Characterization of the binding site for nevirapine (BI-RG-587), a nonnucleoside inhibitor of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 reverse transcriptase.

Nevirapine (BI-RG-587) is a potent and specific non-nucleoside inhibitor of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 reverse transcriptase. The compound is non-competitive with respect to template, primer, and nucleoside triphosphates indicating that BI-RG-587 does not act directly at the catalytic site. The binding site for this inhibitor was investigated by employing an azido photoaffinity analogue, BI-RJ-70, to covalently label the enzyme. The resulting photoadduct was subjected to enzymatic digestion by trypsin and endoproteinase lys-C and a single, highly labeled peptide was identified as residues 174-199. Sequencing of this peptide identified Tyr-181 and Tyr-188 as labeled residues.