Question

biochem question..hiv protease

Answer 1

why do hiv protease inhibitors have a phenyl and hydroxyl group ? what is their purspose ?

Answer 2

@shrutipande9 Why don't you answer? :D you know the answer! perhaps not that detailed, but I bet you know the answer!

Answer 3

i know d answer???:P lol....wait i need to just read about this stuff...

Answer 4

You don't need to read just guess ;D

Answer 5

hydroxyl group because its a protein??:/

Answer 6

are u writing an essay frost? or am i super wrong?

Answer 7

Okay. Until I can convince my self about my chemistry is correct i just give a general reason and do some thinking:
HIV proteases act a lot like aspartate proteases and we could therefor understand it like this:
The inhibitors form a non-covalent complex with the enzyme, but the binding should be about so strong that the inhibiters can be considered irreversible inhibitors. So what I think happens is that a the benzyl group place it inside the enzyme to create a hydrophobic binding pocket, the adjacent hydroxyl group will then mimic a negatively charged oxygen in the tetrahedral intermediate that is being formed in a regular aspartate protease, thereby creating a transition-state analog.

Answer 8

ohhhhhh..:O
i m sure i dint know all of this...just knew about the aspartate part...;/

Answer 9

@shrutipande9 but I had good suspension about, the drug forming a complex with the active site that should be irreversible or at least close to, which is kinda reasonable don't you think?

Answer 10

ya...dats d most reasonable answer...blocking the active site...

Answer 11

@Frostbite but still we havent answered her ques:P
y hydroxyl and phenyl?

Answer 12

As I said, the hydroxyl group will mimic the oxygen in the tetrahedral complex and the benzyl group for for hydrophobic interactions,

Answer 13

aahhh...yes:D

Answer 14

@jesssica Excellent question if I gotta say so my self!