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Li M, Li J, Lu X, Schroder R, Chandramohan A, Wuelfing WP, Templeton AC, Xu W, Gindy M, Kesisoglou F, Ling J, Sawyer T, Verma CS, Partridge AW, Su Y. Molecular Mechanism of P53 Peptide Permeation through Lipid Membranes from Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy and Molecular Dynamics Simulations. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:23075-23091. [PMID: 39110018 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c04230] [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: 08/22/2024]
Abstract
Macrocyclic peptides show promise in targeting high-value therapeutically relevant binding sites due to their high affinity and specificity. However, their clinical application is often hindered by low membrane permeability, which limits their effectiveness against intracellular targets. Previous studies focused on peptide conformations in various solvents, leaving a gap in understanding their interactions with and translocation through lipid bilayers. Addressing this, our study explores the membrane interactions of stapled peptides, a subclass of macrocyclic peptides, using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We conducted ssNMR measurements on ATSP-7041M, a prototypical stapled peptide, to understand its interaction with lipid membranes, leading to an MD-informed model for peptide membrane permeation. Our findings reveal that ATSP-7041M adopts a stable α-helical structure upon membrane binding, facilitated by a cation-π interaction between its phenylalanine side chain and the lipid headgroup. This interaction makes the membrane-bound state energetically favorable, facilitating membrane affinity and insertion. The bound peptide displayed asymmetric insertion depths, with the C-terminus penetrating deeper (approximately 9 Å) than the N-terminus (approximately 4.3 Å) relative to the lipid headgroups. Contrary to expectations, peptide dynamics was not hindered by membrane binding and exhibited rapid motions similar to cell-penetrating peptides. These dynamic interactions and peptide-lipid affinity appear to be crucial for membrane permeation. MD simulations indicated a thermodynamically stable transmembrane conformation of ATSP-7041M, reducing the energy barrier for translocation. Our study offers an in silico view of ATSP-7041M's translocation from the extracellular to the intracellular region, highlighting the significance of peptide-lipid interactions and dynamics in enabling peptide transit through membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyue Li
- Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Supply, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Jianguo Li
- Bioinformatics Institute at A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore
- Singapore Eye Research Institute, 20 College Road Discovery Tower, Singapore 169856, Singapore
| | - Xingyu Lu
- Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Supply, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
- Instrumentation and Service Center for Molecular Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310024, China
| | - Ryan Schroder
- Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Supply, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | | | - W Peter Wuelfing
- Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Supply, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Allen C Templeton
- Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Supply, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Wei Xu
- Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Supply, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Marian Gindy
- Small Molecule Science and Technology, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Filippos Kesisoglou
- Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Supply, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Jing Ling
- Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Supply, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Tomi Sawyer
- Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Chandra S Verma
- Bioinformatics Institute at A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543, Singapore
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | | | - Yongchao Su
- Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Supply, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
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Wang W, Albadari N, Du Y, Fowler JF, Sang HT, Xian W, McKeon F, Li W, Zhou J, Zhang R. MDM2 Inhibitors for Cancer Therapy: The Past, Present, and Future. Pharmacol Rev 2024; 76:414-453. [PMID: 38697854 PMCID: PMC11068841 DOI: 10.1124/pharmrev.123.001026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Since its discovery over 35 years ago, MDM2 has emerged as an attractive target for the development of cancer therapy. MDM2's activities extend from carcinogenesis to immunity to the response to various cancer therapies. Since the report of the first MDM2 inhibitor more than 30 years ago, various approaches to inhibit MDM2 have been attempted, with hundreds of small-molecule inhibitors evaluated in preclinical studies and numerous molecules tested in clinical trials. Although many MDM2 inhibitors and degraders have been evaluated in clinical trials, there is currently no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved MDM2 inhibitor on the market. Nevertheless, there are several current clinical trials of promising agents that may overcome the past failures, including agents granted FDA orphan drug or fast-track status. We herein summarize the research efforts to discover and develop MDM2 inhibitors, focusing on those that induce MDM2 degradation and exert anticancer activity, regardless of the p53 status of the cancer. We also describe how preclinical and clinical investigations have moved toward combining MDM2 inhibitors with other agents, including immune checkpoint inhibitors. Finally, we discuss the current challenges and future directions to accelerate the clinical application of MDM2 inhibitors. In conclusion, targeting MDM2 remains a promising treatment approach, and targeting MDM2 for protein degradation represents a novel strategy to downregulate MDM2 without the side effects of the existing agents blocking p53-MDM2 binding. Additional preclinical and clinical investigations are needed to finally realize the full potential of MDM2 inhibition in treating cancer and other chronic diseases where MDM2 has been implicated. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Overexpression/amplification of the MDM2 oncogene has been detected in various human cancers and is associated with disease progression, treatment resistance, and poor patient outcomes. This article reviews the previous, current, and emerging MDM2-targeted therapies and summarizes the preclinical and clinical studies combining MDM2 inhibitors with chemotherapy and immunotherapy regimens. The findings of these contemporary studies may lead to safer and more effective treatments for patients with cancers overexpressing MDM2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wang
- Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy (W.W., Y.D., J.F.F., H.T.S., R.Z.), Drug Discovery Institute (W.W., R.Z.), Stem Cell Center, Department of Biology and Biochemistry (W.X., F.M.), University of Houston, Houston, Texas; College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee (N.A., W.L.); and Chemical Biology Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas (J.Z.)
| | - Najah Albadari
- Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy (W.W., Y.D., J.F.F., H.T.S., R.Z.), Drug Discovery Institute (W.W., R.Z.), Stem Cell Center, Department of Biology and Biochemistry (W.X., F.M.), University of Houston, Houston, Texas; College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee (N.A., W.L.); and Chemical Biology Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas (J.Z.)
| | - Yi Du
- Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy (W.W., Y.D., J.F.F., H.T.S., R.Z.), Drug Discovery Institute (W.W., R.Z.), Stem Cell Center, Department of Biology and Biochemistry (W.X., F.M.), University of Houston, Houston, Texas; College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee (N.A., W.L.); and Chemical Biology Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas (J.Z.)
| | - Josef F Fowler
- Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy (W.W., Y.D., J.F.F., H.T.S., R.Z.), Drug Discovery Institute (W.W., R.Z.), Stem Cell Center, Department of Biology and Biochemistry (W.X., F.M.), University of Houston, Houston, Texas; College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee (N.A., W.L.); and Chemical Biology Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas (J.Z.)
| | - Hannah T Sang
- Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy (W.W., Y.D., J.F.F., H.T.S., R.Z.), Drug Discovery Institute (W.W., R.Z.), Stem Cell Center, Department of Biology and Biochemistry (W.X., F.M.), University of Houston, Houston, Texas; College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee (N.A., W.L.); and Chemical Biology Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas (J.Z.)
| | - Wa Xian
- Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy (W.W., Y.D., J.F.F., H.T.S., R.Z.), Drug Discovery Institute (W.W., R.Z.), Stem Cell Center, Department of Biology and Biochemistry (W.X., F.M.), University of Houston, Houston, Texas; College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee (N.A., W.L.); and Chemical Biology Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas (J.Z.)
| | - Frank McKeon
- Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy (W.W., Y.D., J.F.F., H.T.S., R.Z.), Drug Discovery Institute (W.W., R.Z.), Stem Cell Center, Department of Biology and Biochemistry (W.X., F.M.), University of Houston, Houston, Texas; College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee (N.A., W.L.); and Chemical Biology Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas (J.Z.)
| | - Wei Li
- Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy (W.W., Y.D., J.F.F., H.T.S., R.Z.), Drug Discovery Institute (W.W., R.Z.), Stem Cell Center, Department of Biology and Biochemistry (W.X., F.M.), University of Houston, Houston, Texas; College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee (N.A., W.L.); and Chemical Biology Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas (J.Z.)
| | - Jia Zhou
- Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy (W.W., Y.D., J.F.F., H.T.S., R.Z.), Drug Discovery Institute (W.W., R.Z.), Stem Cell Center, Department of Biology and Biochemistry (W.X., F.M.), University of Houston, Houston, Texas; College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee (N.A., W.L.); and Chemical Biology Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas (J.Z.)
| | - Ruiwen Zhang
- Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy (W.W., Y.D., J.F.F., H.T.S., R.Z.), Drug Discovery Institute (W.W., R.Z.), Stem Cell Center, Department of Biology and Biochemistry (W.X., F.M.), University of Houston, Houston, Texas; College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee (N.A., W.L.); and Chemical Biology Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas (J.Z.)
