Boehringer Ingelheim (canada) Ltd.

Jacques Archambault

Christiane Yoakim

Dale R Cameron

Peter White

Yong Wang

A crystallizable composition, comprising an human papillomavirus (HPV-11) E2 transactivation domain (TAD)-like polypeptide of SEQ ID NO. 2 complexed with an inhibitor L (sodium (2R,3R,4S,5R)-5-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-5'-methyl-1&#x2032;,3&#x2032;-dioxo-4-({[4-(1,2,3-thiadiazol-4-yl)phenyl]amino}carbonyl)-1&#x2032;,3&#x2032;,4,5-tetrahydro-3H-spiro[furan-2,2&#x2032;-indene]-3-carboxylate). The invention also provides a method for producing the crystallized HPV E2 TAD-inhibitor complex (HPV E2 TAD-L) comprising: a) mixing purified HPV E2 TAD, contained in a purification buffer, with solublized inhibitor L to generate a complex solution containing the HPV E2 TAD-L complex; and b) crystallizing the complex from a) in a crystallization buffer. The invention also provides a method for producing crystallized apo HPV E2 TAD, comprising: a) mixing apo HPV E2 TAD, contained in a purification buffer, with a crystallization buffer. X-ray crystal structure coordinates the HPV E2 TAD-L complex, are also provided, which define an inhibitor binding pocket. The inhibitor binding pocket is useful for screening potential small molecule inhibitors that bind to the pocket that may be inhibitors of papillomavirus infection.

Method of identifying potential inhibitors of human papillomavirus protein E2 using x-ray atomic coordinates

There is provided an amino acid sequence comprised within the PV E1 protein region A delineated by amino acids 352 and 439, and any derivative variant or fragment thereof, necessary for the oligomerization of the E1 protein. This amino acid sequence is capable of self-association and of associating with the full length E1 protein and any derivative, variant or fragment thereof comprising the sequence of this invention. A specific aspect of this first embodiment, the amino acid domain of this invention delimited by amino acids 353 to 438 of the PV E1 protein. More particularly, the amino acid domain of this invention is as defined by SEQ ID NO. 2. There is also provided a cross-linking assay to directly measure the level of oligomerization (or inhibition thereof) of the E1 protein. In accordance with a fourth embodiment of this invention, there is provided a N-terminally truncated E1 protein. More particularly, one aspect of this fourth embodiment encompasses the E1 protein delimited by amino acid 72 to 649 (SEQ ID NO. 78).

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Rosemere, Canada

Jacques Archambault