Mol Pharm. 2018 Oct 30. doi: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.8b00807. [Epub ahead of print]
HBx-derived constrained peptides inhibit the secretion of hepatitis B virus antigens.
Cai X, Zheng W, Shi X, Chen L, Liu Z, Li Z.
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the primary cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer. Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) between HBV x protein (HBx) and its host targets including Bcl-2 are important for cell death and viral replication. No modulators targeting these PPIs have been reported yet. Here, we developed HBx-derived constrained peptides generated by a facile macrocyclization method by joining two methionine side chains of unprotected peptides with chemoselective alkylating linkers. The resulting constrained peptides with improved cell permeability and binding affinity were effective anti-HBV modulators by blocking secretion of viral antigens. This study clearly demonstrated HBx as a potentially important PPI target and the potential application of this efficient peptide macrocyclization strategy for targeting key PPIs.