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Philippe GJB, Huang YH, Mittermeier A, Brown CJ, Kaas Q, Ramlan SR, Wang CK, Lane D, Loewer A, Troeira Henriques S, Craik DJ. Delivery to, and Reactivation of, the p53 Pathway in Cancer Cells Using a Grafted Cyclotide Conjugated with a Cell-Penetrating Peptide. J Med Chem 2024; 67:1197-1208. [PMID: 38174919 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01682] [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: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Peptides are promising drug modalities that can modulate protein-protein interactions, but their application is hampered by their limited ability to reach intracellular targets. Here, we improved the cytosolic delivery of a peptide blocking p53:MDM2/X interactions using a cyclotide as a stabilizing scaffold. We applied several design strategies to improve intracellular delivery and found that the conjugation of the lead cyclotide to the cyclic cell-penetrating peptide cR10 was the most effective. Conjugation allowed cell internalization at micromolar concentration and led to elevated intracellular p53 levels in A549, MCF7, and MCF10A cells, as well as inducing apoptosis in A549 cells without causing membrane disruption. The lead peptide had >35-fold improvement in inhibitory activity and increased cellular uptake compared to a previously reported cyclotide p53 activator. In summary, we demonstrated the delivery of a large polar cyclic peptide in the cytosol and confirmed its ability to modulate intracellular protein-protein interactions involved in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grégoire Jean-Baptiste Philippe
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Yen-Hua Huang
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Anna Mittermeier
- Department of Biology, Technical University Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Christopher J Brown
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore 138673, Singapore
| | - Quentin Kaas
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Siti Radhiah Ramlan
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore 138673, Singapore
| | - Conan K Wang
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - David Lane
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore 138673, Singapore
| | - Alexander Loewer
- Department of Biology, Technical University Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Sónia Troeira Henriques
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
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4
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Thompson T, Pewklang T, Piyanuch P, Wanichacheva N, Kamkaew A, Burgess K. A fluorescent electrophile for CLIPS: self indicating TrkB binders. Org Biomol Chem 2024; 22:506-512. [PMID: 38111346 PMCID: PMC10863675 DOI: 10.1039/d3ob01654d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
Combination of cysteine-containing peptides with electrophiles provides efficient access to cyclo-organopeptides. However, there are no routes to intrinsically fluorescent cyclo-organopeptides containing robust, brilliant fluorophores emitting at wavelengths longer than cellular autofluorescence. We show such fluorescent cyclo-organopeptides can be made via SNAr reactions of cysteine-containing peptides with a BODIPY system. Seven compounds of this type were prepared to test as probes; six contained peptide sequences corresponding to loop regions in brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neurotrophic factor 4 (BDNF and NT-4) which bind tropomyocin receptor kinase B (TrkB). Cellular assays in serum-free media indicated two of the six key compounds induced survival of HEK293 cells stably transfected with TrkB whereas a control did not. The two compounds inducing cell survival bound TrkB on those cells (Kd ∼40 and 47 nM), illustrating how intrinsically fluorescent cyclo-organopeptides can be assayed for quantifiable binding to surface receptors in cell membrane environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tye Thompson
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A & M University, Box 30012, College Station, TX 77842-3012, USA.
| | - Thitima Pewklang
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A & M University, Box 30012, College Station, TX 77842-3012, USA.
- School of Chemistry, Institute of Science, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand
| | - Pornthip Piyanuch
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom 73000, Thailand
| | - Nantanit Wanichacheva
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom 73000, Thailand
| | - Anyanee Kamkaew
- School of Chemistry, Institute of Science, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand
| | - Kevin Burgess
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A & M University, Box 30012, College Station, TX 77842-3012, USA.
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5
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Yu L, Barros SA, Sun C, Somani S. Cyclic Peptide Linker Design and Optimization by Molecular Dynamics Simulations. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:6863-6876. [PMID: 37903231 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c01359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2023]
Abstract
Cyclic peptides are an emerging therapeutic modality that can target protein-protein interaction sites with high affinity and selectivity. A common medicinal chemistry strategy for the optimization of peptide hits is conformational stabilization through macrocyclization. We present a method based on explicit solvent enhanced sampling molecular dynamics simulations for estimating the impact of varying linker lengths and chemistry on the conformational stability of a peptide. The method is demonstrated on three cyclic peptide series that bind to proteins PCSK9, trypsin, and MDM2 adopting loop, β-sheet, and helical secondary structures. In general, the simulations show greater solution stability of the receptor-bound conformation for the higher-affinity peptides, consistent with the idea that preorganizing a ligand for binding can enhance binding affinity. The impact of the force field and sampling is discussed for one series that does not follow this trend. We have successfully applied this method to internal discovery programs to design peptides with increased potency and chemical stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Yu
- Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
| | - Stephanie A Barros
- Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
| | - Chengzao Sun
- Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
| | - Sandeep Somani
- Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
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Kasper SH, Otten S, Squadroni B, Orr‐Terry C, Kuang Y, Mussallem L, Ge L, Yan L, Kannan S, Verma CS, Brown CJ, Johannes CW, Lane DP, Chandramohan A, Partridge AW, Roberts LR, Josien H, Therien AG, Hett EC, Howell BJ, Peier A, Ai X, Cassaday J. A high-throughput microfluidic mechanoporation platform to enable intracellular delivery of cyclic peptides in cell-based assays. Bioeng Transl Med 2023; 8:e10542. [PMID: 37693049 PMCID: PMC10487316 DOI: 10.1002/btm2.10542] [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: 03/25/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyclic peptides are poised to target historically difficult to drug intracellular protein-protein interactions, however, their general cell impermeability poses a challenge for characterizing function. Recent advances in microfluidics have enabled permeabilization of the cytoplasmic membrane by physical cell deformation (i.e., mechanoporation), resulting in intracellular delivery of impermeable macromolecules in vector- and electrophoretic-free approaches. However, the number of payloads (e.g., peptides) and/or concentrations delivered via microfluidic mechanoporation is limited by having to pre-mix cells and payloads, a manually intensive process. In this work, we show that cells are momentarily permeable (t 1/2 = 1.1-2.8 min) after microfluidic vortex shedding (μVS) and that lower molecular weight macromolecules can be cytosolically delivered upon immediate exposure after cells are processed/permeabilized. To increase the ability to screen peptides, we built a system, dispensing-microfluidic vortex shedding (DμVS), that integrates a μVS chip with inline microplate-based dispensing. To do so, we synced an electronic pressure regulator, flow sensor, on/off dispense valve, and an x-y motion platform in a software-driven feedback loop. Using this system, we were able to deliver low microliter-scale volumes of transiently mechanoporated cells to hundreds of wells on microtiter plates in just several minutes (e.g., 96-well plate filled in <2.5 min). We validated the delivery of an impermeable peptide directed at MDM2, a negative regulator of the tumor suppressor p53, using a click chemistry- and NanoBRET-based cell permeability assay in 96-well format, with robust delivery across the full plate. Furthermore, we demonstrated that DμVS could be used to identify functional, low micromolar, cellular activity of otherwise cell-inactive MDM2-binding peptides using a p53 reporter cell assay in 96- and 384-well format. Overall, DμVS can be combined with downstream cell assays to investigate intracellular target engagement in a high-throughput manner, both for improving structure-activity relationship efforts and for early proof-of-biology of non-optimized peptide (or potentially other macromolecular) tools.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Yi Kuang
