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Sever B, Otsuka M, Fujita M, Ciftci H. A Review of FDA-Approved Anti-HIV-1 Drugs, Anti-Gag Compounds, and Potential Strategies for HIV-1 Eradication. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:3659. [PMID: 38612471 PMCID: PMC11012182 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25073659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is an enormous global health threat stemming from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infection. Up to now, the tremendous advances in combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) have shifted HIV-1 infection from a fatal illness into a manageable chronic disorder. However, the presence of latent reservoirs, the multifaceted nature of HIV-1, drug resistance, severe off-target effects, poor adherence, and high cost restrict the efficacy of current cART targeting the distinct stages of the virus life cycle. Therefore, there is an unmet need for the discovery of new therapeutics that not only bypass the limitations of the current therapy but also protect the body's health at the same time. The main goal for complete HIV-1 eradication is purging latently infected cells from patients' bodies. A potential strategy called "lock-in and apoptosis" targets the budding phase of the life cycle of the virus and leads to susceptibility to apoptosis of HIV-1 infected cells for the elimination of HIV-1 reservoirs and, ultimately, for complete eradication. The current work intends to present the main advantages and disadvantages of United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved anti-HIV-1 drugs as well as plausible strategies for the design and development of more anti-HIV-1 compounds with better potency, favorable pharmacokinetic profiles, and improved safety issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Belgin Sever
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Anadolu University, Eskisehir 26470, Türkiye;
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Science Farm Joint Research Laboratory, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 862-0973, Japan;
| | - Masami Otsuka
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Science Farm Joint Research Laboratory, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 862-0973, Japan;
- Department of Drug Discovery, Science Farm Ltd., Kumamoto 862-0976, Japan
| | - Mikako Fujita
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Science Farm Joint Research Laboratory, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 862-0973, Japan;
| | - Halilibrahim Ciftci
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Science Farm Joint Research Laboratory, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 862-0973, Japan;
- Department of Drug Discovery, Science Farm Ltd., Kumamoto 862-0976, Japan
- Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Izmir Katip Celebi University, Izmir 35620, Türkiye
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Serna-Arbeláez MS, García-Cárcamo V, Rincón-Tabares DS, Guerra D, Loaiza-Cano V, Martinez-Gutierrez M, Pereañez JA, Pastrana-Restrepo M, Galeano E, Zapata W. In Vitro and In Silico Antiviral Activity of Di-Halogenated Compounds Derived from L-Tyrosine against Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1). Curr Issues Mol Biol 2023; 45:8173-8200. [PMID: 37886959 PMCID: PMC10605077 DOI: 10.3390/cimb45100516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 infection is considered one of the major public health problems worldwide. Due to the limited access to antiretroviral therapy, the associated side effects, and the resistance that the virus can generate, it has become necessary to continue the development of new antiviral agents. The study aimed to identify potential antiviral agents for HIV-1 by evaluating the in vitro and in silico activity of 16 synthetic di-halogenated compounds derived from L-Tyrosine. The compounds were tested for cytotoxicity, which was determined using MTT, and a combined antiviral screening strategy (pre- and post-infection treatment) was performed against R5 and X4 strains of HIV-1. The most promising compounds were evaluated against a pseudotyped virus (HIV-GFP-VSV-G), and the effectiveness of these compounds was measured through GFP flow cytometry. Also, the antiviral effect of these compounds was evaluated in PBMCs using flow cytometry and ELISA for p24. The TODB-2M, TODC-2M, TODC-3M, and YDC-3M compounds showed low toxicity and significant inhibitory activity against HIV-1. In silico docking and molecular dynamics assays suggest that the compounds' antiviral activity may be due to interaction with reverse transcriptase, viral protease, or envelope gp120.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria S. Serna-Arbeláez
- Grupo Infettare, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Medellín 050001, Colombia; (M.S.S.-A.); (V.G.-C.)
- Grupo Inmunovirología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Medellín 050001, Colombia;
| | - Valentina García-Cárcamo
- Grupo Infettare, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Medellín 050001, Colombia; (M.S.S.-A.); (V.G.-C.)
