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Cilento ME, Kirby KA, Sarafianos SG. Avoiding Drug Resistance in HIV Reverse Transcriptase. Chem Rev 2021; 121:3271-3296. [PMID: 33507067 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c00967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
HIV reverse transcriptase (RT) is an enzyme that plays a major role in the replication cycle of HIV and has been a key target of anti-HIV drug development efforts. Because of the high genetic diversity of the virus, mutations in RT can impart resistance to various RT inhibitors. As the prevalence of drug resistance mutations is on the rise, it is necessary to design strategies that will lead to drugs less susceptible to resistance. Here we provide an in-depth review of HIV reverse transcriptase, current RT inhibitors, novel RT inhibitors, and mechanisms of drug resistance. We also present novel strategies that can be useful to overcome RT's ability to escape therapies through drug resistance. While resistance may not be completely avoidable, designing drugs based on the strategies and principles discussed in this review could decrease the prevalence of drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria E Cilento
- Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States.,Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia 30307, United States
| | - Karen A Kirby
- Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States.,Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia 30307, United States
| | - Stefan G Sarafianos
- Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States.,Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia 30307, United States
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2
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Troelsen NS, Clausen MH. Library Design Strategies To Accelerate Fragment‐Based Drug Discovery. Chemistry 2020; 26:11391-11403. [DOI: 10.1002/chem.202000584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Revised: 04/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaj S. Troelsen
- Center for Nanomedicine and Theranostics Department of Chemistry Technical University of Denmark Kemitorvet 207 2800 Kongens Lyngby Denmark
| | - Mads H. Clausen
- Center for Nanomedicine and Theranostics Department of Chemistry Technical University of Denmark Kemitorvet 207 2800 Kongens Lyngby Denmark
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Meng XM, Hu WJ, Mu YG, Sheng XH. Effect of allosteric molecules on structure and drug affinity of HIV-1 protease by molecular dynamics simulations. J Mol Graph Model 2016; 70:153-162. [PMID: 27723563 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2016.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2016] [Revised: 09/24/2016] [Accepted: 09/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Recent experiments show that small molecules can bind onto the allosteric sites of HIV-1 protease (PR), which provides a starting point for developing allosteric inhibitors. However, the knowledge of the effect of such binding on the structural dynamics and binding free energy of the active site inhibitor and PR is still lacking. Here, we report 200ns long molecular dynamics simulation results to gain insight into the influences of two allosteric molecules (1H-indole-6-carboxylic acid, 1F1 and 2-methylcyclohexano, 4D9). The simulations demonstrate that both allosteric molecules change the PR conformation and stabilize the structures of PR and the inhibitor; the residues of the flaps are sensitive to the allosteric molecules and the flexibility of the residues is pronouncedly suppressed; the additions of the small molecules to the allosteric sites strengthen the binding affinities of 3TL-PR by about 12-15kal/mol in the binding free energy, which mainly arises from electrostatic term. Interestingly, it is found that the action mechanisms of 1F1 and 4D9 are different, the former behaviors like a doorman that keeps the inhibitor from escape and makes the flaps (door) partially open; the latter is like a wedge that expands the allosteric space and meanwhile closes the flaps. Our data provide a theoretical support for designing the allosteric inhibitor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian-Mei Meng
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China
| | - Wei-Jun Hu
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China.
| | - Yu-Guang Mu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639815, Singapore.
