Development of an in vitro assay system for screening of gp41 inhibitory compounds

The transmembrane protein of HIV-1, gp41, mediates fusion between membranes of the virus and target cell. Strong interaction between the helical regions in the ectodomain of gp41 has been exploited to develop a method that can detect a potential inhibitor against gp41. The N-terminus coiled-coil or the C-terminus helical sequences within the ectodomain of gp41 were inserted into the C-terminus of thioredoxin (Trx) or glutathione S-transferase (GST) to generate the fusion proteins, Trx-N and GST-C, respectively. The inserted sequences of GST-C and Trx-N cause the two proteins to interact with each other and to form a complex. Furthermore, GST-C binds specifically to the surface-coated Trx-N, and the amount of attached GST-C is detected by an ELISA assay using anti-GST antibodies. Peptides derived from the helical regions of gp41 compete with GST-C for binding to Trx-N as well as prevent the gp41-mediated cell fusion. This in vitro assay system can be applied to screening compounds that have an inhibitory activity against gp41.