1
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Asar M, Newton-Northup J, Soendergaard M. Improving Pharmacokinetics of Peptides Using Phage Display. Viruses 2024; 16:570. [PMID: 38675913 PMCID: PMC11055145 DOI: 10.3390/v16040570] [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: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Phage display is a versatile method often used in the discovery of peptides that targets disease-related biomarkers. A major advantage of this technology is the ease and cost efficiency of affinity selection, also known as biopanning, to identify novel peptides. While it is relatively straightforward to identify peptides with optimal binding affinity, the pharmacokinetics of the selected peptides often prove to be suboptimal. Therefore, careful consideration of the experimental conditions, including the choice of using in vitro, in situ, or in vivo affinity selections, is essential in generating peptides with high affinity and specificity that also demonstrate desirable pharmacokinetics. Specifically, in vivo biopanning, or the combination of in vitro, in situ, and in vivo affinity selections, has been proven to influence the biodistribution and clearance of peptides and peptide-conjugated nanoparticles. Additionally, the marked difference in properties between peptides and nanoparticles must be considered. While peptide biodistribution depends primarily on physiochemical properties and can be modified by amino acid modifications, the size and shape of nanoparticles also affect both absorption and distribution. Thus, optimization of the desired pharmacokinetic properties should be an important consideration in biopanning strategies to enable the selection of peptides and peptide-conjugated nanoparticles that effectively target biomarkers in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mallika Asar
- College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kansas City University, Kansas City, MO 64106, USA;
| | | | - Mette Soendergaard
- Cell Origins LLC, 1601 South Providence Road Columbia, Columbia, MO 65203, USA;
- Department of Chemistry, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL 61455, USA
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2
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Guerin N, Childs H, Zhou P, Donald BR. DexDesign: A new OSPREY-based algorithm for designing de novo D-peptide inhibitors. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.12.579944. [PMID: 38405797 PMCID: PMC10888900 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.12.579944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
With over 270 unique occurrences in the human genome, peptide-recognizing PDZ domains play a central role in modulating polarization, signaling, and trafficking pathways. Mutations in PDZ domains lead to diseases such as cancer and cystic fibrosis, making PDZ domains attractive targets for therapeutic intervention. D-peptide inhibitors offer unique advantages as therapeutics, including increased metabolic stability and low immunogenicity. Here, we introduce DexDesign, a novel OSPREY-based algorithm for computationally designing de novo D-peptide inhibitors. DexDesign leverages three novel techniques that are broadly applicable to computational protein design: the Minimum Flexible Set, K*-based Mutational Scan, and Inverse Alanine Scan, which enable exponential reductions in the size of the peptide sequence search space. We apply these techniques and DexDesign to generate novel D-peptide inhibitors of two biomedically important PDZ domain targets: CAL and MAST2. We introduce a new framework for analyzing de novo peptides-evaluation along a replication/restitution axis-and apply it to the DexDesign-generated D-peptides. Notably, the peptides we generated are predicted to bind their targets tighter than their targets' endogenous ligands, validating the peptides' potential as lead therapeutic candidates. We provide an implementation of DexDesign in the free and open source computational protein design software OSPREY.
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3
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Vincenzi M, Mercurio FA, Leone M. Virtual Screening of Peptide Libraries: The Search for Peptide-Based Therapeutics Using Computational Tools. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1798. [PMID: 38339078 PMCID: PMC10855943 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25031798] [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: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Over the last few decades, we have witnessed growing interest from both academic and industrial laboratories in peptides as possible therapeutics. Bioactive peptides have a high potential to treat various diseases with specificity and biological safety. Compared to small molecules, peptides represent better candidates as inhibitors (or general modulators) of key protein-protein interactions. In fact, undruggable proteins containing large and smooth surfaces can be more easily targeted with the conformational plasticity of peptides. The discovery of bioactive peptides, working against disease-relevant protein targets, generally requires the high-throughput screening of large libraries, and in silico approaches are highly exploited for their low-cost incidence and efficiency. The present review reports on the potential challenges linked to the employment of peptides as therapeutics and describes computational approaches, mainly structure-based virtual screening (SBVS), to support the identification of novel peptides for therapeutic implementations. Cutting-edge SBVS strategies are reviewed along with examples of applications focused on diverse classes of bioactive peptides (i.e., anticancer, antimicrobial/antiviral peptides, peptides blocking amyloid fiber formation).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marilisa Leone
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy; (M.V.); (F.A.M.)
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4
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Guerin N, Childs H, Zhou P, Donald BR. DexDesign: an OSPREY-based algorithm for designing de novo D-peptide inhibitors. Protein Eng Des Sel 2024; 37:gzae007. [PMID: 38757573 PMCID: PMC11099876 DOI: 10.1093/protein/gzae007] [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: 09/03/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
With over 270 unique occurrences in the human genome, peptide-recognizing PDZ domains play a central role in modulating polarization, signaling, and trafficking pathways. Mutations in PDZ domains lead to diseases such as cancer and cystic fibrosis, making PDZ domains attractive targets for therapeutic intervention. D-peptide inhibitors offer unique advantages as therapeutics, including increased metabolic stability and low immunogenicity. Here, we introduce DexDesign, a novel OSPREY-based algorithm for computationally designing de novo D-peptide inhibitors. DexDesign leverages three novel techniques that are broadly applicable to computational protein design: the Minimum Flexible Set, K*-based Mutational Scan, and Inverse Alanine Scan. We apply these techniques and DexDesign to generate novel D-peptide inhibitors of two biomedically important PDZ domain targets: CAL and MAST2. We introduce a framework for analyzing de novo peptides-evaluation along a replication/restitution axis-and apply it to the DexDesign-generated D-peptides. Notably, the peptides we generated are predicted to bind their targets tighter than their targets' endogenous ligands, validating the peptides' potential as lead inhibitors. We also provide an implementation of DexDesign in the free and open source computational protein design software OSPREY.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Guerin
- Department of Computer Science, Duke University, 308 Research Drive, Durham, NC 27708, United States
| | - Henry Childs
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, 124 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708, United States
| | - Pei Zhou
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University School of Medicine, 307 Research Drive, Durham, NC 22710, United States
| | - Bruce R Donald
- Department of Computer Science, Duke University, 308 Research Drive, Durham, NC 27708, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, 124 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University School of Medicine, 307 Research Drive, Durham, NC 22710, United States
- Department of Mathematics, Duke University, 120 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708, United States
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5
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Zhang H, Gomika Udugamasooriya D. Linker optimization and activity validation of a cell surface vimentin targeted homo-dimeric peptoid antagonist for lung cancer stem cells. Bioorg Med Chem 2024; 97:117560. [PMID: 38103535 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2023.117560] [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: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) endows epithelia-derived cancer cells with properties of stem cells that govern cancer invasion and metastasis. Vimentin is one of the best studied EMT markers and recent reports indicate that vimentin interestingly translocated onto cell surface under various tumor conditions. We recently reported a cell surface vimentin (CSV) specific peptoid antagonist named JM3A. We now investigated the selective antagonist activity of the optimized homo-dimeric version of JM3A, JM3A-L2D on stem-like cancer cells or cancer stem cells (CSCs) over normal cells in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Homo-dimerization of JM3A provided the avidity effect and improved the biological activity compared to the monomeric version. We first optimized the central linker length of the dimer by designing seven JM3A derivatives with varying linker lengths/types and evaluated the anti-cancer activity using the standard MTS cell viability assay. The most optimized derivative contains a central lysine linker and two glycines, named JM3A-L2D, which displayed 100 nM vimentin binding affinity (Kd) with an anti-cancer activity (IC50) of 6.7 µM on H1299 NSCLC cells. This is a 190-fold improvement in binding over the original JM3A. JM3A-L2D exhibited better potency on high vimentin-expressing NSCLC cells (H1299 and H460) compared to low vimentin-expressing NSCLC cells (H2122). No activity was observed on normal bronchial HBEC3-KT cells. The anti-CSC activity of JM3A-L2D was evaluated using the standard colony formation assay and JM3A-L2D disrupted the colony formation with IC50 ∼ 400 nM. In addition, JM3A-L2D inhibited cell migration activity at IC50 ∼ 2 µM, assessed via wound healing assay. The underlying mechanism of action seems to be the induction of apoptosis by JM3A-L2D on high-vimentin expressing H1229 and H460 NSCLC cells. Our optimized highly CSV selective peptoid has the potential to be developed as an anti-cancer drug candidate, especially considering the high serum stability and economical synthesis of peptoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haowen Zhang
- Department of Pharmacological & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Houston, 4349 Martin Luther King Boulevard, Health Building 2, Room 7033, Houston, TX 77204-5037, USA
| | - D Gomika Udugamasooriya
- Department of Pharmacological & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Houston, 4349 Martin Luther King Boulevard, Health Building 2, Room 7033, Houston, TX 77204-5037, USA; Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1881 East Road, Houston, TX 77030-4009, USA.