- Merck & Co., Inc.CambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | | | - Lan Ge
- Merck & Co., Inc.KenilworthNew JerseyUSA
| | - Lin Yan
- Merck & Co., Inc.KenilworthNew JerseyUSA
| | | | - Chandra S. Verma
- Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)SingaporeSingapore
| | | | | | - David P. Lane
- Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)SingaporeSingapore
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Xi Ai
- Merck & Co., Inc.KenilworthNew JerseyUSA
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Ishikawa R, Saito K, Misawa T, Demizu Y, Saito Y. Identification of the Stapled α-Helical Peptide ATSP-7041 as a Substrate and Strong Inhibitor of OATP1B1 In Vitro. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1002. [PMID: 37371582 DOI: 10.3390/biom13061002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
ATSP-7041, a stapled α-helical peptide that inhibits murine double minute-2 (MDM2) and MDMX activities, is a promising modality targeting protein-protein interactions. As peptides of molecular weights over 1000 Da are not usually evaluated, data on the drug-drug interaction (DDI) potential of stapled α-helical peptides remain scarce. Here, we evaluate the interaction of ATSP-7041 with hepatic cytochrome P450s (CYPs; CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP3A4, and CYP2D6) and transporters (organic anion transporting polypeptides (OATPs; OATP1B1 and OATP1B3), P-glycoprotein (P-gp), and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP)). ATSP-7041 demonstrated negligible metabolism in human liver S9 fraction and a limited inhibition of CYP activities in yeast microsomes or S9 fractions. On the contrary, a substantial uptake by OATPs in HEK 293 cells, a strong inhibition of OATP activities in the cells, and an inhibition of P-gp and BCRP activities in reversed membrane vesicles were observed for ATSP-7041. A recent report describes that ALRN-6924, an ATSP-7041 analog, inhibited OATP activities in vivo; therefore, we focused on the interaction between ATSP-7041 and OATP1B1 to demonstrate that ATSP-7041, as a higher molecular weight stapled peptide, is a substrate and strong inhibitor of OATP1B1 activity. Our findings demonstrated the possibility of transporter-mediated DDI potential by high molecular weight stapled peptides and the necessity of their evaluation for drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rika Ishikawa
- Division of Medical Safety Science, National Institute of Health Sciences, Kawasaki 210-9501, Japan
| | - Kosuke Saito
- Division of Medical Safety Science, National Institute of Health Sciences, Kawasaki 210-9501, Japan
| | - Takashi Misawa
- Division of Organic Chemistry, National Institute of Health Sciences, Kawasaki 210-9501, Japan
| | - Yosuke Demizu
- Division of Organic Chemistry, National Institute of Health Sciences, Kawasaki 210-9501, Japan
| | - Yoshiro Saito
- Division of Medical Safety Science, National Institute of Health Sciences, Kawasaki 210-9501, Japan
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Disparate Regions of the Human Chemokine CXCL10 Exhibit Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Activity against Biodefense and Antibiotic-Resistant Bacterial Pathogens. ACS Infect Dis 2022; 9:122-139. [PMID: 36475632 PMCID: PMC9841529 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.2c00456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
CXCL10 is a pro-inflammatory chemokine produced by the host in response to microbial infection. In addition to canonical, receptor-dependent actions affecting immune-cell migration and activation, CXCL10 has also been found to directly kill a broad range of pathogenic bacteria. Prior investigations suggest that the bactericidal effects of CXCL10 occur through two distinct pathways that compromise the cell envelope. These observations raise the intriguing notion that CXCL10 features a separable pair of antimicrobial domains. Herein, we affirm this possibility through peptide-based mapping and structure/function analyses, which demonstrate that discrete peptides derived from the N- and C-terminal regions of CXCL10 mediate bacterial killing. The N-terminal derivative, peptide P1, exhibited marked antimicrobial activity against Bacillus anthracis vegetative bacilli and spores, as well as antibiotic-resistant clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterococcus faecium, and Staphylococcus aureus, among others. At bactericidal concentrations, peptide P1 had a minimal degree of chemotactic activity, but did not cause red blood cell hemolysis or cytotoxic effects against primary human cells. The C-terminal derivative, peptide P9, exhibited antimicrobial effects, but only against Gram-negative bacteria in low-salt medium─conditions under which the peptide can adopt an α-helical conformation. The introduction of a hydrocarbon staple induced and stabilized α-helicity; accordingly, stapled peptide P9 displayed significantly improved bactericidal effects against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in media containing physiologic levels of salt. Together, our findings identify and characterize the antimicrobial regions of CXCL10 and functionalize these novel determinants as discrete peptides with potential therapeutic utility against difficult-to-treat pathogens.
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9
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C-terminal modification of a de novo designed antimicrobial peptide via capping of macrolactam rings. Bioorg Chem 2022; 130:106251. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2022.106251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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10
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Liposomal Formulation for Oral Delivery of Cyclosporine A: Usefulness as a Semisolid-Dispersion System. Pharm Res 2022; 39:977-987. [PMID: 35501532 DOI: 10.1007/s11095-022-03276-0] [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: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study aims to understand the process and mechanism of oral drug absorption from liposomes and to verify the usefulness of liposomal formulation for poorly soluble drugs. METHODS Cyclosporine A (CsA) was used as a model drug and entrapped into Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC) liposomes. Molecular state of CsA in the liposomes was analyzed using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and polarized light microscopy (PLM). Release profiles of CsA from liposomes were observed in fasted state simulated intestinal fluid (FaSSIF). Oral absorption of CsA from liposomal formulations were investigated in rats. RESULTS PXRD and PLM analyses suggested that CsA exists in the lipid layer of liposomes as a molecular dispersed state. Although both liposomes retained CsA stably in the simple buffer, DPPC liposomes quickly released CsA within 10 min in FaSSIF due to the interaction with bile acid. In contrast, effect of bile acid was negligible in DSPC, indicating a high resistivity to membrane perturbation. Oral bioavailability of CsA from liposomal formulations were almost comparable with that from a marketed product (Neoral). However, the absorption profiles were clearly different. CsA was absorbed quickly from DPPC liposomes and Neoral, while sustained absorption profile was observed from DSPC liposomes. Further study in which ritonavir was co-entrapped in the liposomes with CsA showed the higher efficacy of ritonavir to increase oral bioavailability of CsA. CONCLUSION Liposomes allows the appropriate formulation design for oral delivery of poorly soluble drugs, not only to increase the extent but also to control the rate of absorption.