| | - Xie-Huang Sheng
- School of Chemistry, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China
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Huschmann FU, Linnik J, Sparta K, Ühlein M, Wang X, Metz A, Schiebel J, Heine A, Klebe G, Weiss MS, Mueller U. Structures of endothiapepsin-fragment complexes from crystallographic fragment screening using a novel, diverse and affordable 96-compound fragment library. Acta Crystallogr F Struct Biol Commun 2016; 72:346-55. [PMID: 27139825 PMCID: PMC4854561 DOI: 10.1107/s2053230x16004623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2016] [Accepted: 03/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Crystallographic screening of the binding of small organic compounds (termed fragments) to proteins is increasingly important for medicinal chemistry-oriented drug discovery. To enable such experiments in a widespread manner, an affordable 96-compound library has been assembled for fragment screening in both academia and industry. The library is selected from already existing protein-ligand structures and is characterized by a broad ligand diversity, including buffer ingredients, carbohydrates, nucleotides, amino acids, peptide-like fragments and various drug-like organic compounds. When applied to the model protease endothiapepsin in a crystallographic screening experiment, a hit rate of nearly 10% was obtained. In comparison to other fragment libraries and considering that no pre-screening was performed, this hit rate is remarkably high. This demonstrates the general suitability of the selected compounds for an initial fragment-screening campaign. The library composition, experimental considerations and time requirements for a complete crystallographic fragment-screening campaign are discussed as well as the nine fully refined obtained endothiapepsin-fragment structures. While most of the fragments bind close to the catalytic centre of endothiapepsin in poses that have been observed previously, two fragments address new sites on the protein surface. ITC measurements show that the fragments bind to endothiapepsin with millimolar affinity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska U. Huschmann
- Macromolecular Crystallography, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 15, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Janina Linnik
- Macromolecular Crystallography, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 15, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Karine Sparta
- Macromolecular Crystallography, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 15, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Monika Ühlein
- Macromolecular Crystallography, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 15, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Xiaojie Wang
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Metz
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Johannes Schiebel
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Heine
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Gerhard Klebe
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Manfred S. Weiss
- Macromolecular Crystallography, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 15, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Uwe Mueller
- Macromolecular Crystallography, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 15, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
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Bauman JD, Harrison JJEK, Arnold E. Rapid experimental SAD phasing and hot-spot identification with halogenated fragments. IUCRJ 2016; 3:51-60. [PMID: 26870381 PMCID: PMC4704079 DOI: 10.1107/s2052252515021259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Through X-ray crystallographic fragment screening, 4-bromopyrazole was discovered to be a 'magic bullet' that is capable of binding at many of the ligand 'hot spots' found in HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT). The binding locations can be in pockets that are 'hidden' in the unliganded crystal form, allowing rapid identification of these sites for in silico screening. In addition to hot-spot identification, this ubiquitous yet specific binding provides an avenue for X-ray crystallographic phase determination, which can be a significant bottleneck in the determination of the structures of novel proteins. The anomalous signal from 4-bromopyrazole or 4-iodopyrazole was sufficient to determine the structures of three proteins (HIV-1 RT, influenza A endonuclease and proteinase K) by single-wavelength anomalous dispersion (SAD) from single crystals. Both compounds are inexpensive, readily available, safe and very soluble in DMSO or water, allowing efficient soaking into crystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph D. Bauman
- Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, 679 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Jerry Joe E. K. Harrison
- Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, 679 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Eddy Arnold
- Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, 679 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
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Bottini A, Wu B, Barile E, De SK, Leone M, Pellecchia M. High-Throughput Screening (HTS) by NMR Guided Identification of Novel Agents Targeting the Protein Docking Domain of YopH. ChemMedChem 2015; 11:919-27. [PMID: 26592695 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201500441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Recently we described a novel approach, named high-throughput screening (HTS) by NMR that allows the identification, from large combinatorial peptide libraries, of potent and selective peptide mimetics against a given target. Here, we deployed the "HTS by NMR" approach for the design of novel peptoid sequences targeting the N-terminal domain of Yersinia outer protein H (YopH-NT), a bacterial toxin essential for the virulence of Yersinia pestis. We aimed at disrupting the protein-protein interactions between YopH-NT and its cellular substrates, with the goal of inhibiting indirectly YopH enzymatic function. These studies resulted in a novel agent of sequence Ac-F-pY-cPG-d-P-NH2 (pY=phosphotyrosine; cPG=cyclopentyl glycine) with a Kd value against YopH-NT of 310 nm. We demonstrated that such a pharmacological inhibitor of YopH-NT results in the inhibition of the dephosphorylation by full-length YopH of a cellular substrate. Hence, potentially this agent represents a valuable stepping stone for the development of novel therapeutics against Yersinia infections. The data reported further demonstrate the utility of the HTS by NMR approach in deriving novel peptide mimetics targeting protein-protein interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel Bottini
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, 10901 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.,Sanford Burnham Prebys Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 10901 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Bainan Wu
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, 10901 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Elisa Barile
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, 10901 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.,Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Surya K De
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, 10901 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.,Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Marilisa Leone
- Institute of Biostructures & Bioimaging, National Research Council (IBB-CNR), Via De Amicis 95, Naples, 80145, Italy
| | - Maurizio Pellecchia
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, 10901 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA. .,Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA.
