This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. An essential step in the life cycle of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is integration of the double-stranded retroviral DNA into the genome of the host cell. HIV-1 integrase, the enzyme that insertors, ts the vital DNA into the host chromosome, is an attractive and rational target for anti-AIDS drug design because it is essential for HIV replication and there are no known counterparts in the host cell. Inhibitors of this enzyme have the great potential to complement the therapeutic use of HIV protease and reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Natural products have provided a source of new drug candidates for anti-AIDS therapy. The number of compounds exhibiting anti-HIV activity and isolated from natural sources has increase steadily. Baicalein and baicalin, identified components of a Chinese herbal medicine Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, have been shown to inhibit infectivity and replication of HIV. They are therefore promising lead compounds for developing new anti-AIDS drugs. To understand how the inhibitors work and therefore design more potent and specific inhibitors, we have used molecular modeling techniques to investigate the binding modes of these inhibitors. Computational binding studies of these inhibitors, based on the crystal structure of the HIV-1 integrase catalytic domain, will be performed to study the complex structure using QM/MM methodology.
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