HIV-1 CRF07 B/C亚型gp41的表达、纯化和初步结构分析

HIV-1跨膜蛋白gp41是HIV-1包膜与靶细胞膜融合过程中的关键蛋白,而且序列保守,是理想的HIV-1作用靶点。为获得HIV-1中国流行株CRF07 B/C gp41蛋白的晶体结构来指导疫苗设计及药物开发,采用CRF07 B/C gp160基因序列为模板,经PCR、酶切、连接,将gp41 helix-bundle区域克隆到pET30-his表达载体中,经表达、纯化和结晶筛选,获得了gp41 helix-bundle的晶体并解析了结构,为针对中国艾滋病病毒流行株疫苗的设计及药物开发提供了结构参考。     

HIV-1 gp41 NC六螺旋的结构与功能研究

AIDS是严重危害人类健康的疾病,而HIV是导致这种疾病的病毒。gp41六螺旋在介导HIV-1病毒与靶细胞间的膜融合过程中起着重要作用。因此,对于gp41结合蛋白的研究有助于深入了解gp41在HIV-1感染整个过程中扮演的角色,解释gp41对靶细胞的调控机制,为寻找新的抗艾滋病药物靶点以及艾滋病抑制剂的设计提供有益的思路。作者的实验室相继发现了一批与gp41六螺旋结构相互作用的蛋白质,进而对HIV-1 gp41六螺旋介导的膜融合过程和HIV-1感染机理有了更深入的了解。     

HIV-1包膜蛋白gp41优势抗原的构建及可溶性表达

目的:筛选1型人免疫缺陷病毒(HIV-1)中国流行株中包膜蛋白gp41的优势抗原片段,构建具有区域流行代表性的HIV-1 gp41重组抗原,为改进现有HIV-1初筛试剂盒中使用的同类抗原奠定基础。方法:利用免疫斑点杂交和生物信息学方法,从收集自重庆、广州、上海的区域代表性150份HIV-1感染者血清标本中筛选gp41抗原性强的候选样本,利用RT-PCR及巢式PCR方法扩增包含重要抗原表位决定蔟的gp41基因片段,与原核表达载体pQE30连接,转化大肠杆菌M15构建gp41重组抗原表达菌株,表达后经亲和层析纯化、SDS-PAGE和Western印迹鉴定。结果:兔源HRP标记的gp41多抗能识别标本中gp41抗原性差异,得到候选样本,扩增包含gp41主要抗原表位片段;构建了包含gp41抗原表达簇的重组原核表达质粒,表达、纯化后经His标签抗体Western印迹鉴定为阳性。结论:高纯度的重组优势gp41抗原的构建和鉴定,为进一步改进现有HIV初筛诊断奠定了基础。     

多肽作为HIV-1与胞膜融合抑制剂的研究进展

艾滋病已在世界范围内给人类健康和社会发展带来了严重影响.抑制HIV-1与细胞膜融合的多肽抑制剂由于其分子量小、结构简单、生物毒性低和作用效果明显等优点而受到研究者的重视.针对HIV-1与细胞的融合过程中涉及gp160的分裂、gp120与CD4受体及辅助受体的结合、gp41自身的折叠及与细胞膜的并列与融合等步骤,可以设计一些新的多肽药物靶点,以达到阻止HIV-1侵入的目的.目前针对上述三步骤已分别设计出了相应的多肽抑制剂,如M3、HRPs、CD4M、S肽、DAPTA及C22等,这些多肽抑制剂在体外实验、动物实验或临床实验中均表现出较好的抑制HIV-1与细胞融合的能力,具有十分巨大的潜在应用前景.     

HIV-1整合酶核心区可溶性表达及抑制剂筛选

为了实现HIV-1整合酶蛋白核心区 (central core domain of integrase, IN-CCD) 的可溶性表达,并建立以IN-CCD为靶点的抑制剂体外筛选方法,从包含F185K突变HIV-1 IN基因的质粒中经PCR扩增得到含有F185K突变的IN-CCD基因,克隆到pET28b载体上构建重组质粒pIN-CCD,转化pIN-CCD至E. coli BL21 (DE3)中经IPTG诱导、表达,Ni-亲和层析纯化,获得IN-CCD蛋白。修饰DNA底物,以链亲和素包被的磁珠为载体捕获DNA产物,结合酶联免疫吸附测定法(ELISA)检测IN-CCD的去整合活性,并筛选以IN-CCD为靶点的抑制剂。结果表明重组蛋白IN-CCD实现了高效可溶性表达,纯化后蛋白纯度达95%。建立的ELISA可以检测IN-CCD的去整合活性,且方法特异性和灵敏度好,可以实现高通量抑制剂筛选。从100个样品中筛选得到5个具有初步抑制IN-CCD去整合活性的样品。     

