关于HCV不同区段抗原的反应性研究

目的　探讨各种丙型肝炎病毒 (HCV)抗原在诊断中的作用及其与HCVRNA的关系。方法　利用HCV不同区段抗原抗 -HCV酶联免疫试验 (EIA)和逆转录聚合酶链反应法 (RT PCR) ,对不同临床型HCV患者进行检测。结果　各组患者均以抗 NS3和抗 C阳性率最高。但均有一定比例患者抗 NS4和抗 NS5阳性。与各单个片段抗 HCV阳性率相比 ,抗 HCV总抗体阳性率最高。结论　NS3和C抗原在检测抗 HCV中起很重要作用 ,但NS4和NS5抗原在抗 HCVEIA中的作用也不容忽视。联合应用不同区段HCV抗原将大大提高抗 HCVEIA试剂的灵敏度。     

Engineering, characterization and phage display of hepatitis C virus NS3 protease and NS4A cofactor peptide as a single-chain protein

The polyprotein encoded by hepatitis C virus (HCV) genomic RNA is processed into functional polypeptides by both host- and virus-encoded proteases. The HCV-encoded NS3 protease and its cofactor peptide NS4A form a non-covalent complex, which participates in processing the viral polyprotein. This proteolytic activity is believed to be essential for virus proliferation and thus the NS3 protease is a prime target for developing anti-HCV pharmacological agents. Recent X-ray crystallography structural studies have revealed the nature of this non- covalent complex between NS3 protease and the 'active' central segment of NS4A, providing the opportunity to design a single-chain polypeptide. To this end, the DNA sequence encoding for the NS4A peptide (residues 21-34) was genetically fused via a short linker, capable of making a beta-turn, to the N-terminus of the NS3 protease domain. This engineered single-chain NS3-protease (scNS3) is fully active with kinetic parameters virtually identical with those of the NS3/ NS4A non-covalent complex. Moreover, the scNS3 protease can be displayed on filamentous phage and affinity selected using an immobilized specific inhibitor. The scNS3 expressed as a soluble protein and in a phage-display format facilitates enzyme engineering for further structural studies and in vitro selection of potential drug- resistant mutants. These are important steps towards developing effective anti-protease compounds.      

Affinity selection of a camelized V(H) domain antibody inhibitor of hepatitis C virus NS3 protease

The HCV genome encodes, within the NS3 gene, a serine protease whose activity specifically cleaves the viral polyprotein precursor. Proteolytic processing of HCV polyprotein precursor by the viral NS3 proteinase is essential for virion maturation and designing specific inhibitors of this protease as possible anti-viral agents is a desirable and practical objective. With a view to studying both the function of HCV NS3 protease and to designing inhibitors of this enzyme, we directed our interest towards engineering macromolecular inhibitors of the viral protease catalytic activity. We describe here the affinity-selection and biochemical characterization of one inhibitor, cV(H)E2, a 'camelized' variable domain antibody fragment, isolated from a phage displayed synthetic repertoire, which is a potent and selective inhibitor of proteolysis by the NS3 enzyme. In addition to being useful as a biological probe to study the function of HCV protease, this inhibitor can serve as a potential pharmacophore model to design antivirals. Moreover, the results suggest a way of engineering improved human-derived small recognition units tailored for enzyme inhibition.      

NS5ATP9 Contributes to Inhibition of Cell Proliferation by Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Nonstructural Protein 5A (NS5A) via MEK/Extracellular Signal Regulated Kinase (ERK) Pathway

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) is a remarkable protein as it clearly plays multiple roles in mediating viral replication, host-cell interactions and viral pathogenesis. However, on the impact of cell growth, there have been different study results. NS5ATP9, also known as KIAA0101, p15PAF, L5, and OEACT-1, was first identified as a proliferating cell nuclear antigen-binding protein. Earlier studies have shown that NS5ATP9 might play an important role in HCV infection. The aim of this study is to investigate the function of NS5ATP9 on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines proliferation under HCV NS5A expression. The results showed that overexpression of NS5ATP9 inhibited the proliferation of Bel7402 cells, whereas knockdown of NS5ATP9 by interfering RNA promoted the growth of HepG2 cells. Under HCV NS5A expression, RNA interference (RNAi) targeting of NS5ATP9 could reverse the inhibition of HepG2 cell proliferation, suggesting that NS5ATP9 might be an anti-proliferation gene that plays an important role in the suppression of cell growth mediated by HCV NS5A via MEK/ERK signaling pathway. These findings might provide new insights into HCV NS5A and NS5ATP9.     

