Biomedical subjects

Andrea Gamarnik

Publications and source records attributed to Andrea Gamarnik.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

The active essential CFNS3d protein complex.

The NS2B-NS3 protease complex is essential for the replication of dengue virus, which is the etiologic agent of dengue and hemorrhagic fevers, diseases that are a burden for the tropical and subtropical areas of the world. The active form of the NS3 protease linked to the 40 residues of the NS2B cofactor shows highly flexible and disordered region(s) that are responsible for its high propensity to aggregate at the concentrations necessary for NMR spectroscopy studies or for crystallization. Limited proteolysis of this active form of the protease enabled us to obtain a folded and new essential form of the NS2B-NS3 protease complex. We found that the region from residues D50 to E80 of NS2B interacts directly and strongly with the NS3 protease domain. The proteolytic activity of the noncovalently binding complex was determined by a rapid and continuous fluorescence resonance energy transfer activity assay using a depsipeptide substrate. The new protein-cofactor complex obtained, encompassing the NS2B fragment (D50-E80) and the NS3 protease, shows proteolytic activity. The (1)H-(15)N-heteronuclear single quantum coherence spectrum of the isotopically enriched protein complex shows good cross-peak dispersion; this is indicative of a stable folded state. Our results significantly complement the X-ray structure of the NS2B-NS3pro complex published recently. Moreover, these results open the way to performing direct structural and interaction studies in solution on a new active NS2B-NS3pro complex with libraries of substrates and inhibitors in order to identify new drugs that prevent viral polyprotein processing.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2003

Amino acid substitutions at position 190 of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase increase susceptibility to delavirdine and impair virus replication.

Suboptimal treatment of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection with nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) often results in the rapid selection of drug-resistant virus. Several amino acid substitutions at position 190 of reverse transcriptase (RT) have been associated with reduced susceptibility to the NNRTI, especially nevirapine (NVP) and efavirenz (EFV). In the present study, the effects of various 190 substitutions observed in viruses obtained from NNRTI-experienced patients were characterized with patient-derived HIV isolates and confirmed with a panel of isogenic viruses. Compared to wild-type HIV, which has a glycine at position 190 (G190), viruses with 190 substitutions (A, C, Q, S, V, E, or T, collectively referred to as G190X substitutions) were markedly less susceptible to NVP and EFV. In contrast, delavirdine (DLV) susceptibility of these G190X viruses increased from 3 to 300-fold (hypersusceptible) or was only slightly decreased. The replication capacity of viruses with certain 190 substitutions (C, Q, V, T, and E) was severely impaired and was correlated with reduced virion-associated RT activity and incomplete protease (PR) processing of the viral p55(gag) polyprotein. These defects were the result of inadequate p160(gagpol) incorporation into virions. Compensatory mutations within RT and PR improved replication capacity, p55(gag) processing, and RT activity, presumably through increased incorporation of p160(gagpol) into virions. We observe an inverse relationship between the degree of NVP and EFV resistance and the impairment of viral replication in viruses with substitutions at 190 in RT. These observations may have important implications for the future design and development of antiretroviral drugs that restrict the outgrowth of resistant variants with high replication capacity.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

PubMed2002

Nelfinavir-resistant, amprenavir-hypersusceptible strains of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 carrying an N88S mutation in protease have reduced infectivity, reduced replication capacity, and reduced fitness and process the Gag polyprotein precursor aberrantly.

The evolution of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) strains with reduced susceptibility to protease inhibitors (PIs) is a major cause of PI treatment failure. A subset of subjects failing a therapy regimen containing the PI nelfinavir developed mutations at position 88 in the protease region. The N88S mutation occurring in some of these subjects induces amprenavir hypersusceptibility and a reduction of fitness and replication capacity. Here we demonstrate that substitutions L63P and V77I in protease, in combination, partially compensate for the loss of fitness, loss of replication capacity, loss of specific infectivity, and aberrant Gag processing induced by the N88S mutation. In addition, these mutations partially ablate amprenavir hypersusceptibility. Addition of mutation M46L to a strain harboring mutations L63P, V77I, and N88S resulted in a reduction of fitness and infectivity without changing Gag-processing efficiency, while amprenavir hypersusceptibility was further diminished. The ratio of reverse transcriptase activity to p24 protein was reduced in this strain compared to that in the other variants, suggesting that the M46L effect on fitness occurred through a mechanism different from a Gag-processing defect. We utilized these mutant strains to undertake a systematic comparison of indirect, single, cycle-based measures of fitness with direct, replication-based fitness assays and demonstrated that both yield consistent results. However, we observed that the magnitude of the fitness loss for one of the mutants varied depending on the assay used.

Carbamates↗