Targeting Zinc Finger Protein May Lead to Advancement of HIV and Cancer Drug Design

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center have created a process using platinum-containing small molecules in order to inhibit a class of proteins important in HIV and cancer. These proteins known as zinc fingers, when selectively targeted may help researchers develop new drugs to fight HIV or cancer.

In the May 30 issue of the journal Chemistry & Biology, researchers reported that a zinc finger protein, known as HIV NCp7, can be inhibited when it is exposed to a platinum complex. They observed that when the HIV NCp7 protein interacts with platinum, the zinc portion of the molecule is ejected from the protein chain. This causes the protein to lose its tertiary structure or overall shape. For these molecules, shape is an important property that enables the protein to carry out certain biological functions.

This process is called active site displacement which involves the design of a platinum drug with higher affinity for the protein peptide backbone, therefore eliminating the zinc from its active site.

Specifically in this study, the HIV NCp7 protein is responsible for the proliferation of the HIV virus, so that when this zinc finger protein is inhibited, the virus can be stopped from spreading. Such findings can also be applied one day to the selective targeting of zinc fingers involved in the biological processes responsible for the spread of cancer by applying this concept to the development of anti-cancer drugs.

Source: VCU News