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11
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Buyanova M, Pei D. Targeting intracellular protein-protein interactions with macrocyclic peptides. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2022; 43:234-248. [PMID: 34911657 PMCID: PMC8840965 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2021.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 10/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Intracellular protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are challenging targets for traditional drug modalities. Macrocyclic peptides (MPs) prove highly effective PPI inhibitors in vitro and can be rapidly discovered against PPI targets by rational design or screening combinatorial libraries but are generally impermeable to the cell membrane. Recent advances in MP science and technology are allowing for the development of 'drug-like' MPs that potently and specifically modulate intracellular PPI targets in cell culture and animal models. In this review, we highlight recent progress in generating cell-permeable MPs that enter the mammalian cell by passive diffusion, endocytosis followed by endosomal escape, or as-yet unknown mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Buyanova
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, 484 West 12th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Dehua Pei
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, 484 West 12th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
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12
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Loro C, Sala R, Penso M, Foschi F. DBU Catalysed Enantioselective Degradative Rearrangement: a Way to Tetrasubstituted 2‐Aryl‐2‐Amino Esters. Adv Synth Catal 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/adsc.202100493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Loro
- Dipartimento di Scienza e Alta Tecnologia Università degli Studi dell'Insubria Via Valleggio 9 IT-20100 Como Italy
| | - Roberto Sala
- Dipartimento di Scienza e Alta Tecnologia Università degli Studi dell'Insubria Via Valleggio 9 IT-20100 Como Italy
| | - Michele Penso
- CNR-Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche “Giulio Natta” (SCITEC) Via Golgi 19 IT-20133 Milano Italy
| | - Francesca Foschi
- Dipartimento di Scienza e Alta Tecnologia Università degli Studi dell'Insubria Via Valleggio 9 IT-20100 Como Italy
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13
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Unarta IC, Xu J, Shang Y, Cheung CHP, Zhu R, Chen X, Cao S, Cheung PPH, Bierer D, Zhang M, Huang X, Li X. Entropy of stapled peptide inhibitors in free state is the major contributor to the improvement of binding affinity with the GK domain. RSC Chem Biol 2021; 2:1274-1284. [PMID: 34458841 PMCID: PMC8341669 DOI: 10.1039/d1cb00087j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Stapled peptides are promising protein–protein interaction (PPI) inhibitors that can increase the binding potency. Different from small-molecule inhibitors in which the binding mainly depends on energetic interactions with their protein targets, the binding of stapled peptides has long been suggested to be benefited from entropy. However, it remains challenging to reveal the molecular features that lead to this entropy gain, which could originate from the stabilization of the stapled peptide in solution or from the increased flexibility of the complex upon binding. This hinders the rational design of stapled peptides as PPI inhibitors. Using the guanylate kinase (GK) domain of the postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95) as the target, we quantified the enthalpic and entropic contributions by combining isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), X-ray crystallography, and free energy calculations based on all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We successfully designed a stapled peptide inhibitor (staple 1) of the PSD-95 GK domain that led to a 25-fold increase in the binding affinity (from tens of μMs to 1.36 μM) with high cell permeability. We showed that entropy indeed greatly enhanced the binding affinity and the entropy gain was mainly due to the constrained-helix structure of the stapled peptide in solution (free state). Based on staple 1, we further designed two other stapled peptides (staple 2 and 3), which exerted even larger entropy gains compared to staple 1 because of their more flexible bound complexes (bound state). However, for staple 2 and 3, the overall binding affinities were not improved, as the loose binding in their bound states led to an enthalpic loss that largely compensated the excess entropy gain. Our work suggests that increasing the stability of the stapled peptide in free solution is an effective strategy for the rational design of stapled peptides as PPI inhibitors. The significant improvement in the binding affinity of the stapled peptide to the PSD-95 GK domain is mostly contributed by the reduction in the entropy penalty of the stapled peptide due to the restriction in the α-helical structure by stapling in the free state.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilona Christy Unarta
- Bioengineering Graduate Program, Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay Kowloon Hong Kong .,Centre of Systems Biology and Human Health, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay Kowloon Hong Kong
| | - Jianchao Xu
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Lab of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong
| | - Yuan Shang
- Centre of Systems Biology and Human Health, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay Kowloon Hong Kong .,Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Kowloon Hong Kong
| | - Carina Hey Pui Cheung
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Lab of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong
| | - Ruichi Zhu
- Centre of Systems Biology and Human Health, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay Kowloon Hong Kong .,Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Kowloon Hong Kong
| | - Xudong Chen
- Centre of Systems Biology and Human Health, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay Kowloon Hong Kong .,Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Kowloon Hong Kong
| | - Siqin Cao
- Centre of Systems Biology and Human Health, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay Kowloon Hong Kong .,Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Kowloon Hong Kong
| | - Peter Pak-Hang Cheung
- Centre of Systems Biology and Human Health, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay Kowloon Hong Kong .,Department of Chemistry, State Key Lab of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong
| | - Donald Bierer
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Bayer AG Aprather Weg 18A 42096 Wuppertal Germany
| | - Mingjie Zhang
- Centre of Systems Biology and Human Health, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay Kowloon Hong Kong .,Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Kowloon Hong Kong
| | - Xuhui Huang
- Bioengineering Graduate Program, Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay Kowloon Hong Kong .,Centre of Systems Biology and Human Health, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay Kowloon Hong Kong .,Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Kowloon Hong Kong.,Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hong Kong Science Park Hong Kong
| | - Xuechen Li
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Lab of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong
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14
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Craik DJ, Kan MW. How can we improve peptide drug discovery? Learning from the past. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2021; 16:1399-1402. [PMID: 34344242 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2021.1961740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David J Craik
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Meng-Wei Kan
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
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15
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Strizhak AV, Babii O, Afonin S, Bakanovich I, Pantelejevs T, Xu W, Fowler E, Eapen R, Sharma K, Platonov MO, Hurmach VV, Itzhaki L, Hyvönen M, Ulrich AS, Spring DR, Komarov IV. Diarylethene moiety as an enthalpy-entropy switch: photoisomerizable stapled peptides for modulating p53/MDM2 interaction. Org Biomol Chem 2021; 18:5359-5369. [PMID: 32390036 DOI: 10.1039/d0ob00831a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Analogs of the known inhibitor (peptide pDI) of the p53/MDM2 protein-protein interaction are reported, which are stapled by linkers bearing a photoisomerizable diarylethene moiety. The corresponding photoisomers possess significantly different affinities to the p53-interacting domain of the human MDM2. Apparent dissociation constants are in the picomolar-to-low nanomolar range for those isomers with diarylethene in the "open" configuration, but up to eight times larger for the corresponding "closed" isomers. Spectroscopic, structural, and computational studies showed that the stapling linkers of the peptides contribute to their binding. Calorimetry revealed that the binding of the "closed" isomers is mostly enthalpy-driven, whereas the "open" photoforms bind to the protein stronger due to their increased binding entropy. The results suggest that conformational dynamics of the protein-peptide complexes may explain the differences in the thermodynamic profiles of the binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander V Strizhak
- University Chemical Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, CB2 1EW Cambridge, UK. and Enamine Ltd, Vul. Chervonotkatska 78, 02094 Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Oleg Babii
- Institute of Biological Interfaces (IBG-2), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), POB 3640, 76021 Karlsruhe, Germany.
| | - Sergii Afonin
- Institute of Biological Interfaces (IBG-2), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), POB 3640, 76021 Karlsruhe, Germany.
| | - Iuliia Bakanovich
- University Chemical Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, CB2 1EW Cambridge, UK. and Enamine Ltd, Vul. Chervonotkatska 78, 02094 Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Teodors Pantelejevs
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Road, CB2 1GA Cambridge, UK
| | - Wenshu Xu
- University Chemical Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, CB2 1EW Cambridge, UK.
| | - Elaine Fowler
- University Chemical Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, CB2 1EW Cambridge, UK.
| | - Rohan Eapen
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, CB2 1PD Cambridge, UK
| | - Krishna Sharma
- University Chemical Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, CB2 1EW Cambridge, UK.
| | | | - Vasyl V Hurmach
- Enamine Ltd, Vul. Chervonotkatska 78, 02094 Kyiv, Ukraine and Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Vul. Volodymyrska 60, 01601 Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Laura Itzhaki
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, CB2 1PD Cambridge, UK
| | - Marko Hyvönen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Road, CB2 1GA Cambridge, UK
| | - Anne S Ulrich
- Institute of Biological Interfaces (IBG-2), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), POB 3640, 76021 Karlsruhe, Germany. and Institute of Organic Chemistry (IOC), KIT, Fritz-Haber-Weg 6, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - David R Spring
- University Chemical Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, CB2 1EW Cambridge, UK.
| | - Igor V Komarov
- Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Vul. Volodymyrska 60, 01601 Kyiv, Ukraine and Lumobiotics GmbH, Auer Str. 2, 76227, Karlsruhe, Germany.