- Grupo Inmunovirología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Medellín 050001, Colombia;
| | - Daniel S. Rincón-Tabares
- Grupo Inmunovirología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Medellín 050001, Colombia;
| | - Diego Guerra
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina “López-Neyra”, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, PTS Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain;
- Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales PECET, Faculty of Medicine, University of Antioquia, Medellín 050010, Colombia
| | - Vanessa Loaiza-Cano
- Grupo de Investigación en Ciencias Animales-GRICA, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Bucaramanga 680005, Colombia; (V.L.-C.); (M.M.-G.)
| | - Marlen Martinez-Gutierrez
- Grupo de Investigación en Ciencias Animales-GRICA, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Bucaramanga 680005, Colombia; (V.L.-C.); (M.M.-G.)
| | - Jaime A. Pereañez
- Grupo Toxinología, Alternativas Terapéuticas y Alimentarias, Facultad de Ciencias Farmacéuticas y Alimentarias, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Medellín 050001, Colombia;
| | - Manuel Pastrana-Restrepo
- Productos Naturales Marinos, Departamento de Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias Farmacéuticas y Alimentarias, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Medellín 050001, Colombia; (M.P.-R.); (E.G.)
| | - Elkin Galeano
- Productos Naturales Marinos, Departamento de Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias Farmacéuticas y Alimentarias, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Medellín 050001, Colombia; (M.P.-R.); (E.G.)
| | - Wildeman Zapata
- Grupo Infettare, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Medellín 050001, Colombia; (M.S.S.-A.); (V.G.-C.)
- Grupo Inmunovirología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Medellín 050001, Colombia;
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Lin YR, Chu SM, Yu FH, Huang KJ, Wang CT. Effects of reduced gag cleavage efficiency on HIV-1 Gag-Pol package. BMC Microbiol 2022; 22:94. [PMID: 35395730 PMCID: PMC8994222 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-022-02503-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND HIV-1 pol, which encodes enzymes required for virus replication, is initially translated as a Gag-Pol fusion protein. Gag-Pol is incorporated into virions via interactions with Gag precursor Pr55gag. Protease (PR) embedded in Gag-Pol mediates the proteolytic processing of both Pr55gag and Gag-Pol during or soon after virus particle release from cells. Since efficient Gag-Pol viral incorporation depends on interaction with Pr55gag via its N-terminal Gag domain, the prevention of premature Gag cleavage may alleviate Gag-Pol packaging deficiencies associated with cleavage enhancement from PR. RESULTS We engineered PR cleavage-blocking Gag mutations with the potential to significantly reduce Gag processing efficiency. Such mutations may mitigate the negative effects of enhanced PR activation on virus assembly and Gag-Pol packaging due to an RT dimerization enhancer or leucine zipper dimerization motif. When co-expressed with Pr55gag, we noted that enhanced PR activation resulted in reduced Gag-Pol cis or trans incorporation into Pr55gag particles, regardless of whether or not Gag cleavage sites within Gag-Pol were blocked. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that the amount of HIV-1 Gag-Pol or Pol viral incorporation is largely dependent on virus particle production, and that cleavage blocking in the Gag-Pol N-terminal Gag domain does not exert significant impacts on Pol packaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Ru Lin
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University School of Medicine, 112, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Ming Chu
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University School of Medicine, 112, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Fu-Hsien Yu
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University School of Medicine, 112, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Kuo-Jung Huang
- Division of Clinical Research, Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chin-Tien Wang
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University School of Medicine, 112, Taipei, Taiwan. .,Division of Clinical Research, Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
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Neela YI, Guruprasad L. Structures and energetics of darunavir and active site amino acids of native and mutant HIV–1 protease: a computational study. Struct Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11224-021-01852-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Aljahdali MO, Molla MHR, Ahammad F. Compounds Identified from Marine Mangrove Plant (Avicennia alba) as Potential Antiviral Drug Candidates Against WDSV, an In-Silico Approach. Mar Drugs 2021; 19:md19050253. [PMID: 33925208 PMCID: PMC8145693 DOI: 10.3390/md19050253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 04/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Walleye dermal sarcoma virus (WDSV) is a type of retrovirus, which affects most of the adult walleye fishes during the spawning time. The virus causes multiple epithelial tumors on the fish’s skin and fins that are liable for more than 50% of the mortality rate of fish around the world. Till now, no effective antiviral drug or vaccine candidates have been developed that can block the progression of the disease caused by the pathogen. It was found that the 582-amino-acid (aa) residues long internal structural gag polyprotein of the virus plays an important role in virus budding and virion maturation outside of the cell. Inhibition of the protein can block the budding and virion maturation process and can be developed as an antiviral drug candidate against the virus. Therefore, the study aimed to identify potential natural antiviral drug candidates from the tropical mangrove marine plant Avicennia alba, which will be able to block the budding and virion maturation process by inhibiting the activity of the gag protein of the virus. Initially, a homology modeling approach was applied to identify the 3D structure, followed by refinement and validation of the protein. The refined protein structures were then utilized for molecular docking simulation. Eleven phytochemical compounds have been isolated from the marine plant and docked against the virus gag polyprotein. Three compounds, namely Friedlein (CID244297), Phytosterols (CID12303662), and 1-Triacontanol (CID68972) have been selected based on their docking score −8.5 kcal/mol, −8.0 kcal/mol and −7.9 kcal/mol, respectively, and were evaluated through ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion), and toxicity properties. Finally, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was applied to confirm the binding stability of the protein-ligands complex structure. The ADME and toxicity analysis reveal the efficacy and non-toxic properties of the compounds, where MD simulation confirmed the binding stability of the selected three compounds with the targeted protein. This computational study revealed the virtuous value of the selected three compounds against the targeted gag polyprotein and will be effective and promising antiviral candidates against the pathogen in a significant and worthwhile manner. Although in vitro and in vivo study is required for further evaluation of the compounds against the targeted protein.