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6
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Ur Rahim J, Faheem MM, Nawaz S, Goswami A, Rai R. Synthesis and characterization of piperic acid conjugates with homochiral and heterochiral dipeptides containing phenylalanine and their application in skin cancer. Peptides 2023; 170:171113. [PMID: 37923167 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2023.171113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
The current work demonstrates the synthesis and characterization of piperic acid conjugates with homochiral/heterochiral dipeptides containing phenylalanine as anti-skin cancer agents. The conjugates PA-DPhe-LPhe-OH, FC-1; PA-LPhe-DPhe-OH, FC-2; PA-DPhe-DPhe-OH, FC-3; and PA-DPhe-DPhe-OH, FC-4 were synthesized, characterized and assessed for cytotoxicity against melanoma cell lines of human and murine origin. Among all, PA-DPhe-DPhe-OH (FC-3) conjugate was identified as a potential cytotoxic lead against melanoma cells by delineating the anti-proliferative and anti-migratory potential together with its anti-inflammatory potential against pro-inflammatory interleukins (IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8). Evidences from western blotting, fractionation, and immunocytochemistry experiments suggest that Stat-3 is a critical signaling molecule involved in the FC-3 mechanism of action. The results denote that FC-3 profoundly ablates Stat-3 expression, phosphorylation, and nuclear translocation. Stat-3 mRNA analysis revealed that FC-3 did not alter the transcription of Stat-3. However, in cells where proteasome mediated degradation was inhibited, FC-3 failed to check the Stat-3 expression implying that FC-3 augments the proteasomal degradation of Stat-3. Of note, FC-3 failed to reverse the IL-6 mediated hyperactivation of Stat-3 in A375 cells. Critically, in Stat-3 deficient cancer cells, the anti-clonogenic and anti-migratory potential of FC-3 was significantly subdued. Further, the in vivo efficacy of FC-3 was validated in the two-step (DMBA/TPA) chemically induced mouse skin cancer model. The FC-3-treated cohorts of mice unveiled a significant decrease in the cumulative number of tumors besides attenuation of tumor growth with respect to the vehicle-treated mice. Lastly, in corroboration with our in vitro findings, serum collected from mice groups at various intervals during the treatment regimen demonstrated decrement in IL-1β and IL-6 levels in FC-3 treated groups compared to the vehicle-treated group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junaid Ur Rahim
- Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Canal Road, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir 180001, India; Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Mir Mohd Faheem
- Pharmacology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Canal Road, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir 180001, India; School of Biotechnology, University of Jammu, Jammu 180006, India
| | - Shah Nawaz
- Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India; Pharmacology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Canal Road, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir 180001, India
| | - Anindya Goswami
- Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India; Pharmacology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Canal Road, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir 180001, India.
| | - Rajkishor Rai
- Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Canal Road, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir 180001, India; Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India.
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7
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Myšková A, Sýkora D, Kuneš J, Maletínská L. Lipidization as a tool toward peptide therapeutics. Drug Deliv 2023; 30:2284685. [PMID: 38010881 PMCID: PMC10987053 DOI: 10.1080/10717544.2023.2284685] [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: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Peptides, as potential therapeutics continue to gain importance in the search for active substances for the treatment of numerous human diseases, some of which are, to this day, incurable. As potential therapeutic drugs, peptides have many favorable chemical and pharmacological properties, starting with their great diversity, through their high affinity for binding to all sort of natural receptors, and ending with the various pathways of their breakdown, which produces nothing but amino acids that are nontoxic to the body. Despite these and other advantages, however, they also have their pitfalls. One of these disadvantages is the very low stability of natural peptides. They have a short half-life and tend to be cleared from the organism very quickly. Their instability in the gastrointestinal tract, makes it impossible to administer peptidic drugs orally. To achieve the best pharmacologic effect, it is desirable to look for ways of modifying peptides that enable the use of these substances as pharmaceuticals. There are many ways to modify peptides. Herein we summarize the approaches that are currently in use, including lipidization, PEGylation, glycosylation and others, focusing on lipidization. We describe how individual types of lipidization are achieved and describe their advantages and drawbacks. Peptide modifications are performed with the goal of reaching a longer half-life, reducing immunogenicity and improving bioavailability. In the case of neuropeptides, lipidization aids their activity in the central nervous system after the peripheral administration. At the end of our review, we summarize all lipidized peptide-based drugs that are currently on the market.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aneta Myšková
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Science of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - David Sýkora
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jaroslav Kuneš
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Science of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Lenka Maletínská
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Science of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic
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8
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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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9
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Jiang HK, Weng JH, Wang YH, Tsou JC, Chen PJ, Ko ALA, Söll D, Tsai MD, Wang YS. Rational design of the genetic code expansion toolkit for in vivo encoding of D-amino acids. Front Genet 2023; 14:1277489. [PMID: 37904728 PMCID: PMC10613524 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1277489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Once thought to be non-naturally occurring, D-amino acids (DAAs) have in recent years been revealed to play a wide range of physiological roles across the tree of life, including in human systems. Synthetic biologists have since exploited DAAs' unique biophysical properties to generate peptides and proteins with novel or enhanced functions. However, while peptides and small proteins containing DAAs can be efficiently prepared in vitro, producing large-sized heterochiral proteins poses as a major challenge mainly due to absence of pre-existing DAA translational machinery and presence of endogenous chiral discriminators. Based on our previous work demonstrating pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase's (PylRS') remarkable substrate polyspecificity, this work attempts to increase PylRS' ability in directly charging tRNAPyl with D-phenylalanine analogs (DFAs). We here report a novel, polyspecific Methanosarcina mazei PylRS mutant, DFRS2, capable of incorporating DFAs into proteins via ribosomal synthesis in vivo. To validate its utility, in vivo translational DAA substitution were performed in superfolder green fluorescent protein and human heavy chain ferritin, successfully altering both proteins' physiochemical properties. Furthermore, aminoacylation kinetic assays further demonstrated aminoacylation of DFAs by DFRS2 in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han-Kai Jiang
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Taiwan International Graduate Program Chemical Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Jui-Hung Weng
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hui Wang
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jo-Chu Tsou
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Jung Chen
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - An-Li Andrea Ko
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Dieter Söll
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Ming-Daw Tsai
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yane-Shih Wang
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Taiwan International Graduate Program Chemical Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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10
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Johnson K, Delaney JC, Guillard T, Reffuveille F, Varin-Simon J, Li K, Wollacott A, Frapy E, Mong S, Tissire H, Viswanathan K, Touti F, Babcock GJ, Shriver Z, Pentelute BL, Plante O, Skurnik D. Development of an antibody fused with an antimicrobial peptide targeting Pseudomonas aeruginosa: A new approach to prevent and treat bacterial infections. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011612. [PMID: 37676873 PMCID: PMC10508631 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The increase in emerging drug resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections is a global concern. In addition, there is growing recognition that compromising the microbiota through the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics can impact long term patient outcomes. Therefore, there is the need to develop new bactericidal strategies to combat Gram-negative infections that would address these specific issues. In this study, we report and characterize one such approach, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that combines (i) targeting the surface of a specific pathogenic organism through a monoclonal antibody with (ii) the high killing activity of an antimicrobial peptide. We focused on a major pathogenic Gram-negative bacterium associated with antibacterial resistance: Pseudomonas aeruginosa. To target this organism, we designed an ADC by fusing an antimicrobial peptide to the C-terminal end of the VH and/or VL-chain of a monoclonal antibody, VSX, that targets the core of P. aeruginosa lipopolysaccharide. This ADC demonstrates appropriately minimal levels of toxicity against mammalian cells, rapidly kills P. aeruginosa strains, and protects mice from P. aeruginosa lung infection when administered therapeutically. Furthermore, we found that the ADC was synergistic with several classes of antibiotics. This approach described in this study might result in a broadly useful strategy for targeting specific pathogenic microorganisms without further augmenting antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth Johnson
- Visterra, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - James C. Delaney
- Visterra, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Thomas Guillard
- Inserm UMR-S 1250 P3 Cell, Université de Reims-Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France
| | - Fany Reffuveille
- Inserm UMR-S 1250 P3 Cell, Université de Reims-Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France
| | | | - Kai Li
- Visterra, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Andrew Wollacott
- Visterra, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Eric Frapy
