• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제26권2호
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• pp.285-291
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• 2005

The nonstructural protein 5B (NS5B) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), which is the essential catalytic enzyme for the viral replication and is an appealing target for the development of new therapeutic agents against HCV infection. A small amount of serum from a single patient with hepatitis C was used to get the genome of a Korean HCV isolate. Sequence analysis of NS5B 1701 nucleotides showed the genotype of a Korean isolate to be subtype 1b. The soluble recombinant HCV NS5B polymerase lacking the C-terminal 24 amino acids was expressed and purified to homogeneity. With the highly purified NS5B protein, we established in vitro systems for RdRp activity to identify potential polymerase inhibitors. The rhodanine family compounds were found to be potent and specific inhibitors of NS5B from high throughput screening (HTS) assay utilizing the scintillation proximity assay (SPA) system. The binding mode of an inhibitor was analyzed by measuring various kinetic parameters. Lineweaver-Burk plots of the inhibitor suggested it binds not to the active site of NS5B polymerase, but to an allosteric site of the enzyme. The activity of NS5B in in vitro polymerase reactions with homopolymeric RNA requires interaction with multiple substrates that include a template/primer and ribonucleotide triphosphate. Steady-state kinetic parameter, such as Km, was determined for the ribonucleotide triphosphate. One of compounds found interacts directly with the viral polymerase and inhibits RNA synthesis in a manner noncompetitively with respect to UTP. Furthermore, we also investigated the ability of the compound to inhibit NS5B-directed viral RNA replication using the Huh7 cell-based HCV replicon system. The investigation is potentially very useful for the utility of such compounds as anti-hepatitic agents.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.330-336
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• 2006

Since its identification in 1989, hepatitis C virus has been the subject of extensive research. The biology of the virus and the development of antiviral drugs are closely related. The RNA polymerase activity of nonstructural protein 5B was first demonstrated in 1996. NS5B is believed to localize to the perinuclear region, forming a replicase complex with other viral proteins. It has a typical polymerase structure with thumb, palm, and finger domains encircling the active site. A de novo replication initiation mechanism has been suggested. To date, many small molecule inhibitors are known including nucleoside analogues, non-nucleoside analogues, and pyrophosphate mimics. NS5B interacts with other viral proteins such as core, NS3, 4A, 4B, and 5A. The helicase activity of NS3 seems necessary for RNA strand unwinding during replication, with other nonstructural proteins performing modulatory roles. Cellular proteins interacting with NS5B include VAMP-associated proteins, heIF4AII, hPLIC1, nucleolin, PRK2, ${\alpha}$-actinin, and p68 helicase. The interactions of NS5B with these proteins might play roles in cellular trafficking, signal transduction, and RNA polymerization, as well as the regulation of replication/translation processes.

• BMB Reports
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• 제33권1호
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• pp.59-62
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• 2000

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) nonstructural 5B (NS5B) protein is an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). To determine whether it can contribute to viral replication by interaction with cellular proteins, the yeast two-hybrid screening system was employed to screen a human liver cDNA library. Using the HCV NS5B as a bait, we have isolated positive clones encoding a cellular protein. The NS5B interacting protein, 5BIP, is a novel cellular protein of 170 amino acids. Interaction of the HCV NS5B protein with 5BIP was confirmed by a protein-protein blotting assay. Recently, we have demonstrated that NS5B possesses an RdRp activity and thus it is possible that 5BIP, in association with NS5B, plays a role in HCV replication.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제16권10호
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• pp.1634-1639
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• 2006

Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-encoded nonstructural protein 5B (NS5B) possesses RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity, which is considered essential for viral proliferation. Thus, HCV NS5B is a good therapeutic target protein for the development of anti-HCV agents. In this study, we isolated two different kinds of nuclease-resistant RNA aptamers with 2'-fluoro pyrimidines against the HCV NS5B from a combinatorial RNA library with 40 nucleotide random sequences, using SELEX technology. The isolated RNA aptamers were observed to specifically and avidly bind the HCV NS5B with an apparent $K_d$ of 5 nM and 18 nM, respectively, in contrast with the original RNA library that hardly bound the target protein. Moreover, these aptamers could partially inhibit RNA synthesis of the HCV subgenomic replicon when transfected into Huh-7 hepatoma cell lines. These results suggest that the RNA aptamers selected in vitro could be useful not only as therapeutic agents of HCV infection but also as a powerful tool for the study of the HCV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase mechanism.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제24권12호
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• pp.1744-1754
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• 2014