丙型肝炎病毒非结构区NS5基因片段的克隆和表达

从抗 HCV和HCVRNA均为阳性的病人血清中 ,采用RT PCR技术扩增得到HCVNS5基因片段。用含此基因片段的重组质粒pET 2 8a转化大肠杆菌BL2 1(DE3)后可高效表达NS5蛋白。该蛋白可用固定化金属离子螯合层析法 (IMAC)纯化。经Westernblot和ELISA检测结果表明 ,纯化的NS5蛋白可与丙型肝炎患者血清发生特异反应 ,在HCV感染的诊断中可能具有良好的应用前景。     

Quantum‐dots‐based detection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 using RNA aptamer on chip

BACKGROUND: Over 170 million people, more than 3% of the world's population, suffer from the hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and the rate of death from liver‐related mortality to HCV has increased. In respect of this, the development of assays for biological imaging should be urgently considered as an essential factor in diagnosis. RESULTS: A novel HCV‐detecting technique using a nanoparticle‐supported aptamer probe was demonstrated. With the aid of nanoparticle quantum dots (QDs) with carboxyl group as an imaging probe, and 5′‐end‐amine‐modified RNA oligonucleotide as a capturing probe, target HCV NS3 was visually detected on chip. The QDs‐based RNA aptamer for HCV NS3 showed high selectivity and specificity against other protein such as BSA. The detection limit of HCV NS3 protein was 5 ng mL^?1 level. CONCLUSION: With a novel strategy for protein–aptamer interaction, the feasibility of applying QDs‐based fluorescent detection technique to HCV viral protein assay for the development of a protein biochip was demonstrated. This scheme of QDs‐mediated imaging with a target‐oriented specific RNA aptamer for the detection of infectious HCV diseases provides an efficient strategy and a promising new platform for monitoring applications. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

生物素标记UTP及温度值对HCV细胞外聚合酶分子复制模型的影响

目的　研究建立细胞外丙型肝炎病毒聚合酶复制模型使用的生物素标记UTP浓度及温度值 ,为筛选药物创造条件。方法　使用高保真PfuDNA聚合酶进行反转录及套式PCR ,从我国HCVRNA阳性病人血清中扩增出HCVNS5bRNA聚合酶全长基因序列 ,构建原核表达载体pET 30a NS5b。在多个载体中选取pET 30a作为表达载体 ,选择诱导表达条件。利用Ni2十 金属离子螯和亲和层析将其纯化 ,对该酶蛋白的变性和复性条件进行研究。利用 96孔DNA BAND培养板 ,建立生物素标记检测HCVNS5b聚合酶活性的模型。结果　测序及读码框架分析结果表明 ,已得到相关HCVNS5bRNA聚合酶全基因序列。在最佳表达条件下 ,诱导表达的融合蛋白 (相对分子质量6 5 0 0 0 ) ,纯度大于 92 .83%HCV聚合酶活性集团完整。建立了细胞外丙型肝炎病毒聚合酶复制模型使用的最佳生物素标记UTP浓度及温度值。结论　HCV聚合酶得到高效表达和有效纯化 ,以及HCV聚合酶作用模板及温度的最佳条件分别为 0 .5mmol/L及 37℃。     