- CNRS, INSERM, Institut Necker Enfants Malades-INEM, F-75015 Paris, France; Faculté de Médecine, University of Paris City, Paris, France
| | - Surin Mong
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Hamid Tissire
- Visterra, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | | | - Faycal Touti
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | | | - Zachary Shriver
- Visterra, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Bradley L. Pentelute
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Obadiah Plante
- Visterra, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - David Skurnik
- CNRS, INSERM, Institut Necker Enfants Malades-INEM, F-75015 Paris, France; Faculté de Médecine, University of Paris City, Paris, France
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Fédération Hospitalo-Universitaire Prématurité (FHU PREMA), Necker-Enfants Malades University Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, University of Paris City, Paris, France
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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11
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Katoh T, Suga H. Ribosomal incorporation of negatively charged d-α- and N-methyl-l-α-amino acids enhanced by EF-Sep. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220038. [PMID: 36633283 PMCID: PMC9835608 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0038] [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: 02/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Ribosomal incorporation of d-α-amino acids (dAA) and N-methyl-l-α-amino acids (MeAA) with negatively charged sidechains, such as d-Asp, d-Glu, MeAsp and MeGlu, into nascent peptides is far more inefficient compared to those with neutral or positively charged ones. This is because of low binding affinity of their aminoacyl-transfer RNA (tRNA) to elongation factor-thermo unstable (EF-Tu), a translation factor responsible for accommodation of aminoacyl-tRNA onto ribosome. It is well known that EF-Tu binds to two parts of aminoacyl-tRNA, the amino acid moiety and the T-stem; however, the amino acid binding pocket of EF-Tu bearing Glu and Asp causes electric repulsion against the negatively charged amino acid charged on tRNA. To circumvent this issue, here we adopted two strategies: (i) use of an EF-Tu variant, called EF-Sep, in which the Glu216 and Asp217 residues in EF-Tu are substituted with Asn216 and Gly217, respectively; and (ii) reinforcement of the T-stem affinity using an artificially developed chimeric tRNA, tRNAPro1E2, whose T-stem is derived from Escherichia coli tRNAGlu that has high affinity to EF-Tu. Consequently, we could successfully enhance the incorporation efficiencies of d-Asp, d-Glu, MeAsp and MeGlu and demonstrated for the first time, to our knowledge, ribosomal synthesis of macrocyclic peptides containing multiple d-Asp or MeAsp. This article is part of the theme issue 'Reactivity and mechanism in chemical and synthetic biology'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takayuki Katoh
- 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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12
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Faheem MM, Rahim JU, Ahmad SM, Mir KB, Kaur G, Bhagat M, Rai R, Goswami A. Heterochiral dipeptide d-phenylalanyl- l-phenylalanine (H- D Phe- L Phe-OH) as a potential inducer of metastatic suppressor NM23H1 in p53 wild-type and mutant cells. Mol Carcinog 2022; 61:1143-1160. [PMID: 36239557 DOI: 10.1002/mc.23465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, significant progress has been made to the use-case of small peptides because of their diversified edifice and hence their versatile application scope in cancer therapy. Here we identify the heterochiral dipeptide H-D Phe-L Phe-OH (F1) as a potent inducer of the metastatic suppressor NM23H1. We divulge the effect of F1 on the major EMT/metastasis-associated genes and the implications on the invasion and migration ability of cancer cells. The anti-invasive potential of F1 was directly correlated with NM23H1 expression. Mechanistically, F1 treatment elevated p53 levels as validated by localization and transcriptional studies. In the NM23H1 knockdown condition, F1 failed to induce any p53 expression/nuclear localization, indicating that the upregulation in p53 expression by F1 is NM23H1 dependent. We also demonstrate how the antimetastatic potential of F1 is primarily mediated through NM23H1 irrespective of the p53 status of the cell. However, both NM23H1 and a functional p53 protein in conjunction govern the apoptotic and cytostatic potential of F1. Coimmunoprecipitation studies unraveled the augmentation of the p53 and NM23H1 interaction in p53 wild-type cells. However, in p53 mutated cells, no such enrichment was evidenced. We employed mouse isogenic cell lines (4T-1 and 4T-1 p53) to determine the in vivo efficacy of F1 (spontaneous and experimental models). Decreased tumor volume in the cohort injected with 4T-1 p53 cells demonstrated that while the antimetastatic potential of F1 was reliant on NM23H1, p53 activation was required for ablation of primary tumor burden. Our findings unravel that F1 treatment induces significant abrogation of the migration, invasion and metastatic potential of both p53 wild-type and p53 deficient cancers mediated through NM23H1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mir Mohd Faheem
- Pharmacology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India.,School of Biotechnology, University of Jammu, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| | - Junaid Ur Rahim
- Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India.,Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Syed Mudabir Ahmad
- Pharmacology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India.,Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Khalid Bashir Mir
- Pharmacology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India.,Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Gursimar Kaur
- Pharmacology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India.,Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Madhulika Bhagat
- School of Biotechnology, University of Jammu, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| | - Rajkishor Rai
- Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India.,Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Anindya Goswami
- Pharmacology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India.,Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
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13
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Zhang M, Wang Y, Li X, Meng G, Chen X, Wang L, Lin Z, Wang L. A Single L/D-Substitution at Q4 of the mInsA 2-10 Epitope Prevents Type 1 Diabetes in Humanized NOD Mice. Front Immunol 2021; 12:713276. [PMID: 34526989 PMCID: PMC8435724 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.713276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Autoreactive CD8+ T cells play an indispensable key role in the destruction of pancreatic islet β-cells and the initiation of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Insulin is an essential β-cell autoantigen in T1D. An HLA-A*0201-restricted epitope of insulin A chain (mInsA2-10) is an immunodominant ligand for autoreactive CD8+ T cells in NOD.β2mnull .HHD mice. Altered peptide ligands (APLs) carrying amino acid substitutions at T cell receptor (TCR) contact positions within an epitope are potential to modulate autoimmune responses via triggering altered TCR signaling. Here, we used a molecular simulation strategy to guide the generation of APL candidates by substitution of L-amino acids with D-amino acids at potential TCR contact residues (positions 4 and 6) of mInsA2-10, named mInsA2-10DQ4 and mInsA2-10DC6, respectively. We found that administration of mInsA2-10DQ4, but not DC6, significantly suppressed the development of T1D in NOD.β2mnull .HHD mice. Mechanistically, treatment with mInsA2-10DQ4 not only notably eliminated mInsA2-10 autoreactive CD8+ T cell responses but also prevented the infiltration of CD4+ T and CD8+ T cells, as well as the inflammatory responses in the pancreas of NOD.β2mnull.HHD mice. This study provides a new strategy for the development of APL vaccines for T1D prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengjun Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, College of Pharmacy, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing, China.,Institute of Immunology People's Libration Army (PLA) & Department of Immunology, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing, China
| | - Yuanqiang Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiangqian Li
- Institute of Immunology People's Libration Army (PLA) & Department of Immunology, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing, China
| | - Gang Meng
- Department of Pathology, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing, China
| | - Xiaoling Chen
- Institute of Immunology People's Libration Army (PLA) & Department of Immunology, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing, China
| | - Lina Wang
- Department of Immunology, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
| | - Zhihua Lin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, China
| | - Li Wang
- Institute of Immunology People's Libration Army (PLA) & Department of Immunology, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing, China
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14
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Carle V, Wu Y, Mukherjee R, Kong XD, Rogg C, Laurent Q, Cecere E, Villequey C, Konakalla MS, Maric T, Lamers C, Díaz-Perlas C, Butler K, Goto J, Stegmayr B, Heinis C. Development of Selective FXIa Inhibitors Based on Cyclic Peptides and Their Application for Safe Anticoagulation. J Med Chem 2021; 64:6802-6813. [PMID: 33974422 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Coagulation factor XI (FXI) has emerged as a promising target for the development of safer anticoagulation drugs that limit the risk of severe and life-threatening bleeding. Herein, we report the first cyclic peptide-based FXI inhibitor that selectively and potently inhibits activated FXI (FXIa) in human and animal blood. The cyclic peptide inhibitor (Ki = 2.8 ± 0.5 nM) achieved anticoagulation effects that are comparable to that of the gold standard heparin applied at a therapeutic dose (0.3-0.7 IU/mL in plasma) but with a substantially broader estimated therapeutic range. We extended the plasma half-life of the peptide via PEGylation and demonstrated effective FXIa inhibition over extended periods in vivo. We validated the anticoagulant effects of the PEGylated inhibitor in an ex vivo hemodialysis model with human blood. Our work shows that FXI can be selectively targeted with peptides and provides a promising candidate for the development of a safe anticoagulation therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Carle
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Yuteng Wu
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Rakesh Mukherjee
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Xu-Dong Kong
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Chloé Rogg
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Quentin Laurent
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Enza Cecere
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Camille Villequey
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Madhuree S Konakalla
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Tamara Maric
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Christina Lamers
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Cristina Díaz-Perlas
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Kaycie Butler