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Zhan P, Pannecouque C, De Clercq E, Liu X. Anti-HIV Drug Discovery and Development: Current Innovations and Future Trends. J Med Chem 2015; 59:2849-78. [PMID: 26509831 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5b00497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 229] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The early effectiveness of combinatorial antiretroviral therapy (cART) in the treatment of HIV infection has been compromised to some extent by rapid development of multidrug-resistant HIV strains, poor bioavailability, and cumulative toxicities, and so there is a need for alternative strategies of antiretroviral drug discovery and additional therapeutic agents with novel action modes or targets. From this perspective, we first review current strategies of antiretroviral drug discovery and optimization, with the aid of selected examples from the recent literature. We highlight the development of phosphate ester-based prodrugs as a means to improve the aqueous solubility of HIV inhibitors, and the introduction of the substrate envelope hypothesis as a new approach for overcoming HIV drug resistance. Finally, we discuss future directions for research, including opportunities for exploitation of novel antiretroviral targets, and the strategy of activation of latent HIV reservoirs as a means to eradicate the virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Zhan
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University , 44, West Culture Road, 250012, Jinan, Shandong, P. R. China
| | - Christophe Pannecouque
- Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven , Minderbroedersstraat 10, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Erik De Clercq
- Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven , Minderbroedersstraat 10, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Xinyong Liu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University , 44, West Culture Road, 250012, Jinan, Shandong, P. R. China
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Huang B, Kang D, Zhan P, Liu X. Fragment-based approaches to anti-HIV drug discovery: state of the art and future opportunities. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2015; 10:1271-81. [PMID: 26372893 DOI: 10.1517/17460441.2015.1083007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The search for additional drugs to treat HIV infection is a continuing effort due to the emergence and spread of HIV strains resistant to nearly all current drugs. The recent literature reveals that fragment-based drug design/discovery (FBDD) has become an effective alternative to conventional high-throughput screening strategies for drug discovery. AREAS COVERED In this critical review, the authors describe the state of the art in FBDD strategies for the discovery of anti-HIV drug-like compounds. The article focuses on fragment screening techniques, direct fragment-based design and early hit-to-lead progress. EXPERT OPINION Rapid progress in biophysical detection and in silico techniques has greatly aided the application of FBDD to discover candidate agents directed at a variety of anti-HIV targets. Growing evidence suggests that structural insights on key proteins in the HIV life cycle can be applied in the early phase of drug discovery campaigns, providing valuable information on the binding modes and efficiently prompting fragment hit-to-lead progression. The combination of structural insights with improved methodologies for FBDD, including the privileged fragment-based reconstruction approach, fragment hybridization based on crystallographic overlays, fragment growth exploiting dynamic combinatorial chemistry, and high-speed fragment assembly via diversity-oriented synthesis followed by in situ screening, offers the possibility of more efficient and rapid discovery of novel drugs for HIV-1 prevention or treatment. Though the use of FBDD in anti-HIV drug discovery is still in its infancy, it is anticipated that anti-HIV agents developed via fragment-based strategies will be introduced into the clinic in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boshi Huang
- a Shandong University, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Department of Medicinal Chemistry , 44 West Culture Road, 250012, Jinan, Shandong, China ,
| | - Dongwei Kang
- a Shandong University, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Department of Medicinal Chemistry , 44 West Culture Road, 250012, Jinan, Shandong, China ,
| | - Peng Zhan
- a Shandong University, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Department of Medicinal Chemistry , 44 West Culture Road, 250012, Jinan, Shandong, China ,
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Kang D, Song Y, Chen W, Zhan P, Liu X. “Old Dogs with New Tricks”: exploiting alternative mechanisms of action and new drug design strategies for clinically validated HIV targets. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2014; 10:1998-2022. [DOI: 10.1039/c4mb00147h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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10
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Halogen-enriched fragment libraries as chemical probes for harnessing halogen bonding in fragment-based lead discovery. Future Med Chem 2014; 6:617-39. [DOI: 10.4155/fmc.14.20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Halogen bonding has recently experienced a renaissance, gaining increased recognition as a useful molecular interaction in the life sciences. Halogen bonds are favorable, fairly directional interactions between an electropositive region on the halogen (the σ-hole) and a number of different nucleophilic interaction partners. Some aspects of halogen bonding are not yet understood well enough to take full advantage of its potential in drug discovery. We describe and present the concept of halogen-enriched fragment libraries. These libraries consist of unique chemical probes, facilitating the identification of favorable halogen bonds by sharing the advantages of classical fragment-based screening. Besides providing insights into the nature and applicability of halogen bonding, halogen-enriched fragment libraries provide smart starting points for hit-to-lead evolution.
