A Potent Novel Anti-HIV Protein from the Cultured Cyanobacterium Scytonema varium

摘要

A new anti-HIV protein, scytovirin, was isolated from aqueous extracts of the cultured cyanobacterium Scytonema varium. The protein displayed potent anticytopathic activity against laboratory strains and primary isolates of HIV-1 with EC_(50) values ranging from 0.3 to 22 nM. Scytovirin binds to viral coat proteins gp120, gp160, and gp41 but not to cellular receptor CD4 or other tested proteins. This unique protein consists of a single 95-amino acid chain with significant internal sequence duplication and 10 cysteines forming five intrachain disulfide bonds.