Abstract
The ability of the HIV-1 accessory proteins Nef and Vpu to decrease CD4 protects infected cells from antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) by limiting the exposure of vulnerable epitopes to envelope glycoprotein (Env). Small-molecule CD4 mimetics (CD4mcs) based on piperidine scaffolds represent a new family of agents capable of sensitizing HIV-1-infected cells to ADCC by exposing CD4-induced (CD4i) epitopes on Env that are recognized by non-neutralizing antibodies which are abundant in plasma of people living with HIV. Here, we employed the combined methods of parallel synthesis, structure-based design, and optimization to generate a new line of piperidine-based CD4mcs, which sensitize HIV-1 infected cells to ADCC activity. The X-ray crystallographic study of the CD4mcs within the gp120 residues suggests that the positioning of the CD4mc inside the Phe43 cavity and synergistic contact of the CD4mc with the β20-21 loop and the α1-helix lead to improved antiviral activity.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1961-1969 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 14 Nov 2024 |
Keywords
- Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC)
- HIV
- gp120
- small molecule CD4 mimetic compounds (CD4mc)
- structure−activity relationship (SAR)