3aw1

Publication Abstract from PubMed

The design and evaluation of low molecular weight peptide-based severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) chymotrypsin-like protease (3CL) protease inhibitors are described. A substrate-based peptide aldehyde was selected as a starting compound, and optimum side-chain structures were determined, based on a comparison of inhibitory activities with Michael type inhibitors. For the efficient screening of peptide aldehydes containing a specific C-terminal residue, a new approach employing thioacetal to aldehyde conversion mediated by N-bromosuccinimide was devised. Structural optimization was carried out based on X-ray crystallographic analyses of the R188I SARS 3CL protease in a complex with each inhibitor to provide a tetrapeptide aldehyde with an IC(50) value of 98 nM. The resulting compound carried no substrate sequence, except for a P(3) site directed toward the outside of the protease. X-ray crystallography provided insights into the protein-ligand interactions.

Structure-Based Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Peptide-Mimetic SARS 3CL Protease Inhibitors.,Akaji K, Konno H, Mitsui H, Teruya K, Shimamoto Y, Hattori Y, Ozaki T, Kusunoki M, Sanjoh A J Med Chem. 2011 Dec 8;54(23):7962-73. Epub 2011 Nov 9. PMID:22014094^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.