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Junko Goto
- Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, University of Umeå, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Bernd Stegmayr
- Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, University of Umeå, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Christian Heinis
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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15
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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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16
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Discovery of De Novo Macrocyclic Peptides by Messenger RNA Display. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2021; 42:385-397. [PMID: 33771353 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2021.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Macrocyclic peptides are a promising class of compounds that can often engage challenging therapeutic targets. Display technologies, such as mRNA display, allow for the efficient discovery of macrocyclic peptides. This article reviews the current approaches for generating macrocyclic peptide libraries using mRNA display and highlights some recent examples of ribosomal incorporation of nonproteinogenic amino acids into macrocyclic peptides.
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17
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Wang D, Chen C, Liu Q, Zhao Q, Wu D, Yuan Y, Huang C, Sun X, Huang C, Leong DT, Wang G, Qian H. Functionalizing DNA nanostructures with natural cationic amino acids. Bioact Mater 2021; 6:2946-2955. [PMID: 33732965 PMCID: PMC7930363 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2021.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Complexing self-assembled DNA nanostructures with various functional guest species is the key to unlocking new and exciting biomedical applications. Cationic guest species not only induce magnesium-free DNA to self-assemble into defined structures but also endow the final complex nanomaterials with new properties. Herein, we propose a novel strategy that employs naturally occurring cationic amino acids to induce DNA self-assembly into defined nanostructures. Natural l-arginine and l-lysine can readily induce the assembly of tile-based DNA nanotubes and DNA origami sheets in a magnesium-free manner. The self-assembly processes are demonstrated to be pH- and concentration-dependent and are achieved at constant temperatures. Moreover, the assembled DNA/amino acid complex nanomaterials are stable at a physiological temperature of 37 °C. Substituting l-arginine with its D form enhances its serum stability. Further preliminary examination of this complex nanomaterial platform for biomedical applications indicates that DNA/amino acids exhibit distinct cellular uptake behaviors compared with their magnesium-assembled counterparts. The nanomaterial mainly clusters around the cell membrane and might be utilized to manipulate molecular events on the membrane. Our study suggests that the properties of DNA nanostructures can be tuned by complexing them with customized guest molecules for a designed application. The strategy proposed herein might be promising to advance the biomedical applications of DNA nanostructures. A “noncanonical DNA self-assembly” strategy is proposed. Cationic amino acids can assemble DNA nanostructures in a magnesium-free system. The complex nanomaterial exhibited high structural and serum stability. DNA nanostructures can be engineered with customized guest molecules for multiple applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Wang
- Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, 183 Xinqiao Street, Chongqing, 400037, China.,Department of Respiratory Medicine, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210002, China
| | - Chunfa Chen
- Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, 183 Xinqiao Street, Chongqing, 400037, China
| | - Qian Liu
- Laboratory of Pharmacy and Chemistry, And Laboratory of Tissue and Cell Biology, Lab Teaching & Management Center, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Qianwen Zhao
- Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, 183 Xinqiao Street, Chongqing, 400037, China
| | - Di Wu
- Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, 183 Xinqiao Street, Chongqing, 400037, China
| | - Yue Yuan
- Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, 183 Xinqiao Street, Chongqing, 400037, China
| | - Chaowang Huang
- Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, 183 Xinqiao Street, Chongqing, 400037, China
| | - Xiaorong Sun
- Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, 183 Xinqiao Street, Chongqing, 400037, China
| | - Chunji Huang
- Basic Medical College, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - David Tai Leong
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Guansong Wang
- Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, 183 Xinqiao Street, Chongqing, 400037, China
| | - Hang Qian
- Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, 183 Xinqiao Street, Chongqing, 400037, China
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18
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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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19
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Wang M, Wang H, Niu CQ, Zhang T, Wu Z, Li Z. Tetrazine-TCO Ligation: A Potential Simple Approach to Improve Tumor Uptake through Enhanced Blood Circulation. Bioconjug Chem 2020; 31:1795-1803. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.0c00264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mengzhe Wang
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, United States
| | - Hui Wang
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, United States
| | - Crystal Q. Niu
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, United States
| | - Tao Zhang
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, United States
| | - Zhanhong Wu
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, United States
| | - Zibo Li
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, United States
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20
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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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21
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Jiang S, Zhao L, Wu J, Bao Y, Wang Z, Jin Y. Photo-induced synthesis, structure and in vitro bioactivity of a natural cyclic peptide Yunnanin A analog. RSC Adv 2019; 10:210-214. [PMID: 35492554 PMCID: PMC9047273 DOI: 10.1039/c9ra09163g] [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: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
A cyclic analog of natural peptide Yunnanin A was synthesized via photoinduced single electron transfer reaction (SET) in the paper. The resulting compound exhibited potent bioactivity (with IC50 values 29.25 μg mL−1 against HepG-2 cell lines and 65.01 μg mL−1 against HeLa cell lines), but almost have no toxicity to normal cells (with IC50 values 203.25 μg mL−1 against L929 cell lines), which may be served as a potential antitumor drug for medical treatment. The spatial structure was examined by experimental electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and quantum chemistry calculations. Moreover, the theoretical study suggested that special intramolecular hydrogen bonds and γ, β-turn secondary structures may be possible sources affecting cyclic peptide's bioactivity. The photo-induced synthesis, structure and in vitro bioactivity study of a Yunnanin A cyclopeptide analog was presented.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Shitian Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Photochemistry Biomaterials and Energy Storage Materials of Heilongjiang Province, College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Harbin Normal University Harbin 150025 China +86-451-88060569
| | - Lishuang Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Cytogenetics and Genetic Breeding of Heilongjiang Province, College of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Normal University Harbin 150025 China
| | - Jingwan Wu
- Key Laboratory of Photochemistry Biomaterials and Energy Storage Materials of Heilongjiang Province, College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Harbin Normal University Harbin 150025 China +86-451-88060569
| | - Yujun Bao
- Key Laboratory of Photochemistry Biomaterials and Energy Storage Materials of Heilongjiang Province, College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Harbin Normal University Harbin 150025 China +86-451-88060569
| | - Zhiqiang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Photochemistry Biomaterials and Energy Storage Materials of Heilongjiang Province, College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Harbin Normal University Harbin 150025 China +86-451-88060569
| | - Yingxue Jin
- Key Laboratory of Photochemistry Biomaterials and Energy Storage Materials of Heilongjiang Province, College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Harbin Normal University Harbin 150025 China +86-451-88060569
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22
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Bao Y, Zhao L, Wu J, Jiang S, Wang Z, Jin Y. Photo-induced synthesis of Axinastatin 3 analogs, the secondary structures and their in vitro antitumor activities. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2019; 29:126730. [PMID: 31607609 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2019.126730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Cyclic peptides combine several favorable properties such as good binding affinity, target selectivity and low toxicity that make them an attractive modality for drug development. In an effort to identify what conformation could be accounting for the bioactive disparity of natural and synthetic cyclic peptides, some structurally-constrained analogs of cyclopeptide Axinastatin 3 were prepared by photo-induced single electron transfer (SET) reaction. Detailed stereochemistry study was performed by experimental electronic circular dichroism combined with theoretical calculations. Our study suggested that the cyclopeptide 1 with βI-turn presented stronger antitumor activity comparing with those without such secondary structures. Moreover, a rare 'π helix unit' (compound 3) was realized because of the constrained cyclic structure, which could be considered an important research object for future study of unique helix secondary structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujun Bao
- Key Laboratory of Photochemistry Biomaterials and Energy Storage Materials of Heilongjiang Province, College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China
| | - Lishuang Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Cytogenetics and Genetic Breeding of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, College of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China
| | - Jingwan Wu
- Key Laboratory of Photochemistry Biomaterials and Energy Storage Materials of Heilongjiang Province, College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China
| | - Shitian Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Photochemistry Biomaterials and Energy Storage Materials of Heilongjiang Province, College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China
| | - Zhiqiang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Photochemistry Biomaterials and Energy Storage Materials of Heilongjiang Province, College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China.
