound DNA weakly at high pH only in the presence of the non-hydrolyzable ATP analog, ADP(BeF3). These data suggest that a low-pH environment might be required for efficient HCV RNA translation or replication, and support a model in which an acidic residue rotates toward the RNA backbone upon ATP binding repelling nucleic acid from the binding cleft.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela M I Lam
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA
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50
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Boguszewska-Chachulska AM, Krawczyk M, Stankiewicz A, Gozdek A, Haenni AL, Strokovskaya L. Direct fluorometric measurement of hepatitis C virus helicase activity. FEBS Lett 2004; 567:253-8. [PMID: 15178332 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2004.04.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2003] [Revised: 04/01/2004] [Accepted: 04/26/2004] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The non-structural protein 3 (NS3) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a highly promising target for anti-HCV therapy because of its multiple enzymatic activities, such as RNA-stimulated nucleoside triphosphatase, RNA helicase and serine protease. The helicase domain of NS3 as well as domain 2 of the helicase were expressed in a baculovirus system to obtain in high yield active proteins for prospective studies of complexes of the helicase with its inhibitors. A novel direct fluorometric test of helicase activity with a quenched DNA substrate, 3' labeled with a Cy3 dye and 5' labeled with a Black Hole Quencher, was developed and optimal reaction conditions established. This test based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer is simple and fast. It allows for direct measurements of enzyme activity, circumventing laborious and complicated radioactive techniques that are poorly reproducible. The results obtained encourage us to propose this new fluorescent assay as a method enabling high throughput screening of anti-helicase compounds.
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