title: Novel yeast cell-based assay to screen for inhibitors of human cytomegalovirus protease in a high-throughput format.
abstract: The protease encoded by the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is an attractive target for antiviral drug development because of its essential function in viral replication. We describe here a cellular assay in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the identification of small molecule inhibitors of HCMV protease by conditional growth in selective medium. In this system, the protease cleavage sequence is inserted into the N-(5'-phosphoribosyl)anthranilate isomerase (Trp1p), a yeast protein essential for cell proliferation in the absence of tryptophan. Coexpression of HCMV protease with the engineered Trp1p substrate in yeast cells results in site-specific cleavage and functional inactivation of the Trp1p enzyme, thereby leading to an arrest of cell proliferation. This growth arrest can be suppressed by the addition of validated HCMV protease inhibitors. The growth selection system presented here provides the basis for a high-throughput screen to identify HCMV protease inhibitors that are active in eukaryotic cells.
authors.affiliation: ESBATech AG, Wagistr. 21, CH-8952 Zurich-Schlieren, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cottier
authors.forename: Alcide
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barberis
authors.forename: Urs
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Lüthi
mesh_terms: D019747:Aldose-Ketose Isomerases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology*; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D019747:Aldose-Ketose Isomerases; C490353:TRP1 protein, S cerevisiae