| | - Yingxue Jin
- Key Laboratory of Photochemistry Biomaterials and Energy Storage Materials of Heilongjiang Province, College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China.
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23
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The effect of lysine substitutions in the biological activities of the scorpion venom peptide VmCT1. Eur J Pharm Sci 2019; 136:104952. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2019.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2019] [Revised: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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24
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Datta-Mannan A. Mechanisms Influencing the Pharmacokinetics and Disposition of Monoclonal Antibodies and Peptides. Drug Metab Dispos 2019; 47:1100-1110. [PMID: 31043438 DOI: 10.1124/dmd.119.086488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and peptides are an important class of therapeutic modalities that have brought improved health outcomes in areas with limited therapeutic optionality. Presently, there more than 90 mAb and peptide therapeutics on the United States market, with over 600 more in various clinical stages of development in a broad array of therapeutic areas, including diabetes, autoimmune disorders, oncology, neuroscience, and cardiovascular and infectious diseases. Notwithstanding this potential, there is high clinical rate of attrition, with approximately 10% reaching patients. A major contributor to the failure of the molecules is often times an incomplete or poor understanding of the pharmacokinetics (PK) and disposition profiles leading to limited or diminished efficacy. Increased and thorough characterization efforts directed at disseminating mechanisms influencing the PK and disposition of mAbs and peptides can aid in improving the design for their intended pharmacological activity, and thereby their clinical success. The PK and disposition factors for mAbs and peptides are broadly influenced by target-mediated drug disposition and nontarget-related clearance mechanisms related to the interplay between the relationship of the structure and physiochemical properties of mAbs and peptides with physiologic processes. This review focuses on nontarget-related factors influencing the disposition and PK of mAbs and peptides. Contemporary considerations around the increasing in silico approaches to identify nontarget-related molecule limitations and enhancing the druggability of mAbs and peptides, including parenteral and nonparenteral delivery strategies that are geared toward improving patient experience and compliance, are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amita Datta-Mannan
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Pharmacology, Lilly Research Laboratories, Lilly Corporate Center, Indianapolis, Indiana
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25
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Eder M, Pavan S, Bauder-Wüst U, van Rietschoten K, Baranski AC, Harrison H, Campbell S, Stace CL, Walker EH, Chen L, Bennett G, Mudd G, Schierbaum U, Leotta K, Haberkorn U, Kopka K, Teufel DP. Bicyclic Peptides as a New Modality for Imaging and Targeting of Proteins Overexpressed by Tumors. Cancer Res 2019; 79:841-852. [DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-18-0238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2018] [Revised: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 12/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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26
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Roy S, Ghosh P, Ahmed I, Chakraborty M, Naiya G, Ghosh B. Constrained α-Helical Peptides as Inhibitors of Protein-Protein and Protein-DNA Interactions. Biomedicines 2018; 6:E118. [PMID: 30567318 PMCID: PMC6315407 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines6040118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2018] [Revised: 09/13/2018] [Accepted: 09/14/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Intracellular regulatory pathways are replete with protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions, offering attractive targets for therapeutic interventions. So far, most drugs are targeted toward enzymes and extracellular receptors. Protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions have long been considered as "undruggable". Protein-DNA interactions, in particular, present a difficult challenge due to the repetitive nature of the B-DNA. Recent studies have provided several breakthroughs; however, a design methodology for these classes of inhibitors is still at its infancy. A dominant motif of these macromolecular interactions is an α-helix, raising possibilities that an appropriate conformationally-constrained α-helical peptide may specifically disrupt these interactions. Several methods for conformationally constraining peptides to the α-helical conformation have been developed, including stapling, covalent surrogates of hydrogen bonds and incorporation of unnatural amino acids that restrict the conformational space of the peptide. We will discuss these methods and several case studies where constrained α-helices have been used as building blocks for appropriate molecules. Unlike small molecules, the delivery of these short peptides to their targets is not straightforward as they may possess unfavorable cell penetration and ADME properties. Several methods have been developed in recent times to overcome some of these problems. We will discuss these issues and the prospects of this class of molecules as drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siddhartha Roy
- Department of Biophysics, Bose Institute, P1/12 CIT Scheme VII M, Kolkata 700054, India.
| | - Piya Ghosh
- Department of Biophysics, Bose Institute, P1/12 CIT Scheme VII M, Kolkata 700054, India.
| | - Israr Ahmed
- Department of Biophysics, Bose Institute, P1/12 CIT Scheme VII M, Kolkata 700054, India.
| | - Madhumita Chakraborty
- Department of Biophysics, Bose Institute, P1/12 CIT Scheme VII M, Kolkata 700054, India.
| | - Gitashri Naiya
- Department of Biophysics, Bose Institute, P1/12 CIT Scheme VII M, Kolkata 700054, India.
| | - Basusree Ghosh
- Department of Biophysics, Bose Institute, P1/12 CIT Scheme VII M, Kolkata 700054, India.