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Kim TH, Lee SW. Aptamers for Anti-Viral Therapeutics and Diagnostics. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22084168. [PMID: 33920628 PMCID: PMC8074132 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22084168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Viral infections cause a host of fatal diseases and seriously affect every form of life from bacteria to humans. Although most viral infections can receive appropriate treatment thereby limiting damage to life and livelihood with modern medicine and early diagnosis, new types of viral infections are continuously emerging that need to be properly and timely treated. As time is the most important factor in the progress of many deadly viral diseases, early detection becomes of paramount importance for effective treatment. Aptamers are small oligonucleotide molecules made by the systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). Aptamers are characterized by being able to specifically bind to a target, much like antibodies. However, unlike antibodies, aptamers are easily synthesized, modified, and are able to target a wider range of substances, including proteins and carbohydrates. With these advantages in mind, many studies on aptamer-based viral diagnosis and treatments are currently in progress. The use of aptamers for viral diagnosis requires a system that recognizes the binding of viral molecules to aptamers in samples of blood, serum, plasma, or in virus-infected cells. From a therapeutic perspective, aptamers target viral particles or host cell receptors to prevent the interaction between the virus and host cells or target intracellular viral proteins to interrupt the life cycle of the virus within infected cells. In this paper, we review recent attempts to use aptamers for the diagnosis and treatment of various viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tae-Hyeong Kim
- Department of Molecular Biology, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Korea;
| | - Seong-Wook Lee
- Department of Life Convergence, Research Institute of Advanced Omics, Dankook University, Yongin 16890, Korea
- R&D Center, Rznomics Inc., Seongnam 13486, Korea
- Correspondence:
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Eche S, Kumar A, Sonela N, Gordon ML. Acquired HIV-1 Protease Conformational Flexibility Associated with Lopinavir Failure May Shape the Outcome of Darunavir Therapy after Antiretroviral Therapy Switch. Biomolecules 2021; 11:489. [PMID: 33805099 PMCID: PMC8064090 DOI: 10.3390/biom11040489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the underlying molecular interaction during a therapy switch from lopinavir (LPV) to darunavir (DRV) is essential to achieve long-term virological suppression. We investigated the kinetic and structural characteristics of multidrug-resistant South African HIV-1 subtype C protease (HIV-1 PR) during therapy switch from LPV to DRV using enzyme activity and inhibition assay, fluorescence spectroscopy, and molecular dynamic simulation. The HIV-1 protease variants were from clinical isolates with a combination of drug resistance mutations; MUT-1 (M46I, I54V, V82A, and L10F), MUT-2 (M46I, I54V, L76V, V82A, L10F, and L33F), and MUT-3 (M46I, I54V, L76V, V82A, L90M, and F53L). Enzyme kinetics analysis shows an association between increased relative resistance to LPV and DRV with the progressive decrease in the mutant HIV-1 PR variants' catalytic efficiency. A direct relationship between high-level resistance to LPV and intermediate resistance to DRV with intrinsic changes in the three-dimensional structure of the mutant HIV-1 PR as a function of the multidrug-resistance mutation was observed. In silico analysis attributed these structural adjustments to the multidrug-resistance mutations affecting the LPV and DRV binding landscape. Though DRV showed superiority to LPV, as a lower concentration was needed to inhibit the HIV-1 PR variants, the inherent structural changes resulting from mutations selected during LPV therapy may dynamically shape the DRV treatment outcome after the therapy switch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simeon Eche
- Discipline of Virology, School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, South Africa;
| | - Ajit Kumar