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16
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Makura Y, Ueda A, Kato T, Iyoshi A, Higuchi M, Doi M, Tanaka M. X-ray Crystallographic Structure of α-Helical Peptide Stabilized by Hydrocarbon Stapling at i, i + 1 Positions. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22105364. [PMID: 34069753 PMCID: PMC8160927 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22105364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrocarbon stapling is a useful tool for stabilizing the secondary structure of peptides. Among several methods, hydrocarbon stapling at i,i + 1 positions was not extensively studied, and their secondary structures are not clarified. In this study, we investigate i,i + 1 hydrocarbon stapling between cis-4-allyloxy-l-proline and various olefin-tethered amino acids. Depending on the ring size of the stapled side chains and structure of the olefin-tethered amino acids, E- or Z-selectivities were observed during the ring-closing metathesis reaction (E/Z was up to 8.5:1 for 17–14-membered rings and up to 1:20 for 13-membered rings). We performed X-ray crystallographic analysis of hydrocarbon stapled peptide at i,i + 1 positions. The X-ray crystallographic structure suggested that the i,i + 1 staple stabilizes the peptide secondary structure to the right-handed α-helix. These findings are especially important for short oligopeptides because the employed stapling method uses two minimal amino acid residues adjacent to each other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yui Makura
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1–14 Bunkyo-machi, Nagasaki 852-8521, Japan; (Y.M.); (A.I.); (M.H.)
| | - Atsushi Ueda
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1–14 Bunkyo-machi, Nagasaki 852-8521, Japan; (Y.M.); (A.I.); (M.H.)
- Correspondence: (A.U.); (M.T.); Tel.: +81-95-819-2425 (A.U.); +81-95-819-2423 (M.T.)
| | - Takuma Kato
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Osaka 569-1094, Japan; (T.K.); (M.D.)
| | - Akihiro Iyoshi
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1–14 Bunkyo-machi, Nagasaki 852-8521, Japan; (Y.M.); (A.I.); (M.H.)
| | - Mei Higuchi
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1–14 Bunkyo-machi, Nagasaki 852-8521, Japan; (Y.M.); (A.I.); (M.H.)
| | - Mitsunobu Doi
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Osaka 569-1094, Japan; (T.K.); (M.D.)
| | - Masakazu Tanaka
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1–14 Bunkyo-machi, Nagasaki 852-8521, Japan; (Y.M.); (A.I.); (M.H.)
- Correspondence: (A.U.); (M.T.); Tel.: +81-95-819-2425 (A.U.); +81-95-819-2423 (M.T.)
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17
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Wang H, Dawber RS, Zhang P, Walko M, Wilson AJ, Wang X. Peptide-based inhibitors of protein-protein interactions: biophysical, structural and cellular consequences of introducing a constraint. Chem Sci 2021; 12:5977-5993. [PMID: 33995995 PMCID: PMC8098664 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc00165e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are implicated in the majority of cellular processes by enabling and regulating the function of individual proteins. Thus, PPIs represent high-value, but challenging targets for therapeutic intervention. The development of constrained peptides represents an emerging strategy to generate peptide-based PPI inhibitors, typically mediated by α-helices. The approach can confer significant benefits including enhanced affinity, stability and cellular penetration and is ingrained in the premise that pre-organization simultaneously pays the entropic cost of binding, prevents a peptide from adopting a protease compliant β-strand conformation and shields the hydrophilic amides from the hydrophobic membrane. This conceptual blueprint for the empirical design of peptide-based PPI inhibitors is an exciting and potentially lucrative way to effect successful PPI inhibitor drug-discovery. However, a plethora of more subtle effects may arise from the introduction of a constraint that include changes to binding dynamics, the mode of recognition and molecular properties. In this review, we summarise the influence of inserting constraints on biophysical, conformational, structural and cellular behaviour across a range of constraining chemistries and targets, to highlight the tremendous success that has been achieved with constrained peptides alongside emerging design opportunities and challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongshuang Wang
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences 5625 Renmin St. Changchun 130022 Jilin China
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Nanjing University Nanjing 210023 Jiangsu China
| | - Robert S Dawber
- School of Chemistry, University of Leeds Woodhouse Lane Leeds LS2 9JT UK
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds Woodhouse Lane Leeds LS2 9JT UK
| | - Peiyu Zhang
- School of Chemistry, University of Leeds Woodhouse Lane Leeds LS2 9JT UK
| | - Martin Walko
- School of Chemistry, University of Leeds Woodhouse Lane Leeds LS2 9JT UK
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds Woodhouse Lane Leeds LS2 9JT UK
| | - Andrew J Wilson
- School of Chemistry, University of Leeds Woodhouse Lane Leeds LS2 9JT UK
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds Woodhouse Lane Leeds LS2 9JT UK
| | - Xiaohui Wang
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences 5625 Renmin St. Changchun 130022 Jilin China
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China Hefei 230026 China
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18
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Liposome Click Membrane Permeability Assay for Identifying Permeable Peptides. Pharm Res 2021; 38:843-850. [PMID: 33723794 DOI: 10.1007/s11095-021-03005-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To develop a novel, target agnostic liposome click membrane permeability assay (LCMPA) using liposome encapsulating copper free click reagent dibenzo cyclooctyne biotin (DBCO-Biotin) to conjugate azido modified peptides that may effectively translocate from extravesicular space into the liposome lumen. METHOD DBCO-Biotin liposomes were prepared with egg phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol by lipid film rehydration, freeze/thaw followed by extrusion. Size of DBCO-Biotin liposomes were characterized with dynamic light scattering. RESULTS The permeable peptides representing energy independent mechanism of permeability showed higher biotinylation in LCMPA. Individual peptide permeability results from LCMPA correlated well with shifts in potency in cellular versus biochemical assays (i.e., cellular/ biochemical ratio) demonstrating quantitative correlation to intracellular barrier in intact cells. CONCLUSION The study provides a novel membrane permeability assay that has potential to evaluate energy independent transport of diverse peptides.
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Philippe GJB, Mittermeier A, Lawrence N, Huang YH, Condon ND, Loewer A, Craik DJ, Henriques ST. Angler Peptides: Macrocyclic Conjugates Inhibit p53:MDM2/X Interactions and Activate Apoptosis in Cancer Cells. ACS Chem Biol 2021; 16:414-428. [PMID: 33533253 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.0c00988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Peptides are being developed as targeted anticancer drugs to modulate cytosolic protein-protein interactions involved in cancer progression. However, their use as therapeutics is often limited by their low cell membrane permeation and/or inability to reach cytosolic targets. Conjugation to cell penetrating peptides has been successfully used to improve the cytosolic delivery of high affinity binder peptides, but cellular uptake does not always result in modulation of the targeted pathway. To overcome this limitation, we developed "angler peptides" by conjugating KD3, a noncell permeable but potent and specific peptide inhibitor of p53:MDM2 and p53:MDMX interactions, with a set of cyclic cell-penetrating peptides. We examined their binding affinity for MDM2 and MDMX, the cell entry mechanism, and role in reactivation of the p53 pathway. We identified two angler peptides, cTAT-KD3 and cR10-KD3, able to activate the p53 pathway in cancer cells. cTAT-KD3 entered cells via endocytic pathways, escaped endosomes, and activated the p53 pathway in breast (MCF7), lung (A549), and colon (HCT116) cancer cell lines at concentrations in the range of 1-12 μM. cR10-KD3 reached the cytosol via direct membrane translocation and activated the p53 pathway at 1 μM in all the tested cell lines. Our work demonstrates that nonpermeable anticancer peptides can be delivered into the cytosol and inhibit intracellular cancer pathways when they are conjugated with stable cell penetrating peptides. The mechanistic studies suggest that direct translocation leads to less toxicity, higher cytosol delivery at lower concentrations, and lower dependencies on the membrane of the tested cell line than occurs for an endocytic pathway with endosomal escape. The angler strategy can rescue high affinity peptide binders identified from high throughput screening and convert them into targeted anticancer therapeutics, but investigation of their cellular uptake and cell death mechanisms is essential to confirming modulation of the targeted cancer pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grégoire J.-B. Philippe
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | | | - Nicole Lawrence
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Yen-Hua Huang
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Nicholas D. Condon
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | | | - David J. Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Sónia T. Henriques
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Queensland University of Technology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Health & Biomedical Innovation and Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland 4102, Australia
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20
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Kannan S, Aronica PGA, Nguyen TB, Li J, Verma CS. Computational Design of Macrocyclic Binders of S100B(ββ): Novel Peptide Theranostics. Molecules 2021; 26:721. [PMID: 33573254 PMCID: PMC7866529 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26030721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2020] [Revised: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
S100B(ββ) proteins are a family of multifunctional proteins that are present in several tissues and regulate a wide variety of cellular processes. Their altered expression levels have been associated with several human diseases, such as cancer, inflammatory disorders and neurodegenerative conditions, and hence are of interest as a therapeutic target and a biomarker. Small molecule inhibitors of S100B(ββ) have achieved limited success. Guided by the wealth of available experimental structures of S100B(ββ) in complex with diverse peptides from various protein interacting partners, we combine comparative structural analysis and molecular dynamics simulations to design a series of peptides and their analogues (stapled) as S100B(ββ) binders. The stapled peptides were subject to in silico mutagenesis experiments, resulting in optimized analogues that are predicted to bind to S100B(ββ) with high affinity, and were also modified with imaging agents to serve as diagnostic tools. These stapled peptides can serve as theranostics, which can be used to not only diagnose the levels of S100B(ββ) but also to disrupt the interactions of S100B(ββ) with partner proteins which drive disease progression, thus serving as novel therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srinivasaraghavan Kannan
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore; (P.G.A.A.); (T.B.N.); (J.L.)
