In Vitro Evaluation of Bis-3-Chloropiperidines as RNA Modulators Targeting TAR and TAR-Protein Interaction

After a long limbo, RNA has gained its credibility as a druggable target, fully earning its deserved role in the next generation of pharmaceutical R&D. We have recently probed the trans-activation response (TAR) element, an RNA stem–bulge–loop domain of the HIV-1 genome with bis-3-chloropiperidines (B-CePs), and revealed the compounds unique behavior in stabilizing TAR structure, thus impairing in vitro the chaperone activity of the HIV-1 nucleocapsid (NC) protein. Seeking to elucidate the determinants of B-CePs inhibition, we have further characterized here their effects on the target TAR and its NC recognition, while developing quantitative analytical approaches for the study of multicomponent RNA-based interactions.