- Discipline of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal (Westville Campus), Durban 4000, South Africa;
| | - Nelson Sonela
- School of Medicine, Physical and Natural Sciences, University of Rome Tor Vegata, 1-00133 Rome, Italy;
- Chantal Biya International Reference Center for Research on the Management and Prevention of HIV/AIDS (CIRCB), Yaoundé P.O. Box 3077, Cameroon
| | - Michelle L. Gordon
- Discipline of Virology, School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, South Africa;
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Patel PK, Bhatt HG. Improved 3D-QSAR Prediction by Multiple Conformational Alignments and Molecular Docking Studies to Design and Discover HIV-I Protease Inhibitors. Curr HIV Res 2021; 19:154-171. [PMID: 33213349 DOI: 10.2174/1570162x18666201119143457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inhibition of HIV-I protease enzyme is a strategic step for providing better treatment in retrovirus infections, which avoids resistance and possesses less toxicity. OBJECTIVES In the course of our research to discover new and potent protease inhibitors, 3D-QSAR (CoMFA and CoMSIA) models were generated using 3 different alignment techniques, including multifit alignment, docking based and Distill based alignment for 63 compounds. Novel molecules were designed from the output of this study. METHODS A total of 3 alignment methods were used to generate CoMFA and CoMSIA models. A Distill based alignment method was considered a better method according to different validation parameters. A 3D-QSAR model was generated and contour maps were discussed. The biological activity of designed molecules was predicted using the generated QSAR model to validate QSAR. The newly designed molecules were docked to predict binding affinity. RESULTS In CoMFA, leave one out cross-validated coefficient (q2), conventional coefficient (r2) and predicted correlation coefficient (r2Predicted) values were found to be 0.721, 0.991 and 0.780, respectively. The best obtained CoMSIA model also showed significant cross-validated coefficient (q2), conventional coefficient (r2) and predicted correlation coefficient (r2Predicted) values of 0.714, 0.987 and 0.721, respectively. Steric and electrostatic contour maps generated from CoMFA and hydrophobic and hydrogen bond donor and hydrogen bond acceptor contour maps from CoMSIA models were used to design new and bioactive protease inhibitors by incorporating bioisosterism and knowledge-based structure-activity relationship. CONCLUSION The results from both these approaches, ligand-based drug design and structure-based drug design, are adequate and promising to discover protease inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paresh K Patel
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University, Ahmedabad 382 481, India
| | - Hardik G Bhatt
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University, Ahmedabad 382 481, India
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Eche S, Gordon ML. Recombinant expression of HIV-1 protease using soluble fusion tags in Escherichia coli: A vital tool for functional characterization of HIV-1 protease. Virus Res 2021; 295:198289. [PMID: 33418026 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2020.198289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/25/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
HIV-1 protease expression in the laboratory is demanding because of its high cytotoxicity, making it difficult to express in bacterial expression systems such as Escherichia coli. To overcome these challenges, HIV-1 protease fusion with solubility enhancing tags helps to mitigate its cytotoxic effect and drive its expression as a soluble protein. Therefore, this review focuses on the expression of bioactive HIV-1 protease using solubility-enhancing fusion tags in Escherichia coli and summarises the characteristic features of the different common fusion tags that have been used in the expression of HIV-1 protease. This review will assist researchers with their choice of protein fusion tag for HIV-1 protease expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simeon Eche
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 4001, South Africa.
| | - Michelle L Gordon
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 4001, South Africa.