| | - Pietro G. A. Aronica
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore; (P.G.A.A.); (T.B.N.); (J.L.)
| | - Thanh Binh Nguyen
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore; (P.G.A.A.); (T.B.N.); (J.L.)
| | - Jianguo Li
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore; (P.G.A.A.); (T.B.N.); (J.L.)
- Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore 169856, Singapore
| | - Chandra S. Verma
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore; (P.G.A.A.); (T.B.N.); (J.L.)
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543, Singapore
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21
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Converting peptides into drugs targeting intracellular protein-protein interactions. Drug Discov Today 2021; 26:1521-1531. [PMID: 33524603 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2021.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Revised: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Peptides are gaining increasing attention as therapeutics to target intracellular protein-protein interactions that are involved in disease progression. In this review, we discuss how peptides that are able to bind and inhibit a therapeutic target can be translated into drug leads. We discuss the advantages of using peptides as therapeutics to target intracellular protein-protein interactions, chemical strategies to generate macrocyclic peptides that are resistant to proteolytic enzymes, high-throughput screening approaches to identify peptides that have high affinity for therapeutic targets, strategies that permit these peptides to cross cell membranes and so reach intracellular targets, and the importance of investigating their mode-of-action in guiding the development of novel therapeutics.
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22
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Zane D, Feldman PL, Sawyer T, Sobol Z, Hawes J. Development and Regulatory Challenges for Peptide Therapeutics. Int J Toxicol 2020; 40:108-124. [PMID: 33327828 DOI: 10.1177/1091581820977846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
There has been an increased interest in and activity for the use of peptide therapeutics to treat a variety of human diseases. The number of peptide drugs entering clinical development and the market has increased significantly over the past decade despite inherent challenges of peptide therapeutic discovery, development, and patient-friendly delivery. Disparities in interpretation and application of existing regulatory guidances to innovative synthetic and conjugated peptide assets have resulted in challenges for both regulators and sponsors. The Symposium on Development and Regulatory Challenges for Peptide Therapeutics at the 40th Annual Meeting of the American College of Toxicology held in November of 2019 focused on the following specific topics: (1) peptide therapeutic progress and future directions, and approaches to discover, optimize, assess, and deliver combination peptide therapeutics for treatment of diseases; (2) toxicological considerations to advance peptide drug-device combination products for efficient development and optimal patient benefit and adherence; (3) industry and regulatory perspectives on the regulation of synthetic and conjugated peptide products, including exploration of regulatory classifications, interpretations, and application of the existing guidances International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) M3(R2) and ICH S6(R1) in determining nonclinical study recommendations; and (4) presentation of the 2016 Health and Environmental Sciences Institute's Genetic Toxicology Technical Committee working group assessment of genotoxicity testing requirements. Perspectives were shared from industry and regulatory scientists working in the peptide therapeutics field followed by an open forum panel discussion to discuss questions drafted for the peptide therapeutics scientific community, which will be discussed in more detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doris Zane
- 435529Intarcia Therapeutics, Inc., Hayward, CA, USA
| | - Paul L Feldman
- 435529Intarcia Therapeutics, Inc., Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | | | - Zhanna Sobol
- Pfizer Inc., Worldwide Research and Development, Groton, CT, USA
| | - Jessica Hawes
- 4137Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), Silver Spring, MD, USA.,Hawes is now with Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR), Jefferson, AR, USA
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23
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Lawrence N, Philippe GJB, Harvey PJ, Condon ND, Benfield AH, Cheneval O, Craik DJ, Troeira Henriques S. Cyclic peptide scaffold with ability to stabilize and deliver a helical cell-impermeable cargo across membranes of cultured cancer cells. RSC Chem Biol 2020; 1:405-420. [PMID: 34458771 PMCID: PMC8386104 DOI: 10.1039/d0cb00099j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) are valuable tools for developing anticancer therapies due to their ability to access intracellular targets, including protein–protein interactions. cPF4PD is a newly described CPP designed from a transduction domain of the human defense protein platelet factor 4 (PF4), that also has antimalarial activity. The cPF4PD peptide recapitulates the helical structure of the PF4 domain and maintains activity against intracellular malaria parasites via a selective membrane-active mechanism. We hypothesized that cPF4PD and PF4-derived peptide analogues would enter cancer cells and have utility as scaffolds for delivering a peptide dual inhibitor (pDI) sequence with ability to inhibit p53:MDM2/X interactions and reactivate the p53 pathway. Here we designed and produced PF4 peptide and PF4 peptide-pDI grafted analogues with low micromolar activity toward melanoma and leukemia. Two grafted analogues achieved a stable helical structure and inhibited interaction with MDM2 and MDMX. These peptides reached the cytoplasm of cells but were unable to reactivate the p53 pathway. Instead, the cytotoxic mechanism was attributed to peptide binding to mitochondrial membranes that perturbed function within two hours of treatment. These studies of PF4-derived CPPs suggest their potential as scaffolds for delivering cell-impermeable cargoes into the cytoplasm of cells and highlight the importance of characterizing the internalization and cell death mechanism of designer peptide-based drugs. A new helix-loop-helix peptide scaffold with dual ability to transport cargo across cancer cell membranes and disrupt mitochondrial membrane function.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Lawrence
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia +61 7 34437342 +61 7 33462014 +61 7 33462019
| | - Grégoire J-B Philippe
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia +61 7 34437342 +61 7 33462014 +61 7 33462019
| | - Peta J Harvey
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia +61 7 34437342 +61 7 33462014 +61 7 33462019
| | - Nicholas D Condon
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia +61 7 34437342 +61 7 33462014 +61 7 33462019
| | - Aurélie H Benfield
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia +61 7 34437342 +61 7 33462014 +61 7 33462019.,Queensland University of Technology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Health & Biomedical Innovation and Translational Research Institute Brisbane Queensland 4102 Australia
| | - Olivier Cheneval
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia +61 7 34437342 +61 7 33462014 +61 7 33462019
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia +61 7 34437342 +61 7 33462014 +61 7 33462019
| | - Sónia Troeira Henriques
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia +61 7 34437342 +61 7 33462014 +61 7 33462019.,Queensland University of Technology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Health & Biomedical Innovation and Translational Research Institute Brisbane Queensland 4102 Australia
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24
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Luong HX, Kim YW. Stabilization of Single Turn Polyproline II Helices via Macrocyclic Hydrocarbon Staples. Org Lett 2020; 22:7986-7990. [PMID: 33021801 DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.0c02914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Polyproline II helix (PPII) is one of the secondary structures in proteins that play an important role in various biological processes. In this study, we have developed a new macrocyclization strategy that efficiently reinforces a model tetrapeptide into a PPII structure. We also elucidated some relationships between structural features and PPII stability in this model. This new macrocyclic stapling strategy can serve as a useful chemical tool to manipulate the PPII structure for various applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huy X Luong
