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Publication Abstract from PubMed

Cyanovirin-N (CV-N) is a small, cyanobacterial lectin that neutralizes many enveloped viruses, including human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-1). This antiviral activity is attributed to two homologous carbohydrate binding sites that specifically bind high mannose glycosylation present on envelope glycoproteins such as HIV-1 gp120. We created obligate CV-N oligomers to determine whether increasing the number of binding sites has an effect on viral neutralization. A tandem repeat of two CV-N molecules (CVN(2)) increased HIV-1 neutralization activity by up to 18-fold compared to wild-type CV-N. In addition, the CVN(2) variants showed extensive cross-clade reactivity and were often more potent than broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies. The improvement in activity and broad cross-strain HIV neutralization exhibited by these molecules holds promise for the future therapeutic utility of these and other engineered CV-N variants.

Designed oligomers of cyanovirin-N show enhanced HIV neutralization.,Keeffe JR, Gnanapragasam PN, Gillespie SK, Yong J, Bjorkman PJ, Mayo SL Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Jul 28. PMID:21799112^[3]

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