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Park C, Zhang Y, Jung JU, Buron LD, Lin NP, Hoeg-Jensen T, Chou DHC. Antagonistic Insulin Derivative Suppresses Insulin-Induced Hypoglycemia. J Med Chem 2023. [PMID: 37227951 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Insulin derivatives provide new functions that are distinctive from native insulin. We investigated insulin modifications on the C-terminal A chain with insulin receptor (IR) peptide binders and presented a full and potent IR antagonist. We prepared insulin precursors featuring a sortase A (SrtA) recognition sequence, LPETGG, at the C-terminal A chain and used a SrtA-mediated ligation method to synthesize insulin derivatives. The insulin precursor exhibits full IR agonism potency, similar to native human insulin. We explored derivatives with linear IR binding peptides attached to the insulin C-terminal A chain. One insulin derivative with an IR binder (Ins-AC-S2) can fully antagonize IR activation by insulin, as confirmed by cell-based assays. This IR antagonist suppresses insulin-induced hypoglycemia in a streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat model. This study provides a new direction toward insulin antagonist development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Park
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94305, United States
| | - Yanxian Zhang
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94305, United States
| | - Jae Un Jung
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94305, United States
| | - Line Due Buron
- Global Research Technologies, Novo Nordisk A/S, 2760 Maaloev, Denmark
| | - Nai-Pin Lin
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94305, United States
| | | | - Danny Hung-Chieh Chou
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94305, United States
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2
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Kjeldsen T, Hogendorf WFJ, Tornøe CW, Anderson J, Hubalek F, Stidsen CE, Sorensen JL, Hoeg-Jensen T. Dually Reactive Long Recombinant Linkers for Bioconjugations as an Alternative to PEG. ACS OMEGA 2020; 5:19827-19833. [PMID: 32803078 PMCID: PMC7424725 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c02712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Covalent cross-linking of biomolecules can be useful in pursuit of tissue targeting or dual targeting of two receptors on cell surfaces for avidity effects. Long linkers (>10 kDa) can be advantageous for such purposes, and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) linkers are most commonly used due to the high aqueous solubility of PEG and its relative inertness toward biological targets. However, PEG is non-biodegradable, and available PEG linkers longer than 5 kDa are heterogeneous (polydisperse), which means that conjugates based on such materials will be mixtures. We describe here recombinant linkers of distinct lengths, which can be expressed in yeast, which are polar, and which carry orthogonal reactivity at each end of the linker, thus allowing chemoselective cross-linking of proteins. A conjugate between insulin and either of the two trypsin inhibitor peptides/proteins exemplifies the technology, using a GQAP-based linker of molecular weight of 17 848, having one amine at the N-terminal, and one Cys, at the C-terminal. Notably, yeast-based expression systems typically give products with mixed disulfides when expressing proteins that are equipped with one unpaired Cys, namely, mixed disulfides with glutathione, free Cys amino acid, and/or a protein homodimer. To obtain a homogeneous linker, we worked out conditions for transforming the linker with mixed disulfides into a linker with a homogeneous disulfide, using excess 4-mercaptophenylacetic acid. Subsequently, the N-terminal amine of the linker was transformed into an azide, and the C-terminal Cys disulfide was reduced to a free thiol and reacted with halo-acetyl insulin. The N-terminal azide was finally conjugated to either of the two types of alkyne-containing trypsin inhibitor peptides/proteins. This reaction sequence allowed the cross-linked proteins to carry internal disulfides, as no reduction step was needed after protein conjugations. The insulin-trypsin inhibitor conjugates were shown to be stabilized toward enzymatic digestions and to have partially retained binding to the insulin receptor.
