HIV-1整合酶G140A/G149A及T661/S153Y突变后的构象变化

对HIV-1整合酶(IN)野生体(WT),G140A/G149A和T66I/S153Y突变体分别进行了5 ns的分子动力学(MD)模拟,并用成簇和动力学交叉相关图(DCCM)分析了突变前后的构象变化.整体结构分析表明,突变后IN的活性口袋尺寸变化不大,T66I/S153Y突变体分子的整体运动性提高,而G140A/G149A突变体的功能loop区柔性明显上升.IN WT的方均根涨落(RMSF)模拟值与B因子实验值的较高相关性证明了柔性分析的合理性.通过成簇分析发现,IN在突变后功能loop区构象有开合运动,构象开放的概率是:体系G140A/G149A＞T66I/S153Y＞WT.最后DCCM分析结果表明,功能性分区的弱化以及DDE基序残基运动相关性的降低均有可能是突变体G140A/G149A和T66I/S153Y产生抗药性的原因.模拟结果对理解IN突变体的抗药机理以及为基于HIV-1 IN的药物分子设计提供了理论帮助.     

HIV-1病毒DNA与整合酶结合后的构象变化

用分子动力学(MD)模拟方法优化了HIV-1病毒DNA与整合酶(IN)二聚体(IN2)复合物模型结构, 并分析了HIV-1病毒DNA结合IN2后的构象变化. 结果表明, 按照HIV-1病毒DNA与IN2结合能力的强度, 病毒DNA可分为五个区域: 非结合区、强结合区1、弱结合区、强结合区2和反应区, 并用结合自由能计算验证了该分区的合理性. 与未结合IN2的病毒DNA相比, 复合物模型中病毒DNA除了非结合区碱基外, 其它四个区域的碱基构象变化较大. 复合物模型中病毒DNA主链较大程度地偏离标准B型DNA以及结合部位的小沟变宽都是识别IN的结构基础. 模拟结果与实验数据吻合较好, 为基于HIV-1 IN的药物分子设计提供了一定的结构信息.     

HIV-1整合酶的RNA适配子的筛选及活性研究

通过SELEX技术已经筛选到了多种HIV-1病毒相关蛋白,如：逆转录酶、Rev和Tat蛋白、核壳蛋白等的核酸适配子,然而以HIV-1整合酶为靶点的DNA或RNA适配子却鲜有报道．在结合缓冲液中以10mmol．L-1的Mg2＋作为辅助因子,加入100mmol．L-1KCl筛选到了三个具有相似结构和托的适配子IN1,IN2和IN3．亲和力最高的适配子IN1的Kd为145nmol．L-1,保守区富含乌嘌呤碱基（G）,缺失任何一个茎环结构会使亲和力减弱．缺失右端固定序列的IN1-L的Kd为283nmol．L-1,虽然不能形成四链结构但可以被G-四链T40214竞争结合,可能与T40214具有相同的结合位点．     

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of HIV-1 Integrase Dimer Complexed with Viral DNA

The biological function of HIV‐1 integrase (IN) is to integrate viral DNA into the host cell chromosome, and the specific binding of IN with viral DNA is a precondition for IN to function correctly. Beforehand, the binding mode of IN dimer (IN₂) with the 27 bp segment of viral DNA before 3′ processing (3′‐P) was obtained via a molecular docking method. Based on the binding mode, the aim of this article was to explore the changes of motive mode and correlative motion for the IN₂ and DNA systems after their binding through dynamical cross‐correlation map (DCCM) and principal component analysis (PCA). Finally, solvent effect during the association was analyzed briefly. The results show that there is a significantly increased positive correlation in the interface region between IN₂ and viral DNA, and some obvious motive mode changes of the two systems (IN₂ and DNA) were also observed after their binding. It was found that water molecules played an important role in the recognition between IN₂ and viral DNA through analyzing the water‐mediated hydrogen bonds.     

Studies towards the Design and Synthesis of Novel 1,5-Diaryl-1H-imidazole-4-carboxylic Acids and 1,5-Diaryl-1H-imidazole-4-carbohydrazides as Host LEDGF/p75 and HIV-1 Integrase Interaction Inhibitors

Two targeted sets of novel 1,5-diaryl-1H-imidazole-4-carboxylic acids 10 and carbohydrazides 11 were designed and synthesized from their corresponding ester intermediates 17, which were prepared via cycloaddition of ethyl isocyanoacetate 16 and diarylimidoyl chlorides 15. Evaluation of these new target scaffolds in the AlphaScreen^TM HIV-1 IN-LEDGF/p75 inhibition assay identified seventeen compounds exceeding the pre-defined 50% inhibitory threshold at 100 µM concentration. Further evaluation of these compounds in the HIV-1 IN strand transfer assay at 100 μM showed that none of the compounds (with the exception of 10a, 10l, and 11k, with marginal inhibitory percentages) were actively bound to the active site, indicating that they are selectively binding to the LEDGF/p75-binding pocket. In a cell-based HIV-1 antiviral assay, compounds 11a, 11b, 11g, and 11h exhibited moderate antiviral percentage inhibition of 33–45% with cytotoxicity (CC₅₀) values of >200 µM, 158.4 µM, >200 µM, and 50.4 µM, respectively. The antiviral inhibitory activity displayed by 11h was attributed to its toxicity. Upon further validation of their ability to induce multimerization in a Western blot gel assay, compounds 11a, 11b, and 11h appeared to increase higher-order forms of IN.