1
|
Vince MJK, Holub JM. Synthesis of Scyllatoxin-Based BH3 Domain Mimetics with Diverse Patterns of Native Disulfide Bonds. Curr Protoc 2022; 2:e526. [PMID: 35994574 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.526] [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] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
This article outlines the design and development of scyllatoxin (ScTx)-based BH3 domain mimetics with diverse patterns of native disulfide bonds. More specifically, this method summarizes the total chemical synthesis of ScTx-based peptides that contain zero, one, two, or three disulfide linkages, including techniques to generate variants with any combination of native disulfides. Each peptide reported herein is generated on solid-phase support using microwave-assisted coupling procedures, and all reaction parameters related to the peptide synthesis are described in detail. The various disulfide patterns of the ScTx-based constructs are established during peptide synthesis and are ultimately verified by mass analysis of trypsin-digested fragments. The BH3 domain mimetics developed herein were generated by transposing residues from the helical BH3 domain of the pro-apoptotic BCL2 protein Bax to the α-helix of wild-type ScTx. Interestingly, we found that the relative binding affinities of ScTx-Bax peptides for the anti-apoptotic BCL2 protein Bcl-2 (proper) were heavily influenced by the number and position of disulfide linkages within the ScTx-Bax sequence. As a consequence, we were able to utilize ScTx-Bax BH3 domain mimetics with varied patterns of disulfide bonds to survey how structural rigidity within the helical Bax BH3 domain affects binding to promiscuous anti-apoptotic BCL2 proteins. More broadly, the ability to generate ScTx-based molecules that contain any combination of native disulfide bonds expands the utility of such constructs as tools to study the molecular nature of protein-protein interactions. © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Synthesis and characterization of ScTx-based Bax BH3 domain mimetics Basic Protocol 2: Oxidation of ScTx-Bax BH3 domain mimetics containing one, two, or three disulfide linkages Support Protocol: Mapping of disulfide linkages in oxidized ScTx-Bax BH3 domain mimetics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J K Vince
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
- Institut für Bioanalytische Chemie, Fakultät für Chemie und Mineralogie, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Justin M Holub
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
- Edison Biotechnology Institute, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
A novel peptide antagonist of the human growth hormone receptor. J Biol Chem 2021; 296:100588. [PMID: 33774052 PMCID: PMC8086144 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100588] [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: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Excess circulating human growth hormone (hGH) in vivo is linked to metabolic and growth disorders such as cancer, diabetes, and acromegaly. Consequently, there is considerable interest in developing antagonists of hGH action. Here, we present the design, synthesis, and characterization of a 16-residue peptide (site 1-binding helix [S1H]) that inhibits hGH-mediated STAT5 phosphorylation in cultured cells. S1H was designed as a direct sequence mimetic of the site 1 mini-helix (residues 36-51) of wild-type hGH and acts by inhibiting the interaction of hGH with the human growth hormone receptor (hGHR). In vitro studies indicated that S1H is stable in human serum and can adopt an α-helix in solution. Our results also show that S1H mitigates phosphorylation of STAT5 in cells co-treated with hGH, reducing intracellular STAT5 phosphorylation levels to those observed in untreated controls. Furthermore, S1H was found to attenuate the activity of the hGHR and the human prolactin receptor, suggesting that this peptide acts as an antagonist of both lactogenic and somatotrophic hGH actions. Finally, we used alanine scanning to determine how discrete amino acids within the S1H sequence contribute to its structural organization and biological activity. We observed a strong correlation between helical propensity and inhibitory effect, indicating that S1H-mediated antagonism of the hGHR is largely dependent on the ability for S1H to adopt an α-helix. Taken together, these results show that S1H not only acts as a novel peptide-based antagonist of the hGHR but can also be applied as a chemical tool to study the molecular nature of hGH-hGHR interactions.