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Østergaard M, Mishra NK, Jensen KJ. The ABC of Insulin: The Organic Chemistry of a Small Protein. Chemistry 2020; 26:8341-8357. [DOI: 10.1002/chem.202000337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Revised: 02/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mads Østergaard
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of Copenhagen Thorvaldsensvej 40 1871 Frederiksberg C Denmark
| | - Narendra Kumar Mishra
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of Copenhagen Thorvaldsensvej 40 1871 Frederiksberg C Denmark
| | - Knud J. Jensen
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of Copenhagen Thorvaldsensvej 40 1871 Frederiksberg C Denmark
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Voloshchuk N, Chen L, Li Q, Liang JF. Peptide oligomers from ultra-short peptides using sortase. Biochem Biophys Rep 2017; 10:1-6. [PMID: 28955731 PMCID: PMC5614665 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2017.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2016] [Revised: 01/25/2017] [Accepted: 02/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Sortase A catalyzed ligation of ultra-short peptides leads to inter/intra-molecular transpeptidation to form either linear or cyclic oligomers dependent upon the peptide length. Cyclic peptides were the main products for peptides with more than 15aa. However, for ultra-short (<15aa) peptides, cyclic oligomers became predominant in prolonged reactions. Peptides with 1-3 aminoglycines were equally active but peptide oligomers from peptide containing more than one aminoglycine were prone to hydrolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalya Voloshchuk
- Department of Chemistry, Chemical Biology, and Biomedical Engineering, Charles V. Schaefer School of Engineering and Sciences, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA
| | - Long Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Chemical Biology, and Biomedical Engineering, Charles V. Schaefer School of Engineering and Sciences, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA
| | - Qiang Li
- Department of Chemistry, Chemical Biology, and Biomedical Engineering, Charles V. Schaefer School of Engineering and Sciences, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA
| | - Jun F Liang
- Department of Chemistry, Chemical Biology, and Biomedical Engineering, Charles V. Schaefer School of Engineering and Sciences, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA
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Rasche N, Tonillo J, Rieker M, Becker S, Dorr B, Ter-Ovanesyan D, Betz UAK, Hock B, Kolmar H. PROLink-Single Step Circularization and Purification Procedure for the Generation of an Improved Variant of Human Growth Hormone. Bioconjug Chem 2016; 27:1341-7. [PMID: 27108993 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.6b00137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Human growth hormone (hGH) plays an important role during human development and is also an approved therapeutic for the treatment of several diseases. However, one major drawback of hGH is its short circulating half-life requiring frequent administration, which is inconvenient and painful for the patients. Recent publications indicate that circularization greatly increases the stability of proteins due to their protection from exoproteolytic attack and a higher thermal stability of the circular form. Using sortase A, a transpeptidase isolated from Staphylococcus aureus, we developed a single step solid-phase circularization and purification procedure resulting in a circular version of hGH with improved properties. We could show that circular hGH binds to the recombinant hGH receptor with binding kinetics similar to those of linear hGH and that circularization does not alter the biological activity of hGH in vitro. Besides, circular hGH showed almost complete resistance toward exoproteolytic attack and slightly increased thermal stability which could possibly translate into an extended plasma half-life. The single step solid-phase circularization and purification procedure is in principle a generic process, which could also be applied for other proteins that meet the requirements for circularization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Rasche
- Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Technische Universität Darmstadt , 64287 Darmstadt, Germany.,Merck KGaA , Frankfurterstrasse 250, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Jason Tonillo
- Merck KGaA , Frankfurterstrasse 250, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Marcel Rieker
- Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Technische Universität Darmstadt , 64287 Darmstadt, Germany.,Merck KGaA , Frankfurterstrasse 250, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Stefan Becker
- Merck KGaA , Frankfurterstrasse 250, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | | | - Dmitry Ter-Ovanesyan
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University , Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States.,Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering , Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Ulrich A K Betz
- Merck KGaA , Frankfurterstrasse 250, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Björn Hock
- Merck KGaA , Frankfurterstrasse 250, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Harald Kolmar
- Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Technische Universität Darmstadt , 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
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Abstract
Insulin remains indispensable in the treatment of diabetes, but its use is hampered by its narrow therapeutic index. Although advances in peptide chemistry and recombinant DNA-based macromolecule synthesis have enabled the synthesis of structurally optimized insulin analogues, the growing epidemics of obesity and diabetes have emphasized the need for diabetes therapies that are more efficacious, safe and convenient. Accordingly, a broad set of drug candidates, targeting hyperglycaemia plus other disease abnormalities, is now progressing through the clinic. The development of an insulin therapy that is responsive to glucose concentration remains an ultimate goal, with initial prototypes now reaching the proof-of-concept stage. Simultaneously, the first alternatives to injectable delivery have progressed to registration.