HCV聚合酶在大肠杆菌中表达产物的纯化及结构研究

目的　构建HCV聚合酶基因重组原核表达质粒 ,研究高效表达聚合酶蛋白的最适条件、表达产物的纯化方法以及最佳变性和复性条件 ,同时分析其二级结构 ,为建立细胞外HCV聚合酶复制模型及筛选药物创造条件。方法　采用高保真PfuDNA聚合酶进行反转录及套式PCR扩增 ,从我国HCVRNA阳性病人血清中扩增出HCVNS5bRNA聚合酶全长基因序列 ,构建原核表达载体。在多个载体中选取pET 30a作为表达载体 ,选择诱导表达条件。利用Ni2 + 金属离子螯和亲和层析将其纯化。同时对该酶蛋白的变性和复性条件进行研究 ,对其相关的分子生物学参数和二级结构进行分析。结果　测序及读码框架分析结果表明 ,按照上述技术路线得到了相关HCVNS5bRNA聚合酶全基因序列。在最佳表达条件下 ,诱导表达融合蛋白 (相对分子质量 6 5 0 0 0 ) ,其最高表达量为18 9% ,纯度大于 92 83% ,Westernblot法检测 ,能与HCVNS5b单抗反应 ,证明其为NS5b蛋白。对其二级结构的分析表明 ,已获得了活性基团完整的HCV聚合酶。结论　HCV聚合酶的高效表达和纯化 ,为建立细胞外HCV聚合酶复制模型及筛选药物奠定基础。     

The Casein Kinase 2‐Dependent Phosphorylation of NS5A Domain 3 from Hepatitis C Virus Followed by Time‐Resolved NMR Spectroscopy

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) chronically affects millions of individuals worldwide. The HCV nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) plays a critical role in the viral assembly pathway. Domain 3 (D3) of NS5A is an unstructured polypeptide responsible for the interaction with the core particle assembly structure. Casein kinase 2 (CK2) phosphorylates NS5A‐D3 at multiple sites that have mostly been predicted and only observed indirectly. In order to identify the CK2‐dependent phosphorylation sites, we monitored the reaction between NS5A‐D3 and CK2 in vitro by time‐resolved NMR. We unambiguously identified four serine residues as substrates of CK2. The apparent rate constant for each site was determined from the reaction curves. Ser408 was quickly phosphorylated, whereas the three other serine residues reacted more slowly. These results provide a starting point from which to elucidate the role of phosphorylation in the mechanisms of viral assembly—and in the modulation of the viral activity—at the molecular level.     

A loop-mimetic inhibitor of the HCV-NS3 protease derived from a minibody

We have been interested for some time in establishing a strategyfor deriving lead compounds from macromolecule ligands suchas minibody variants. A minibody is a minimized antibody variabledomain whose two loops are amenable to combinatorial mutagenesis.This approach can be especially useful when dealing with `difficult'targets. One such target is the NS3 protease of hepatitis Cvirus (HCV), a human pathogen that is believed to infect about100 million individuals worldwide and for which an effectivetherapy is not yet available. Based on known inhibitor specificity(residues P6-P1) of NS3 protease, we screened a number of minibodiesfrom our collection and we were able to identify a competitiveinhibitor of this enzyme. We thus validated an aspect of recognitionby HCV NS3 protease, namely that an acid anchor is necessaryfor inhibitor activity. In addition, the characterization ofthe minibody inhibitor led to the synthesis of a constrainedhexapeptide mimicking the bioactive loop of the parent macromolecule.The cyclic peptide is a lead compound prone to rapid optimizationthrough solid phase combinatorial chemistry. We therefore confirmedthat the potential of turning a protein ligand into a low molecularweight active compound for lead discovery is achievable andcan complement more traditional drug discovery approaches.     

Peptidomimetic therapeutic agents targeting the protease enzyme of the human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus

