1
|
Rajpersaud T, Tabandeh S, Leon L, Loverde SM. Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Polyelectrolyte Complexes. Biomacromolecules 2024; 25:1468-1480. [PMID: 38366971 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c01032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
Polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) are currently of great interest due to their applications toward developing new adaptive materials and their relevance in membraneless organelles. These complexes emerge during phase separation when oppositely charged polymers are mixed in aqueous media. Peptide-based PECs are particularly useful toward developing new drug delivery methods due to their inherent biocompatibility. The underlying peptide sequence can be tuned to optimize specific material properties of the complex, such as interfacial tension and viscosity. Given their applicability, it would be advantageous to understand the underlying sequence-dependent phase behavior of oppositely charged peptides. Here, we report microsecond molecular dynamic simulations to characterize the effect of hydrophobicity on the sequence-dependent peptide conformation for model polypeptide sequences that were previously reported by Tabandeh et al. These sequences are designed with alternating chirality of the peptide backbone. We present microsecond simulations of six oppositely charged peptide pairs, characterizing the sequence-dependent effect on peptide size, degree of hydrogen bonding, secondary structure, and conformation. This analysis recapitulates sensible trends in peptide conformation and degree of hydrogen bonding, consistent with experimentally reported results. Ramachandran plots reveal that backbone conformation at the single amino acid level is highly influenced by the neighboring sequence in the chain. These results give insight into how subtle changes in hydrophobic side chain size and chirality influence the strength of hydrogen bonding between the chains and, ultimately, the secondary structure. Furthermore, principal component analysis reveals that the minimum energy structures may be subtly modulated by the underlying sequence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tania Rajpersaud
- Ph.D. Program in Biochemistry, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, New York 10016, United States
| | - Sara Tabandeh
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32816, United States
| | - Lorraine Leon
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32816, United States
| | - Sharon M Loverde
- Ph.D. Program in Biochemistry, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, New York 10016, United States
- Department of Chemistry, College of Staten Island, The City University of New York, 2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10314, United States
- Ph.D. Program in Chemistry, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, United States
- Ph.D. Program in Physics, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, United States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhang H, Wu Z, Zhou J, Wang Z, Yang C, Wang P, Fareed MS, He Y, Su J, Cha R, Wang K. The Antimicrobial, Hemostatic, and Anti-Adhesion Effects of a Peptide Hydrogel Constructed by the All-d-Enantiomer of Antimicrobial Peptide Jelleine-1. Adv Healthc Mater 2023; 12:e2301612. [PMID: 37552211 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202301612] [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: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Peptide hydrogels are believed to be potential biomaterials with wide application in the biomedical field because of their good biocompatibility, injectability, and 3D printability. Most of the previously reported polypeptide hydrogels are composed of l-peptides, while the hydrogels formed by self-assembly of d-peptides are rarely reported. Herein, a peptide hydrogel constructed by D-J-1, which is the all-d-enantiomer of antimicrobial peptide Jelleine-1 (J-1) is reported. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and rheologic study are performed to characterize the hydrogel. Antimicrobial, hemostatic, and anti-adhesion studies are carried out to evaluate its biofunction. The results show that D-J-1 hydrogel is formed by self-assembly and cross-linking driven by hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interaction, and π-π stacking force of aromatic ring in the structure of D-J-1. It exhibits promising antimicrobial activity, hemostatic activity, and anti-adhesion efficiency in a rat sidewall defect-cecum abrasion model. In addition, it also exhibits good biocompatibility. Notably, D-J-1 hydrogel shows improved in vitro and in vivo stability when compared with its l-enantiomer J-1 hydrogel. Therefore, the present study will provide new insight into the application of d-peptide hydrogel, and provides a new peptide hydrogel with antibacterial, hemostatic, and anti-adhesion efficacy for clinical use.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hanru Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, West Donggang Road 199, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Gansu Provincial Maternity and Child Care Hospital, North Road 143, Qilihe District, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| | - Zhiyu Wu
- The First School of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, West Donggang Road 199, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| | - Jingjing Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, West Donggang Road 199, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| | - Zhaopeng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, West Donggang Road 199, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| | - Changyan Yang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, West Donggang Road 199, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| | - Panpan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, West Donggang Road 199, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| | - Muhammad Subaan Fareed