双抗体夹心ELISA检测HIV-1 gp41抗原方法的建立

目的:建立检测HIV-1gp41抗原的双抗体夹心ELISA,并探讨其临床应用的可行性。方法:用饱和硫酸铵(SAS)纯化抗HIV-1gp41-5单克隆抗体(mAb),用HRP标记后建立双抗体夹心ELISA法,对其灵敏度及特异性进行检测,并用该方法对40份HIV-1阳性血清进行了检测。结果:用mAbE12(5μg/mL)为包被抗体,2H6为酶标记抗体(1∶900)建立了双抗体夹心ELISA法,检测gp41-5多肽的灵敏度是100pg/mL。对HIV-1阳性血清中gp41抗原的检出率为67.5%(27/40)。结论:建立了特异性强、灵敏度良好的检测HIV-1gp41抗原的双抗体夹心ELISA法。     

共同受体CCR5与HIV gp120的相互作用及相关肽类抑制剂

存在于巨嗜细胞、树突状细胞等胞膜上的G蛋白偶联受体CCR5作为R5嗜性的HIV-1病毒的主要共同受体,可以和病毒的表面糖蛋白gp120相互作用,并由此决定了病毒的另一表面糖蛋白gp41融合构象的形成以及随后的病毒与细胞的膜融合。CCR5在细胞膜上迅速移动,并与其他分子(如CD4和胆固醇)存在相互作用,加速了与gp120的作用。CCR5的这种中心作用已经使其成为抗HIV-1药物研究的很有吸引力的靶点。目前已发现一系列衍生于CCR5的胞外区的多肽、天然存在的蛋白质以及设计的多肽,可干扰CCR5与gp120之间的相互作用,从而抑制病毒复制。     

HIV-1跨膜蛋白gp41的截短及表达

将HIV-1跨膜蛋白gp41进行截短,在大肠杆菌中进行表达并纯化。PCR扩增gp41的部分编码基因,回收的PCR产物纯化后克隆到连接载体pGEM-T上,然后用EcoRI和Sal I切下目的基因,并构建到表达载体pGEX-4T3上,导入宿主细胞BL21(DE3),用IPTG诱导表达,表达产物用亲和层析进行纯化并作相应鉴定。截短的HIV-1跨膜蛋白gp41能直接在大肠杆菌内进行表达,利用亲和层析能方便地将目的蛋白进行纯化,为跨膜蛋白的进一步应用打下基础。     

人类免疫缺陷病毒1型gp140包膜蛋白三聚体在哺乳动物细胞中的高效表达及其性质鉴定

本研究目的是通过优化1型人类免疫缺陷病毒(HIV-1)gp140编码基因的密码子和克隆设计,从而实现在293T哺乳动物细胞中高效表达,并对纯化获得的gp140蛋白进行抗原性质鉴定。在本研究中选择HIV-1B亚型NL4-3全基因序列为模板进行gp140克隆构建,通过密码子优化、信号肽替换、增加柔性linker、三聚体折叠序列等方法优化设计。通过HIV-1转录反式激活因子tat共转HEK293T细胞进行gp140蛋白表达,采用镍柱纯化。SDS-PAGE、Western blot、ELISA、负染电镜等结果显示目的蛋白纯度高于70%,每升培养基可获得0.5mg gp140蛋白,并且具有良好的抗原活性,电镜下呈现三聚体结构。通过弗氏佐剂与目的蛋白混合免疫Balb/c小鼠,检测小鼠免疫血清显示gp140蛋白能有效刺激机体产生免疫应答。本研究通过优化表达获得B亚型HIV-1NL4-3gp140蛋白,为HIV-1病毒包膜蛋白结构和重组疫苗研究奠定基础。     

