An effective strategy for recapitulating N-terminal heptad repeat trimers in enveloped virus surface glycoproteins for therapeutic applications.

ABSTRACT: Sequestering peptides derived from the N-terminal heptad repeat (NHR) of class I viral fusion proteins into a non-aggregating trimeric coiled-coil conformation remains a major challenge. Here, we implemented a synthetic strategy to stabilize NHR-helical trimers, with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) gp41 fusion protein as the initial focus. A set of trimeric scaffolds was realized in a synthetic gp41 NHR-derived peptide sequence by relying on the tractability of coiled-coil structures and an additional isopeptide bridge-tethering strategy. Among them, (N36M)₃ folded as a highly stable helical trimer and exhibited promising inhibitory activity against HIV-1 infection, exceptional resistance to proteolysis, and effective native ligand-binding capability. We anticipa

SUBMITTER: Lai W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5968561 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature