A New Generation of Peptide-based Inhibitors Targeting HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase Conformational Flexibility.

International audienceThe biologically active form of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 reverse transcriptase (RT) is a heterodimer. The formation of RT is a two-step mechanism, including a rapid protein-protein interaction "the dimerization step," followed by conformational changes "the maturation step," yielding the biologically active form of the enzyme. We have previously proposed that the heterodimeric organization of RT constitutes an interesting target for the design of new inhibitors. Here, we propose a new class of RT inhibitors that targets protein-protein interactions and conformational changes involved in the maturation of heterodimeric reverse transcriptase. Based on a screen of peptides derived from the thumb domain of this enzyme, we have identified a short peptide P(AW) that inhibits the maturation step and blocks viral replication at subnanomolar concentrations. P(AW) only binds dimeric RT and stabilizes it in an inactive/non-processive conformation. From a mechanistic point of view, P(AW) prevents proper binding of primer/template by affecting the structural dynamics of the thumb/fingers of p66 subunit. Taken together, these results demonstrate that HIV-1 RT maturation constitutes an attractive target for AIDS chemotherapeutics

Early evolution of plasma soluble TNF-alpha p75 receptor as a marker of progression in treated HIV-infected patients.

International audienceAbstract We evaluated the prognostic value of different mediators of inflammation: TNF-alpha and its soluble receptor p75, platelet-activating factor, and glutathione tripeptide in a case-control study nested within a cohort of 1281 patients infected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) started on highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART). During the first year of HAART, 16 cases experienced an AIDS-defining event and 6 experienced an evolution of T CD4(+) cell count <100/mm(3). Forty-four controls who did not progress during the same follow-up period were matched for age, baseline CD4(+), and HIV-RNA. In the control group, plasma levels of TNF-alpha and its soluble receptor p75 decreased significantly from baseline to month 4: from 11.0 to 8.7 pg/ml (p < 0.001) and from 27.3 to 22.8 pg/ml (p < 0.003), respectively. Furthermore the decrease of TNF-alpha soluble receptor p75 was larger in nonprogressors than in progressors (p = 0.003). Measurement of TNF-alpha soluble receptor p75 may be of interest as an additional marker of early antiretroviral effect

Anti-Human Immunodeficiency Virus Activity of Tau Interferon in Human Macrophages: Involvement of Cellular Factors and β-Chemokines

Tau interferon (IFN-τ) is a noncytotoxic type I IFN responsible for maternal recognition of the fetus in ruminants. IFN-τ inhibits human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication more strongly than human IFN-α, particularly in human monocyte-derived macrophages. In this study performed in human macrophages, IFN-τ efficiently inhibited the early steps of the biological cycle of HIV, decreasing intracellular HIV RNA and inhibiting the initiation of the reverse transcription of viral RNA into proviral DNA. Two mechanisms induced by IFN-τ treatment in macrophages may account for this inhibition: (i) the synthesis of the cellular antiviral factors such as 2′,5′-oligoadenylate synthetase/RNase L and MxA protein and (ii) an increased production of MIP-1α, MIP-1β, and RANTES, which are natural ligands of CCR5, the principal coreceptor of HIV on macrophages. Our results suggest that IFN-τ induces the same antiviral pathways in macrophages as other type I IFNs but without associated toxicity

Part 13: Synthesis and biological evaluation of piperazine derivatives with dual anti-PAF and anti-HIV-1 or pure antiretroviral activity

HIV-1 infection of the brain and PAF neurotoxicity are implicated in AIDS dementia complex. We previously reported that a trisubstituted piperazine derivative is able to diminish both HIV-1 replication in monocyte-derived macrophages and PAF-induced platelet aggregation. We report in this work new compounds obtained by modifying its piperazine substituents. The structure-activity relationship study shows that a better dual activity or even pure antiretroviral compounds can be obtained in this series. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Thermodynamic studies of a series of homologous HIV-1 TAR RNA ligands reveal that loose binders are stronger Tat competitors than tight ones

International audienceRNA is a major drug target, but the design of small molecules that modulate RNA function remains a great challenge. In this context, a series of structurally homologous ‘polyamide amino acids’ (PAA) was studied as HIV-1 trans-activating response (TAR) RNA ligands. An extensive thermodynamic study revealed the occurence of an enthalpy–entropy compensation phenomenon resulting in very close TAR affinities for all PAA. However, their binding modes and their ability to compete with the Tat fragment strongly differ according to their structure. Surprisingly, PAA that form loose complexes with TAR were shown to be stronger Tat competitors than those forming tight ones, and thermal denaturation studies demonstrated that loose complexes are more stable than tight ones. This could be correlated to the fact that loose and tight ligands induce distinct RNA conformational changes as revealed by circular dichroism experiments, although nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments showed that the TAR binding site is the same in all cases. Finally, some loose PAA also display promising inhibitory activities on HIVinfected cells. Altogether, these results lead to a better understanding of RNA interaction modes that could be very useful for devising new ligands of relevant RNA targets

A Synthetic Heparan Sulfate-Mimetic Peptide Conjugated to a Mini CD4 Displays Very High Anti- HIV-1 Activity Independently of Coreceptor Usage.

International audienceThe HIV-1 envelope gp120, which features both the virus receptor (CD4) and coreceptor (CCR5/CXCR4) binding sites, offers multiple sites for therapeutic intervention. However, the latter becomes exposed, thus vulnerable to inhibition, only transiently when the virus has already bound cellular CD4. To pierce this defense mechanism, we engineered a series of heparan sulfate mimicking tridecapeptides and showed that one of them target the gp120 coreceptor binding site with μM affinity. Covalently linked to a CD4-mimetic that binds to gp120 and renders the coreceptor binding domain available to be targeted, the conjugated tridecapeptide now displays nanomolar affinity for its target. Using solubilized coreceptors captured on top of sensorchip we show that it inhibits gp120 binding to both CCR5 and CXCR4 and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells broadly inhibits HIV-1 replication with an IC(50) of 1 nM