1
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Smith FR, Meehan D, Griffiths RC, Knowles HJ, Zhang P, Williams HEL, Wilson AJ, Mitchell NJ. Peptide macrocyclisation via intramolecular interception of visible-light-mediated desulfurisation. Chem Sci 2024; 15:9612-9619. [PMID: 38939126 PMCID: PMC11206203 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc05865d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Synthetic methods that enable the macrocyclisation of peptides facilitate the development of effective therapeutic and diagnostic tools. Herein we report a peptide cyclisation strategy based on intramolecular interception of visible-light-mediated cysteine desulfurisation. This method allows cyclisation of unprotected peptides in an aqueous solution via the installation of a hydrocarbon linkage. We explore the limits of this chemistry using a range of model peptides of increasing length and complexity, including peptides of biological/therapeutic relevance. The method is applied to replace the native disulfide of the peptide hormone, oxytocin, with a proteolytically/redox-stable hydrocarbon, and internal macrocyclisation of an MCL-1-binding peptide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frances R Smith
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
| | - Declan Meehan
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
| | - Rhys C Griffiths
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
| | - Harriet J Knowles
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
| | - Peiyu Zhang
- School of Chemistry, University of Leeds Woodhouse Lane Leeds LS2 9JT UK
| | - Huw E L Williams
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
| | - Andrew J Wilson
- School of Chemistry, University of Leeds Woodhouse Lane Leeds LS2 9JT UK
- School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham B15 2TT UK
| | - Nicholas J Mitchell
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
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2
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Hampton JT, Liu WR. Diversification of Phage-Displayed Peptide Libraries with Noncanonical Amino Acid Mutagenesis and Chemical Modification. Chem Rev 2024; 124:6051-6077. [PMID: 38686960 PMCID: PMC11082904 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.4c00004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Sitting on the interface between biologics and small molecules, peptides represent an emerging class of therapeutics. Numerous techniques have been developed in the past 30 years to take advantage of biological methods to generate and screen peptide libraries for the identification of therapeutic compounds, with phage display being one of the most accessible techniques. Although traditional phage display can generate billions of peptides simultaneously, it is limited to expression of canonical amino acids. Recently, several groups have successfully undergone efforts to apply genetic code expansion to introduce noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) with novel reactivities and chemistries into phage-displayed peptide libraries. In addition to biological methods, several different chemical approaches have also been used to install noncanonical motifs into phage libraries. This review focuses on these recent advances that have taken advantage of both biological and chemical means for diversification of phage libraries with ncAAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Trae Hampton
- Texas
A&M Drug Discovery Center and Department of Chemistry, College
of Arts and Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Wenshe Ray Liu
- Texas
A&M Drug Discovery Center and Department of Chemistry, College
of Arts and Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
- Institute
of Biosciences and Technology and Department of Translational Medical
Sciences, College of Medicine, Texas A&M
University, Houston, Texas 77030, United States
- Department
of Biochemistry and Biophysics, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
- Department
of Cell Biology and Genetics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, College
Station, Texas 77843, United States
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
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3
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Chen FJ, Pinnette N, Gao J. Strategies for the Construction of Multicyclic Phage Display Libraries. Chembiochem 2024; 25:e202400072. [PMID: 38466139 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202400072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2024] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Peptide therapeutics have gained great interest due to their multiple advantages over small molecule and antibody-based drugs. Peptide drugs are easier to synthesize, have the potential for oral bioavailability, and are large enough to target protein-protein interactions that are undruggable by small molecules. However, two major limitations have made it difficult to develop novel peptide therapeutics not derived from natural products, including the metabolic instability of peptides and the difficulty of reaching antibody-like potencies and specificities. Compared to linear and disulfide-monocyclized peptides, multicyclic peptides can provide increased conformational rigidity, enhanced metabolic stability, and higher potency in inhibiting protein-protein interactions. The identification of novel multicyclic peptide binders can be difficult, however, recent advancements in the construction of multicyclic phage libraries have greatly advanced the process of identifying novel multicyclic peptide binders for therapeutically relevant protein targets. This review will describe the current approaches used to create multicyclic peptide libraries, highlighting the novel chemistries developed and the proof-of-concept work done on validating these libraries against different protein targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fa-Jie Chen
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350108, China
| | - Nicole Pinnette
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Merkert Chemistry Center 2609 Beacon Street, Chestnut Hill, MA-02467, USA
| | - Jianmin Gao
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Merkert Chemistry Center 2609 Beacon Street, Chestnut Hill, MA-02467, USA
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4
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Voss S, Adair LD, Achazi K, Kim H, Bergemann S, Bartenschlager R, New EJ, Rademann J, Nitsche C. Cell-Penetrating Peptide-Bismuth Bicycles. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202318615. [PMID: 38126926 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202318615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) play a significant role in the delivery of cargos into human cells. We report the first CPPs based on peptide-bismuth bicycles, which can be readily obtained from commercially available peptide precursors, making them accessible for a wide range of applications. These CPPs enter human cells as demonstrated by live-cell confocal microscopy using fluorescently labelled peptides. We report efficient sequences that demonstrate increased cellular uptake compared to conventional CPPs like the TAT peptide (derived from the transactivating transcriptional activator of human immunodeficiency virus 1) or octaarginine (R8 ), despite requiring only three positive charges. Bicyclization triggered by the presence of bismuth(III) increases cellular uptake by more than one order of magnitude. Through the analysis of cell lysates using inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), we have introduced an alternative approach to examine the cellular uptake of CPPs. This has allowed us to confirm the presence of bismuth in cells after exposure to our CPPs. Mechanistic studies indicated an energy-dependent endocytic cellular uptake sensitive to inhibition by rottlerin, most likely involving macropinocytosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saan Voss
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 2+4, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Liam D Adair
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Katharina Achazi
- Institut für Chemie und Biochemie, Freie Universität Berlin, Altensteinstraße 23a, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Heeyoung Kim
- Heidelberg University, Medical Faculty Heidelberg, Department of Infectious Diseases, Molecular Virology, Center for Integrative Infectious Diseases Research (CIID), 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, Heidelberg partner site, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Silke Bergemann
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 2+4, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ralf Bartenschlager
- Heidelberg University, Medical Faculty Heidelberg, Department of Infectious Diseases, Molecular Virology, Center for Integrative Infectious Diseases Research (CIID), 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, Heidelberg partner site, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Elizabeth J New
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Jörg Rademann
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 2+4, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christoph Nitsche
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
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5
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Yu Q, Bai L, Jiang X. Disulfide Click Reaction for Stapling of S-terminal Peptides. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202314379. [PMID: 37950389 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202314379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
A disulfide click strategy is disclosed for stapling to enhance the metabolic stability and cellular permeability of therapeutic peptides. A 17-membered library of stapling reagents with adjustable lengths and angles was established for rapid double/triple click reactions, bridging S-terminal peptides from 3 to 18 amino acid residues to provide 18- to 48-membered macrocyclic peptides under biocompatible conditions. The constrained peptides exhibited enhanced anti-HCT-116 activity with a locked α-helical conformation (IC50 =6.81 μM vs. biological incompetence for acyclic linear peptides), which could be unstapled for rehabilitation of the native peptides under the assistance of tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP). This protocol assembles linear peptides into cyclic peptides controllably to retain the diverse three-dimensional conformations, enabling their cellular uptake followed by release of the disulfides for peptide delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Yu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Process, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai, 200062, P. R. China
| | - Leiyang Bai
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Process, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai, 200062, P. R. China
| | - Xuefeng Jiang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Process, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai, 200062, P. R. China
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan, 453007, P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Organometallic Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai, 200032, P. R. China
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6
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Mazzocato Y, Perin S, Morales-Sanfrutos J, Romanyuk Z, Pluda S, Acquasaliente L, Borsato G, De Filippis V, Scarso A, Angelini A. A novel genetically-encoded bicyclic peptide inhibitor of human urokinase-type plasminogen activator with better cross-reactivity toward the murine orthologue. Bioorg Med Chem 2023; 95:117499. [PMID: 37879145 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2023.117499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
The inhibition of human urokinase-type plasminogen activator (huPA), a serine protease that plays an important role in pericellular proteolysis, is a promising strategy to decrease the invasive and metastatic activity of tumour cells. However, the generation of selective small molecule huPA inhibitors has proven to be challenging due to the high structural similarity of huPA to other paralogue serine proteases. Efforts to generate more specific therapies have led to the development of cyclic peptide-based inhibitors with much higher selectivity against huPA. While this latter property is desired, the sparing of the orthologue murine poses difficulties for the testing of the inhibitor in preclinical mouse model. In this work, we have applied a Darwinian evolution-based approach to identify phage-encoded bicyclic peptide inhibitors of huPA with better cross-reactivity towards murine uPA (muPA). The best selected bicyclic peptide (UK132) inhibited huPA and muPA with Ki values of 0.33 and 12.58 µM, respectively. The inhibition appears to be specific for uPA, as UK132 only weakly inhibits a panel of structurally similar serine proteases. Removal or substitution of the second loop with one not evolved in vitro led to monocyclic and bicyclic peptide analogues with lower potency than UK132. Moreover, swapping of 1,3,5-tris-(bromomethyl)-benzene with different small molecules not used in the phage selection, resulted in an 80-fold reduction of potency, revealing the important structural role of the branched cyclization linker. Further substitution of an arginine in UK132 to a lysine resulted in a bicyclic peptide UK140 with enhanced inhibitory potency against both huPA (Ki = 0.20 µM) and murine orthologue (Ki = 2.79 µM). By combining good specificity, nanomolar affinity and a low molecular mass, the bicyclic peptide inhibitor developed in this work may provide a novel human and murine cross-reactive lead for the development of a potent and selective anti-metastatic therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ylenia Mazzocato
- Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, 30172 Venice, Italy
| | - Stefano Perin
- Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, 30172 Venice, Italy
| | - Julia Morales-Sanfrutos
- Proteomics Unit, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), C. de Melchor Fernández Almagro 3, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Zhanna Romanyuk
- Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, 30172 Venice, Italy
| | - Stefano Pluda
- Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, 30172 Venice, Italy; Fidia Farmaceutici S.p.A., Via Ponte della Fabbrica 3/A, Abano Terme 35031, Italy
| | - Laura Acquasaliente
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Borsato
- Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, 30172 Venice, Italy
| | - Vincenzo De Filippis
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Alessandro Scarso
- Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, 30172 Venice, Italy
| | - Alessandro Angelini
- Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, 30172 Venice, Italy; European Centre for Living Technology (ECLT), Ca' Bottacin, Dorsoduro 3911, Calle Crosera, 30123 Venice, Italy.