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Voshavar C. Protease Inhibitors for the Treatment of HIV/AIDS: Recent Advances and Future Challenges. Curr Top Med Chem 2019; 19:1571-1598. [PMID: 31237209 DOI: 10.2174/1568026619666190619115243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2019] [Revised: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a chronic disease characterized by multiple life-threatening illnesses caused by a retro-virus, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). HIV infection slowly destroys the immune system and increases the risk of various other infections and diseases. Although, there is no immediate cure for HIV infection/AIDS, several drugs targeting various cruxes of HIV infection are used to slow down the progress of the disease and to boost the immune system. One of the key therapeutic strategies is Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) or ' AIDS cocktail' in a general sense, which is a customized combination of anti-retroviral drugs designed to combat the HIV infection. Since HAART's inception in 1995, this treatment was found to be effective in improving the life expectancy of HIV patients over two decades. Among various classes of HAART treatment regimen, Protease Inhibitors (PIs) are known to be widely used as a major component and found to be effective in treating HIV infection/AIDS. For the past several years, a variety of protease inhibitors have been reported. This review outlines the drug design strategies of PIs, chemical and pharmacological characteristics of some mechanism-based inhibitors, summarizes the recent developments in small molecule based drug discovery with HIV protease as a drug target. Further discussed are the pharmacology, PI drug resistance on HIV PR, adverse effects of HIV PIs and challenges/impediments in the successful application of HIV PIs as an important class of drugs in HAART regimen for the effective treatment of AIDS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandrashekhar Voshavar
- College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL 32307, United States
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11
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Majerová T, Novotný P, Krýsová E, Konvalinka J. Exploiting the unique features of Zika and Dengue proteases for inhibitor design. Biochimie 2019; 166:132-141. [PMID: 31077760 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2019.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Zika and Dengue viruses have attracted substantial attention from researchers in light of recent outbreaks of Dengue fever and increases in cases of congenital microcephaly in areas with Zika incidence. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge about Zika and Dengue proteases. These enzymes have several interesting features: 1) NS3 serine protease requires the activating co-factor NS2B, which is anchored in the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum; 2) NS2B displays extensive conformational dynamics; 3) NS3 is a multidomain protein with proteolytic, NTPase, RNA 5' triphosphatase and helicase activity and has many protein-protein interaction partners; 4) NS3 is autoproteolytically released from its precursor. Attempts to design tight-binding and specific active-site inhibitors are complicated by the facts that the substrate pocket of the NS2B-NS3 protease is flat and the active-site ligands are charged. The ionic character of potential active-site inhibitors negatively influences their cell permeability. Possibilities to block cis-autoprocessing of the protease precursor have recently been considered. Additionally, potential allosteric sites on NS2B-NS3 proteases have been identified and allosteric compounds have been designed to impair substrate binding and/or block the NS2B-NS3 interaction. Such compounds could be specific to viral proteases, without off-target effects on host serine proteases, and could have favorable pharmacokinetic profiles. This review discusses various groups of inhibitors of these proteases according to their mechanisms of action and chemical structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taťána Majerová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo Nám. 2, 16610, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Novotný
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo Nám. 2, 16610, Prague 6, Czech Republic; Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, 12843, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Eliška Krýsová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo Nám. 2, 16610, Prague 6, Czech Republic; Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, 12843, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Konvalinka
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo Nám. 2, 16610, Prague 6, Czech Republic; Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, 12843, Prague, Czech Republic.
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12
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Huang L, Li L, Tien C, LaBarbera DV, Chen C. Targeting HIV-1 Protease Autoprocessing for High-throughput Drug Discovery and Drug Resistance Assessment. Sci Rep 2019; 9:301. [PMID: 30670786 PMCID: PMC6343032 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36730-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 protease autoprocessing liberates the free mature protease from its Gag-Pol polyprotein precursor through a series of highly regulated autoproteolysis reactions. Herein, we report the development and validation (Z' ≥ 0.50) of a cell-based functional assay for high-throughput screening (HTS) of autoprocessing inhibitors using fusion precursors in combination with AlphaLISA (amplified luminescent proximity homogeneous assay ELISA). Through pilot screening of a collection of 130 known protease inhibitors, the AlphaLISA assay confirmed all 11 HIV protease inhibitors in the library capable of suppressing precursor autoprocessing at low micromolar concentrations. Meanwhile, other protease inhibitors had no impact on precursor autoprocessing. We next conducted HTS of ~23,000 compounds but found no positive hits. Such high selectivity is advantageous for large-scale HTS campaigns and as anticipated based on assay design because a positive hit needs simultaneously to be nontoxic, cell permeable, and inhibiting precursor autoprocessing. Furthermore, AlphaLISA quantification of fusion precursors carrying mutations known to cause resistance to HIV protease inhibitors faithfully recapitulated the reported resistance, suggesting that precursor autoprocessing is a critical step contributing to drug resistance. Taken together, this reported AlphaLISA platform will provide a useful tool for drug discovery targeting HIV-1 protease autoprocessing and for quantification of PI resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liangqun Huang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Linfeng Li