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27
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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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28
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Li CY, de Veer SJ, Law RHP, Whisstock JC, Craik DJ, Swedberg JE. Characterising the Subsite Specificity of Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator and Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator using a Sequence-Defined Peptide Aldehyde Library. Chembiochem 2018; 20:46-50. [PMID: 30225958 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201800395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Revised: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) are two serine proteases that contribute to initiating fibrinolysis by activating plasminogen. uPA is also an important tumour-associated protease due to its role in extracellular matrix remodelling. Overexpression of uPA has been identified in several different cancers and uPA inhibition has been reported as a promising therapeutic strategy. Although several peptide-based uPA inhibitors have been developed, the extent to which uPA tolerates different tetrapeptide sequences that span the P1-P4 positions remains to be thoroughly explored. In this study, we screened a sequence-defined peptide aldehyde library against uPA and tPA. Preferred sequences from the library screen yielded potent inhibitors for uPA, led by Ac-GTAR-H (Ki =18 nm), but not for tPA. Additionally, synthetic peptide substrates corresponding to preferred inhibitor sequences were cleaved with high catalytic efficiency by uPA but not by tPA. These findings provide new insights into the binding specificity of uPA and tPA and the relative activity of tetrapeptide inhibitors and substrates against these enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Choi Yi Li
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Simon J de Veer
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Ruby H P Law
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedical Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - James C Whisstock
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedical Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Joakim E Swedberg
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
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29
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Xu P, Huang M. Small Peptides as Modulators of Serine Proteases. Curr Med Chem 2018; 27:3686-3705. [PMID: 30332941 DOI: 10.2174/0929867325666181016163630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2018] [Revised: 09/26/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Serine proteases play critical roles in many physiological and pathological processes, and are proven diagnostic and therapeutic targets in a number of clinical indications. Suppression of the aberrant proteolytic activities of these proteases has been clinically used for the treatments of relevant diseases. Polypeptides with 10-20 residues are of great interests as medicinal modulators of serine proteases, because these peptides demonstrate the characteristics of both small molecule drugs and macromolecular drugs. In this review, we summarized the recent development of peptide-based inhibitors against serine proteases with potent inhibitory and high specificity comparable to monoclonal antibodies. In addition, we also discussed the strategies of enhancing plasma half-life and bioavailability of peptides in vivo, which is the main hurdle that limits the clinical translation of peptide-based drugs. This review advocates new avenue for the development of effective serine protease inhibitors and highlights the prospect of the medicinal use of these inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Xu
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350116, China
| | - Mingdong Huang
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350116, China
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30
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Yu J, Zhu X, Harvey PJ, Kaas Q, Zhangsun D, Craik DJ, Luo S. Single Amino Acid Substitution in α-Conotoxin TxID Reveals a Specific α3β4 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Antagonist. J Med Chem 2018; 61:9256-9265. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b00967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jinpeng Yu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources, Ministry of Education; Key Laboratory for Marine Drugs of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Xiaopeng Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources, Ministry of Education; Key Laboratory for Marine Drugs of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Peta J. Harvey
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Quentin Kaas
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Dongting Zhangsun
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources, Ministry of Education; Key Laboratory for Marine Drugs of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - David J. Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Sulan Luo
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources, Ministry of Education; Key Laboratory for Marine Drugs of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
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31
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Kar P, Ruiz-Perez L, Arooj M, Mancera RL. Current methods for the prediction of T-cell epitopes. Pept Sci (Hoboken) 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/pep2.24046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Prattusha Kar
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences; Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute and Curtin Institute for Computation, Curtin University; Perth Western Australia 6845 Australia
| | - Lanie Ruiz-Perez
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences; Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute and Curtin Institute for Computation, Curtin University; Perth Western Australia 6845 Australia
| | - Mahreen Arooj
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences; Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute and Curtin Institute for Computation, Curtin University; Perth Western Australia 6845 Australia
| | - Ricardo L. Mancera
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences; Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute and Curtin Institute for Computation, Curtin University; Perth Western Australia 6845 Australia
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32
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Deyle K, Kong XD, Heinis C. Phage Selection of Cyclic Peptides for Application in Research and Drug Development. Acc Chem Res 2017; 50:1866-1874. [PMID: 28719188 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.7b00184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Cyclic peptides can bind to protein targets with high affinities and selectivities, which makes them an attractive modality for the development of research reagents and therapeutics. Additional properties, including low inherent toxicity, efficient chemical synthesis, and facile modification with labels or immobilization reagents, increase their attractiveness. Cyclic peptide ligands against a wide range of protein targets have been isolated from natural sources such as bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals. Many of them are currently used as research tools, and several have found application as therapeutics, such as the peptide hormones oxytocin and vasopressin and the antibiotics vancomycin and daptomycin, proving the utility of cyclic peptides in research and medicine. With the advent of phage display and other in vitro evolution techniques, it has become possible to generate cyclic peptide binders to diverse protein targets for which no natural peptides have been discovered. A highly robust and widely applied approach is based on the cyclization of peptides displayed on phage via a disulfide bridge. Disulfide-cyclized peptide ligands to more than a hundred different proteins have been reported in the literature. Technology advances achieved over the last three decades, including methods for generating larger phage display libraries, improved phage panning protocols, new cyclic peptide formats, and high-throughput sequencing, have enabled the generation of cyclic peptides with ever better binding affinities to more challenging targets. A relatively new cyclic peptide format developed using phage display involves bicyclic peptides. These molecules consist of two macrocyclic peptide rings cyclized through a chemical linker. Compared to monocyclic peptides of comparable molecular mass, bicyclic peptides are more constrained in their conformation. As a result, they can bind to their targets with a higher affinity and are more resistant to proteolytic degradation. Phage-encoded bicyclic peptides are generated by chemically cyclizing random peptide libraries on phage. Binders are identified by conventional phage panning and DNA sequencing. Next-generation sequencing and new sequence alignment tools have enabled the rapid identification of bicyclic peptides. Bicyclic peptide ligands were developed against a range of diverse target classes including enzymes, receptors, and cytokines. Most ligands bind with nanomolar affinities, with some reaching the picomolar range. To date, several bicyclic peptides have been positively evaluated in preclinical studies, and the first clinical tests are in sight. While bicyclic peptide phage display was developed with therapeutic applications in mind, these peptides are increasingly used as research tools for target evaluation or as basic research probes as well. Given the efficient development method, the ease of synthesis and handling, and the favorable binding and biophysical properties, bicyclic peptides are being developed against more and more targets, ever increasing their potential applications in research and medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaycie Deyle
- Institute of Chemical Sciences
and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Xu-Dong Kong
- Institute of Chemical Sciences
and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Christian Heinis
- Institute of Chemical Sciences
and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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33
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Short peptides interfering with signaling pathways as new therapeutic tools for cancer treatment. Future Med Chem 2017; 9:199-221. [PMID: 28111982 DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2016-0189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Short peptides have many advantages, such as low molecular weight, selectivity for a specific target, organelles or cells with minimal toxicity. We describe properties of short peptides, which interfere with communication networks in tumor cells and within microenvironment of malignant gliomas, the most common brain tumors. We focus on ligand/receptor axes and intracellular signaling pathways critical for gliomagenesis that could be targeted with interfering peptides. We review structures and efficacy of organelle-specific and cell-penetrating peptides and describe diverse chemical modifications increasing proteolytic stability and protecting synthetic peptides against degradation. We report results of application of short peptides in glioma therapy clinical trials, their rises and falls. The most advanced examples of therapeutics such as short interfering peptides combined with cell-penetrating peptides that show good effectiveness in disease models are presented. It is foreseen that identification of peptides with better clinical properties may improve their success rates in clinical trials.