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7
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Lima MIS, Corrêa MBC, Moraes ECDS, Oliveira JDDD, de Souza Santos P, de Souza AG, Goulart IMB, Goulart LR. HSP60 mimetic peptides from Mycobacterium leprae as new antigens for immunodiagnosis of Leprosy. AMB Express 2023; 13:120. [PMID: 37891336 PMCID: PMC10611693 DOI: 10.1186/s13568-023-01625-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The early diagnosis of leprosy serves as an important tool to reduce the incidence of this disease in the world. Phage display (PD) technology can be used for mapping new antigens to the development of immunodiagnostic platforms. Our objective was to identify peptides that mimic Mycobacterium leprae proteins as serological markers using phage display technology. The phages were obtained in the biopanning using negative and positive serum from household contacts and leprosy patients, respectively. Then, the peptides were synthesized and validated in silico and in vitro for detection of IgG from patients and contacts. To characterize the native protein of M. leprae, scFv antibodies were selected against the synthetic peptides by PD. The scFv binding protein was obtained by immunocapture and confirmed using mass spectrometry. We selected two phase-fused peptides, MPML12 and MPML14, which mimic the HSP60 protein from M. leprae. The peptides MPML12 and MPML14 obtained 100% and 92.85% positivity in lepromatous patients. MPML12 and MPM14 detect IgG, especially in the multibacillary forms. The MPML12 and MPML14 peptides had positivity of 11.1% and 16.6% in household contacts, respectively. There was no cross-reaction in patient's samples with visceral leishmaniasis, tuberculosis and other mycobacteriosis for both peptides. Given these results and the easy obtainment of mimetic antigens, our peptides are promising markers for application in the diagnosis of leprosy, especially in endemic and hyperendemic regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayara Ingrid Sousa Lima
- Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil.
- Postgraduate Program on Health and Environment and Postgraduate Program on Health Sciences, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil.
| | | | | | | | - Paula de Souza Santos
- Institute of Biotechnology, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlandia, MG, Brazil
| | - Aline Gomes de Souza
- Institute of Biotechnology, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlandia, MG, Brazil
| | - Isabela Maria Bernardes Goulart
- National Reference Center in Sanitary Dermatology and Leprosy, School of Medicine, Clinics' Hospital, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlandia, MG, Brazil.
| | - Luiz Ricardo Goulart
- Institute of Biotechnology, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlandia, MG, Brazil
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
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8
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Chen FJ, Pinnette N, Yang F, Gao J. A Cysteine-Directed Proximity-Driven Crosslinking Method for Native Peptide Bicyclization. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202306813. [PMID: 37285100 PMCID: PMC10527288 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202306813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Efficient and site-specific modification of native peptides and proteins is desirable for synthesizing antibody-drug conjugates as well as for constructing chemically modified peptide libraries using genetically encoded platforms such as phage display. In particular, there is much interest in efficient multicyclization of native peptides due to the appeals of multicyclic peptides as therapeutics. However, conventional approaches for multicyclic peptide synthesis require orthogonal protecting groups or non-proteinogenic clickable handles. Herein, we report a cysteine-directed proximity-driven strategy for the constructing bicyclic peptides from simple natural peptide precursors. This linear to bicycle transformation initiates with rapid cysteine labeling, which then triggers proximity-driven amine-selective cyclization. This bicyclization proceeds rapidly under physiologic conditions, yielding bicyclic peptides with a Cys-Lys-Cys, Lys-Cys-Lys or N-terminus-Cys-Cys stapling pattern. We demonstrate the utility and power of this strategy by constructing bicyclic peptides fused to proteins as well as to the M13 phage, paving the way to phage display of novel bicyclic peptide libraries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fa-Jie Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Merkert Chemistry Center, 2609 Beacon Street, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | - Nicole Pinnette
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Merkert Chemistry Center, 2609 Beacon Street, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | - Fan Yang
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Merkert Chemistry Center, 2609 Beacon Street, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | - Jianmin Gao
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Merkert Chemistry Center, 2609 Beacon Street, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
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9
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Fleming MC, Bowler MM, Park R, Popov KI, Bowers AA. Tyrosinase-Catalyzed Peptide Macrocyclization for mRNA Display. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:10445-10450. [PMID: 37155687 PMCID: PMC11091840 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c12629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
mRNA display of macrocyclic peptides has proven itself to be a powerful technique to discover high-affinity ligands for a protein target. However, only a limited number of cyclization chemistries are known to be compatible with mRNA display. Tyrosinase is a copper-dependent oxidase that oxidizes tyrosine phenol to an electrophilic o-quinone, which is readily attacked by cysteine thiol. Here we show that peptides containing tyrosine and cysteine are rapidly cyclized upon tyrosinase treatment. Characterization of the cyclization reveals it to be widely applicable to multiple macrocycle sizes and scaffolds. We combine tyrosinase-mediated cyclization with mRNA display to discover new macrocyclic ligands targeting melanoma-associated antigen A4 (MAGE-A4). These macrocycles potently inhibit the MAGE-A4 binding axis with nanomolar IC50 values. Importantly, macrocyclic ligands show clear advantage over noncyclized analogues with ∼40-fold or greater decrease in IC50 values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew C. Fleming
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 301 Pharmacy Lane, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
- Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Matthew M. Bowler
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 301 Pharmacy Lane, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
- Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Rodney Park
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
| | - Konstantin I. Popov
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 301 Pharmacy Lane, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
- Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
| | - Albert A. Bowers
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 301 Pharmacy Lane, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
- Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
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10
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Dengler S, Douat C, Huc I. Differential Peptide Multi-Macrocyclizations at the Surface of a Helical Foldamer Template. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022; 61:e202211138. [PMID: 35994239 PMCID: PMC9828397 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202211138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Hybrid sequences comprising a peptide with several Cys residues and an aromatic foldamer helix with several chloroacetamide functions at its surface were synthesized. Such products may in principle form numerous macromulticyclic thioether products by intramolecularly combining all Cys residues and all chloroacetamide functions. However, we show that the reactive sites on the structurally defined helix can be placed at such locations that the peptide selectively stitches itself to form a series of different macrocycles within mostly one preferred product. Reactions were monitored by HPLC and products with two, three or four macrocycles were identified using LC-MS and NMR. The series of selective macrocyclizations define a sort of reaction trail where reaction sites otherwise identical are involved successively because of their precise positioning in space. The trails can be predicted to a large extent based on structural considerations and the assumption that smaller macrocycles form faster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Dengler
- Department of Pharmacy and Center for Integrated Protein ScienceLudwig-Maximilians-UniversitätButenandtstr. 5–1381377MünchenGermany
| | - Céline Douat
- Department of Pharmacy and Center for Integrated Protein ScienceLudwig-Maximilians-UniversitätButenandtstr. 5–1381377MünchenGermany
| | - Ivan Huc
- Department of Pharmacy and Center for Integrated Protein ScienceLudwig-Maximilians-UniversitätButenandtstr. 5–1381377MünchenGermany
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11
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Ullrich S, George J, Coram AE, Morewood R, Nitsche C. Biocompatible and Selective Generation of Bicyclic Peptides. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022; 61:e202208400. [PMID: 35852030 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202208400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Bicyclic peptides possess superior properties for drug discovery; however, their chemical synthesis is not straightforward and often neither biocompatible nor fully orthogonal to all canonical amino acids. The selective reaction between 1,2-aminothiols and 2,6-dicyanopyridine allows direct access to complex bicyclic peptides in high yield. The process can be fully automated using standard solid-phase peptide synthesis. Bicyclization occurs in water at physiological pH within minutes and without the need for a catalyst. The use of various linkers allows tailored bicyclic peptides with qualities such as plasma stability, conformational preorganization, and high target affinity. We demonstrate this for a bicyclic inhibitor of the Zika virus protease NS2B-NS3 as well as for bicyclic versions of the α-helical antimicrobial peptide aurein 1.2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sven Ullrich
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Josemon George
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Alexandra E Coram
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Richard Morewood
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Christoph Nitsche
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
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12
