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Abstract: Darunavir and tipranavir are two inhibitors that are active against multi-drug resistant (MDR) HIV-1 protease variants. In this study, the in vitro inhibitory efficacy was tested against a MDR HIV-1 protease variant, MDR 769 82T, containing the drug resistance mutations of 46L/54V/82T/84V/90M. Crystallographic and enzymatic studies were performed to examine the mechanism of resistance and the relative maintenance of potency. The key findings are as follows: (i) The MDR protease exhibits decreased susceptibility to all nine HIV-1 protease inhibitors approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), among which darunavir and tipranavir are the most potent; (ii) the threonine 82 mutation on the protease greatly enhances drug resistance by altering the hydrophobicity of the binding pocket; (iii) darunavir or tipranavir binding facilitates closure of the wide-open flaps of the MDR protease; and (iv) the remaining potency of tipranavir may be preserved by stabilizing the flaps in the inhibitor-protease complex while darunavir maintains its potency by preserving protein main chain hydrogen bonds with the flexible P2 group. These results could provide new insights into drug design strategies to overcome multi-drug resistance of HIV-1 protease variants. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The CXC chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2) is a G protein coupled receptor mediating interleukin-8 chemotactic signaling and plays an important role in neutrophil mobility and tumor migration. However, efficient CXCR2 signaling requires PDZ domain-mediated scaffolding of signaling complexes at the plasma membrane and functional coupling of the signaling to specific downstream signaling pathways, in which only one PDZ protein has been characterized to interact with CXCR2. Here, we identified five novel CXCR2-binding PDZ-containing proteins, among which PDZ-RhoGEF is of particular interest because this PDZ and RGS-containing guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) is also involved in cell signaling and mobility. To reveal the molecular basis of the interaction, we solved the crystal structure of PDZ-RhoGEF PDZ domain in complex with the CXCR2 C-terminal PDZ binding motif. The structure reveals that the PDZ–CXCR2 binding specificity is achieved by numerous hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic contacts with the last four CXCR2 residues contributing to specific interactions. Structural comparison of CXCR2-binding PDZ domains and PDZ-RhoGEF PDZ bound with different ligands reveals PDZ- and ligand-specific interactions that may underlie the ability of promiscuous CXCR2 binding by different PDZ domains and PDZ binding promiscuity. The structure also reveals an unexpected asymmetric disulfide bond-linked PDZ dimer that allows simultaneous parallel binding of CXCR2 to two PDZ domains. This study provides not only the structural basis for PDZ-mediated CXCR2–PDZ-RhoGEF interaction, but also a new mode of PDZ dimerization, which both could prove valuable in understanding signaling complex scaffolding in CXCR2 signaling and coupling to specific signaling pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] CXCR2–NHERF1–PLCβ2 complex regulates CXCR2 signaling in neutrophils. [•] The crystal structure of the NHERF1 PDZ2 domain in complex with CXCR2. [•] The structure reveals the specificity determinants of PDZ2–CXCR2 interaction. [•] Two probable modes of PDZ2 dimerization with parallelly oriented CXCR2 peptides. [•] Provides implications for NHERF1 complex-scaffolding function in neutrophils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] CXCR2–NHERF1–PLCβ3 complex regulates CXCR2 signaling in pancreatic cancer. [•] The crystal structure of the NHERF1 PDZ1 domain in complex with PLCβ3. [•] The structure reveals specificity determinants of PDZ1–PLCβ3 interaction. [•] Endogenous PLCβ3 in pancreatic cancer cells interacts with both PDZ1 and PDZ2. [•] Structural basis of the PDZ1–PLCβ3 interaction is valuable in selective drug design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] CFTR–NHERF2–LPA2 complex in airway epithelia regulates CFTR channel function. [•] First crystal structure of the NHERF2 PDZ1 domain in complex with LPA2. [•] The structure reveals PDZ1 binding specificity and peptide recognition diversity. [•] Discovery of a novel SCN binding site that may have therapeutic implications. [•] Structural basis of the PDZ1–LPA2 interaction is valuable in selective drug design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] MDR HIV-1 protease is resistant to lopinavir (LPV). [•] Drug resistance is due to loss of interactions between MDR HIV-1 protease and LPV. [•] Crystallographic water molecules mediate LPV recognition and binding. [•] Conformation changes of MDR HIV-1 protease upon LPV binding favor the binding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ritonavir (RTV) is a first generation HIV-1 protease inhibitor with rapidly emerging drug resistance. Mutations at residues 46, 54, 82 and 84 render the HIV-1 protease drug resistant against RTV. We report the crystal structure of multi-drug resistant (MDR) 769 HIV-1 protease (carrying resistant mutations at residues 10, 36, 46, 54, 62, 63, 71, 82, 84 and 90) complexed with RTV and the in vitro enzymatic IC50 of RTV against MDR HIV-1 protease. The structural and functional studies demonstrate significant drug resistance of MDR HIV-1 protease against RTV, arising from reduced hydrogen bonds and Van der Waals interactions between RTV and MDR HIV-1 protease. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The success of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in anti-HIV therapy is severely compromised by the rapidly developing drug resistance. HIV-1 protease inhibitors, part of HAART, are losing their potency and efficacy in inhibiting the target. Multi-drug resistant (MDR) 769 HIV-1 protease (resistant mutations at residues 10, 36, 46, 54, 62, 63, 71, 82, 84, 90) was selected for the present study to understand the binding to its natural substrates. The nine crystal structures of MDR769 HIV-1 protease substrate hepta-peptide complexes were analyzed in order to reveal the conserved structural elements for the purpose of drug design against MDR HIV-1 protease. Our structural studies demonstrated that highly conserved hydrogen bonds between the protease and substrate peptides, together with the conserved crystallographic water molecules, played a crucial role in the substrate recognition, substrate stabilization and protease stabilization. In addition, the absence of the key flap-ligand bridging water molecule might imply a different catalytic mechanism of MDR769 HIV-1 protease compared to that of wild type (WT) HIV-1 protease. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Two potent inhibitors (compounds 1 and 2) of malarial aspartyl protease, plasmepsin-II, were evaluated against wild type (NL4-3) and multidrug-resistant clinical isolate 769 (MDR) variants of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) aspartyl protease. Enzyme inhibition assays showed that both 1 and 2 have better potency against NL4-3 than against MDR protease. Crystal structures of MDR protease in complex with 1 and 2 were solved and analyzed. Crystallographic analysis revealed that the MDR protease exhibits a typical wide-open conformation of the flaps (Gly48 to Gly52) causing an overall expansion in the active site cavity, which, in turn caused unstable binding of the inhibitors. Due to the expansion of the active site cavity, both compounds showed loss of direct contacts with the MDR protease compared to the docking models of NL4-3. Multiple water molecules showed a rich network of hydrogen bonds contributing to the stability of the ligand binding in the distorted binding pockets of the MDR protease in both crystal structures. Docking analysis of 1 and 2 showed a decrease in the binding affinity for both compounds against MDR supporting our structure–function studies. Thus, compounds 1 and 2 show promising inhibitory activity against HIV-1 protease variants and hence are good candidates for further development to enhance their potency against NL4-3 as well as MDR HIV-1 protease variants. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]