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, West Donggang Road 199, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| | - Yuhang He
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, West Donggang Road 199, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| | - Jie Su
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, West Donggang Road 199, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| | - Ruitao Cha
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Nanoscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for NanoScience and Technology, No. 11 Zhongguancun Beiyitiao, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Kairong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, West Donggang Road 199, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Wu Y, Zhang J, Ren J, Zhu X, Li R, Zhangsun D, Luo S. Substitution of D-Arginine at Position 11 of α-RgIA Potently Inhibits α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor. Mar Drugs 2023; 21:326. [PMID: 37367650 DOI: 10.3390/md21060326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Conotoxins are a class of disulfide-rich peptides found in the venom of cone snails, which have attracted considerable attention in recent years due to their potent activity on ion channels and potential for therapeutics. Among them, α-conotoxin RgIA, a 13-residue peptide, has shown great promise as a potent inhibitor of α9α10 nAChRs for pain management. In this study, we investigated the effect of substituting the naturally occurring L-type arginine at position 11 of the RgIA sequence with its D-type amino acid. Our results indicate that this substitution abrogated the ability of RgIA to block α9α10 nAChRs, but instead endowed the peptide with the ability to block α7 nAChR activity. Structural analyses revealed that this substitution induced significant alteration of the secondary structure of RgIA[11r], which consequently affected its activity. Our findings underscore the potential of D-type amino acid substitution as a promising strategy for designing novel conotoxin-based ligands targeting different types of nAChRs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yong Wu
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Junjie Zhang
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Jie Ren
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Xiaopeng Zhu
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Rui Li
- Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Dongting Zhangsun
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Sulan Luo
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Sallembien Q, Bouteiller L, Crassous J, Raynal M. Possible chemical and physical scenarios towards biological homochirality. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:3436-3476. [PMID: 35377372 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs01179k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The single chirality of biological molecules in terrestrial biology raises more questions than certitudes about its origin. The emergence of biological homochirality (BH) and its connection with the appearance of life have elicited a large number of theories related to the generation, amplification and preservation of a chiral bias in molecules of life under prebiotically relevant conditions. However, a global scenario is still lacking. Here, the possibility of inducing a significant chiral bias "from scratch", i.e. in the absence of pre-existing enantiomerically-enriched chemical species, will be considered first. It includes phenomena that are inherent to the nature of matter itself, such as the infinitesimal energy difference between enantiomers as a result of violation of parity in certain fundamental interactions, and physicochemical processes related to interactions between chiral organic molecules and physical fields, polarized particles, polarized spins and chiral surfaces. The spontaneous emergence of chirality in the absence of detectable chiral physical and chemical sources has recently undergone significant advances thanks to the deracemization of conglomerates through Viedma ripening and asymmetric auto-catalysis with the Soai reaction. All these phenomena are commonly discussed as plausible sources of asymmetry under prebiotic conditions and are potentially accountable for the primeval chiral bias in molecules of life. Then, several scenarios will be discussed that are aimed to reflect the different debates about the emergence of BH: extra-terrestrial or terrestrial origin (where?), nature of the mechanisms leading to the propagation and enhancement of the primeval chiral bias (how?) and temporal sequence between chemical homochirality, BH and life emergence (when?). Intense and ongoing theories regarding the emergence of optically pure molecules at different moments of the evolution process towards life, i.e. at the levels of building blocks of Life, of the instructed or functional polymers, or even later at the stage of more elaborated chemical systems, will be critically discussed. The underlying principles and the experimental evidence will be commented for each scenario with particular attention on those leading to the induction and enhancement of enantiomeric excesses in proteinogenic amino acids, natural sugars, and their intermediates or derivatives. The aim of this review is to propose an updated and timely synopsis in order to stimulate new efforts in this interdisciplinary field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Sallembien
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire, Equipe Chimie des Polymères, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Laurent Bouteiller
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire, Equipe Chimie des Polymères, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Jeanne Crassous
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes, ISCR-UMR 6226, F-35000 Rennes, France.
| | - Matthieu Raynal
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire, Equipe Chimie des Polymères, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
| |
Collapse
|