Structural analysis of the envelope gp120 V3 loop for some HIV-1 variants circulating in the countries of Eastern Europe.
The V3 loop on gp120 from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is a focus of many research groups involved in anti-AIDS drug development because this region of the protein is a principal target for neutralizing antibodies and a major determinant for cell tropism and syncytium formation. In this study, the nucleotide sequences of the env gene region coding the V3 loop were determined by DNA sequencing methods for four novel HIV-1 strains that circulate in the countries of Eastern Europe, such as Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, etc. Based on the empirical data obtained, the 3D structures of the V3 loops associated with these viral modifications were generated by computer modeling and then compared to discover similarities in the spatial arrangement of this functionally important site of gp120. Despite the HIV-1 genetic variety, several regions of the V3 loop that contain residues critical for cell tropism were shown to be structurally invariant, which may explain its exceptional role in a co-receptor usage. These data together with those on the biological activity of the V3 individual residues clearly show that these conserved structural motifs of gp120 represent potential HIV-1 weak points most suitable for therapeutic intervention.
Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Kuprevich Street 5/2, 220141, Minsk, Republic of Belarus. andrianov@iboch.bas-net.by
Alexander M
AM
Andrianov
Yuri V
YV
Kornoushenko
Ivan V
IV
Anishchenko
Vladimir F
VF
Eremin
Alexander V
AV
Tuzikov
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D005061:Europe, Eastern; D014644:Genetic Variation; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D056004:Molecular Dynamics Simulation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011487:Protein Conformation; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000235:genetics
D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120