Investigation of the mode of binding of a novel series of N-benzyl-4-heteroaryl-1-(phenylsulfonyl)piperazine-2-carboxamides to the hepatitis C virus polymerase

Abstract

Structure based rationales for the activities of potent N-benzyl-4-heteroaryl-1-(phenylsulfonyl)piperazine-2-carboxamide inhibitors of the hepatitis C viral polymerase are described herein. These compounds bind to the hepatitis C virus non-structural protein 5B (NS5B), and co-crystal structures of select examples from this series with NS5B are reported. Comparison of co-crystal structures of a potent analog with both NS5B genotype 1a and genotype 1b provides a possible explanation for the genotype-selectivity observed with this compound class and suggests opportunities for the further optimization of the series.