HIV-1 gp160多表位嵌合基因的构建及表达蛋白的免疫原性分析

HIV感染引起的AIDS已经成为严重影响人类健康和社会发展的全球性疾病。酶联免疫吸附试验和免疫印迹检验组合则被认为是HIV检测的“金标准”。因此本实验构建gp160的抗原多表位融合基因及在原核系统的高表达, 为HIV抗体测定提供特异、价廉的抗原。选定HIV-1 gp160基因中三个片段包含较多抗原表位的区域, 设计带有酶切位点的引物,用PCR的方法从HIV-1HXB2全基因扩增编码这三个片段的基因序列,通过质粒提取、酶切、测序方法鉴定基因片段的正确性, SDS-PAGE和Western Blot测定融合蛋白的抗原特异性。构建的HIV-1 gp160多表位嵌合基因的原核表达质粒,酶切和测序结果表明基因序列正确,基因全长969bp。在大肠杆菌BL21(DE3) 中高效表达的重组蛋白分子量为37kDa,以包涵体的形式存在。应用western blot测定10例正常人和12例HIV/AIDS病人血浆显示HIV-1 gp160多表位融合蛋白具有良好的抗原特异性。成功构建了高表达 HIV-1 gp160多表位蛋白的原核表达系统,纯化的融合蛋白有较强的抗原特异性。     

A novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for screening HIV-1 fusion inhibitors targeting HIV-1 Gp41 core structure

The gp41 subunit of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein mediates the fusion of viral and host cell membranes. As the HIV-1 enters the host cells, the 2 helical regions, HR1 and HR2, in the ectodomain of gp41 can form a 6-helix bundle, which brings the viral and target cell membranes to close proximity and serves as an attractive target for developing HIV-1 fusion inhibitors. Now, there are several cell- and molecule-based assays to identify potential HIV-1 fusion inhibitors targeting gp41. However, these assays cannot be used universally because they are time-consuming, inconvenient, and expensive. In the present study, the authors expressed and purified GST-HR121 and C43-30a proteins that were derived from the HIV-1 gp41 ectodomain region. GST-HR121 has a function similar to the HR1 peptide of gp41, whereas C43-30a is an HR2-derived peptide that added 50 amino acid residues (aa) in the N-terminal of C43. Further research found they could interact with each other, and a potential HIV-1 fusion inhibitor could inhibit this interaction. On the basis of this fact, a novel, rapid, and economic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was established, which can be developed for high-throughput screening of HIV-1 fusion inhibitors.     

Rapid and automated fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay for high-throughput screening of HIV-1 fusion inhibitors targeting gp41

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein gp41 plays an important role in the virus entry. During the process of fusion between the viral and target cell membranes, the N- and C-terminal heptad repeat (HR) regions of the gp41 extracellular domain associate to form a 6-helical bundle, corresponding to the fusion-active gp41 core. Any compound that blocks the gp41 6-helix bundle formation between the N- and C-peptides, which are derived from the N- and C-terminal HR regions, respectively, may inhibit HIV-1 mediated membrane fusion. Based on this principle, we previously established a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for drug screening by using the N-peptide N36 and the C-peptide C34 and a monoclonal antibody (NC-1) which specifically recognizes the gp41 6-helix bundle. In the present study, a fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay (FLISA) was developed by using fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated C34 to replace C34 and by directly detecting fluorescence intensity instead of more complicated enzymatic reaction. Compared with the sandwich ELISA, this FLISA has similar sensitivity and specificity, but it is much more rapid, economic and convenient. Using an Integrated Robotic Sample Processing System, this assay has been applied for high-throughput screening of organic compounds on a large scale for HIV-1 fusion inhibitors targeting gp41.     

Theta-defensins prevent HIV-1 Env-mediated fusion by binding gp41 and blocking 6-helix bundle formation

Retrocyclin-1, a -defensin, protects target cells from human immunodeficiency virus, type 1 (HIV-1) by preventing viral entry. To delineate its mechanism, we conducted fusion assays between susceptible target cells and effector cells that expressed HIV-1 Env. Retrocyclin-1 (4 microm) completely blocked fusion mediated by HIV-1 Envs that used CXCR4 or CCR5 but had little effect on cell fusion mediated by HIV-2 and simian immunodeficiency virus Envs. Retrocyclin-1 inhibited HIV-1 Env-mediated fusion without impairing the lateral mobility of CD4, and it inhibited the fusion of CD4-deficient cells with cells bearing CD4-independent HIV-1 Env. Thus, it could act without cross-linking membrane proteins or inhibiting gp120-CD4 interactions. Retrocyclin-1 acted late in the HIV-1 Env fusion cascade but prior to 6-helix bundle formation. Surface plasmon resonance experiments revealed that retrocyclin bound the ectodomain of gp41 with high affinity in a glycan-independent manner and that it bound selectively to the gp41 C-terminal heptad repeat. Native-PAGE, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and CD spectroscopic analyses all revealed that retrocyclin-1 prevented 6-helix bundle formation. This mode of action, although novel for an innate effector molecule, resembles the mechanism of peptidic entry inhibitors based on portions of the gp41 sequence.     

