Stabilization of envelope glycoprotein trimers by disulfide bonds introduced into a gp 41 glycoprotein ectodomain
US6716429B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 1, 1998 |
| Grant date | Apr 6, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 1, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC12N2740/16122
- WIPO fieldPharmaceuticals
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
Biochemical and structural studies of fragments of the ectodomain of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) gp41 transmembrane envelope glycoprotein have demonstrated that the molecular contacts between alpha helices allow the formation of a trimeric coiled coil. By introducing cysteine residues into specific locations along these alpha helices, the normally labile HIV-1 gp160 envelope glycoprotein was converted into a stable disulfide-linked oligomer. Although proteolytic cleavage into gp120 and gp41 glycoproteins was largely blocked, the disulfide-linked oligomer was efficiently transported to the cell surface and was recognized by a series of conformationally dependent antibodies. The pattern of hetero-oligomer formation between this construct and an analogous construct lacking portions of the gp120 variable loops and of the gp41 cytoplasmic tail demonstrates that these oligomers are trimers. These results support the relevance of the proposed gp41 structure and intersubunit contacts to the native, complete HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein. Disulfide-mediated stabilization of the labile HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein oligomer, which possesses advantages as an immunogen, will fa…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.