Journal of the Formosan Medical Association
Volume 109, Issue 2 , Pages 94-105, February 2010

HIV-1 gp41 Fusion Intermediate: A Target for HIV Therapeutics

  • Chungen Pan

      Affiliations

    • Laboratory of Viral Immunology, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, NY, USA
    • College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, Guangzhou, China
    • ,
  • Shuwen Liu

      Affiliations

    • School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
    • ,
  • Shibo Jiang

      Affiliations

    • Laboratory of Viral Immunology, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, NY, USA
    • School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorrespondence to: Dr Shibo Jiang, Laboratory of Viral Immunology, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, 310 East 67th Street, New York, NY 10065, USA

Received 24 September 2009; received in revised form 25 September 2009; accepted 25 September 2009.

Article Outline

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection is initiated by the binding of gp120 envelope glyco-protein to its cell receptor (CD4) and a coreceptor (CXCR4 or CCR5), followed by a series of conformational changes in the gp41 transmembrane subunit. These changes include insertion of fusion peptide into the target cell membrane and association of C-heptad repeat (CHR) peptide with the N-heptad repeat (NHR) trimer, a pre-hairpin fusion intermediate. A stable six-helix bundle core is then formed, bringing the viral envelope and target cell membrane into close proximity for fusion. Peptides derived from the CHR region, such as T20 and C34, inhibit HIV-1 fusion by interacting with the gp41 fusion intermediate. A number of anti-HIV-1 peptides and small molecule compounds targeting the gp41 NHR-trimer have been identified. By combining HIV fusion/entry inhibitors targeting different sites in the gp41 fusion intermediate, a potent synergistic effect takes place, resulting in a potential new therapeutic strategy for the HIV infection/AIDS. Here, we present an overview of the current development of anti-HIV drugs, particularly those targeting the gp41 fusion intermediate.

Key Words:  fusion inhibitor , gp41 , HIV-1 , peptide , therapeutics

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PII: S0929-6646(10)60029-0

doi:10.1016/S0929-6646(10)60029-0

Journal of the Formosan Medical Association
Volume 109, Issue 2 , Pages 94-105, February 2010

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