RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of hepatitis C virus: study on inhibition by alpha,gamma-diketo acid derivatives.

It is supposed that alpha,gamma-diketo acids (DKAs) inhibit the activity of hepatitis C virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP HCV) via chelation of catalytic magnesium ions in the active center of the enzyme. However, DKAs display noncompetitive mode of inhibition with respect to NTP substrate, which contradicts the proposed mechanism. We have examined the NTP substrate entry channel and the active site of RdRP HCV for their possible interaction with DKAs. The substitutions R48A, K51A, and R222A greatly facilitated RdRP inhibition by DKAs and simultaneously increased K(m) values for UTP substrate. Interestingly, C223A was the only one of a number of substitutions that decreased K(m)(UTP) but facilitated the inhibitory action of DKAs. The findings allowed us to model an enzyme-inhibitor complex. According to the proposed model, DKAs introduce an additional Mg2+ ion into the active site of the enzyme at a stage of phosphodiester bond formation, which results in displacement of the NTP substrate triphosphate moiety to a catalytically inactive binding mode. This mechanism, in contrast to the currently adopted one, explains the noncompetitive mode of inhibition.

Hepatitis C virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase: study on the inhibition mechanism by pyrogallol derivatives.

Pyrogallol reversibly and noncompetitively inhibits the activity of the hepatitis C RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Based on molecular modeling of the inhibitor binding in the active site of the enzyme, the inhibition was suggested to be realized via chelation of two magnesium cations involved in the catalysis at the stage of the phosphoryl residue transfer. The proposed model allowed us to purposefully synthesize new derivatives with higher inhibitory capacity.

[Point contacts of T7 RNA polymerase in the promotor complex, as determined with phosphate-activated oligonucleotide derivatives]. / Testirovanie tochechnykh kontaktov v promotornom komplekse RNK-polimerazy bakteriofaga T7 s pomoshch'iu fosfat-aktivirovannykh proizvodnykh oligonukleotidov.

The contacts between phosphate groups of promoter DNA an Lys or His of T7 RNA polmerase (Pol) in the Pol-promoter complex were studied with single- and double- stranded oligonucleotides, which corresponded to the T7 promoter consensus and contained activated phosphate groups at position +1, +2, or -14 relative to the transcription start. To obtain reactive groups, terminal phosphates were modified with N-oxybenzotriazole (HOBT), and internucleotide phosphates were repalced with a trisubstituted pyrophosphate (TSP). The resulting derivatives produced covalent complexes with T7 Pol. Covalent bonding involved His in the case of TSP at position +1 or HOBT at position +1 or -14, and Lys in the case of TSB at position -14.