During the past two decades, great strides have been made in the design of peptidomimetic drugs for the treatment of viral infections, despite the stigma of poor drug-like properties, low oral absorption, and high clearance associated with such compounds. This Account summarizes the progress made toward overcoming such liabilities and highlights the drug discovery efforts that have focused specifically on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitors. The arsenal against the incurable disease AIDS, which is caused by HIV infection, includes peptidomimetic compounds that target the virally encoded aspartic protease enzyme. This enzyme is essential to the production of mature HIV particles and plays a key role in maintaining infectivity. However, because of the rapid genomic evolution of viruses, an inevitable consequence in the treatment of all viral infections is the emergence of resistance to the drugs. Therefore, the incomplete suppression of HIV in treatment-experienced AIDS patients will continue to drive the search for more effective therapeutic agents that exhibit efficacy against the mutants raised by the earlier generation of protease inhibitors. Currently, a number of substrate-based peptidomimetic agents that target the virally encoded HCV NS3/4A protease are in clinical development. Mechanistically, these inhibitors can be generally divided into activated carbonyls that are transition-state mimics or compounds that tap into the feedback mode of enzyme-product inhibition. In the HCV field, there is justified optimism that a number of these compounds will soon reach commercialization as therapeutic agents for the treatment of HCV infections. Structural research has guided the successful design of both HIV and HCV protease inhibitors. X-ray crystallography, NMR, and computational studies have provided valuable insight in to the free-state preorganization of peptidomimetic ligands and their enzyme-bound conformation. Researchers have designed a variety of novel bioisosteric replacements of amino acids and short peptides that contain all of the required pharmacophore moieties and play a key role in inducing conformational changes to the overall molecule. The knowledge gained from these studies will undoubtedly guide the future design of therapeutic agents and further contribute to the success of this field.     

Proton-Detected Solid-State NMR of the Cell-Free Synthesized α-Helical Transmembrane Protein NS4B from Hepatitis C Virus

Proton-detected 100 kHz magic-angle-spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR is an emerging analysis method for proteins with only hundreds of microgram quantities, and thus allows structural investigation of eukaryotic membrane proteins. This is the case for the cell-free synthesized hepatitis C virus (HCV) nonstructural membrane protein 4B (NS4B). We demonstrate NS4B sample optimization using fast reconstitution schemes that enable lipid-environment screening directly by NMR. 2D spectra and relaxation properties guide the choice of the best sample preparation to record 2D ¹H-detected ¹H,¹⁵N and 3D ¹H,¹³C,¹⁵N correlation experiments with linewidths and sensitivity suitable to initiate sequential assignments. Amino-acid-selectively labeled NS4B can be readily obtained using cell-free synthesis, opening the door to combinatorial labeling approaches which should enable structural studies.     

HCV 2a J6JFH细胞感染模型的建立及初步应用

目的建立能够自主复制的丙型肝炎病毒(HCV)体外细胞感染模型。方法制备HCV2a FL-J6JFH和阴性对照FL-J6JFH(GND)RNA转录体,分别转染Huh-7.5细胞,荧光定量PCR(FQ-PCR)检测细胞内HCV RNA水平,免疫荧光法(IFA)检测细胞内HCV蛋白的表达。以转染细胞上清液感染Na觙ve Huh-7.5细胞,检测HCV感染性病毒颗粒(HCVcc)的产生。将细胞用不同浓度的IFNα处理,观察所建立的细胞感染模型对IFNα的敏感性。结果转染后第5天,FL-J6JFH转染细胞内HCV RNA为1.2×106GE/μg RNA,第9天下降至最低水平,随后上升,于第13天达到最高值6.5×106GE/μg RNA,此后直至第59天,均保持在106GE/μg RNA左右,而FL-J6JFH(GND)转染细胞内HCV RNA则很快消失。FL-J6JFH转染的细胞内始终可以检测到HCV蛋白表达,而对照细胞内均未检测到。从第5天起,各时间点的FL-J6JFH转染细胞均能产生HCVcc。IFNα能够有效抑制HCVcc感染Huh-7.5细胞,并呈剂量依赖性。结论已成功建立了能持续产生HCVcc的HCV2a型体外细胞感染模型,IFNα能抑制FL-J6JFH HCVcc感染细胞中HCV RNA的复制,为研究HCV的结构与功能提供了实验平台。     