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Dengler S, Douat C, Huc I. Differential Peptide Multi‐Macrocyclizations at the Surface of a Helical Foldamer Template. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202211138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Céline Douat
- LMU München: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen Pharmacy GERMANY
| | - Ivan Huc
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen Pharmacy Butenandtstraße 5 - 13 81377 Munich GERMANY
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13
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He T, Xu L, Hu Y, Tang X, Qu R, Zhao X, Bai H, Li L, Chen W, Luo G, Fu G, Wang W, Xia X, Zhang J. Lysine-Tethered Stable Bicyclic Cationic Antimicrobial Peptide Combats Bacterial Infection in Vivo. J Med Chem 2022; 65:10523-10533. [PMID: 35920072 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have attracted great attention as next generation antibiotics for the treatment of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections. Poor proteolytic stability has however undermined clinical applications of AMPs. A novel peptide cyclization approach is described to enhance the in vivo antibacterial activity of AMPs. Bicyclic antimicrobial peptides were synthesized by cross-linking the ε-amino groups of three lysine residues with a 1,3,5-trimethylene benzene spacer. In a proof of principal study, four bicyclic peptides were synthesized from the cationic AMP OH-CM6. One bicyclic peptide retained strong antimicrobial activity and low toxicity but exhibited a prolonged half-life in serum. Antibacterial activity was consequently improved in vivo without renal or hepato-toxicity. The novel peptide cyclization approach represents an important tool for enhancing AMP proteolytic stability for improved treatment of bacterial infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong He
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Xu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuchen Hu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaomin Tang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui Qu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuejun Zhao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, People's Republic of China
| | - Hao Bai
- Department of Pharmacy, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing 400030, People's Republic of China
| | - Lixian Li
- Department of Pharmacy, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing 400030, People's Republic of China
| | - Wanyi Chen
- Department of Pharmacy, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing 400030, People's Republic of China
| | - Guangli Luo
- Clinical Laboratory, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing 400030, People's Republic of China
| | - Gang Fu
- Clinical Laboratory, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing 400030, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Wang
- Clinical Laboratory, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing 400030, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuefeng Xia
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, People's Republic of China
| | - Jinqiang Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, People's Republic of China.,Chongqing University Industrial Technology Research Institute, Chongqing 401329, People's Republic of China
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14
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Mudd GE, Stanway SJ, Witty DR, Thomas A, Baldo S, Bond AD, Beswick P, Highton A. Gold-Mediated Multiple Cysteine Arylation for the Construction of Highly Constrained Bicycle Peptides. Bioconjug Chem 2022; 33:1441-1445. [PMID: 35894801 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.2c00288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Bicycles are constrained bicyclic peptides formed through reaction of three cysteine residues within a linear sequence with a trivalent, symmetrical small molecule scaffold. Bicycles with high binding affinities to therapeutically important targets can be discovered using screening technologies such as phage display. Increasing the chemical diversity of Bicycles should improve the probability of finding hits to new targets and can be achieved by expanding the toolbox of Bicycle forming chemistries. Gold(III) S-arylation has recently been described as a method for the efficient bioconjugation of cysteine residues under conditions compatible with phage display. Herein, we explore the scope and generality of this methodology for Bicycle construction through the synthesis and evaluation of four novel tris-Gold complexes. These new scaffolds were systematically reacted with a variety of peptide sequences, varying in amino acid loop lengths. All four scaffolds proved to be capable and selective reactive partners for each peptide sequence and afforded the desired Bicycle products in 13-48% isolated yield. This work exemplifies Gold-mediated arylation as a general approach for construction of novel, highly constrained Bicycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemma E Mudd
- BicycleTx Limited, B900 Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom
| | - Steven J Stanway
- BicycleTx Limited, B900 Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom
| | - David R Witty
- BicycleTx Limited, B900 Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom
| | - Alex Thomas
- Eurofins Integrated Discovery Ltd, Fyfield Business & Research Park, Fyfield Road, Ongar CM5 0GS, United Kingdom
| | - Silvia Baldo
- BicycleTx Limited, B900 Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew D Bond
- University of Cambridge, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Beswick
- BicycleTx Limited, B900 Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom
| | - Adrian Highton
- Eurofins Integrated Discovery Ltd, Fyfield Business & Research Park, Fyfield Road, Ongar CM5 0GS, United Kingdom
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15
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Ullrich S, George J, Coram A, Morewood R, Nitsche C. Biocompatible and Selective Generation of Bicyclic Peptides. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202208400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sven Ullrich
- Australian National University Research School of Chemistry AUSTRALIA
| | - Josemon George
- Australian National University Research School of Chemistry AUSTRALIA
| | - Alexandra Coram
- Australian National University Research School of Chemistry AUSTRALIA
| | - Richard Morewood
- Australian National University Research School of Chemistry AUSTRALIA
| | - Christoph Nitsche
- Australian National University Research School of Chemistry Sullivans Creek Road ACT 2601 Canberra AUSTRALIA
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16
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Voss S, Rademann J, Nitsche C. Peptide–Bismuth Bicycles: In Situ Access to Stable Constrained Peptides with Superior Bioactivity. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202113857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Saan Voss
- Research School of Chemistry Australian National University Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy Institute of Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry Freie Universität Berlin Königin-Luise-Str. 2+4 14195 Berlin Germany
| | - Jörg Rademann
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy Institute of Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry Freie Universität Berlin Königin-Luise-Str. 2+4 14195 Berlin Germany
| | - Christoph Nitsche
- Research School of Chemistry Australian National University Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
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17
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Zhang H, Chen S. Cyclic peptide drugs approved in the last two decades (2001-2021). RSC Chem Biol 2022; 3:18-31. [PMID: 35128405 PMCID: PMC8729179 DOI: 10.1039/d1cb00154j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 50.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In contrast to the major families of small molecules and antibodies, cyclic peptides, as a family of synthesizable macromolecules, have distinct biochemical and therapeutic properties for pharmaceutical applications. Cyclic peptide-based drugs have increasingly been developed in the past two decades, confirming the common perception that cyclic peptides have high binding affinities and low metabolic toxicity as antibodies, good stability and ease of manufacture as small molecules. Natural peptides were the major source of cyclic peptide drugs in the last century, and cyclic peptides derived from novel screening and cyclization strategies are the new source. In this review, we will discuss and summarize 18 cyclic peptides approved for clinical use in the past two decades to provide a better understanding of cyclic peptide development and to inspire new perspectives. The purpose of the present review is to promote efforts to resolve the challenges in the development of cyclic peptide drugs that are more effective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiya Zhang
- Biotech Drug Research Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 201203 China
| | - Shiyu Chen
- Biotech Drug Research Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 201203 China
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18
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Voss S, Rademann J, Nitsche C. Peptide-Bismuth Bicycles: In Situ Access to Stable Constrained Peptides with Superior Bioactivity. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021; 61:e202113857. [PMID: 34825756 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202113857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Constrained peptides are promising next-generation therapeutics. We report here a fundamentally new strategy for the facile generation of bicyclic peptides using linear precursor peptides with three cysteine residues and a non-toxic trivalent bismuth(III) salt. Peptide-bismuth bicycles form instantaneously at physiological pH, are stable in aqueous solution for many weeks, and much more resistant to proteolysis than their linear precursors. The strategy allows the in situ generation of bicyclic ligands for biochemical screening assays. We demonstrate this for two screening campaigns targeting the proteases from Zika and West Nile viruses, revealing a new lead compound that displayed inhibition constants of 23 and 150 nM, respectively. Bicyclic peptides are up to 130 times more active and 19 times more proteolytically stable than their linear analogs without bismuth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saan Voss
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.,Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 2+4, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jörg Rademann
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 2+4, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christoph Nitsche
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
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19