Conformational changes in HIV-1 gp41 in the course of HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein-mediated fusion and inactivation

HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein-mediated fusion is driven by the concerted coalescence of the HIV-1 gp41 N- and C-helical regions, which results in the formation of 6-helix bundles. These two regions are considered prime targets for peptides and antibodies that inhibit HIV-1 entry. However, the parameters that govern this inhibition have yet to be elucidated. We address this issue by monitoring the temporal sequence of conformational states of HIV-1 gp41 during the course of HIV-1-mediated cell-cell fusion by quantitative video microscopy using reagents that bind to N- and C-helical regions, respectively. Env-expressing cells were primed by incubation with target cells at different times at 37 degrees C followed by washing. The reactivity of triggered gp41 to the NC-1 monoclonal antibody, which we demonstrate here to bind to N-helical gp41 trimers, increased rapidly to a maximal level in the primed state but decreased once stable fusion junctions had formed. In contrast, reactivity with 5-helix, which binds to the C-helical region of gp41, increased continuously as a function of time following the priming. The peptide N36(Mut(e,g)) reduced NC-1 monoclonal antibody binding and enhanced 5-helix binding, consistent with the notion that this molecule promotes dissociation of gp41 trimers. This inactivation pathway may be important for the design of entry inhibitors and vaccine candidates.     

High-throughput screening method of inhibitors that block the interaction between 2 helical regions of HIV-1 gp41

The HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein transmembrane subunit, gp41, mediates the fusion of viral and target cell membranes. The 2 helical regions in the ectodomain of gp41, the N-helix and the C-helix, form a helical bundle complex that has been suggested as a fusion-active conformation. Previously, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method had been established to measure the interaction of 2 helical regions of gp41. In this study, the ELISA method was modified to apply high-throughput screening (HTS) of an organic compound library. A few compounds had been identified to prevent the interaction between 2 helical regions of gp41, and they were further shown to inhibit the gp41-mediated viral infection. In addition, they specifically quenched the fluorescence of tryptophan in the N-helix region, indicating that these compounds bound to the N-helix rather than the C-helix of gp41. These results suggested that this assay method targeting gp41 could be used for HTS of HIV fusion inhibitors.     

A time-resolved fluorescence assay to identify small-molecule inhibitors of HIV-1 fusion

Fusion of host cell and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) membranes is mediated by the 2 "heptad-repeat" regions of the viral gp41 protein. The collapse of the C-terminal heptad-repeat regions into the hydrophobic grooves of a coiled-coil formed by the corresponding homotrimeric N-terminal heptad-repeat regions generates a stable 6-helix bundle. This brings viral and cell membranes together for membrane fusion, facilitating viral entry. The authors developed an assay based on soluble peptides derived from the gp41 N-terminal heptad-repeat region (IQN36) as well as from the C-terminal region (C34). Both peptides were labeled with fluorophores, IQN36 with allophycocyanin (APC) and C34 with the lanthanide europium (Eu3+). Formation of the 6-helix bundle brings both fluorophores in close proximity needed for F?rster resonance energy transfer (FRET). Compounds that interfere with binding of C34-Eu with IQN36-APC suppress the FRET signal. The assay was validated with various peptides and small molecules, and quenching issues were addressed. Evaluation of a diversified compound collection in a high-throughput screening campaign enabled identification of small molecules with different chemical scaffolds that inhibit this crucial intermediate in the HIV-1 entry process. This study's observations substantiate the expediency of time-resolved FRET-based assays to identify small-molecule inhibitors of protein-protein interactions.     

Different from the HIV fusion inhibitor C34, the anti-HIV drug Fuzeon (T-20) inhibits HIV-1 entry by targeting multiple sites in gp41 and gp120