丙型肝炎病毒NS5B全长基因及截短形式基因的克隆、表达及鉴定

目的构建丙型肝炎病毒(HCV)NS5B-FL、NS5B-C21和NS5B-C51重组原核表达载体,并进行目的蛋白的表达及鉴定。方法利用PCR技术扩增3种长度的NS5B基因,经BamHI和XhoI双酶切后连接到经同样酶切的原核表达载体pET-28a(+)上,转化大肠杆菌BL21(DE3),IPTG诱导表达重组蛋白,并进行纯化及鉴定。结果所构建的3种重组质粒pET-28a(+)-NS5B-FL、pET-28a(+)-NS5B-C21和pET-28a(+)-NS5B-C51,转化大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)后,经PCR及酶切鉴定,均能扩增或酶切出相应大小的目的基因片段,表达的6His-NS5B-FL融合蛋白主要以包涵体形式存在,而表达的6His-NS5B-C21和6His-NS5B-C51融合蛋白的可溶性明显增加。纯化的6His-NS5B-C21蛋白未发生降解,6His-NS5B-FL和6His-NS5B-C51蛋白发生了部分降解。纯化后的3种蛋白均能与丙肝患者血清发生反应。结论已成功构建了3种NS5B基因的重组表达载体,并获得了目的蛋白表达,为进一步抗HCV药物的筛选奠定基础。     

丙型肝炎病毒JFH1 NS5A基因对HC-J4病毒复制和感染性的影响

目的探讨丙型肝炎病毒(Hepatitis C virus,HCV)2a FL-J6JFH NS5A基因置换对1b型HC-J4复制和感染性的影响,为建立HCV 1b细胞模型奠定基础。方法将JFH1 NS5A置换至HC-J4基因组内,构建嵌合全长基因组HC-J4/JFHNS-5A。体外制备野生型HC-J4、嵌合体及FL-J6JFH的RNA转录体,脂质体介导转染Huh-7.5细胞,采用间接免疫荧光法(IFA)检测转染细胞内的蛋白表达,HCV负链RNA特异性RT-PCR法和荧光定量PCR方法(FQ-PCR)检测基因复制情况。转染后不同时间收集转染细胞上清,感染naive Huh-7.5细胞,观察其感染性。结果 IFA未观察到野生型HC-J4和嵌合体转染细胞内HCV蛋白的表达,但在转染后18 d内的各个时间点,均检测到HCV负链RNA,表明嵌合体和野生型HC-J4在转染细胞内呈低水平复制。转染后第9天和12天,FQ-PCR检测表明,嵌合体转染细胞内HCV RNA水平明显高于野生型转染的细胞(P<0.05)。不同时间点转染细胞上清感染naive Huh-7.5细胞后,IFA均未观察到表达HCV蛋白的阳性细胞。结论 JFH1 NS5A蛋白虽然在一定程度上可提高1b型HC-J4株在体外培养细胞中的复制能力,但还不足以产生能够检测到的感染性病毒颗粒。HCV 1b细胞模型的建立尚受其他因素的影响。     

NS3 Protease from Hepatitis C Virus: Biophysical Studies on an Intrinsically Disordered Protein Domain

The nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) from the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is responsible for processing the non-structural region of the viral precursor polyprotein in infected hepatic cells. NS3 protease activity, located at the N-terminal domain, is a zinc-dependent serine protease. A zinc ion, required for the hydrolytic activity, has been considered as a structural metal ion essential for the structural integrity of the protein. In addition, NS3 interacts with another cofactor, NS4A, an accessory viral protein that induces a conformational change enhancing the hydrolytic activity. Biophysical studies on the isolated protease domain, whose behavior is similar to that of the full-length protein (e.g., catalytic activity, allosteric mechanism and susceptibility to inhibitors), suggest that a considerable global conformational change in the protein is coupled to zinc binding. Zinc binding to NS3 protease can be considered as a folding event, an extreme case of induced-fit binding. Therefore, NS3 protease is an intrinsically (partially) disordered protein with a complex conformational landscape due to its inherent plasticity and to the interaction with its different effectors. Here we summarize the results from a detailed biophysical characterization of this enzyme and present new experimental data.     