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Haim A, Neubacher S, Grossmann TN. Protein Macrocyclization for Tertiary Structure Stabilization. Chembiochem 2021; 22:2672-2679. [PMID: 34060202 PMCID: PMC8453710 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Proteins possess unique molecular recognition capabilities and enzymatic activities, features that are usually tied to a particular tertiary structure. To make use of proteins for biotechnological and biomedical purposes, it is often required to enforce their tertiary structure in order to ensure sufficient stability under the conditions inherent to the application of interest. The introduction of intramolecular crosslinks has proven efficient in stabilizing native protein folds. Herein, we give an overview of methods that allow the macrocyclization of expressed proteins, discussing involved reaction mechanisms and structural implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anissa Haim
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical SciencesVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Saskia Neubacher
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical SciencesVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Incircular B.V.De Boelelaan 11081081 HZAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Tom N. Grossmann
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical SciencesVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life SciencesVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
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20
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Bechtler C, Lamers C. Macrocyclization strategies for cyclic peptides and peptidomimetics. RSC Med Chem 2021; 12:1325-1351. [PMID: 34447937 PMCID: PMC8372203 DOI: 10.1039/d1md00083g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptides are a growing therapeutic class due to their unique spatial characteristics that can target traditionally "undruggable" protein-protein interactions and surfaces. Despite their advantages, peptides must overcome several key shortcomings to be considered as drug leads, including their high conformational flexibility and susceptibility to proteolytic cleavage. As a general approach for overcoming these challenges, macrocyclization of a linear peptide can usually improve these characteristics. Their synthetic accessibility makes peptide macrocycles very attractive, though traditional synthetic methods for macrocyclization can be challenging for peptides, especially for head-to-tail cyclization. This review provides an updated summary of the available macrocyclization chemistries, such as traditional lactam formation, azide-alkyne cycloadditions, ring-closing metathesis as well as unconventional cyclization reactions, and it is structured according to the obtained functional groups. Keeping peptide chemistry and screening in mind, the focus is given to reactions applicable in solution, on solid supports, and compatible with contemporary screening methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clément Bechtler
- Department Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel Klingelbergstr. 50 4056 Basel Switzerland
| | - Christina Lamers
- Department Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel Klingelbergstr. 50 4056 Basel Switzerland
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21
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Wong JYK, Mukherjee R, Miao J, Bilyk O, Triana V, Miskolzie M, Henninot A, Dwyer JJ, Kharchenko S, Iampolska A, Volochnyuk DM, Lin YS, Postovit LM, Derda R. Genetically-encoded discovery of proteolytically stable bicyclic inhibitors for morphogen NODAL. Chem Sci 2021; 12:9694-9703. [PMID: 34349940 PMCID: PMC8294009 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc01916c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In this manuscript, we developed a two-fold symmetric linchpin (TSL) that converts readily available phage-displayed peptides libraries made of 20 common amino acids to genetically-encoded libraries of bicyclic peptides displayed on phage. TSL combines an aldehyde-reactive group and two thiol-reactive groups; it bridges two side chains of cysteine [C] with an N-terminal aldehyde group derived from the N-terminal serine [S], yielding a novel bicyclic topology that lacks a free N-terminus. Phage display libraries of SX1CX2X3X4X5X6X7C sequences, where X is any amino acid but Cys, were converted to a library of bicyclic TSL-[S]X1[C]X2X3X4X5X6X7[C] peptides in 45 ± 15% yield. Using this library and protein morphogen NODAL as a target, we discovered bicyclic macrocycles that specifically antagonize NODAL-induced signaling in cancer cells. At a 10 μM concentration, two discovered bicyclic peptides completely suppressed NODAL-induced phosphorylation of SMAD2 in P19 embryonic carcinoma cells. The TSL-[S]Y[C]KRAHKN[C] bicycle inhibited NODAL-induced proliferation of NODAL-TYK-nu ovarian carcinoma cells with apparent IC50 of 1 μM. The same bicycle at 10 μM concentration did not affect the growth of the control TYK-nu cells. TSL-bicycles remained stable over the course of the 72 hour-long assays in a serum-rich cell-culture medium. We further observed general stability in mouse serum and in a mixture of proteases (Pronase™) for 21 diverse bicyclic macrocycles of different ring sizes, amino acid sequences, and cross-linker geometries. TSL-constrained peptides to expand the previously reported repertoire of phage-displayed bicyclic architectures formed by cross-linking Cys side chains. We anticipate that it will aid the discovery of proteolytically stable bicyclic inhibitors for a variety of protein targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Y-K Wong
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta Edmonton AB T6G 2G2 Canada
| | - Raja Mukherjee
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta Edmonton AB T6G 2G2 Canada
| | - Jiayuan Miao
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University Medford MA 02155 USA
| | - Olena Bilyk
- Department of Experimental Oncology, University of Alberta Edmonton AB T6G 2G2 Canada
| | - Vivian Triana
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta Edmonton AB T6G 2G2 Canada
| | - Mark Miskolzie
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta Edmonton AB T6G 2G2 Canada
| | | | - John J Dwyer
- Ferring Research Institute San Diego California 92121 USA
| | | | - Anna Iampolska
- Enamine Ltd. Chervonotkatska Street 78 Kyiv 02094 Ukraine
| | | | - Yu-Shan Lin
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University Medford MA 02155 USA
| | - Lynne-Marie Postovit
- Department of Experimental Oncology, University of Alberta Edmonton AB T6G 2G2 Canada
| | - Ratmir Derda
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta Edmonton AB T6G 2G2 Canada
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22
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Gübeli RJ, Bertoldo D, Shimada K, Gerhold CB, Hurst V, Takahashi Y, Harada K, Mothukuri GK, Wilbs J, Harata M, Gasser SM, Heinis C. In Vitro-Evolved Peptides Bind Monomeric Actin and Mimic Actin-Binding Protein Thymosin-β4. ACS Chem Biol 2021; 16:820-828. [PMID: 33843189 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.0c00825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Actin is the most abundant protein in eukaryotic cells and is key to many cellular functions. The filamentous form of actin (F-actin) can be studied with help of natural products that specifically recognize it, as for example fluorophore-labeled probes of the bicyclic peptide phalloidin, but no synthetic probes exist for the monomeric form of actin (G-actin). Herein, we have panned a phage display library consisting of more than 10 billion bicyclic peptides against G-actin and isolated binders with low nanomolar affinity and greater than 1000-fold selectivity over F-actin. Sequence analysis revealed a strong similarity to a region of thymosin-β4, a protein that weakly binds G-actin, and competition binding experiments confirmed a common binding region at the cleft between actin subdomains 1 and 3. Together with F-actin-specific peptides that we also isolated, we evaluated the G-actin peptides as probes in pull-down, imaging, and competition binding experiments. While the F-actin peptides were applied successfully for capturing actin in cell lysates and for imaging, the G-actin peptides did not bind in the cellular context, most likely due to competition with thymosin-β4 or related endogenous proteins for the same binding site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphael J. Gübeli
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Davide Bertoldo
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Kenji Shimada
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christian B. Gerhold
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Verena Hurst
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Yuichiro Takahashi
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Tohoku University, Tsutsumidori-Amamiyamachi 1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai 981-8555, Japan
| | - Kai Harada
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Tohoku University, Tsutsumidori-Amamiyamachi 1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai 981-8555, Japan
| | - Ganesh K. Mothukuri
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jonas Wilbs
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Masahiko Harata
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Tohoku University, Tsutsumidori-Amamiyamachi 1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai 981-8555, Japan
| | - Susan M. Gasser
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christian Heinis
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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23
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A structure-based approach for the development of a bicyclic peptide acting as a miniaturized anti-CD55 antibody. Int J Biol Macromol 2021; 182:1455-1462. [PMID: 34015405 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.05.092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2021] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
CD55 is a major regulator of the complement system, a complex network of proteins that cooperate to clear tissue and blood pathogens from the organism. Indeed, overexpression of CD55 is associated with many diseases and is connected to the resistance mechanisms exhibited by several cancers towards immunotherapy approaches. High level of CD55 expression on tumour cells renders it a good target for both imaging and immunotherapy. Indeed, a conceivable approach to tackle disease is to interfere with CD55-mediated complement regulation with the use of CD55-targeting antibodies. However, the large size and poor tissue penetration together with to the high costs of antibodies often limits their widespread therapeutic use. Here, we employed bioinformatic and chemical approaches to design and synthesize molecules of small dimensions able to mimic a CD55 blocking antibody. As a result, a bicyclic peptide, named as miniAB55, proved to bind CD55 with nanomolar affinity. This molecule represents an attracting chemical scaffold for CD55-directed diagnostic tools in diseases associated with CD55 overproduction. To further support the applicative potential of miniAB55, we prove that the miniAB55 binds CD55 on the same region involved in inactivation of the complement C3 and C5 convertases, thus opening promising scenarios for the development of complement-modulating tools.