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA genome is replicated by an RNA replicase complex (RC) consisting of cellular proteins and viral nonstructural (NS) proteins, including NS5B, an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and key enzyme for viral RNA genome replication. The HCV RC is known to be associated with an intracellular membrane structure, but the cellular components of the RC and their roles in the formation of the HCV RC have not been well characterized. In this study, we took a proteomic approach to identify stomatin, a member of the integral proteins of lipid rafts, as a cellular protein interacting with HCV NS5B. Co-immunoprecipitation and co-localization studies confirmed the interaction between stomatin and NS5B. We demonstrated that the subcellular fraction containing viral NS proteins and stomatin displays RdRp activity. Membrane flotation assays with the HCV genome replication-competent subcellular fraction revealed that the HCV RdRp and stomatin are associated with the lipid raft-like domain of membranous structures. Stomatin silencing by RNA interference led to the release of NS5B from the detergent-resistant membrane, thereby inhibiting HCV replication in both HCV subgenomic replicon-harboring cells and HCV-infected cells. Our results identify stomatin as a cellular protein that plays a role in the formation of an enzymatically active HCV RC on a detergent-resistant membrane structure.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제28권11호
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• pp.1917-1918
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• 2007

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.510-512
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• 2010

A series of thiobarbituric acid derivatives were constructed and evaluated for inhibitory activity on hepatitis C virus NS5B polymerase. In biochemical assays using purified viral polymerase and RNA template, the $IC_{50}$ value was improved to 0.41 ${\mu}M$ from the original compound's 1.7 ${\mu}M$ value. In HCV sub genomic replicon assay, the $EC_{50}$ value was improved to 3.7 ${\mu}M$ from the original compound's 12.3 ${\mu}M$ value. $CC_{50}$ was higher than 77 ${\mu}M$ for all compounds tested, suggesting that they are useful candidates for anti-HCV therapy.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제36권4호
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• pp.353-359
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• 2008

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is known as the causative agent of blood transmitted hepatitis. Two viral proteins, E2 and NS5A, are known to exert interferon resistance of HCV via PKR pathway. Here, we report a third protein, the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (NS5B) of HCV, induced interferon resistance inhibiting p56 pathway. p56 was shown to interact with p48 subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 3 (eIF3). This interaction inhibited formation of ternary complex in translation initiation. Using dual reporter assay system, we observed that the translation decreased when interferon alpha was added to the culture. But, in the presence of HCV NS5B, the translation partly recovered. NS5B and p48 subunit of eIF3 were shown to interact. This interaction seems to inhibit the interaction between p48 and p56. This is the first report that a virus exerts interferon resistance via p56 pathway.

• 한국미생물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국미생물학회 2005년도 International Meeting of the Microbiological Society of Korea
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• pp.228.1-228
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• 2005

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제34권3호
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• pp.837-850
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• 2013

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), a major pathogen of cattle, is a well-characterized pestivirus which has been used as a good model virus for HCV. The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) plays a key role in the RNA replication process, thus it has been targeted for antivirus drugs. We employed two-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (2D-QSAR) and molecular field analysis (MFA) to identify the molecular substructure requirements, and the particular characteristics resulted in increased inhibitory activity for the known series of compounds to act as effective BVDV inhibitors. The 2D-QSAR study provided the rationale concept for changes in the structure to have more potent analogs focused on the class of arylazoenamines, benzimidazoles, and acridine derivatives with an optimal subset of descriptors, which have significantly contributed to overall anti-BVDV activity. MFA represented the molecular patterns responsible for the actions of antiviral compound at their receptors. We conclude that the polarity and the polarizability of a molecule play a main role in the inhibitory activity of BVDV inhibitors in the QSAR modeling.