- College of Pharmacy, Dongguk University, Seoul 04620, Korea
| | - Young-Woo Kim
- College of Pharmacy, Dongguk University, Seoul 04620, Korea
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25
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Ueda A, Higuchi M, Sato K, Umeno T, Tanaka M. Design and Synthesis of Helical N-Terminal L-Prolyl Oligopeptides Possessing Hydrocarbon Stapling. Molecules 2020; 25:E4667. [PMID: 33066194 PMCID: PMC7594088 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25204667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 10/10/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
We designed and synthesized helical short oligopeptides with an L-proline on the N-terminus and hydrocarbon stapling on the side chain. Side-chain stapling is a frequently used method for the development of biologically active peptides. Side-chain stapling can stabilize the secondary structures of peptides, and, therefore, stapled peptides may be applicable to peptide-based organocatalysts. Olefin-tethered cis-4-hydroxy-L-proline 1 and L-serine 2 and 8, and (R)-α-allyl-proline 18 were used as cross-linking motifs and incorporated into helical peptide sequences. The Z- and E-selectivities were observed for the ring-closing metathesis reactions of peptides 3 and 11 (i,i+1 series), respectively, while no E/Z-selectivity was observed for that of 19 (i,i+3 series). The stapled peptide B' catalyzed the Michael addition reaction of 1-methylindole to α,β-unsaturated aldehyde, which was seven times faster than that of unstapled peptide B. Furthermore, the high catalytic activity was retained even at lower catalyst loadings (5 mol %) and lower temperatures (0 °C). The circular dichroism spectra of stapled peptide B' showed a right-handed helix with a higher intensity than that of unstapled peptide B. These results indicate that the introduction of side-chain stapling is beneficial for enhancing the catalytic activity of short oligopeptide catalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Ueda
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-14 Bunkyo-machi, Nagasaki 852-8521, Japan; (M.H.); (K.S.); (T.U.)
| | | | | | | | - Masakazu Tanaka
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-14 Bunkyo-machi, Nagasaki 852-8521, Japan; (M.H.); (K.S.); (T.U.)
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26
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Ng S, Juang YC, Chandramohan A, Kaan HYK, Sadruddin A, Yuen TY, Ferrer-Gago FJ, Lee XC, Liew X, Johannes CW, Brown CJ, Kannan S, Aronica PG, Berglund NA, Verma CS, Liu L, Stoeck A, Sawyer TK, Partridge AW, Lane DP. De-risking Drug Discovery of Intracellular Targeting Peptides: Screening Strategies to Eliminate False-Positive Hits. ACS Med Chem Lett 2020; 11:1993-2001. [PMID: 33062184 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.0c00022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Nonspecific promiscuous compounds can mislead researchers and waste significant resources. This phenomenon, though well-documented for small molecules, has not been widely explored for the peptide modality. Here we demonstrate that two purported peptide-based KRas inhibitors, SAH-SOS1 A and cyclorasin 9A5, exemplify false-positive molecules-in terms of both their binding affinities and cellular activities. Through multiple gold-standard biophysical techniques, we unambiguously show that both peptides lack specific binding to KRas and instead induce protein unfolding. Although these peptides inhibited cellular proliferation, the activities appeared to be off-target on the basis of a counterscreen with KRas-independent cell lines. We further demonstrate that their cellular activities are derived from membrane disruption. Accordingly, we propose that to de-risk false-positive molecules, orthogonal binding assays and cellular counterscreens are indispensable.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Tsz Ying Yuen
- Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences, A*STAR, Singapore 138665
| | | | - Xue’Er Cheryl Lee
- Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences, A*STAR, Singapore 138665
| | - Xi Liew
- Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences, A*STAR, Singapore 138665
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Lijuan Liu
- Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | | | - Tomi K. Sawyer
- Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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27
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Kannan S, Aronica PGA, Ng S, Gek Lian DT, Frosi Y, Chee S, Shimin J, Yuen TY, Sadruddin A, Kaan HYK, Chandramohan A, Wong JH, Tan YS, Chang ZW, Ferrer-Gago FJ, Arumugam P, Han Y, Chen S, Rénia L, Brown CJ, Johannes CW, Henry B, Lane DP, Sawyer TK, Verma CS, Partridge AW. Macrocyclization of an all-d linear α-helical peptide imparts cellular permeability. Chem Sci 2020; 11:5577-5591. [PMID: 32874502 PMCID: PMC7441689 DOI: 10.1039/c9sc06383h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide-based molecules hold great potential as targeted inhibitors of intracellular protein-protein interactions (PPIs). Indeed, the vast diversity of chemical space conferred through their primary, secondary and tertiary structures allows these molecules to be applied to targets that are typically deemed intractable via small molecules. However, the development of peptide therapeutics has been hindered by their limited conformational stability, proteolytic sensitivity and cell permeability. Several contemporary peptide design strategies are aimed at addressing these issues. Strategic macrocyclization through optimally placed chemical braces such as olefinic hydrocarbon crosslinks, commonly referred to as staples, may improve peptide properties by (i) restricting conformational freedom to improve target affinities, (ii) improving proteolytic resistance, and (iii) enhancing cell permeability. As a second strategy, molecules constructed entirely from d-amino acids are hyper-resistant to proteolytic cleavage, but generally lack conformational stability and membrane permeability. Since neither approach is a complete solution, we have combined these strategies to identify the first examples of all-d α-helical stapled and stitched peptides. As a template, we used a recently reported all d-linear peptide that is a potent inhibitor of the p53-Mdm2 interaction, but is devoid of cellular activity. To design both stapled and stitched all-d-peptide analogues, we used computational modelling to predict optimal staple placement. The resultant novel macrocyclic all d-peptide was determined to exhibit increased α-helicity, improved target binding, complete proteolytic stability and, most notably, cellular activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srinivasaraghavan Kannan
- Bioinformatics Institute , Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) , 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix , Singapore 138671 , Singapore . ; ; ; Tel: +65 6478 8353 ; Tel: +65 6478 8273
| | - Pietro G A Aronica
- Bioinformatics Institute , Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) , 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix , Singapore 138671 , Singapore . ; ; ; Tel: +65 6478 8353 ; Tel: +65 6478 8273
| | - Simon Ng
- p53 Laboratory , Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) , 8A Biomedical Grove, #06-04/05, Neuros/Immunos , Singapore 138648
| | - Dawn Thean Gek Lian
- p53 Laboratory , Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) , 8A Biomedical Grove, #06-04/05, Neuros/Immunos , Singapore 138648
| | - Yuri Frosi
- p53 Laboratory , Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) , 8A Biomedical Grove, #06-04/05, Neuros/Immunos , Singapore 138648
| | - Sharon Chee
- p53 Laboratory , Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) , 8A Biomedical Grove, #06-04/05, Neuros/Immunos , Singapore 138648
| | - Jiang Shimin
- p53 Laboratory , Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) , 8A Biomedical Grove, #06-04/05, Neuros/Immunos , Singapore 138648
| | - Tsz Ying Yuen
- Institute of Chemical & Engineering Science , Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) , 8 Biomedical Grove, #07, Neuros Building , Singapore 138665
| | - Ahmad Sadruddin
- MSD International , Translation Medicine Research Centre , 8 Biomedical Grove, #04-01/05 Neuros Building , Singapore , 138665 , Singapore .