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24
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Chen S, Lovell S, Lee S, Fellner M, Mace PD, Bogyo M. Identification of highly selective covalent inhibitors by phage display. Nat Biotechnol 2021; 39:490-498. [PMID: 33199876 PMCID: PMC8043995 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-020-0733-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Molecules that covalently bind macromolecular targets have found widespread applications as activity-based probes and as irreversibly binding drugs. However, the general reactivity of the electrophiles needed for covalent bond formation makes control of selectivity difficult. There is currently no rapid, unbiased screening method to identify new classes of covalent inhibitors from highly diverse pools of candidate molecules. Here we describe a phage display method to directly screen for ligands that bind to protein targets through covalent bond formation. This approach makes use of a reactive linker to form cyclic peptides on the phage surface while simultaneously introducing an electrophilic 'warhead' to covalently react with a nucleophile on the target. Using this approach, we identified cyclic peptides that irreversibly inhibited a cysteine protease and a serine hydrolase with nanomolar potency and exceptional specificity. This approach should enable rapid, unbiased screening to identify new classes of highly selective covalent inhibitors for diverse molecular targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiyu Chen
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Scott Lovell
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Sumin Lee
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Matthias Fellner
- Biochemistry Department, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Peter D Mace
- Biochemistry Department, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Matthew Bogyo
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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25
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Yang P, Wang X, Li B, Yang Y, Yue J, Suo Y, Tong H, He G, Lu X, Chen G. Streamlined construction of peptide macrocycles via palladium-catalyzed intramolecular S-arylation in solution and on DNA. Chem Sci 2021; 12:5804-5810. [PMID: 34168804 PMCID: PMC8179660 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc00789k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A highly efficient and versatile method for construction of peptide macrocycles via palladium-catalyzed intramolecular S-arylation of alkyl and aryl thiols with aryl iodides under mild conditions is developed. The method exhibits a broad substrate scope for thiols, aryl iodides and amino acid units. Peptide macrocycles of a wide range of size and composition can be readily assembled in high yield from various easily accessible building blocks. This method has been successfully employed to prepare an 8-million-membered tetrameric cyclic peptide DNA-encoded library (DEL). Preliminary screening of the DEL library against protein p300 identified compounds with single digit micromolar inhibition activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Yang
- State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University Tianjin 300071 China
| | - Xuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences 501 Haike Road, Zhang Jiang Hi-Tech Park, Pudong Shanghai 201203 China
| | - Bo Li
- State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University Tianjin 300071 China
| | - Yixuan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences 501 Haike Road, Zhang Jiang Hi-Tech Park, Pudong Shanghai 201203 China
| | - Jinfeng Yue
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences 501 Haike Road, Zhang Jiang Hi-Tech Park, Pudong Shanghai 201203 China
| | - Yanrui Suo
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences 501 Haike Road, Zhang Jiang Hi-Tech Park, Pudong Shanghai 201203 China
| | - Huarong Tong
- State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University Tianjin 300071 China
| | - Gang He
- State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University Tianjin 300071 China
| | - Xiaojie Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences 501 Haike Road, Zhang Jiang Hi-Tech Park, Pudong Shanghai 201203 China
| | - Gong Chen
- State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University Tianjin 300071 China
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26
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Ikenoue T, Aprile FA, Sormanni P, Vendruscolo M. Rationally Designed Bicyclic Peptides Prevent the Conversion of Aβ42 Assemblies Into Fibrillar Structures. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:623097. [PMID: 33716651 PMCID: PMC7947257 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.623097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
There is great interest in drug discovery programs targeted at the aggregation of the 42-residue form of the amyloid β peptide (Aβ42), since this molecular process is closely associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The use of bicyclic peptides may offer novel opportunities for the effective modification of Aβ42 aggregation and the inhibition of its cytotoxicity, as these compounds combine the molecular recognition ability of antibodies with a relatively small size of about 2 kD. Here, to pursue this approach, we rationally designed a panel of six bicyclic peptides targeting various epitopes along the sequence of Aβ42 to scan its most amyloidogenic region (residues 13–42). Our kinetic analysis and structural studies revealed that at sub-stoichiometric concentrations the designed bicyclic peptides induce a delay in the condensation of Aβ42 and the subsequent transition to a fibrillar state, while at higher concentrations they inhibit such transition. We thus suggest that designed bicyclic peptides can be employed to inhibit amyloid formation by redirecting the aggregation process toward amorphous assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuya Ikenoue
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Francesco A Aprile
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Department of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Pietro Sormanni
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Michele Vendruscolo
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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27
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Dotter H, Boll M, Eder M, Eder AC. Library and post-translational modifications of peptide-based display systems. Biotechnol Adv 2021; 47:107699. [PMID: 33513435 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2021.107699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Innovative biotechnological methods empower the successful identification of new drug candidates. Phage, ribosome and mRNA display represent high throughput screenings, allowing fast and efficient progress in the field of targeted drug discovery. The identification range comprises low molecular weight peptides up to whole antibodies. However, a major challenge poses the stability and affinity in particular of peptides. Chemical modifications e.g. the introduction of unnatural amino acids or cyclization, have been proven to be essential tools to overcome these limitations. This review article particularly focuses on available methods for the targeted chemical modification of peptides and peptide libraries in selected display approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Dotter
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Hugstetter Str. 55, 79106 Freiburg, Germany; Division of Radiopharmaceutical Development, German Cancer Consortium, partner site Freiburg, Hugstetter Str. 55, 79106 Freiburg, Germany, and German Cancer Research Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Melanie Boll
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Hugstetter Str. 55, 79106 Freiburg, Germany; Division of Radiopharmaceutical Development, German Cancer Consortium, partner site Freiburg, Hugstetter Str. 55, 79106 Freiburg, Germany, and German Cancer Research Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Matthias Eder
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Hugstetter Str. 55, 79106 Freiburg, Germany; Division of Radiopharmaceutical Development, German Cancer Consortium, partner site Freiburg, Hugstetter Str. 55, 79106 Freiburg, Germany, and German Cancer Research Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Ann-Christin Eder
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Hugstetter Str. 55, 79106 Freiburg, Germany; Division of Radiopharmaceutical Development, German Cancer Consortium, partner site Freiburg, Hugstetter Str. 55, 79106 Freiburg, Germany, and German Cancer Research Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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28
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Hart P', Hommen P, Noisier A, Krzyzanowski A, Schüler D, Porfetye AT, Akbarzadeh M, Vetter IR, Adihou H, Waldmann H. Structure Based Design of Bicyclic Peptide Inhibitors of RbAp48. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202009749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Peter 't Hart
- Department of Chemical Biology Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11 44227 Dortmund Germany
- Chemical Genomics Centre of the Max Planck Society Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11 44227 Dortmund Germany
| | - Pascal Hommen
- Department of Chemical Biology Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11 44227 Dortmund Germany
- Chemical Genomics Centre of the Max Planck Society Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11 44227 Dortmund Germany
| | - Anaïs Noisier
- Medicinal Chemistry, Research and Early Development Cardiovascular Renal and Metabolism, BioPharmaceutical R&D AstraZeneca Gothenburg Sweden
| | - Adrian Krzyzanowski
- Department of Chemical Biology Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11 44227 Dortmund Germany
| | - Darijan Schüler
- Department of Chemical Biology Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11 44227 Dortmund Germany
| | - Arthur T. Porfetye
- Department of Mechanistic Cell Biology Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11 44227 Dortmund Germany
| | - Mohammad Akbarzadeh
- Department of Chemical Biology Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11 44227 Dortmund Germany
| | - Ingrid R. Vetter
- Department of Mechanistic Cell Biology Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11 44227 Dortmund Germany
| | - Hélène Adihou
- Medicinal Chemistry, Research and Early Development Cardiovascular Renal and Metabolism, BioPharmaceutical R&D AstraZeneca Gothenburg Sweden
- AstraZeneca MPI Satellite Unit Department of Chemical Biology Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11 44227 Dortmund Germany
| | - Herbert Waldmann
- Department of Chemical Biology Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11 44227 Dortmund Germany
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29
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Hart P', Hommen P, Noisier A, Krzyzanowski A, Schüler D, Porfetye AT, Akbarzadeh M, Vetter IR, Adihou H, Waldmann H. Structure Based Design of Bicyclic Peptide Inhibitors of RbAp48. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021; 60:1813-1820. [PMID: 33022847 PMCID: PMC7894522 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202009749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The scaffolding protein RbAp48 is part of several epigenetic regulation complexes and is overexpressed in a variety of cancers. In order to develop tool compounds for the study of RbAp48 function, we have developed peptide inhibitors targeting the protein-protein interaction interface between RbAp48 and the scaffold protein MTA1. Based on a MTA1-derived linear peptide with low micromolar affinity and informed by crystallographic analysis, a bicyclic peptide was developed that inhibits the RbAp48/MTA1 interaction with a very low nanomolar KD value of 8.56 nM, and which showed appreciable stability against cellular proteases. Design included exchange of a polar amide cyclization strategy to hydrophobic aromatic linkers enabling mono- and bicyclization by means of cysteine alkylation, which improved affinity by direct interaction of the linkers with a hydrophobic residue on RbAp48. Our results demonstrate that stepwise evolution of a structure-based design is a suitable strategy for inhibitor development targeting PPIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter 't Hart
- Department of Chemical BiologyMax Planck Institute of Molecular PhysiologyOtto-Hahn-Strasse 1144227DortmundGermany
- Chemical Genomics Centre of the Max Planck SocietyMax Planck Institute of Molecular PhysiologyOtto-Hahn-Strasse 1144227DortmundGermany
| | - Pascal Hommen
- Department of Chemical BiologyMax Planck Institute of Molecular PhysiologyOtto-Hahn-Strasse 1144227DortmundGermany
