title: Development of synthetic peptide substrates for the poliovirus 3C proteinase.
abstract: Picornaviruses, such as polio, translate their entire genome as a single polyprotein which must be proteolytically processed to produce the mature viral proteins. A majority of these cleavages are catalyzed by the virus-encoded cysteine proteinase, 3C. We report here the design and synthesis of a series of oligopeptide substrates, based upon native 3C cleavage sites, for an HPLC assay of poliovirus 3C proteinase activity. A similar series of peptides based upon human rhinovirus 3C cleavage sites was also examined. The enzyme shows a marked preference for those peptides with a proline in the P'2 position. A quenched fluorescent substrate suitable for continuous assay of 3C proteinase activity was also synthesized. Both the HPLC assay and the fluorescence assay were used to evaluate a number of potential 3C proteinase inhibitors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, J. Hillis Miller Health Center, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Weidner
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Dunn
mesh_terms: D000086042:3C Viral Proteases; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D017955:Poliovirus / Q000201:enzymology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D014764:Viral Proteins
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D000086042:3C Viral Proteases