Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has a small genome and therefore relies heavily on the host cellular machinery to replicate. Identifying which host proteins and complexes come into physical contact with the viral proteins is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of how HIV rewires the host’s cellular machinery during the course of infection. Here we report the use of affinity tagging and purification mass spectrometry1-3 to determine systematically the physical interactions of all 18 HIV-1 proteins and polyproteins with host proteins in two different human cell lines (HEK293 and Jurkat). Using a quantitative scoring system that we call MiST, we identified with high confidence 497 HIV–human protein–protein interactions involving 435 individual human proteins, with ~40% of the interactions being identified in both cell types. We found that the host proteins hijacked by HIV, especially those found interacting in both cell types, are highly conserved across primates. We uncovered a number of host complexes targeted by viral proteins, including the finding that HIV protease cleaves eIF3d, a subunit of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3. This host protein is one of eleven identified in this analysis that act to inhibit HIV replication. This data set facilitates a more comprehensive and detailed understanding of how the host machinery is manipulated during the course of HIV infection.

Protein fate in higher eukaryotes is controlled by three complexes that share conserved architectural elements: the proteasome, COP9 signalosome, and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 (eIF3). Here we reconstitute the 13-subunit human eIF3 in Escherichia coli , revealing its structural core to be the eight subunits with conserved orthologues in the proteasome lid complex and COP9 signalosome. This structural core in eIF3 binds to the small (40S) ribosomal subunit, to translation initiation factors involved in mRNA cap-dependent initiation, and to the hepatitis C viral (HCV) internal ribosome entry site (IRES) RNA. Addition of the remaining eIF3 subunits enables reconstituted eIF3 to assemble intact initiation complexes with the HCV IRES. Negative-stain EM reconstructions of reconstituted eIF3 further reveal how the approximately 400 kDa molecular mass structural core organizes the highly flexible 800 kDa molecular mass eIF3 complex, and mediates translation initiation.

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, with no cure for advanced disease. We propose a strategy for melanoma prevention based on using analogs of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) that function as melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) agonists. Treatment of human melanocytes with alpha-MSH results in stimulation of eumelanin synthesis, reduction of apoptosis that is attributable to reduced hydrogen peroxide generation and enhanced repair of DNA photoproducts. These effects should contribute to genomic stability of human melanocytes, thus preventing their malignant transformation to melanoma. Based on these findings, we synthesized and tested the effects of 3 tetrapeptide alpha-MSH analogs, Ac-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-NH2, n-Pentadecanoyl- and 4-Phenylbutyryl-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-NH2, on cultured human melanocytes. The latter two analogs were more potent than the former, or alpha-MSH, in stimulating the activity of tyrosinase, thus melanogenesis, reducing apoptosis and release of hydrogen peroxide and enhancing repair of DNA photoproducts in melanocytes exposed to UV radiation (UVR). The above analogs are MC1R agonists, as their effects were abrogated by an analog of agouti signaling protein, the physiological MC1R antagonist, and were absent in melanocytes expressing loss-of-function MC1R. Analogs, such as 4-Phenylbutyryl-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-NH2 with prolonged and reversible effects, can potentially be developed into topical agents to prevent skin photocarcinogenesis, particularly melanoma.

The melanocortin pathway consists of endogenous agonists, antagonists, G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), and auxiliary proteins. This pathway has been identified to participate physiologically in numerous biological pathways including energy homeostasis, pigmentation, sexual function, inflammation, cardiovascular function, adrenal function, sebaceous gland lipid production, just to list a few. During this past decade, a clear link between the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) and obesity, in both mice and humans via the regulation of food intake and energy homeostasis, has made this pathway the target of many academic and industrial research endeavors in attempts to develop potent and selective MC4R small molecules as anti-obesity therapeutic agents. Herein, we attempt to summarize the known proteins that constitute the melanocortin system and discuss advances in peptide and non-peptide drug discovery.

The melanocortin system regulates many important functions in the body. There are five melanocortin G protein-coupled receptor subtypes known to date. Herein, we report a structure-activity relationship (SAR) study of a tetrapeptide lead discovered through a double substitution strategy at the melanocortin core His-Phe-Arg-Trp sequence. Several compounds were identified with micromolar agonist activity at the mouse melanocortin-1 (mMC1R) and mouse melanocortin-5 receptor (mMC5R) subtypes, weak antagonist activity at the mouse melanocortin-3 receptor (mMC3R), and potent antagonist activity at the mouse melanocortin-4 receptor (mMC4R). Two compounds (2 and 3) were nanomolar mMC4R antagonists with no mMC3R antagonist activity observed. Additionally, we identified three tetrapeptide MC3R antagonists (1, 6, and 7) that possess minimal mMC3R agonist activity only at 100 μM, not commonly observed for mMC3R/mMC4R antagonists. These novel molecular templates have the potential as molecular probes to better differentiate the roles of the centrally expressed MC3 and MC4 receptors.