Insights from investigating the interactions of adamantane-based drugs with the M2 proton channel from the H1N1 swine virus.
The M2 proton channel is one of indispensable components for the influenza A virus that plays a vital role in its life cycle and hence is an important target for drug design against the virus. In view of this, the three-dimensional structure of the H1N1-M2 channel was developed based on the primary sequence taken from a patient recently infected by the H1N1 (swine flu) virus. With an explicit water-membrane environment, molecular docking studies were performed for amantadine and rimantadine, the two commercial drugs generally used to treat influenza A infection. It was found that their binding affinity to the H1N1-M2 channel is significantly lower than that to the H5N1-M2 channel, fully consistent with the recent report that the H1N1 swine virus was resistant to the two drugs. The findings and the relevant analysis reported here might provide useful structural insights for developing effective drugs against the new swine flu virus.
Wang
Jing-Fang
JF
College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
Wei
Dong-Qing
DQ
Chou
Kuo-Chen
KC
D000218:Adamantane / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011485:Protein Binding; D011487:Protein Conformation; D012299:Rimantadine / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000187:drug effects; D000086082:Viroporin Proteins
D000218:Adamantane; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D012299:Rimantadine; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins; C488937:M2 protein, Influenza A virus; D000086082:Viroporin Proteins