Molecular recognition of cyclic urea HIV-1 protease inhibitors.

As long as the threat of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease drug resistance still exists, there will be a need for more potent antiretroviral agents. We have therefore determined the crystal structures of HIV-1 protease in complex with six cyclic urea inhibitors: XK216, XK263, DMP323, DMP450, XV638, and SD146, in an attempt to identify 1) the key interactions responsible for their high potency and 2) new interactions that might improve their therapeutic benefit. The structures reveal that the preorganized, C2 symmetric scaffolds of the inhibitors are anchored in the active site of the protease by six hydrogen bonds and that their P1 and P2 substituents participate in extensive van der Waals interactions and hydrogen bonds. Because all of our inhibitors possess benzyl groups at P1 and P1', their relative binding affinities are modulated by the extent of their P2 interactions, e.g. XK216, the least potent inhibitor (Ki (inhibition constant) = 4.70 nM), possesses the smallest P2 and the lowest number of P2-S2 interactions; whereas SD146, the most potent inhibitor (Ki = 0.02 nM), contains a benzimidazolylbenzamide at P2 and participates in fourteen hydrogen bonds and approximately 200 van der Waals interactions. This analysis identifies the strongest interactions between the protease and the inhibitors, suggests ways to improve potency by building into the S2 subsite, and reveals how conformational changes and unique features of the viral protease increase the binding affinity of HIV protease inhibitors.

Molecular basis of HIV-1 protease drug resistance: structural analysis of mutant proteases complexed with cyclic urea inhibitors.

In cell cultures, the key residues associated with HIV-1 resistance to cyclic urea-based HIV-1 protease (PR) inhibitors are Val82 and Ile84 of HIV-1 PR. To gain an understanding of how these two residues modulate inhibitor binding, we have measured the Ki values of three recombinant mutant proteases, I84V, V82F, and V82F/I84V, for DMP323 and DMP450, and determined the three-dimensional structures of their complexes to 2.1-1.9 A resolution with R factors of 18.7-19.6%. The Ki values of these mutants increased by 25-, 0.5-, and 1000-fold compared to the wild-type values of 0.8 and 0.4 nM for DMP323 and DMP450, respectively. The wild-type and mutant complexes overall are very similar (rms deviations of 0.2-0.3 A) except for differences in the patterns of their van der Waals (vdw) interactions, which appear to modulate the Ki values of the mutants. The loss of the CD1 atom of Ile84, in the I84V mutant complexes, creates a hole in the S1 subsite, reducing the number of vdw contacts and increasing the Ki values. The V82F mutant binds DMP323 more tightly than wild type because the side chain of Phe82 forms additional vdw and edge-to-face interactions with the P1 group of DMP323. The Ki values of the single mutants are not additive because the side chain of Phe82 rotates out of the S1 subsite in the double mutant (the chi 1 angles of Phe82 and -182 in the V82F and V82F/I84V mutants differ by 90 and 185 degrees, respectively), further reducing the vdw interactions. Finally, compensatory shifts in the I84V and V82F/ I84V complexes pick up a small number of new contacts, but too few to offset the initial loss of interactions caused by the mutations. Therefore, our data suggest that variants persist in the presence of DMP323 and DMP450 because of a decrease in vdw interactions between the mutant proteases and inhibitors.

Application of existing technology to meet increasing demands for automated sample handling.

As the clinical laboratory advances toward total automation, the marketplace is now demanding more-efficient sample-handling systems. These demands have arisen over a relatively short period of time, in part because of heightened concern over laboratory safety and the resulting manpower shortages. Adding sample-handling capabilities to existing instrumentation is often a challenge, because usually mechanical or system constraints are present that interfere. This challenge has been overcome in the DuPont Sample Management System (SMS), a second-generation general chemistry analyzer that incorporates the latest barcode and computer-interfacing technology. The development of the SMS system relies heavily on recent advances in technology, e.g., software modeling and computer-aided design. The SMS system includes a barcode scanner based on "charge-coupled device" technology, a random-access sample wheel, and new software that oversees the various functions.