- Chemical Genomics Centre of the Max Planck SocietyMax Planck Institute of Molecular PhysiologyOtto-Hahn-Strasse 1144227DortmundGermany
| | - Anaïs Noisier
- Medicinal Chemistry, Research and Early Development CardiovascularRenal and Metabolism, BioPharmaceutical R&DAstraZenecaGothenburgSweden
| | - Adrian Krzyzanowski
- Department of Chemical BiologyMax Planck Institute of Molecular PhysiologyOtto-Hahn-Strasse 1144227DortmundGermany
| | - Darijan Schüler
- Department of Chemical BiologyMax Planck Institute of Molecular PhysiologyOtto-Hahn-Strasse 1144227DortmundGermany
| | - Arthur T. Porfetye
- Department of Mechanistic Cell BiologyMax Planck Institute of Molecular PhysiologyOtto-Hahn-Strasse 1144227DortmundGermany
| | - Mohammad Akbarzadeh
- Department of Chemical BiologyMax Planck Institute of Molecular PhysiologyOtto-Hahn-Strasse 1144227DortmundGermany
| | - Ingrid R. Vetter
- Department of Mechanistic Cell BiologyMax Planck Institute of Molecular PhysiologyOtto-Hahn-Strasse 1144227DortmundGermany
| | - Hélène Adihou
- Medicinal Chemistry, Research and Early Development CardiovascularRenal and Metabolism, BioPharmaceutical R&DAstraZenecaGothenburgSweden
- AstraZeneca MPI Satellite UnitDepartment of Chemical BiologyMax Planck Institute of Molecular PhysiologyOtto-Hahn-Strasse 1144227DortmundGermany
| | - Herbert Waldmann
- Department of Chemical BiologyMax Planck Institute of Molecular PhysiologyOtto-Hahn-Strasse 1144227DortmundGermany
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30
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Raynal L, Rose NC, Donald JR, Spicer CD. Photochemical Methods for Peptide Macrocyclisation. Chemistry 2021; 27:69-88. [PMID: 32914455 PMCID: PMC7821122 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202003779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Photochemical reactions have been the subject of renewed interest over the last two decades, leading to the development of many new, diverse and powerful chemical transformations. More recently, these developments have been expanded to enable the photochemical macrocyclisation of peptides and small proteins. These constructs benefit from increased stability, structural rigidity and biological potency over their linear counterparts, providing opportunities for improved therapeutic agents. In this review, an overview of both the established and emerging methods for photochemical peptide macrocyclisation is presented, highlighting both the limitations and opportunities for further innovation in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laetitia Raynal
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of YorkHeslingtonYorkYO10 5DDUK
| | - Nicholas C. Rose
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of YorkHeslingtonYorkYO10 5DDUK
| | - James R. Donald
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of YorkHeslingtonYorkYO10 5DDUK
- York Biomedical Research InstituteUniversity of YorkHeslingtonYorkYO10 5DDUK
| | - Christopher D. Spicer
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of YorkHeslingtonYorkYO10 5DDUK
- York Biomedical Research InstituteUniversity of YorkHeslingtonYorkYO10 5DDUK
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31
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Tombling BJ, Lammi C, Lawrence N, Gilding EK, Grazioso G, Craik DJ, Wang CK. Bioactive Cyclization Optimizes the Affinity of a Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 (PCSK9) Peptide Inhibitor. J Med Chem 2020; 64:2523-2533. [PMID: 33356222 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Peptides are regarded as promising next-generation therapeutics. However, an analysis of over 1000 bioactive peptide candidates suggests that many have underdeveloped affinities and could benefit from cyclization using a bridging linker sequence. Until now, the primary focus has been on the use of inert peptide linkers. Here, we show that affinity can be significantly improved by enriching the linker with functional amino acids. We engineered a peptide inhibitor of PCSK9, a target for clinical management of hypercholesterolemia, to demonstrate this concept. Cyclization linker optimization from library screening produced a cyclic peptide with ∼100-fold improved activity over the parent peptide and efficiently restored low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor levels and cleared extracellular LDL. The linker forms favorable interactions with PCSK9 as evidenced by thermodynamics, structure-activity relationship (SAR), NMR, and molecular dynamics (MD) studies. This PCSK9 inhibitor is one of many peptides that could benefit from bioactive cyclization, a strategy that is amenable to broad application in pharmaceutical design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J Tombling
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia
| | - Carmen Lammi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via L. Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Nicole Lawrence
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia
| | - Edward K Gilding
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia
| | - Giovanni Grazioso
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via L. Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia
| | - Conan K Wang
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia
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32
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Ikenoue T, Aprile FA, Sormanni P, Ruggeri FS, Perni M, Heller GT, Haas CP, Middel C, Limbocker R, Mannini B, Michaels TCT, Knowles TPJ, Dobson CM, Vendruscolo M. A rationally designed bicyclic peptide remodels Aβ42 aggregation in vitro and reduces its toxicity in a worm model of Alzheimer's disease. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15280. [PMID: 32943652 PMCID: PMC7498612 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69626-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Bicyclic peptides have great therapeutic potential since they can bridge the gap between small molecules and antibodies by combining a low molecular weight of about 2 kDa with an antibody-like binding specificity. Here we apply a recently developed in silico rational design strategy to produce a bicyclic peptide to target the C-terminal region (residues 31–42) of the 42-residue form of the amyloid β peptide (Aβ42), a protein fragment whose aggregation into amyloid plaques is linked with Alzheimer’s disease. We show that this bicyclic peptide is able to remodel the aggregation process of Aβ42 in vitro and to reduce its associated toxicity in vivo in a C. elegans worm model expressing Aβ42. These results provide an initial example of a computational approach to design bicyclic peptides to target specific epitopes on disordered proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuya Ikenoue
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK.,Department of Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Francesco A Aprile
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK.,Department of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, London, W12 0BZ, UK
| | - Pietro Sormanni
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Francesco S Ruggeri
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Michele Perni
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Gabriella T Heller
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Christian P Haas
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Christoph Middel
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Ryan Limbocker
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK.,Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY, 10996, USA
| | - Benedetta Mannini
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Thomas C T Michaels
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Christopher M Dobson
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Michele Vendruscolo
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK.
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33
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Chen S, Yim JJ, Bogyo M. Synthetic and biological approaches to map substrate specificities of proteases. Biol Chem 2020; 401:165-182. [PMID: 31639098 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2019-0332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Proteases are regulators of diverse biological pathways including protein catabolism, antigen processing and inflammation, as well as various disease conditions, such as malignant metastasis, viral infection and parasite invasion. The identification of substrates of a given protease is essential to understand its function and this information can also aid in the design of specific inhibitors and active site probes. However, the diversity of putative protein and peptide substrates makes connecting a protease to its downstream substrates technically difficult and time-consuming. To address this challenge in protease research, a range of methods have been developed to identify natural protein substrates as well as map the overall substrate specificity patterns of proteases. In this review, we highlight recent examples of both synthetic and biological methods that are being used to define the substrate specificity of protease so that new protease-specific tools and therapeutic agents can be developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiyu Chen
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Joshua J Yim
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Matthew Bogyo
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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34
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Li M, Shao X, Wu C, Lu D, Liu K, Wang W, Liu J, Li H, Su W, Fang L. Chlorotoxin-derived bicyclic peptides for targeted imaging of glioblastomas. Chem Commun (Camb) 2020; 56:9537-9540. [PMID: 32691026 DOI: 10.1039/d0cc01089h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
A convenient and efficient strategy was developed for accessing chlorotoxin-derived bicyclic peptide-biomolecule conjugates by cyclizing fully-unprotected linear peptides with a designed tetrafunctional chemical linker. Among these peptides, bicycle-P3 bearing the N-terminal sequence of chlorotoxin shows high tumor selectivity and penetration ability, which is promising for treatment of gliomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meiqing Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nanomedicine, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China. and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ximing Shao
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nanomedicine, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Chunlei Wu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nanomedicine, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Danyi Lu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nanomedicine, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Ke Liu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nanomedicine, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Wei Wang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nanomedicine, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Jiakai Liu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nanomedicine, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Hongchang Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nanomedicine, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Wu Su
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nanomedicine, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Lijing Fang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nanomedicine, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China. and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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35
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Zheng X, Liu W, Liu Z, Zhao Y, Wu C. Biocompatible and Rapid Cyclization of Peptides with 2,4-Difluoro-6-hydroxy-1,3,5-benzenetricarbonitrile for the Development of Cyclic Peptide Libraries. Bioconjug Chem 2020; 31:2085-2091. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.0c00363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xuejun Zheng
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, P.R. China
| | - Weidong Liu
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, P.R. China
| | - Ziyan Liu
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, P.R. China
| | - Yibing Zhao
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, P.R. China
| | - Chuanliu Wu
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, P.R. China
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36
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Sulfane transalkylations and metal catalyzed allylic substitutions for the synthesis of composite macrobicyclic peptides. Tetrahedron Lett 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tetlet.2020.151986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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37
