title: Comparative properties of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) proteinases prepared by total chemical synthesis.
abstract: The aspartyl proteinase (PR) encoded by the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) was prepared by total chemical synthesis. The 116-amino-acid polypeptide chain was assembled in a stepwise fashion using a Boc chemistry solid-phase peptide synthesis approach and subsequently folded into the biologically active dimeric proteinase. The synthetic enzyme showed proteolytic activity against a variety of different peptide substrates corresponding to putative cleavage sites of the Gag and Gag-Pol polyproteins of FIV. A comparative study with the proteinase of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) showed that the FIV and HIV-1 enzymes have related but distinct substrate specificities. In particular, HIV-1 PR and FIV PR each show a strong preference for their own MA/CA substrates, despite identical amino acid residues at four of seven positions from P3-P4' of the substrate including an identical MA/CA cleavage site (between Tyr approximately Pro residues). FIV PR also showed a requirement for a longer peptide substrate than HIV-1 PR. Defining the similarities and the differences in the properties of these two retroviral enzymes will have a significant impact on structure-based drug design.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cell Biology/0110, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schnölzer
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Rackwitz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gustchina
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Laco
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wlodawer
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Elder
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Kent
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D002415:Cats; D016333:HIV Protease / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000201:enzymology*; D006801:Humans; D016089:Immunodeficiency Virus, Feline / Q000201:enzymology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases; C095555:FIV protease; D016333:HIV Protease