A rationally designed synthetic mimic of the discontinuous CD4-binding site of HIV-1 gp120

J Recept Signal Transduct Res. 2006;26(5-6):453-60. doi: 10.1080/10799890600923179.

Abstract

Synthetic mimetics of the CD4-binding site of HIV-1 gp120 are promising candidates for HIV-1 entry inhibition, as well as immunogen candidates for the elicitation of virus-neutralizing antibodies. On the basis of the crystal structure of gp120 in complex with CD4, we have used a recently introduced strategy for the generation of structurally diverse scaffolds to design and synthesize a scaffolded peptide, in which three fragments, making up the sequentially discontinuous binding site of gp120 for CD4, are presented in a nonlinear and discontinuous fashion through a molecular scoffold, which restrains conformational flexibility. The affinities of this molecule to CD4, as well as to the broadly neutralizing antibody mAb b12, whose epitope overlaps the CD4-binding site of gp120, were determined in competitive binding assays.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / metabolism
  • Binding Sites
  • Binding, Competitive
  • CD4 Antigens / metabolism*
  • Drug Design*
  • Epitopes / metabolism
  • HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Molecular Mimicry
  • Peptide Fragments / metabolism*
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Conformation

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • CD4 Antigens
  • Epitopes
  • HIV Envelope Protein gp120
  • Peptide Fragments