Additional level of information about complex interaction between non-nucleoside inhibitor and HIV-1 reverse transcriptase using biosensor-based thermodynamic analysis

The thermodynamics of the interaction between mutant HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (K103N and Y181C) and a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), the phenylethylthiazolylurea compound MIV-150, was obtained by determining the temperature dependence of the kinetic rate constants. Large entropic changes in the forward and backward steps of the isomerization between a non-binding competent and a binding competent conformation of the enzyme, as well as in the binding steps, implied the involvement of major structural rearrangements upon interaction with the inhibitor. Despite of the entropic character of the overall interaction, the equilibrium for the binding of inhibitor was found to be predominantly enthalpy-driven. The high affinity and the low affinity interactions of the heterogeneously interacting inhibitor showed different energetics in the analysis, revealing an expectedly higher enthalpic component for the high-affinity interaction. The thermodynamic profiles of the two enzyme variants displayed significant differences, which could not be derived from their kinetics at a single temperature.