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Mudd GE, Brown A, Chen L, van Rietschoten K, Watcham S, Teufel DP, Pavan S, Lani R, Huxley P, Bennett GS. Identification and Optimization of EphA2-Selective Bicycles for the Delivery of Cytotoxic Payloads. J Med Chem 2020; 63:4107-4116. [PMID: 32202781 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b02129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Bicycles are constrained bicyclic peptides that represent a promising binding modality for use in targeted drug conjugates. A phage display screen against EphA2, a receptor tyrosine kinase highly expressed in a number of solid tumors, identified a number of Bicycle families with low nanomolar affinity. A Bicycle toxin conjugate (BTC) was generated by derivatization of one of these Bicycles with the potent cytotoxin DM1 via a cleavable linker. This BTC demonstrated potent antitumor activity in vivo but was poorly tolerated, which was hypothesized to be the result of undesired liver uptake caused by poor physicochemical properties. Chemical optimization of a second Bicycle, guided by structural biology, provided a high affinity, metabolically stable Bicycle with improved physicochemical properties. A BTC incorporating this Bicycle also demonstrated potent antitumor activity and was very well tolerated when compared to the initial BTC. Phage display selection followed by chemical optimization of Bicycles can deliver potent drug conjugates with favorable pharmaceutical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemma E Mudd
- BicycleTx Limited, Building 900, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom
| | - Amy Brown
- BicycleTx Limited, Building 900, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom
| | - Liuhong Chen
- BicycleTx Limited, Building 900, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom
| | | | - Sophie Watcham
- BicycleTx Limited, Building 900, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel P Teufel
- BicycleTx Limited, Building 900, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom
| | - Silvia Pavan
- BicycleTx Limited, Building 900, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom
| | - Rachid Lani
- BicycleTx Limited, Building 900, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom
| | - Philip Huxley
- BicycleTx Limited, Building 900, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom
| | - Gavin S Bennett
- BicycleTx Limited, Building 900, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom
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38
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Meuleman TJ, Cowton VM, Patel AH, Liskamp RM. Improving the aqueous solubility of HCV-E2 glycoprotein epitope mimics by cyclization using POLAR hinges. J Pept Sci 2020; 26:e3222. [PMID: 31984607 PMCID: PMC7050536 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2019] [Revised: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
In this research we describe the improvement of the water-solubility of cyclic epitope mimics based on the HCV E2 glycoprotein by incorporation of suitable polar hinges. The poor solubility of epitope mimics based on peptide sequences in the envelope (E2) protein hampered their synthesis and purification and made it very difficult to prepare the molecular constructs for evaluation of their bioactivity. Since changes in the amino acid composition are hardly possible in these epitope mimics in order to increase water-solubility, a polar cyclization hinge may offer a remedy leading to a significant increase of polarity and therefore water solubility. These polar hinges were applied in the synthesis of better water-soluble HCV-E2 epitopes. An azide functionality in the polar hinges allowed attachment of a tetraethylene glycol linker by Cu-catalyzed azide-alkyne cyclo-addition (CuAAC) for a convenient conjugation to ELISA plates in order to evaluate the bio-activity of the epitope mimics. The immunoassays showed that the use of more polar cyclization hinges still supported anti-HCV antibody recognition and did not negatively influence their binding. This significantly increased solubility induced by polar hinges should therefore allow for the molecular construction and ultimate evaluation of synthetic vaccine molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodorus J. Meuleman
- School of Chemistry, University of GlasgowJoseph Black Building, University AvenueGlasgowG12 8QQUK
| | - Vanessa M. Cowton
- MRC‐University of Glasgow Centre for Virus ResearchGarscube Campus, Sir Michael Stoker Building, 464 Bearsden RoadGlasgowG61 1QHUK
| | - Arvind H. Patel
- MRC‐University of Glasgow Centre for Virus ResearchGarscube Campus, Sir Michael Stoker Building, 464 Bearsden RoadGlasgowG61 1QHUK
| | - Rob M.J. Liskamp
- School of Chemistry, University of GlasgowJoseph Black Building, University AvenueGlasgowG12 8QQUK
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39
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Gladysz R, Vrijdag J, Van Rompaey D, Lambeir A, Augustyns K, De Winter H, Van der Veken P. Efforts towards an On‐Target Version of the Groebke–Blackburn–Bienaymé (GBB) Reaction for Discovery of Druglike Urokinase (uPA) Inhibitors. Chemistry 2019; 25:12380-12393. [DOI: 10.1002/chem.201901917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Revised: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rafaela Gladysz
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry (UAMC)Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of Antwerp Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Wilrijk Belgium
| | - Johannes Vrijdag
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry (UAMC)Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of Antwerp Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Wilrijk Belgium
- Laboratory of Medical BiochemistryDepartment of, Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of Antwerp Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Wilrijk Belgium
| | - Dries Van Rompaey
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry (UAMC)Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of Antwerp Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Wilrijk Belgium
| | - Anne‐Marie Lambeir
- Laboratory of Medical BiochemistryDepartment of, Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of Antwerp Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Wilrijk Belgium
| | - Koen Augustyns
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry (UAMC)Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of Antwerp Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Wilrijk Belgium
| | - Hans De Winter
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry (UAMC)Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of Antwerp Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Wilrijk Belgium
| | - Pieter Van der Veken
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry (UAMC)Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of Antwerp Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Wilrijk Belgium
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40
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Saikhedkar NS, Joshi RS, Yadav AK, Seal S, Fernandes M, Giri AP. Phyto-inspired cyclic peptides derived from plant Pin-II type protease inhibitor reactive center loops for crop protection from insect pests. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2019; 1863:1254-1262. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2019.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Revised: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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41
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Lin P, Yao H, Zha J, Zhao Y, Wu C. Ordered and Isomerically Stable Bicyclic Peptide Scaffolds Constrained through Cystine Bridges and Proline Turns. Chembiochem 2019; 20:1514-1518. [PMID: 30770638 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201800788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2018] [Revised: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Bicyclic peptides are attractive scaffolds for the design of potent protein binders and new therapeutics. However, peptide bicycles constrained through disulfide bonds are rarely stable or tolerant to sequence manipulation owing to disulfide isomerization, especially for peptides lacking a regular secondary structure. Herein, we report the discovery and identification of a class of bicyclic peptide scaffolds with ordered but irregular secondary structures. These peptides have a conserved cysteine/proline framework for directing the oxidative folding into a fused bicyclic structure that consists of four irregular turns and a 310 helix (characterized by NMR spectroscopy). This work shows that bicyclic peptides can be stabilized into ordered structures by manipulating both the disulfide bonds and proline-stabilized turns. In turn, this could inspire the design and engineering of multicyclic peptides with new structures and benefit the development of novel protein binders and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Lin
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, P. R. China
| | - Hongwei Yao
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, P. R. China
| | - Jun Zha
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, P. R. China
| | - Yibing Zhao
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, P. R. China
| | - Chuanliu Wu
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, P. R. China
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42
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Malde AK, Hill TA, Iyer A, Fairlie DP. Crystal Structures of Protein-Bound Cyclic Peptides. Chem Rev 2019; 119:9861-9914. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alpeshkumar K. Malde
- Division of Chemistry and Structural Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Timothy A. Hill
- Division of Chemistry and Structural Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Abishek Iyer
- Division of Chemistry and Structural Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - David P. Fairlie
- Division of Chemistry and Structural Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
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43
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Wei W, Ma J, Xie D, Zhou Y. Linking inhibitor motions to proteolytic stability of sunflower trypsin inhibitor-1. RSC Adv 2019; 9:13776-13786. [PMID: 35519558 PMCID: PMC9063939 DOI: 10.1039/c9ra02114k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The remarkable capability of an enzyme isn't only determined by its active site but also controlled by the environment. To unravel the environment role in catalysis, the dynamic motions as well as the static mechanism need to be studied. In this work, QM/MM MD simulations were employed to study the proteolysis process of SFTI-1 and BiKF, which revealed that a combination of static non-bonded interactions and dynamic motions along the reaction coordinate can account for the different hydrolysis rates between them. A comparison among SFTI-1 and three analogs with similar non-bonded interactions further revealed a positive correlation between the mobility of inhibitors and the hydrolysis rates. Apart from the cyclic backbone and disulfide bond, intramolecular hydrogen bonds also increase the rigidity of the backbone of inhibitors, and therefore hinder inhibitor motions to resist proteolysis. These new detailed mechanistic insights suggest the need to consider inhibitor motions in the rational design of peptide inhibitors. Besides the non-bonded interactions, inhibitor motions especially rotation of the scissile bond also influence proteolytic stability.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanqing Wei
- Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University Nanjing 210023 China
| | - Jing Ma
- Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University Nanjing 210023 China
| | - Daiqian Xie
- Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University Nanjing 210023 China
| | - Yanzi Zhou
- Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University Nanjing 210023 China
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44
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Streefkerk DE, Schmidt M, Ippel JH, Hackeng TM, Nuijens T, Timmerman P, van Maarseveen JH. Synthesis of Constrained Tetracyclic Peptides by Consecutive CEPS, CLIPS, and Oxime Ligation. Org Lett 2019; 21:2095-2100. [PMID: 30912446 PMCID: PMC6456872 DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.9b00378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
![]()
In Nature, multicyclic
peptides constitute a versatile molecule
class with various biological functions. For their pharmaceutical
exploitation, chemical methodologies that enable selective consecutive
macrocyclizations are required. We disclose a combination of enzymatic
macrocyclization, CLIPS alkylation, and oxime ligation to prepare
tetracyclic peptides. Five new small molecular scaffolds and differently
sized model peptides featuring noncanonical amino acids were synthesized.