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - ChihFeng Tien
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Daniel V LaBarbera
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Chaoping Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
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Humpolíčková J, Weber J, Starková J, Mašínová E, Günterová J, Flaisigová I, Konvalinka J, Majerová T. Inhibition of the precursor and mature forms of HIV-1 protease as a tool for drug evaluation. Sci Rep 2018; 8:10438. [PMID: 29992979 PMCID: PMC6041310 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-28638-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 protease (PR) is a homodimeric enzyme that is autocatalytically cleaved from the Gag-Pol precursor. Known PR inhibitors bind the mature enzyme several orders of magnitude more strongly than the PR precursor. Inhibition of PR at the precursor level, however, may stop the process at its rate-limiting step before the proteolytic cascade is initiated. Due to its structural heterogeneity, limited solubility and autoprocessing, the PR precursor is difficult to access by classical methods, and limited knowledge regarding precursor inhibition is available. Here, we describe a cell-based assay addressing precursor inhibition. We used a reporter molecule containing the transframe (TFP) and p6* peptides, PR, and N-terminal fragment of reverse transcriptase flanked by the fluorescent proteins mCherry and EGFP on its N- and C- termini, respectively. The level of FRET between EGFP and mCherry indicates the amount of unprocessed reporter, allowing specific monitoring of precursor inhibition. The inhibition can be quantified by flow cytometry. Additionally, two microscopy techniques confirmed that the reporter remains unprocessed within individual cells upon inhibition. We tested darunavir, atazanavir and nelfinavir and their combinations against wild-type PR. Shedding light on an inhibitor’s ability to act on non-mature forms of PR may aid novel strategies for next-generation drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Humpolíčková
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo nám. 2, 16610, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Weber
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo nám. 2, 16610, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Starková
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo nám. 2, 16610, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Eva Mašínová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo nám. 2, 16610, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Günterová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo nám. 2, 16610, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Iva Flaisigová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo nám. 2, 16610, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Konvalinka
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo nám. 2, 16610, Prague 6, Czech Republic.,Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, 12843, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Taťána Majerová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo nám. 2, 16610, Prague 6, Czech Republic.
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Tien C, Huang L, Watanabe SM, Speidel JT, Carter CA, Chen C. Context-dependent autoprocessing of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 protease precursors. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0191372. [PMID: 29338056 PMCID: PMC5770051 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Accepted: 01/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 protease autoprocessing is responsible for liberation of free mature protease (PR) from the Gag-Pol polyprotein precursor. A cell-based model system was previously developed to examine the autoprocessing mechanism of fusion precursors carrying the p6*-PR miniprecursor sandwiched between various proteins or epitopes. We here report that precursor autoprocessing is context-dependent as its activity and outcomes can be modulated by sequences upstream of p6*-PR. This was exemplified by the 26aa maltose binding protein (MBP) signal peptide (SigP) when placed at the N-terminus of a fusion precursor. The mature PRs released from SigP-carrying precursors are resistant to self-degradation whereas those released from SigP-lacking fusion precursors are prone to self-degradation. A H69D mutation in PR abolished autoprocessing of SigP-containing fusion precursors whereas it only partially suppressed autoprocessing of fusion precursors lacking SigP. An autoprocessing deficient GFP fusion precursor with SigP exhibited a subcellular distribution pattern distinct from the one without it in transfected HeLa cells. Furthermore, a SigP fusion precursor carrying a substitution at the P1 position released the mature PR and PR-containing fragments that were different from those released from the precursor carrying the same mutation but lacking SigP. We also examined autoprocessing outcomes in viral particles produced by a NL4-3 derived proviral construct and demonstrated the existence of several PR-containing fragments along with the mature PR. Some of these resembled the SigP precursor autoprocessing outcomes. This finding of context-dependent modulation reveals the complexity of precursor autoprocessing regulation that most likely accompanies sequence variation imposed by the evolution of the upstream Gag moiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- ChihFeng Tien
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Liangqun Huang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Susan M. Watanabe
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
| | - Jordan T. Speidel
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Carol A. Carter
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
| | - Chaoping Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Abstract
The virally encoded protease is an important drug target for AIDS therapy. Despite the potency of the current drugs, infections with resistant viral strains limit the long-term effectiveness of therapy. Highly resistant variants of HIV protease from clinical isolates have different combinations of about 20 mutations and several orders of magnitude worse binding affinity for clinical inhibitors. Strategies are being explored to inhibit these highly resistant mutants. The existing inhibitors can be modified by introducing groups with the potential to form new interactions with conserved protease residues, and the flexible flaps. Alternative strategies are discussed, including designing inhibitors to bind to the open conformation of the protease dimer, and inhibition of the protease-catalyzed processing of the Gag-Pol precursor.