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Tiefenbrunn T, Forli S, Happer M, Gonzalez A, Tsai Y, Soltis M, Elder JH, Olson AJ, Stout CD. Crystallographic fragment-based drug discovery: use of a brominated fragment library targeting HIV protease. Chem Biol Drug Des 2013; 83:141-8. [PMID: 23998903 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.12227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2013] [Revised: 08/01/2013] [Accepted: 08/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
A library of 68 brominated fragments was screened against a new crystal form of inhibited HIV-1 protease in order to probe surface sites in soaking experiments. Often, fragments are weak binders with partial occupancy, resulting in weak, difficult-to-fit electron density. The use of a brominated fragment library addresses this challenge, as bromine can be located unequivocally via anomalous scattering. Data collection was carried out in an automated fashion using AutoDrug at SSRL. Novel hits were identified in the known surface sites: 3-bromo-2,6-dimethoxybenzoic acid (Br6) in the flap site and 1-bromo-2-naphthoic acid (Br27) in the exosite, expanding the chemistry of known fragments for development of higher affinity potential allosteric inhibitors. At the same time, mapping the binding sites of a number of weaker binding Br-fragments provides further insight into the nature of these surface pockets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa Tiefenbrunn
- Department of Integrative Computational and Structural Biology, TSRI, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA, USA
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Bauman JD, Patel D, Dharia C, Fromer MW, Ahmed S, Frenkel Y, Vijayan RSK, Eck JT, Ho WC, Das K, Shatkin AJ, Arnold E. Detecting allosteric sites of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase by X-ray crystallographic fragment screening. J Med Chem 2013; 56:2738-46. [PMID: 23342998 DOI: 10.1021/jm301271j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) undergoes a series of conformational changes during viral replication and is a central target for antiretroviral therapy. The intrinsic flexibility of RT can provide novel allosteric sites for inhibition. Crystals of RT that diffract X-rays to better than 2 Å resolution facilitated the probing of RT for new druggable sites using fragment screening by X-ray crystallography. A total of 775 fragments were grouped into 143 cocktails, which were soaked into crystals of RT in complex with the non-nucleoside drug rilpivirine (TMC278). Seven new sites were discovered, including the Incoming Nucleotide Binding, Knuckles, NNRTI Adjacent, and 399 sites, located in the polymerase region of RT, and the 428, RNase H Primer Grip Adjacent, and 507 sites, located in the RNase H region. Three of these sites (Knuckles, NNRTI Adjacent, and Incoming Nucleotide Binding) are inhibitory and provide opportunities for discovery of new anti-AIDS drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph D Bauman
- Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States
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Abstract
Fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) has emerged in the past decade as a powerful tool for discovering drug leads. The approach first identifies starting points: very small molecules (fragments) that are about half the size of typical drugs. These fragments are then expanded or linked together to generate drug leads. Although the origins of the technique date back some 30 years, it was only in the mid-1990s that experimental techniques became sufficiently sensitive and rapid for the concept to be become practical. Since that time, the field has exploded: FBDD has played a role in discovery of at least 18 drugs that have entered the clinic, and practitioners of FBDD can be found throughout the world in both academia and industry. Literally dozens of reviews have been published on various aspects of FBDD or on the field as a whole, as have three books (Jahnke and Erlanson, Fragment-based approaches in drug discovery, 2006; Zartler and Shapiro, Fragment-based drug discovery: a practical approach, 2008; Kuo, Fragment based drug design: tools, practical approaches, and examples, 2011). However, this chapter will assume that the reader is approaching the field with little prior knowledge. It will introduce some of the key concepts, set the stage for the chapters to follow, and demonstrate how X-ray crystallography plays a central role in fragment identification and advancement.
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