Enzymatic macrocyclization, followed by one-pot scaffold-assisted
cyclizations, yielded 21 tetracyclic peptides in a facile and robust
manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dieuwertje E Streefkerk
- Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS) , Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam , The Netherlands
| | - Marcel Schmidt
- Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS) , Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam , The Netherlands.,EnzyPep B.V. , Urmonderbaan 22 , 6167 RD Geleen , The Netherlands
| | - Johannes H Ippel
- Department of Biochemistry (CARIM) , University of Maastricht , Universiteitssingel 50, 6229 ER Maastricht , The Netherlands
| | - Tilman M Hackeng
- Department of Biochemistry (CARIM) , University of Maastricht , Universiteitssingel 50, 6229 ER Maastricht , The Netherlands
| | - Timo Nuijens
- EnzyPep B.V. , Urmonderbaan 22 , 6167 RD Geleen , The Netherlands
| | - Peter Timmerman
- Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS) , Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam , The Netherlands.,Pepscan Therapeutics , Zuidersluisweg 2 , 8243 RC Lelystad , The Netherlands
| | - Jan H van Maarseveen
- Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS) , Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam , The Netherlands
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45
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Yin Y, Fei Q, Liu W, Li Z, Suga H, Wu C. Chemical and Ribosomal Synthesis of Topologically Controlled Bicyclic and Tricyclic Peptide Scaffolds Primed by Selenoether Formation. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019; 58:4880-4885. [PMID: 30762292 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201813827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Revised: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Bicyclic and tricyclic peptides have emerged as promising candidates for the development of protein binders and new therapeutics. However, convenient and efficient strategies that can generate topologically controlled bicyclic and tricyclic peptide scaffolds from fully-unprotected peptides are still much in demand, particularly for those amenable to the design of biosynthetic libraries. In this work, we report a reliable chemical and ribosomal synthesis of topologically controlled bicyclic and tricyclic peptide scaffolds. Our strategy involves the combination of selenoether cyclization followed by disulfide or thioether cyclization, yielding desirable bicyclic and tricyclic peptides. This work thus lays the foundation for developing peptide libraries with controlled topology of multicyclic scaffolds for in vitro display techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yizhen Yin
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Qianran Fei
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surface, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, P. R. China
| | - Weidong Liu
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surface, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, P. R. China
| | - Zhuoru Li
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surface, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, P. R. China
| | - Hiroaki Suga
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Chuanliu Wu
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surface, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, P. R. China
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46
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Yin Y, Fei Q, Liu W, Li Z, Suga H, Wu C. Chemical and Ribosomal Synthesis of Topologically Controlled Bicyclic and Tricyclic Peptide Scaffolds Primed by Selenoether Formation. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201813827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yizhen Yin
- Department of ChemistrySchool of ScienceThe University of Tokyo 7-3-1 Hongo Bunkyo Tokyo 113-0033 Japan
| | - Qianran Fei
- Department of ChemistryCollege of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringThe MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid SurfaceXiamen University Xiamen 361005 P. R. China
| | - Weidong Liu
- Department of ChemistryCollege of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringThe MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid SurfaceXiamen University Xiamen 361005 P. R. China
| | - Zhuoru Li
- Department of ChemistryCollege of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringThe MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid SurfaceXiamen University Xiamen 361005 P. R. China
| | - Hiroaki Suga
- Department of ChemistrySchool of ScienceThe University of Tokyo 7-3-1 Hongo Bunkyo Tokyo 113-0033 Japan
| | - Chuanliu Wu
- Department of ChemistryCollege of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringThe MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid SurfaceXiamen University Xiamen 361005 P. R. China
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47
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Vinogradov AA, Yin Y, Suga H. Macrocyclic Peptides as Drug Candidates: Recent Progress and Remaining Challenges. J Am Chem Soc 2019; 141:4167-4181. [PMID: 30768253 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b13178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 389] [Impact Index Per Article: 77.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Peptides as a therapeutic modality attract much attention due to their synthetic accessibility, high degree of specific binding, and the ability to target protein surfaces traditionally considered "undruggable". Unfortunately, at the same time, other pharmacological properties of a generic peptide, such as metabolic stability and cell permeability, are quite poor, which limits the success of de novo discovered biologically active peptides as drug candidates. Here, we review how macrocyclization as well as the incorporation of nonproteogenic amino acids and various conjugation strategies may be utilized to improve on these characteristics to create better drug candidates. We analyze recent progress and remaining challenges in improving individual pharmacological properties of bioactive peptides, and offer our opinion on interfacing these, often conflicting, considerations, to create balanced drug candidates as a potential way to make further progress in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander A Vinogradov
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science , The University of Tokyo , 7-3-1 Hongo , Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 , Japan
| | - Yizhen Yin
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science , The University of Tokyo , 7-3-1 Hongo , Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 , Japan
| | - Hiroaki Suga
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science , The University of Tokyo , 7-3-1 Hongo , Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 , Japan
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48
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Otero-Ramirez ME, Passioura T, Suga H. Structural Features and Binding Modes of Thioether-Cyclized Peptide Ligands. Biomedicines 2018; 6:biomedicines6040116. [PMID: 30551606 PMCID: PMC6316662 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines6040116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Revised: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Macrocyclic peptides are an emerging class of bioactive compounds for therapeutic use. In part, this is because they are capable of high potency and excellent target affinity and selectivity. Over the last decade, several biochemical techniques have been developed for the identification of bioactive macrocyclic peptides, allowing for the rapid isolation of high affinity ligands to a target of interest. A common feature of these techniques is a general reliance on thioether formation to effect macrocyclization. Increasingly, the compounds identified using these approaches have been subjected to x-ray crystallographic analysis bound to their respective targets, providing detailed structural information about their conformation and mechanism of target binding. The present review provides an overview of the target bound thioether-closed macrocyclic peptide structures that have been obtained to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel E Otero-Ramirez
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, 113-0033 Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Japan.
| | - Toby Passioura
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, 113-0033 Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Japan.
| | - Hiroaki Suga
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, 113-0033 Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Japan.
- JST CREST, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, 113-0033 Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Japan.
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49
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Cyclic Peptides: Promising Scaffolds for Biopharmaceuticals. Genes (Basel) 2018; 9:genes9110557. [PMID: 30453533 PMCID: PMC6267108 DOI: 10.3390/genes9110557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Revised: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
To date, small molecules and macromolecules, including antibodies, have been the most pursued substances in drug screening and development efforts. Despite numerous favorable features as a drug, these molecules still have limitations and are not complementary in many regards. Recently, peptide-based chemical structures that lie between these two categories in terms of both structural and functional properties have gained increasing attention as potential alternatives. In particular, peptides in a circular form provide a promising scaffold for the development of a novel drug class owing to their adjustable and expandable ability to bind a wide range of target molecules. In this review, we discuss recent progress in methodologies for peptide cyclization and screening and use of bioactive cyclic peptides in various applications.
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50
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Huang Y, Wiedmann MM, Suga H. RNA Display Methods for the Discovery of Bioactive Macrocycles. Chem Rev 2018; 119:10360-10391. [PMID: 30395448 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The past two decades have witnessed the emergence of macrocycles, including macrocyclic peptides, as a promising yet underexploited class of de novo drug candidates. Both rational/computational design and in vitro display systems have contributed tremendously to the development of cyclic peptide binders of either traditional targets such as cell-surface receptors and enzymes or challenging targets such as protein-protein interaction surfaces. mRNA display, a key platform technology for the discovery of cyclic peptide ligands, has become one of the leading strategies that can generate natural-product-like macrocyclic peptide binders with antibody-like affinities. On the basis of the original cell-free transcription/translation system, mRNA display is highly evolvable to realize its full potential by applying genetic reprogramming and chemical/enzymatic modifications. In addition, mRNA display also allows the follow-up hit-to-lead development using high-throughput focused affinity maturation. Finally, mRNA-displayed peptides can be readily engineered to create chemical conjugates based on known small molecules or biologics. This review covers the birth and growth of mRNA display and discusses the above features of mRNA display with success stories and future perspectives and is up to date as of August 2018.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yichao Huang
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science , The University of Tokyo , 7-3-1 Hongo , Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 , Japan
| | - Mareike Margarete Wiedmann
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science , The University of Tokyo , 7-3-1 Hongo , Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 , Japan
| | - Hiroaki Suga
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science , The University of Tokyo , 7-3-1 Hongo , Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 , Japan
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