Funding Organization(s): Department of Biotechnology (DBT)-Indian Institute of Science, Partnership program for advanced Research in Biological Science and Bioengineering
Primary Citation of Related Structures:   5YQ8, 5YS4
PubMed Abstract: 
DNA damage-inducible 1 (Ddi1) is a multidomain protein with one of the domains being retropepsin-like. HIV-1 protease inhibitors were found to reduce opportunistic infections caused by pathogens like Leishmania and Plasmodium , and some of them were shown to inhibit the growth of these parasites ...
DNA damage-inducible 1 (Ddi1) is a multidomain protein with one of the domains being retropepsin-like. HIV-1 protease inhibitors were found to reduce opportunistic infections caused by pathogens like Leishmania and Plasmodium , and some of them were shown to inhibit the growth of these parasites. In Leishmania , Ddi1 was identified as a likely target of the inhibitors. We report the crystal structure of the retropepsin-like domain of Ddi1 from Leishmania major as a dimer with clear density for the critical 'flap' region. We have characterized binding with one of the HIV-1 protease inhibitors in solution using bio-layer interferometry and by docking. Further, we have performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulation studies that show that the protein undergoes a conformational change from open to semi-open and closed forms with the closing of the flexible flap over the active site.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Molecular Biophysics Unit Indian Institute of Science Bangalore India.