Fuzeon (also known as T-20 or enfuvirtide), one of the C-peptides derived from the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein transmembrane subunit gp41 C-terminal heptad repeat (CHR) region, is the first member of a new class of anti-HIV drugs known as HIV fusion inhibitors. It has been widely believed that T-20 shares the same mechanism of action with C34, another C-peptide. The C34 is known to compete with the CHR of gp41 to form a stable 6-helix bundle (6-HB) with the gp41 N-terminal heptad repeat (NHR) and prevent the formation of the fusogenic gp41 core between viral gp41 NHR and CHR, thereby inhibiting fusion between viral and target cell membranes. Here we present data to demonstrate that, contrary to this belief, T-20 cannot form stable 6-HB with N-peptides derived from the NHR region, nor can it inhibit the 6-HB formation of the fusogenic core. Instead, it may interact with N-peptides to form unstable or insoluble complexes. Our data suggest that T-20 has a different mechanism of action from C34. The interaction of T-20 with viral NHR region alone may not prevent the formation of the fusion active gp41 core. We also demonstrate that the T-20-mediated anti-HIV activity can be significantly abrogated by peptides derived from the membrane-spanning domain in gp41 and coreceptor binding site in gp120. These new findings imply that T-20 inhibits HIV-1 entry by targeting multiple sites in gp41 and gp120. Further elucidation of the mechanism of action of T-20 will provide new target(s) for development of novel HIV entry inhibitors.     

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of 3-substituted 2,5-dimethyl-N-(3-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)phenyl)pyrroles as novel potential HIV-1 gp41 inhibitors

Based on the structure of HIV-1 gp41 binding site for small-molecule inhibitors, optimization of lead 2 resulted in the discovery of a new series of 2,5-dimethyl-3-(5-(N-phenylrhodaninyl)methylene)-N-(3-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)phenyl)pyrrole compounds with improved anti-HIV-1 activity. The most active compounds 13a and 13j exhibited significant potency against gp41 6-HB formation with IC(50) values of 4.4 and 4.6 μM and against HIV-1 replication in the MT-2 cells with EC(50) values of 3.2 and 2.2 μM, respectively, thus providing a new starting point to develop highly potent small-molecule HIV fusion inhibitors targeting gp41.     

Design, synthesis, and biological activity of a novel series of 2,5-disubstituted furans/pyrroles as HIV-1 fusion inhibitors targeting gp41

Based on molecular docking analysis of earlier results, we designed a series of 2,5-disubstituted furans/pyrroles (5a-h) as HIV-1 entry inhibitors. Compounds were synthesized by Suzuki-Miyaura cross coupling, followed by a Knoevenagel condensation or Wittig reaction. Four of these compounds were found to be effective in inhibiting HIV-1 infection, with the best compounds being 5f and 5h, which exhibited significant inhibition on HIV-1(IIIB) infection at micromolar levels with low cytotoxicity. These compounds are also effective in blocking HIV-1 mediated cell-cell fusion and the gp41 six-helix bundle formation, suggesting that they are also HIV-1 fusion inhibitors targeting gp41 and have potential to be developed as a new class of anti-HIV-1 agents.     

Sub-Inhibitory Concentrations of Human α-defensin Potentiate Neutralizing Antibodies against HIV-1 gp41 Pre-Hairpin Intermediates in the Presence of Serum

Human defensins are at the forefront of the host responses to HIV and other pathogens in mucosal tissues. However, their ability to inactivate HIV in the bloodstream has been questioned due to the antagonistic effect of serum. In this study, we have examined the effect of sub-inhibitory concentrations of human α-defensin HNP-1 on the kinetics of early steps of fusion between HIV-1 and target cells in the presence of serum. Direct measurements of HIV-cell fusion using an enzymatic assay revealed that, in spite of the modest effect on the extent of fusion, HNP-1 prolonged the exposure of functionally important transitional epitopes of HIV-1 gp41 on the cell surface. The increased lifetime of gp41 intermediates in the presence of defensin was caused by a delay in the post-coreceptor binding steps of HIV-1 entry that correlated with the marked enhancement of the virus'' sensitivity to neutralizing anti-gp41 antibodies. By contrast, the activity of antibodies to gp120 was not affected. HNP-1 appeared to specifically potentiate antibodies and peptides targeting the first heptad repeat domain of gp41, while its effect on inhibitors and antibodies to other gp41 domains was less prominent. Sub-inhibitory concentrations of HNP-1 also promoted inhibition of HIV-1 entry into peripheral blood mononuclear cells by antibodies and, more importantly, by HIV-1 immune serum. Our findings demonstrate that: (i) sub-inhibitory doses of HNP-1 potently enhance the activity of a number of anti-gp41 antibodies and peptide inhibitors, apparently by prolonging the lifetime of gp41 intermediates; and (ii) the efficiency of HIV-1 fusion inhibitors and neutralizing antibodies is kinetically restricted. This study thus reveals an important role of α-defensin in enhancing adaptive immune responses to HIV-1 infection and suggests future strategies to augment these responses.