High-throughput construction method for expression vector of peptides for NMR study suited for isotopic labeling

Fusion protein constructs for labeled peptides were generated with the 114 amino acid thioredoxin (TRX), coupled with the incorporation of a histidine tag for affinity purification. Two tandem AhdI sites were designed in the multiple cloning site of the fusion vector according to our novel unidirectional TA cloning methodology named PRESAT-vector, allowing one-step background-free cloning of DNA fragments. Constructs were designed to incorporate the four residue sequence Ile-Asp-Gly-Arg to generate pure peptides following Factor Xa cleavage of the fusion protein. The system is efficient and cost-effective for isotopic labeling of peptides for heteronuclear NMR studies. Seven peptides of varying length, including pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and ubiquitin interacting motif (UIM), were expressed using this TRX fusion system to give soluble fusion protein constructs in all cases. Three alternative methods for the preparation of DNA fragments were applied depending on the length of the peptides, such as polymerase chain reaction, chemical synthesis or a 'semi-synthetic method', which is a combination of chemical synthesis and enzymatic extension. The ability easily to construct, express and purify recombinant peptides in a high-throughput manner will be of enormous benefit in areas of biomedical research and drug discovery.     

Discovery of N-arylalkyl-3-hydroxy-4-oxo-3,4-dihydroquinazolin-2-carboxamide derivatives as HCV NS5B polymerase inhibitors

The metal ion chelating β-N-hydroxy-γ-ketocarboxamide pharmacophore was integrated into a quinazolinone scaffold, leading to N-arylalkyl-3-hydroxy-4-oxo-3,4-dihydroquinazolin-2-carboxamide derivatives as hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B polymerase inhibitors. Lead optimization led to the identification of N-phenylpropyl carboxamide 9 k (IC(50) =8.8 μM). Compound 9 k possesses selectivity toward HCV1b replicon Ava.5 cells (EC(50) =17.5 μM) over parent Huh-7 cells (CC(50) =187.5 μM). Compound 9 k effects a mixed mode of NS5B inhibition, with NTP-competitive displacement properties. The interaction between 9 k and NS5B is stabilized by the presence of magnesium ions. Docking studies showed that the binding orientation of 9 k occupies the central portions of both magnesium-mediated and NTP-ribose-response binding sites within the active site region of NS5B. As a result, 3-hydroxy-4-oxo-3,4-dihydroquinazolin-2-carboxamide derivatives are disclosed herein as novel, mainly active site inhibitors of HCV NS5B polymerase.     

输血后丙型肝炎病毒NS4区抗体的动态变化及其诊断意义

利用重组NS4抗原及合成肽5－11抗原分别检测5例输血后丙型肝炎患者的系列血清136份，并与HCV总抗体及HCVRNA检测结果比较，发现抗NS4抗体的动态变化虽然有两种模式，但在多数情况下为一种模式，即抗体阳转后很少转阴，并且其动态变化基本与总抗体相似。同时发现2例病人抗NS4抗体阳转时间早于总抗体，因此，推测HCV检测试剂中增加NS4抗原可能对提高HCV诊断试剂的灵敏度有一定意义。     

Imidazolidinones and Imidazolidine-2,4-diones as Antiviral Agents

Imidazolidinones and imidazolidine-2,4-diones are important classes of heterocyclic compounds that possess potent activities against several viruses such as dengue virus, enterovirus, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The first imidazolidinone derivative as an anti-HIV agent was reported in 1996. Imidazolidinones inhibit HIV aspartic protease activity, and also act as CCR5 co-receptor antagonists. Significant effort has been devoted to the design of various imidazolidinone analogues that are active against drug-resistant HIV strains, with fewer side effects. Different scaffolds have been designed through both rational drug design strategies and computer-aided drug design. Imidazolidinones have been found to be potent against HIV, and preclinical studies are currently in progress. There are some reports of imidazolidinones as having both anti-HCV and anti-dengue virus activity, and more research has yet to be done along these lines. These compounds inhibit NS3 serine protease of HCV, and NS2B-NS3 protease of dengue virus. Pyridyl-imidazolidinones possess very specific and potent activity against human enterovirus 71 (EV71) by targeting the EV71 capsid protein VP1, and inhibiting viral adsorption and/or viral RNA uncoating.