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Vinther TN, Norrman M, Strauss HM, Huus K, Schlein M, Pedersen TÅ, Kjeldsen T, Jensen KJ, Hubálek F. Novel covalently linked insulin dimer engineered to investigate the function of insulin dimerization. PLoS One 2012; 7:e30882. [PMID: 22363506 PMCID: PMC3281904 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2011] [Accepted: 12/23/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
An ingenious system evolved to facilitate insulin binding to the insulin receptor as a monomer and at the same time ensure sufficient stability of insulin during storage. Insulin dimer is the cornerstone of this system. Insulin dimer is relatively weak, which ensures dissociation into monomers in the circulation, and it is stabilized by hexamer formation in the presence of zinc ions during storage in the pancreatic β-cell. Due to the transient nature of insulin dimer, direct investigation of this important form is inherently difficult. To address the relationship between insulin oligomerization and insulin stability and function, we engineered a covalently linked insulin dimer in which two monomers were linked by a disulfide bond. The structure of this covalent dimer was identical to the self-association dimer of human insulin. Importantly, this covalent dimer was capable of further oligomerization to form the structural equivalent of the classical hexamer. The covalently linked dimer neither bound to the insulin receptor, nor induced a metabolic response in vitro. However, it was extremely thermodynamically stable and did not form amyloid fibrils when subjected to mechanical stress, underlining the importance of oligomerization for insulin stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tine N. Vinther
- Diabetes Research Unit, Novo Nordisk A/S, Novo Nordisk Park, Måløv, Denmark
- Faculty of Life Sciences, IGM, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Mathias Norrman
- Diabetes Research Unit, Novo Nordisk A/S, Novo Nordisk Park, Måløv, Denmark
| | - Holger M. Strauss
- Diabetes Research Unit, Novo Nordisk A/S, Novo Nordisk Park, Måløv, Denmark
| | - Kasper Huus
- Diabetes Research Unit, Novo Nordisk A/S, Novo Nordisk Park, Måløv, Denmark
| | - Morten Schlein
- Diabetes Research Unit, Novo Nordisk A/S, Novo Nordisk Park, Måløv, Denmark
| | - Thomas Å. Pedersen
- Diabetes Research Unit, Novo Nordisk A/S, Novo Nordisk Park, Måløv, Denmark
| | - Thomas Kjeldsen
- Diabetes Research Unit, Novo Nordisk A/S, Novo Nordisk Park, Måløv, Denmark
| | - Knud J. Jensen
- Faculty of Life Sciences, IGM, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - František Hubálek
- Diabetes Research Unit, Novo Nordisk A/S, Novo Nordisk Park, Måløv, Denmark
- * E-mail:
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8
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Effects of peptide cyclization on the interaction with oppositely charged microgels. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2011.01.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Munch HK, Heide ST, Christensen NJ, Hoeg‐Jensen T, Thulstrup PW, Jensen KJ. Controlled Self‐Assembly of Re‐engineered Insulin by Fe
II. Chemistry 2011; 17:7198-204. [DOI: 10.1002/chem.201100495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Henrik K. Munch
- IGM, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg (Denmark), Fax: (+45) 35332398
| | - Søren Thiis Heide
- IGM, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg (Denmark), Fax: (+45) 35332398
| | - Niels Johan Christensen
- IGM, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg (Denmark), Fax: (+45) 35332398
| | | | - Peter W. Thulstrup
- IGM, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg (Denmark), Fax: (+45) 35332398
| | - Knud J. Jensen
- IGM, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg (Denmark), Fax: (+45) 35332398
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Popp MWL, Ploegh HL. Bilden und Brechen von Peptidbindungen: Protein-Engineering mithilfe von Sortase. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2011. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201008267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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Popp MWL, Ploegh HL. Making and breaking peptide bonds: protein engineering using sortase. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2011; 50:5024-32. [PMID: 21538739 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201008267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 221] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2010] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Sortases are a class of bacterial enzymes that possess transpeptidase activity. It is their ability to site-specifically break a peptide bond and then reform a new bond with an incoming nucleophile that makes sortase an attractive tool for protein engineering. This technique has been adopted for a range of applications, from chemistry-based to cell biology and technology. In this Minireview we provide a brief overview of the biology of sortase enzymes and current applications in protein engineering. We identify areas that lend themselves to further innovation and that suggest new applications.
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12
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Sortase-catalyzed transformations that improve the properties of cytokines. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:3169-74. [PMID: 21297034 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1016863108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Recombinant protein therapeutics often suffer from short circulating half-life and poor stability, necessitating multiple injections and resulting in limited shelf-life. Conjugation to polyethylene glycol chains (PEG) extends the circulatory half-life of many proteins, but the methods for attachment often lack specificity, resulting in loss of biological activity. Using four-helix bundle cytokines as an example, we present a general platform that uses sortase-mediated transpeptidation to facilitate site-specific attachment of PEG to extend cytokine half-life with full retention of biological activity. Covalently joining the N and C termini of proteins to obtain circular polypeptides, again executed using sortase, increases thermal stability. We combined both PEGylation and circularization by exploiting two distinct sortase enzymes and the use of a molecular suture that allows both site-specific PEGylation and covalent closure. The method developed is general, uses a set of easily accessible reagents, and should be applicable to a wide variety of proteins, provided that their termini are not involved in receptor binding or function.
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