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16
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Counts CJ, Ho PS, Donlin MJ, Tavis JE, Chen C. A Functional Interplay between Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Protease Residues 77 and 93 Involved in Differential Regulation of Precursor Autoprocessing and Mature Protease Activity. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0123561. [PMID: 25893662 PMCID: PMC4404164 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0123561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2014] [Accepted: 03/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 protease (PR) is a viral enzyme vital to the production of infectious virions. It is initially synthesized as part of the Gag-Pol polyprotein precursor in the infected cell. The free mature PR is liberated as a result of precursor autoprocessing upon virion release. We previously described a model system to examine autoprocessing in transfected mammalian cells. Here, we report that a covariance analysis of miniprecursor (p6*-PR) sequences derived from drug naïve patients identified a series of amino acid pairs that vary together across independent viral isolates. These covariance pairs were used to build the first topology map of the miniprecursor that suggests high levels of interaction between the p6* peptide and the mature PR. Additionally, several PR-PR covariance pairs are located far from each other (>12 Å Cα to Cα) relative to their positions in the mature PR structure. Biochemical characterization of one such covariance pair (77-93) revealed that each residue shows distinct preference for one of three alkyl amino acids (V, I, and L) and that a polar or charged amino acid at either of these two positions abolishes precursor autoprocessing. The most commonly observed 77V is preferred by the most commonly observed 93I, but the 77I variant is preferred by other 93 variances (L, V, or M) in supporting precursor autoprocessing. Furthermore, the 77I93V covariant enhanced precursor autoprocessing and Gag polyprotein processing but decreased the mature PR activity. Therefore, both covariance and biochemical analyses support a functional association between residues 77 and 93, which are spatially distant from each other in the mature PR structure. Our data also suggests that these covariance pairs differentially regulate precursor autoprocessing and the mature protease activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J. Counts
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - P. Shing Ho
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Maureen J. Donlin
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
- Saint Louis University Liver Center, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - John E. Tavis
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
- Saint Louis University Liver Center, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Chaoping Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
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Mahdi M, Matúz K, Tóth F, Tőzsér J. A modular system to evaluate the efficacy of protease inhibitors against HIV-2. PLoS One 2014; 9:e113221. [PMID: 25419967 PMCID: PMC4242608 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0113221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2014] [Accepted: 10/21/2014] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease is a homodimeric aspartyl protease that is crucial for the viral life-cycle, cleaving proviral polyproteins, hence creating mature protein components that are required for the formation of an infectious virus. With diagnostic measures and clinically used protease inhibitors focusing on HIV-1, due to its higher virulence and prevalence, studies of the efficacy of those inhibitors on HIV-2 protease remain widely lacking. Utilizing a wild-type HIV-2 vector backbone and cloning techniques we have developed a cassette system where the efficacy of clinically used protease inhibitors can be studied for various serotypes of HIV-2 protease both in enzymatic and cell culture assays. In our experiments, optimization of the expression protocol led to a relatively stable enzyme, for cell culture assays, the efficiency of transfection and transduction capability of the modified vector was tested and was not found to differ from that of the wild-type, moreover, a 2nd generation protease inhibitor was used to demonstrate the usefulness of the system. The combination of assays performed with our cassette system is expected to provide an accurate measure of the efficacy of currently used; as well as experimental protease inhibitors on HIV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Mahdi
- Laboratory of Retroviral Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
- * E-mail: (MM); (JT)
| | - Krisztina Matúz
- Laboratory of Retroviral Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Ferenc Tóth
- Laboratory of Retroviral Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - József Tőzsér
- Laboratory of Retroviral Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
- * E-mail: (MM); (JT)
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18
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Forward: combating resistance: infectious diseases. Future Med Chem 2013; 5:1175-6. [PMID: 23859196 DOI: 10.4155/fmc.13.105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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