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34
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Ngambenjawong C, Pineda JMB, Pun SH. Engineering an Affinity-Enhanced Peptide through Optimization of Cyclization Chemistry. Bioconjug Chem 2016; 27:2854-2862. [PMID: 27779387 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.6b00502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Peptide cyclization is a strategy used to improve stability and activity of peptides. The most commonly used cyclization method is disulfide bridge formation of cysteine-containing peptides, as is typically found in nature. Over the years, an increasing number of alternative chemistries for peptide cyclization with improved efficiency, kinetics, orthogonality, and stability have been reported. However, there has been less appreciation for the opportunity to fine-tune peptide activity via the diverse chemical entities introduced at the site of linkage by different cyclization strategies. Here, we demonstrate how cyclization optimization of an M2 "anti-inflammatory" macrophage-binding peptide (M2pep) resulted in a significant increase in binding affinity of the optimized analog to M2 macrophages while maintaining binding selectivity compared to M1 "pro-inflammatory" macrophages. In this study, we report synthesis and evaluation of four cyclic M2pep(RY) analogs with diverse cyclization strategies: (1) Asp-[amide]-Lys, (2) azido-Lys-[triazole(copper(I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition (CuAAC))]-propargyl-Gly, (3) Cys-[decafluorobiphenyl (DFBP)]-Cys, and (4) Cys-[decafluorobiphenyl sulfone (DFS)]-Cys, whereby the chemical entity or linker at the linkage site is shown in the square bracket and is between the residues involved in cyclization. These peptides are compared to a disulfide-cyclized M2pep(RY) that we previously reported as a serum-stable, affinity-enhanced analog to the original linear M2pep. DFBP-cyclized M2pep(RY) exhibits the highest binding activity to M2 macrophages with apparent dissociation constant (KD) about 2.03 μM compared to 36.3 μM for the original disulfide-cyclized M2pep(RY) and 220 μM for the original linear peptide. DFS-cyclized M2pep(RY) also binds more strongly than the original cyclized analog, whereas amide- and triazole-cyclized M2pep(RY) analogs bind less strongly. We verified that DFBP alone has negligible binding to M2 macrophages and the incorporation of diphenylalanine to the original sequence improves binding activity at the expense of solubility and increased toxicity. In conclusion, we report development of cyclic M2pep(RY) analogs with diverse cyclization strategies leading to the discovery of DFBP-cyclized M2pep(RY) with enhanced M2 macrophage-binding activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chayanon Ngambenjawong
- Department of Bioengineering and Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute, University of Washington , Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Julio Marco B Pineda
- Department of Bioengineering and Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute, University of Washington , Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Suzie H Pun
- Department of Bioengineering and Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute, University of Washington , Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
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35
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Jin W, Qin B, Chen Z, Liu H, Barve A, Cheng K. Discovery of PSMA-specific peptide ligands for targeted drug delivery. Int J Pharm 2016; 513:138-147. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2016.08.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2016] [Revised: 08/14/2016] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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36
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McHugh SM, Rogers JR, Solomon SA, Yu H, Lin YS. Computational methods to design cyclic peptides. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2016; 34:95-102. [PMID: 27592259 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2016.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Revised: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 08/10/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Cyclic peptides (CPs) are promising modulators of protein-protein interactions (PPIs), but their application remains challenging. It is currently difficult to predict the structures and bioavailability of CPs. The ability to design CPs using computer modeling would greatly facilitate the development of CPs as potent PPI modulators for fundamental studies and as potential therapeutics. Herein, we describe computational methods to generate CP libraries for virtual screening, as well as current efforts to accurately predict the conformations adopted by CPs. These advances are making it possible to envision robust computational design of active CPs. However, unique properties of CPs pose significant challenges associated with sampling CP conformational space and accurately describing CP energetics. These major obstacles to structure prediction likely must be solved before robust design of active CPs can be reliably achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean M McHugh
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, United States
| | - Julia R Rogers
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, United States
| | - Sarah A Solomon
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, United States
| | - Hongtao Yu
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, United States
| | - Yu-Shan Lin
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, United States.
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37
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Cromm PM, Spiegel J, Küchler P, Dietrich L, Kriegesmann J, Wendt M, Goody RS, Waldmann H, Grossmann TN. Protease-Resistant and Cell-Permeable Double-Stapled Peptides Targeting the Rab8a GTPase. ACS Chem Biol 2016; 11:2375-82. [PMID: 27336832 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.6b00386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Small GTPases comprise a family of highly relevant targets in chemical biology and medicinal chemistry research and have been considered "undruggable" due to the persisting lack of effective synthetic modulators and suitable binding pockets. As molecular switches, small GTPases control a multitude of pivotal cellular functions, and their dysregulation is associated with many human diseases such as various forms of cancer. Rab-GTPases represent the largest subfamily of small GTPases and are master regulators of vesicular transport interacting with various proteins via flat and extensive protein-protein interactions (PPIs). The only reported synthetic inhibitor of a PPI involving an activated Rab GTPase is the hydrocarbon stapled peptide StRIP3. However, this macrocyclic peptide shows low proteolytic stability and cell permeability. Here, we report the design of a bioavailable StRIP3 analogue that harbors two hydrophobic cross-links and exhibits increased binding affinity, combined with robust cellular uptake and extremely high proteolytic stability. Localization experiments reveal that this double-stapled peptide and its target protein Rab8a accumulate in the same cellular compartments. The reported approach offers a strategy for the implementation of biostability into conformationally constrained peptides while supporting cellular uptake and target affinity, thereby conveying drug-like properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp M. Cromm
- Department
of Chemical Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
- Technische Universität Dortmund, Fakultät
für Chemie und Chemische Biologie, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
- Chemical Genomics Centre of the Max Planck Society, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 15, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Jochen Spiegel
- Department
of Chemical Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
- Technische Universität Dortmund, Fakultät
für Chemie und Chemische Biologie, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
- Chemical Genomics Centre of the Max Planck Society, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 15, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Philipp Küchler
- Department
of Chemical Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
- Technische Universität Dortmund, Fakultät
für Chemie und Chemische Biologie, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Laura Dietrich
- Technische Universität Dortmund, Fakultät
für Chemie und Chemische Biologie, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
- Chemical Genomics Centre of the Max Planck Society, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 15, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Julia Kriegesmann
- Technische Universität Dortmund, Fakultät
für Chemie und Chemische Biologie, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
- Chemical Genomics Centre of the Max Planck Society, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 15, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
- VU University Amsterdam, Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mathias Wendt
- Technische Universität Dortmund, Fakultät
für Chemie und Chemische Biologie, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
- Chemical Genomics Centre of the Max Planck Society, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 15, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
- VU University Amsterdam, Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Roger S. Goody
- Structural
Biochemistry, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Strasse
11, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Herbert Waldmann
- Department
of Chemical Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
- Technische Universität Dortmund, Fakultät
für Chemie und Chemische Biologie, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Tom N. Grossmann
- Technische Universität Dortmund, Fakultät
für Chemie und Chemische Biologie, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
- Chemical Genomics Centre of the Max Planck Society, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 15, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
- VU University Amsterdam, Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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38
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Morrison PM, Foley PJ, Warriner SL, Webb ME. Chemical generation and modification of peptides containing multiple dehydroalanines. Chem Commun (Camb) 2016. [PMID: 26219458 PMCID: PMC4847484 DOI: 10.1039/c5cc05469a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Chemical formation of dehydroalanine has been widely used for the post-translational modification of proteins and peptides, however methods to incorporate multiple dehydroalanine residues into a single peptide have not been defined. We report the use of methyl 2,5-dibromovalerate which can be used to cleanly carry out this transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip M Morrison
- School of Chemistry and Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
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39
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Gladysz R, Adriaenssens Y, De Winter H, Joossens J, Lambeir AM, Augustyns K, Van der Veken P. Discovery and SAR of Novel and Selective Inhibitors of Urokinase Plasminogen Activator (uPA) with an Imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine Scaffold. J Med Chem 2015; 58:9238-57. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5b01171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Rafaela Gladysz
- Laboratory
of Medicinal Chemistry (UAMC), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp (UA), Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Yves Adriaenssens
- Laboratory
of Medicinal Chemistry (UAMC), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp (UA), Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Hans De Winter
- Laboratory
of Medicinal Chemistry (UAMC), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp (UA), Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jurgen Joossens
- Laboratory
of Medicinal Chemistry (UAMC), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp (UA), Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Anne-Marie Lambeir
- Medical Biochemistry, Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein
1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Koen Augustyns
- Laboratory
of Medicinal Chemistry (UAMC), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp (UA), Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Pieter Van der Veken
- Laboratory
of Medicinal Chemistry (UAMC), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp (UA), Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
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40
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Urech-Varenne C, Radtke F, Heinis C. Phage Selection of Bicyclic Peptide Ligands of the Notch1 Receptor. ChemMedChem 2015; 10:1754-61. [DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201500261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2015] [Revised: 08/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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41
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Wang J, Matafonov A, Madkhali H, Mahdi F, Watson D, Schmaier AH, Gailani D, Shariat-Madar Z. Prolylcarboxypeptidase independently activates plasma prekallikrein (fletcher factor). Curr Mol Med 2015; 14:1173-85. [PMID: 25324000 DOI: 10.2174/1566524014666141015153519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2013] [Revised: 04/11/2014] [Accepted: 04/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Prolylcarboxypeptidase isoform 1 (PRCP1) is capable of regulating numerous autocrines and hormones, such as angiotensin II, angiotensin III, αMSH1-13, and DesArg(9) bradykinin. It does so by cleaving a C-terminal PRO-X bond. Recent work also indicates that the human PRCP1 activates plasma prekallikrein (PK) to kallikrein on endothelial cells through an uncharacterized mechanism. This study aims to identify PRCP1 binding interaction and cleavage site on PK. Recently, a cDNA encoding a novel splice variant of the human PRCP1 was identified. This isoform differed only in the N-terminal region of the deduced amino acid sequence. Using structural and functional studies, a combination of peptide mapping and site-directed mutagenesis approaches were employed to investigate the interaction of PRCP1 with PK. Three PRCP peptides, in decreasing order of potency, from 1) the N-terminus of the secreted protein, 2) spanning the opening of the active site pocket, and 3) in the dimerization region inhibit PRCP activation of PK on endothelial cells. Investigations also tested the hypothesis that PRCP cleavage site on PK is between its C-terminal Pro 637 (P(637)) and Ala 638 (A(638)). Recombinant forms of PK with C-terminal alanine mutagenesis or a stop codon is activated equally as wild type PK by PRCP. In conclusion, PRCP1 interacts with PK at multiple sites for PK activation. PRCP1 also enhances FXIIa activation of PK, suggesting that its activation site on PK is not identical to that of FXIIa.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Z Shariat-Madar
- Department of Pharmacology, The University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677- 1848, USA.