Collapse
|
3
|
Cao J, Fan T, Li Y, Du Z, Chen L, Wang Y, Wang X, Shen J, Huang X, Xiong B, Cao D. Phage-Display Based Discovery and Characterization of Peptide Ligands against WDR5. Molecules 2021; 26:1225. [PMID: 33668971 PMCID: PMC7956166 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26051225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
WD40 is a ubiquitous domain presented in at least 361 human proteins and acts as scaffold to form protein complexes. Among them, WDR5 protein is an important mediator in several protein complexes to exert its functions in histone modification and chromatin remodeling. Therefore, it was considered as a promising epigenetic target involving in anti-cancer drug development. In view of the protein-protein interaction nature of WDR5, we initialized a campaign to discover new peptide-mimic inhibitors of WDR5. In current study, we utilized the phage display technique and screened with a disulfide-based cyclic peptide phage library. Five rounds of biopanning were performed and isolated clones were sequenced. By analyzing the sequences, total five peptides were synthesized for binding assay. The four peptides are shown to have the moderate binding affinity. Finally, the detailed binding interactions were revealed by solving a WDR5-peptide cocrystal structure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiawen Cao
- Department of College of Pharmacy, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China; (J.C.); (T.F.); (Y.L.); (Z.D.); (L.C.); (Y.W.); (X.W.); (J.S.); (X.H.)
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Tiantian Fan
- Department of College of Pharmacy, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China; (J.C.); (T.F.); (Y.L.); (Z.D.); (L.C.); (Y.W.); (X.W.); (J.S.); (X.H.)
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yanlian Li
- Department of College of Pharmacy, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China; (J.C.); (T.F.); (Y.L.); (Z.D.); (L.C.); (Y.W.); (X.W.); (J.S.); (X.H.)
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Zhiyan Du
- Department of College of Pharmacy, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China; (J.C.); (T.F.); (Y.L.); (Z.D.); (L.C.); (Y.W.); (X.W.); (J.S.); (X.H.)
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Lin Chen
- Department of College of Pharmacy, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China; (J.C.); (T.F.); (Y.L.); (Z.D.); (L.C.); (Y.W.); (X.W.); (J.S.); (X.H.)
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of College of Pharmacy, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China; (J.C.); (T.F.); (Y.L.); (Z.D.); (L.C.); (Y.W.); (X.W.); (J.S.); (X.H.)
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of College of Pharmacy, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China; (J.C.); (T.F.); (Y.L.); (Z.D.); (L.C.); (Y.W.); (X.W.); (J.S.); (X.H.)
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Jingkang Shen
- Department of College of Pharmacy, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China; (J.C.); (T.F.); (Y.L.); (Z.D.); (L.C.); (Y.W.); (X.W.); (J.S.); (X.H.)
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Xun Huang
- Department of College of Pharmacy, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China; (J.C.); (T.F.); (Y.L.); (Z.D.); (L.C.); (Y.W.); (X.W.); (J.S.); (X.H.)
- Division of Anti-Tumor Pharmacology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Bing Xiong
- Department of College of Pharmacy, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China; (J.C.); (T.F.); (Y.L.); (Z.D.); (L.C.); (Y.W.); (X.W.); (J.S.); (X.H.)
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Danyan Cao
- Department of College of Pharmacy, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China; (J.C.); (T.F.); (Y.L.); (Z.D.); (L.C.); (Y.W.); (X.W.); (J.S.); (X.H.)
