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Santoro A, Buonocore M, Firoznezhad M, Grimaldi M, D'Ursi AM. Conformational analysis of a new peptide derived from feline immunodeficiency virus gp36 in SDS micelles: An NMR-MD based investigation. J Pept Sci 2024:e3645. [PMID: 39030892 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 06/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/22/2024]
Abstract
Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) shares structural similarities with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV): the surface glycoprotein gp36 corresponds to the HIV gp41, which drives virus-host cell interactions and is targeted by the peptide entry inhibitor enfuvirtide. Following a similar drug design strategy for the development of an anti-FIV therapy, the present study investigates 627-646gp36 NHR, a peptide sequence derived from a region of gp36 that was previously found to interfere with the antiviral activity of the peptide C8, which instead derives from the gp36 MPER. CD, NMR, and MD simulations were employed to probe the conformational characteristics of 627-646gp36 NHR in the membrane-mimicking environment of SDS micelles. Our data show that 627-646gp36 NHR is characterized by three dynamic helix structures. MD simulations involving 627-646gp36 NHR, C8, and a larger protein, including the CHR and MPER regions, suggest that the interaction of C8 with the MPER region, the origin of the antiviral activity of C8, is disfavored in the presence of 627-646gp36 NHR in the simulation. This evidence can be useful for interpreting the molecular mechanism that leads to interference with the activity of C8, providing information on the folding/unfolding mechanism of the viral glycoprotein to design new strategies to inhibit viral entry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelo Santoro
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Fisciano, Italy
- Department of Pharmacy, Scuola di Specializzazione in Farmacia Ospedaliera, University of Salerno, Italy
| | - Michela Buonocore
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides (CIRPeB), University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Mohammad Firoznezhad
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Trento, Italy
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Di Marino D, Bruno A, Grimaldi M, Scrima M, Stillitano I, Amodio G, Della Sala G, Romagnoli A, De Santis A, Moltedo O, Remondelli P, Boccia G, D'Errico G, D'Ursi AM, Limongelli V. Binding of the Anti-FIV Peptide C8 to Differently Charged Membrane Models: From First Docking to Membrane Tubulation. Front Chem 2020; 8:493. [PMID: 32676493 PMCID: PMC7333769 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2020.00493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Gp36 is the virus envelope glycoproteins catalyzing the fusion of the feline immunodeficiency virus with the host cells. The peptide C8 is a tryptophan-rich peptide corresponding to the fragment 770W-I777 of gp36 exerting antiviral activity by binding the membrane cell and inhibiting the virus entry. Several factors, including the membrane surface charge, regulate the binding of C8 to the lipid membrane. Based on the evidence that imperceptible variation of membrane charge may induce a dramatic effect in several critical biological events, in the present work we investigate the effect induced by systematic variation of charge in phospholipid bilayers on the aptitude of C8 to interact with lipid membranes, the tendency of C8 to assume specific conformational states and the re-organization of the lipid bilayer upon the interaction with C8. Accordingly, employing a bottom-up multiscale protocol, including CD, NMR, ESR spectroscopy, atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, and confocal microscopy, we studied C8 in six membrane models composed of different ratios of zwitterionic/negatively charged phospholipids. Our data show that charge content modulates C8-membrane binding with significant effects on the peptide conformations. C8 in micelle solution or in SUV formed by DPC or DOPC zwitterionic phospholipids assumes regular β-turn structures that are progressively destabilized as the concentration of negatively charged SDS or DOPG phospholipids exceed 40%. Interaction of C8 with zwitterionic membrane surface is mediated by Trp1 and Trp4 that are deepened in the membrane, forming H-bonds and cation-π interactions with the DOPC polar heads. Additional stabilizing salt bridge interactions involve Glu2 and Asp3. MD and ESR data show that the C8-membrane affinity increases as the concentration of zwitterionic phospholipid increases. In the lipid membrane characterized by an excess of zwitterionic phospholipids, C8 is adsorbed at the membrane interface, inducing a stiffening of the outer region of the DOPC bilayer. However, the bound of C8 significantly perturbs the whole organization of lipid bilayer resulting in membrane remodeling. These events, measurable as a variation of the bilayer thickness, are the onset mechanism of the membrane fusion and vesicle tubulation observed in confocal microscopy by imaging zwitterionic MLVs in the presence of C8 peptide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Di Marino
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, New York-Marche Structural Biology Center (NY-MaSBiC), Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Agostino Bruno
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | | | - Mario Scrima
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Fisciano, Italy
| | | | - Giuseppina Amodio
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry "Scuola Medica Salernitana", University of Salerno, Baronissi, Italy
| | - Grazia Della Sala
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Alice Romagnoli
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, New York-Marche Structural Biology Center (NY-MaSBiC), Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Augusta De Santis
- Department of Chemical Science, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Ornella Moltedo
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Fisciano, Italy
| | - Paolo Remondelli
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry "Scuola Medica Salernitana", University of Salerno, Baronissi, Italy
| | - Giovanni Boccia
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry "Scuola Medica Salernitana", University of Salerno, Baronissi, Italy
| | - Gerardino D'Errico
- Department of Chemical Science, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Vittorio Limongelli
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy.,Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Computational Science, Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), Lugano, Switzerland
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