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42
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Achenbach J, Jahnz M, Bethge L, Paal K, Jung M, Schuster M, Albrecht R, Jarosch F, Nierhaus KH, Klussmann S. Outwitting EF-Tu and the ribosome: translation with d-amino acids. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 43:5687-98. [PMID: 26026160 PMCID: PMC4499158 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2015] [Accepted: 05/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Key components of the translational apparatus, i.e. ribosomes, elongation factor EF-Tu and most aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, are stereoselective and prevent incorporation of d-amino acids (d-aa) into polypeptides. The rare appearance of d-aa in natural polypeptides arises from post-translational modifications or non-ribosomal synthesis. We introduce an in vitro translation system that enables single incorporation of 17 out of 18 tested d-aa into a polypeptide; incorporation of two or three successive d-aa was also observed in several cases. The system consists of wild-type components and d-aa are introduced via artificially charged, unmodified tRNAGly that was selected according to the rules of ‘thermodynamic compensation’. The results reveal an unexpected plasticity of the ribosomal peptidyltransferase center and thus shed new light on the mechanism of chiral discrimination during translation. Furthermore, ribosomal incorporation of d-aa into polypeptides may greatly expand the armamentarium of in vitro translation towards the identification of peptides and proteins with new properties and functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Achenbach
- NOXXON Pharma AG, Max-Dohrn-Strasse 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Jahnz
- NOXXON Pharma AG, Max-Dohrn-Strasse 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany
| | - Lucas Bethge
- NOXXON Pharma AG, Max-Dohrn-Strasse 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany
| | - Krisztina Paal
- NOXXON Pharma AG, Max-Dohrn-Strasse 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany
| | - Maria Jung
- NOXXON Pharma AG, Max-Dohrn-Strasse 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany
| | - Maja Schuster
- NOXXON Pharma AG, Max-Dohrn-Strasse 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany
| | - Renate Albrecht
- Institut für Medizinische Physik und Biophysik, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Florian Jarosch
- NOXXON Pharma AG, Max-Dohrn-Strasse 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany
| | - Knud H Nierhaus
- Institut für Medizinische Physik und Biophysik, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Sven Klussmann
- NOXXON Pharma AG, Max-Dohrn-Strasse 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany
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43
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Makwana KM, Mahalakshmi R. NMR Analysis of Tuning Cross-Strand Phe/Tyr/Trp-Trp Interactions in Designed β-Hairpin Peptides: Terminal Switch from L to D Amino Acid as a Strategy for β-Hairpin Capping. J Phys Chem B 2015; 119:5376-85. [PMID: 25849307 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.5b00554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Interaction among the side chains of aromatic amino acids is a well-known mechanism of protein and peptide structure stabilization, particularly in β sheets. Using short β-hairpin models bearing the sequence Ac-Leu-Xxx-Val-DPro-Gly-Leu-Trp-Val-NH2, we report the surprising observation of significant destabilization in aryl–tryptophan interactions, which results in poorly folded peptide populations accompanied by lowering of stability. We find that such destabilization arises from forced occupancy of the indole ring in the shielded Edge position, in T-shaped aryl geometries. We demonstrate that this destabilizing effect can be efficiently salvaged by replacing the N-terminal LLeu with DLeu, which causes an increase in the folded hairpin population, while retaining Trp in the Edge position. Our observation of unique cross strand NOEs and data from temperature-dependent NMR and CD measurements reveals the formation of a locally stabilized aliphatic–aromatic network, leading to an overall increase in ΔGF° by ∼ −0.6 to −1.2 kcal/mol. Our results suggest that a contextual evaluation of stabilization by tryptophan is necessary in β hairpins. Furthermore, we report for the first time that the use of D isomers of aliphatic amino acids at the terminus is stabilizing, which can serve as a new strategy for increasing β-hairpin stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamlesh M Makwana
- Molecular Biophysics Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal 462023, India
| | - Radhakrishnan Mahalakshmi
- Molecular Biophysics Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal 462023, India
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44
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Tsomaia N. Peptide therapeutics: Targeting the undruggable space. Eur J Med Chem 2015; 94:459-70. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2015.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 214] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2014] [Revised: 01/07/2015] [Accepted: 01/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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45
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Di L. Strategic approaches to optimizing peptide ADME properties. AAPS J 2015; 17:134-43. [PMID: 25366889 PMCID: PMC4287298 DOI: 10.1208/s12248-014-9687-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 390] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2014] [Accepted: 09/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Development of peptide drugs is challenging but also quite rewarding. Five blockbuster peptide drugs are currently on the market, and six new peptides received first marketing approval as new molecular entities in 2012. Although peptides only represent 2% of the drug market, the market is growing twice as quickly and might soon occupy a larger niche. Natural peptides typically have poor absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) properties with rapid clearance, short half-life, low permeability, and sometimes low solubility. Strategies have been developed to improve peptide drugability through enhancing permeability, reducing proteolysis and renal clearance, and prolonging half-life. In vivo, in vitro, and in silico tools are available to evaluate ADME properties of peptides, and structural modification strategies are in place to improve peptide developability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Di
- Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics and Metabolism, Pfizer Inc., Groton, Connecticut, 06340, USA,
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46
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Pollaro L, Raghunathan S, Morales-Sanfrutos J, Angelini A, Kontos S, Heinis C. Bicyclic Peptides Conjugated to an Albumin-Binding Tag Diffuse Efficiently into Solid Tumors. Mol Cancer Ther 2014; 14:151-61. [DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-14-0534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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47
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Gladysz R, Cleenewerck M, Joossens J, Lambeir AM, Augustyns K, Van der Veken P. Repositioning the Substrate Activity Screening (SAS) Approach as a Fragment-Based Method for Identification of Weak Binders. Chembiochem 2014; 15:2238-47. [DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201402192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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48
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Chen S, Bertoldo D, Angelini A, Pojer F, Heinis C. Peptide Ligands Stabilized by Small Molecules. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201309459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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49
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Chen S, Bertoldo D, Angelini A, Pojer F, Heinis C. Peptide Ligands Stabilized by Small Molecules. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2014; 53:1602-6. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201309459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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