Lens epithelium-derived growth factor (LEDGF/p75) is a cellular cofactor of HIV-1 integrase that promotes viral integration by tethering the preintegration complex to the chromatin. By virtue of its crucial role in the early steps of HIV replication, the interaction between LEDGF/p75 and integrase represents an attractive target for antiviral therapy. We have rationally designed a series of 2-(quinolin-3-yl)acetic acid derivatives (LEDGINs) that act as potent inhibitors of the LEDGF/p75-integrase interaction and HIV-1 replication at submicromolar concentration by blocking the integration step. A 1.84-A resolution crystal structure corroborates the binding of the inhibitor in the LEDGF/p75-binding pocket of integrase. Together with the lack of cross-resistance with two clinical integrase inhibitors, these findings define the 2-(quinolin-3-yl)acetic acid derivatives as the first genuine allosteric HIV-1 integrase inhibitors. Our work demonstrates the feasibility of rational design of small molecules inhibiting the protein-protein interaction between a viral protein and a cellular host factor.

Cholesterol modified mono-, di-, and tetrameric oligonucleotides were synthesized and hybridized with antisense oligonucleotides to study their incorporation in cationic liposomes together with the influence of this dendrimeric delivery system on biological activity. Electrostatic interactions seem to play the most important role during complexation with cationic lipids. This oligonucleotide formulation gives a small but significant increase in the inhibition of P-glycoprotein expression in a cellular system.

A method using hydrosilylation of unsaturated amino acids was developed and optimised to obtain silylated amino acids. The platinum (Bu4N)2PtCl6 complex was identified as the best catalyst, and the procedure tolerated different unsaturated substrates, silane reagents and protecting groups. Seven silicon‐containing α‐amino acids were prepared in an enantiomerically pure form under mild conditions in good yields with orthogonal protections for versatile use in peptide synthesis.(© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008)

Human ACE is a central component of the renin-angiotensin system and a major therapeutic target for cardiovascular diseases. The somatic form of the enzyme (sACE) comprises two homologous metallopeptidase domains (N and C), each bearing a zinc active site with similar but distinct substrate and inhibitor specificities. In this study, we present the biological activity of silacaptopril, a silylated analogue of captopril, and its binding affinity towards ACE. Based on the recently determined crystal structures of both the ACE domains, a series of docking calculations were carried out in order to study the structural characteristics and the binding properties of silacaptopril and its analogues with ACE.