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Arachchige D, Holub JM. Synthesis and Biological Activity of Scyllatoxin-Based BH3 Domain Mimetics Containing Two Disulfide Linkages. Protein J 2018; 37:428-443. [PMID: 30128635 DOI: 10.1007/s10930-018-9791-9] [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] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The B cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2) proteins are a family of evolutionarily related proteins that act as positive or negative regulators of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Overexpression of anti-apoptotic BCL2 proteins in cells is associated with apoptotic resistance, which can result in cancerous phenotypes and pathogenic cell survival. Consequently, anti-apoptotic BCL2 proteins have attracted considerable interest as therapeutic targets. We recently reported the development of a novel class of synthetic protein based on scyllatoxin (ScTx) designed to mimic the helical BH3 interaction domain of the pro-apoptotic BCL2 protein Bax. These studies showed that the number and position of native disulfide linkages contained within the ScTx-Bax structure significantly influences the ability for these constructs to target anti-apoptotic BCL2 proteins in vitro. The goal of the present study is to investigate the contribution of two disulfide linkages in the folding and biological activity of ScTx-Bax proteins. Here, we report the full chemical synthesis of three ScTx-Bax sequence variants, each presenting two native disulfide linkages at different positions within the folded structure. It was observed that two disulfide linkages were sufficient to fold ScTx-Bax proteins into native-like architectures reminiscent of wild-type ScTx. Furthermore, we show that select (bis)disulfide ScTx-Bax variants can target Bcl-2 (proper) in vitro and that the position of the disulfide bonds significantly influences binding affinity. Despite exhibiting only modest binding to Bcl-2, the successful synthesis of ScTx-Bax proteins containing two disulfide linkages represents a viable route to ScTx-based BH3 domain mimetics that preserve native-like conformations. Finally, structural models of ScTx-Bax proteins in complex with Bcl-2 indicate that these helical mimetics bind in similar configurations as wild-type Bax BH3 domains. Taken together, these results suggest that ScTx-Bax proteins may serve as potent lead compounds that expand the repertoire of "druggable" protein-protein interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Danushka Arachchige
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ohio University, Biochemistry Research Facility 108, 350 W. State St., Athens, OH, 45701, USA
| | - Justin M Holub
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ohio University, Biochemistry Research Facility 108, 350 W. State St., Athens, OH, 45701, USA.
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, USA.
- Edison Biotechnology Institute, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Dong J, Tian H, Song C, Shi T, Elding LI. Reduction of ormaplatin by an extended series of thiols unravels a remarkable correlation. Dalton Trans 2018; 47:5548-5552. [DOI: 10.1039/c8dt00852c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Reduction of the Pt(iv) anticancer active prodrug ormaplatin by an extended series of thiols has been studied, revealing a remarkable linear free-energy correlation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jingran Dong
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Science
- and the MOE Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics
- Hebei University
- Baoding 071002
- People's Republic of China
| | - Hongwu Tian
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Science
- and the MOE Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics
- Hebei University
- Baoding 071002
- People's Republic of China
| | - Changying Song
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Science
- and the MOE Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics
- Hebei University
- Baoding 071002
- People's Republic of China
| | - Tiesheng Shi
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Science
- and the MOE Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics
- Hebei University
- Baoding 071002
- People's Republic of China
| | - Lars I. Elding
- Center for Analysis and Synthesis
- Department of Chemistry
- Lund University
- SE-221 00 Lund
- Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Holub JM. Small Scaffolds, Big Potential: Developing Miniature Proteins as Therapeutic Agents. Drug Dev Res 2017; 78:268-282. [PMID: 28799168 DOI: 10.1002/ddr.21408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Preclinical Research Miniature proteins are a class of oligopeptide characterized by their short sequence lengths and ability to adopt well-folded, three-dimensional structures. Because of their biomimetic nature and synthetic tractability, miniature proteins have been used to study a range of biochemical processes including fast protein folding, signal transduction, catalysis and molecular transport. Recently, miniature proteins have been gaining traction as potential therapeutic agents because their small size and ability to fold into defined tertiary structures facilitates their development as protein-based drugs. This research overview discusses emerging developments involving the use of miniature proteins as scaffolds to design novel therapeutics for the treatment and study of human disease. Specifically, this review will explore strategies to: (i) stabilize miniature protein tertiary structure; (ii) optimize biomolecular recognition by grafting functional epitopes onto miniature protein scaffolds; and (iii) enhance cytosolic delivery of miniature proteins through the use of cationic motifs that facilitate endosomal escape. These objectives are discussed not only to address challenges in developing effective miniature protein-based drugs, but also to highlight the tremendous potential miniature proteins hold for combating and understanding human disease. Drug Dev Res 78 : 268-282, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justin M Holub
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, USA
| |
Collapse
|