Cyclic amide bioisosterism: strategic application to the design and synthesis of HCV NS5B polymerase inhibitors.

Conformational modeling has been successfully applied to the design of cyclic bioisosteres used to replace a conformationally rigid amide bond in a series of thiophene carboxylate inhibitors of HCV NS5B polymerase. Select compounds were equipotent with the original amide series. Single-point mutant binding studies, in combination with inhibition structure-activity relationships, suggest this new series interacts at the Thumb-II domain of NS5B. Inhibitor binding at the Thumb-II site was ultimately confirmed by solving a crystal structure of 8b complexed with NS5B.

Non-nucleoside inhibitors of HCV polymerase NS5B. Part 4: structure-based design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of benzo[d]isothiazole-1,1-dioxides.

A series of benzo[d]isothiazole-1,1-dioxides were designed and evaluated as inhibitors of HCV polymerase NS5B. Structure-based design led to the incorporation of a high affinity methyl sulfonamide group. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies of this series revealed analogues with submicromolar potencies in the HCV replicon assay and moderate pharmacokinetic properties. SAR studies combined with structure based drug design focused on the sulfonamide region led to a novel and potent cyclic analogue.

Non-nucleoside inhibitors of HCV polymerase NS5B. Part 3: synthesis and optimization studies of benzothiazine-substituted tetramic acids.

Benzothiazine-substituted tetramic acids were discovered as highly potent non-nucleoside inhibitors of HCV NS5B polymerase. X-ray crystallography studies confirmed the binding mode of these inhibitors with HCV NS5B polymerase. Rational optimization of time dependent inactivation of CYP 3A4 and clearance was accomplished by incorporation of electron-withdrawing groups to the benzothiazine core.

Non-nucleoside inhibitors of HCV NS5B polymerase. Part 1: Synthetic and computational exploration of the binding modes of benzothiadiazine and 1,4-benzothiazine HCV NS5b polymerase inhibitors.

The importance of internal hydrogen bonding in a series of benzothiadiazine and 1,4-benzothiazine NS5b inhibitors has been explored. Computational analysis has been used to compare the protonated vs. anionic forms of each series and we demonstrate that activity against HCV NS5b polymerase is best explained using the anionic forms. The syntheses and structure-activity relationships for a variety of new analogs are also discussed.

The design, synthesis, and antiviral activity of monofluoro and difluoro analogues of 4'-azidocytidine against hepatitis C virus replication: the discovery of 4'-azido-2'-deoxy-2'-fluorocytidine and 4'-azido-2'-dideoxy-2',2'-difluorocytidine.

The discovery of 4'-azidocytidine (3) (R1479) (J. Biol. Chem. 2006, 281, 3793; Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2007, 17, 2570) as a potent inhibitor of RNA synthesis by NS5B (EC(50) = 1.28 microM), the RNA polymerase encoded by hepatitis C virus (HCV), has led to the synthesis and biological evaluation of several monofluoro and difluoro derivatives of 4'-azidocytidine. The most potent compounds in this series were 4'-azido-2'-deoxy-2',2'-difluorocytidine and 4'-azido-2'-deoxy-2'-fluoroarabinocytidine with antiviral EC(50) of 66 nM and 24 nM in the HCV replicon system, respectively. The structure-activity relationships within this series were discussed, which led to the discovery of these novel nucleoside analogues with the most potent compound, showing more than a 50-fold increase in antiviral potency as compared to 4'-azidocytidine (3).

3-Hydroxyisoquinolines as inhibitors of HCV NS5b RNA-dependent RNA polymerase.

Isoquinoline-based non-nucleoside inhibitors of HCV NS5b RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase are described. The synthesis and structure-activity relationships are detailed, along with enzyme and cellular activity.

Expression and purification of untagged full-length HCV NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase.

The NS5B encoded by the hepatitis C virus genome is a RNA-dependent RNA polymerase essential to viral replication. The entire NS5B protein contains a catalytic domain followed by a regulatory motif and a membrane-anchor domain at its C-terminus. Reported here is the molecular cloning and expression of the full-length NS5B polymerase (NS5B-FL) in bacterial cells as a non-fusion protein. The non-tagged NS5B-FL was purified to homogeneity using sequential chromatographic columns and its identity was confirmed using anti-NS5B peptide antibodies and amino acid sequencing. Purified NS5B-FL demonstrated RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity and was able to replicate a HCV RNA genome fragment through both copy-back and de novo mechanisms. Its biochemical properties were further characterized in comparison with a truncated form of NS5B polymerase with a deletion of 51 residues from its C-terminus.

Identification of a C-terminal regulatory motif in hepatitis C virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase: structural and biochemical analysis.

The NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase encoded by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a key component of the viral replicase. Reported here is the three-dimensional structure of HCV NS5B polymerase, with the highlight on its C-terminal folding, determined by X-ray crystallography at 2.1-A resolution. Structural analysis revealed that a stretch of C-terminal residues of HCV NS5B inserted into the putative RNA binding cleft, where they formed a hydrophobic pocket and interacted with several important structural elements. This region was found to be conserved and unique to the RNA polymerases encoded by HCV and related viruses. Through biochemical analyses, we confirmed that this region interfered with the binding of HCV NS5B to RNA. Deletion of this fragment from HCV NS5B enhanced the RNA synthesis rate up to approximately 50-fold. These results provide not only direct experimental insights into the role of the C-terminal tail of HCV NS5B polymerase but also a working model for the RNA synthesis mechanism employed by HCV and related viruses.