SOLID-STATE AND SOLUTION CONFORMATION OF 3'-AMINO-3'-DEOXYTHYMIDINE, PRECURSOR TO A NONCOMPETITIVE INHIBITOR OF HIV-1 REVERSE-TRANSCRIPTASE

The recent finding that 3'-amino-3'-deoxythymidine 5'-triphosphate is a noncompetitive inhibitor of the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (Kedar, P.S.; et al. Biochemistry 1990, 29, 3603-3611), prompted an investigation of the conformation of 3'-amino-3'-deoxythymidine. An X-ray diffraction study has revealed that the glycosidic torsion angle of the nucleoside is in the less common syn region and this solid-state geometry is stabilized by a three-dimensional network of self-associated hydrogen-bonded molecules. On the other hand, the aqueous solution conformation, as determined by H-1 NMR, places the glycosidic torsion angle in the more usual anti region with the sugar in an equilibrium between C3'-endo and C2'-endo puckering. The energy barrier between the solid-state and solution conformation is relatively low as was demonstrated by the MM2 calculations.