| | - Hung Yi Kristal Kaan
- MSD International , Translation Medicine Research Centre , 8 Biomedical Grove, #04-01/05 Neuros Building , Singapore , 138665 , Singapore .
| | - Arun Chandramohan
- MSD International , Translation Medicine Research Centre , 8 Biomedical Grove, #04-01/05 Neuros Building , Singapore , 138665 , Singapore .
| | - Jin Huei Wong
- Bioinformatics Institute , Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) , 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix , Singapore 138671 , Singapore . ; ; ; Tel: +65 6478 8353 ; Tel: +65 6478 8273
| | - Yaw Sing Tan
- Bioinformatics Institute , Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) , 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix , Singapore 138671 , Singapore . ; ; ; Tel: +65 6478 8353 ; Tel: +65 6478 8273
| | - Zi Wei Chang
- Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN) , Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) , 8A Biomedical Grove, #03-06, Immunos , Singapore 138648
| | - Fernando J Ferrer-Gago
- p53 Laboratory , Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) , 8A Biomedical Grove, #06-04/05, Neuros/Immunos , Singapore 138648
| | - Prakash Arumugam
- Bioinformatics Institute , Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) , 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix , Singapore 138671 , Singapore . ; ; ; Tel: +65 6478 8353 ; Tel: +65 6478 8273
| | - Yi Han
- Merck & Co., Inc. , Kenilworth , New Jersey , USA
| | - Shiying Chen
- Merck & Co., Inc. , Kenilworth , New Jersey , USA
| | - Laurent Rénia
- Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN) , Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) , 8A Biomedical Grove, #03-06, Immunos , Singapore 138648
| | - Christopher J Brown
- p53 Laboratory , Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) , 8A Biomedical Grove, #06-04/05, Neuros/Immunos , Singapore 138648
| | - Charles W Johannes
- Institute of Chemical & Engineering Science , Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) , 8 Biomedical Grove, #07, Neuros Building , Singapore 138665
| | - Brian Henry
- MSD International , Translation Medicine Research Centre , 8 Biomedical Grove, #04-01/05 Neuros Building , Singapore , 138665 , Singapore .
| | - David P Lane
- p53 Laboratory , Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) , 8A Biomedical Grove, #06-04/05, Neuros/Immunos , Singapore 138648
| | | | - Chandra S Verma
- Bioinformatics Institute , Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) , 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix , Singapore 138671 , Singapore . ; ; ; Tel: +65 6478 8353 ; Tel: +65 6478 8273
- School of Biological Sciences , Nanyang Technological University , 60 Nanyang Drive , Singapore 637551
- Department of Biological Sciences , National University of Singapore , 14 Science Drive 4 , Singapore 117543
| | - Anthony W Partridge
- MSD International , Translation Medicine Research Centre , 8 Biomedical Grove, #04-01/05 Neuros Building , Singapore , 138665 , Singapore .
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28
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Wu M, Chen Q, Wang Y, Li Y, Zhao X, Chang Q. Structural modification and antitumor activity of antimicrobial peptide HYL. CHINESE CHEM LETT 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cclet.2019.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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29
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Tonon MC, Vaudry H, Chuquet J, Guillebaud F, Fan J, Masmoudi-Kouki O, Vaudry D, Lanfray D, Morin F, Prevot V, Papadopoulos V, Troadec JD, Leprince J. Endozepines and their receptors: Structure, functions and pathophysiological significance. Pharmacol Ther 2020; 208:107386. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2019.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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30
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Navaratna T, Atangcho L, Mahajan M, Subramanian V, Case M, Min A, Tresnak D, Thurber GM. Directed Evolution Using Stabilized Bacterial Peptide Display. J Am Chem Soc 2020; 142:1882-1894. [PMID: 31880439 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b10716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Chemically stabilized peptides have attracted intense interest by academics and pharmaceutical companies due to their potential to hit currently "undruggable" targets. However, engineering an optimal sequence, stabilizing linker location, and physicochemical properties is a slow and arduous process. By pairing non-natural amino acid incorporation and cell surface click chemistry in bacteria with high-throughput sorting, we developed a method to quantitatively select high affinity ligands and applied the Stabilized Peptide Evolution by E. coli Display technique to develop disrupters of the therapeutically relevant MDM2-p53 interface. Through in situ stabilization on the bacterial surface, we demonstrate rapid isolation of stabilized peptides with improved affinity and novel structures. Several peptides evolved a second loop including one sequence (Kd = 1.8 nM) containing an i, i+4 disulfide bond. NMR structural determination indicated a bent helix in solution and bound to MDM2. The bicyclic peptide had improved protease stability, and we demonstrated that protease resistance could be measured both on the bacterial surface and in solution, enabling the method to test and/or screen for additional drug-like properties critical for biologically active compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tejas Navaratna
- Department of Chemical Engineering , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , Michigan 48109 , United States
| | - Lydia Atangcho
- Department of Chemical Engineering , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , Michigan 48109 , United States
| | - Mukesh Mahajan
- Department of Chemical Engineering , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , Michigan 48109 , United States
| | | | - Marshall Case
- Department of Chemical Engineering , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , Michigan 48109 , United States
| | - Andrew Min
- Department of Chemical Engineering , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , Michigan 48109 , United States
| | - Daniel Tresnak
- Department of Chemical Engineering , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , Michigan 48109 , United States
| | - Greg M Thurber
- Department of Chemical Engineering , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , Michigan 48109 , United States.,Department of Biomedical Engineering , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , Michigan 48109 , United States
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31
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Cativiela C, Ordóñez M, Viveros-Ceballos JL. Stereoselective synthesis of acyclic α,α-disubstituted α-amino acids derivatives from amino acids templates. Tetrahedron 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tet.2019.130875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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32
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Cousins RPC. Medicines discovery for auditory disorders: Challenges for industry. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2019; 146:3652. [PMID: 31795652 DOI: 10.1121/1.5132706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Currently, no approved medicines are available for the prevention or treatment of hearing loss. Pharmaceutical industry productivity across all therapeutic indications has historically been disappointing, with a 90% chance of failure in delivering a marketed drug after entering clinical evaluation. To address these failings, initiatives have been applied in the three cornerstones of medicine discovery: target selection, clinical candidate selection, and clinical studies. These changes aimed to enable data-informed decisions on the translation of preclinical observations into a safe, clinically effective medicine by ensuring the best biological target is selected, the most appropriate chemical entity is advanced, and that the clinical studies enroll the correct patients. The specific underlying pathologies need to be known to allow appropriate patient selection, so improved diagnostics are required, as are methodologies for measuring in the inner ear target engagement, drug delivery and pharmacokinetics. The different therapeutic strategies of protecting hearing or preventing hearing loss versus restoring hearing are reviewed along with potential treatments for tinnitus. Examples of current investigational drugs are discussed to highlight key challenges in drug discovery and the learnings being applied to improve the probability of success of launching a marketed medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rick P C Cousins
- University College London Ear Institute, University College London, London, WC1X 8EE, United Kingdom
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33
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Song JM, Gallagher EE, Menon A, Mishra LD, Garner AL. The role of olefin geometry in the activity of hydrocarbon stapled peptides targeting eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E). Org Biomol Chem 2019; 17:6414-6419. [PMID: 31215581 PMCID: PMC6625666 DOI: 10.1039/c9ob01041f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Hydrocarbon stapled (HCS) peptides are a class of cross-linked α-helix mimetics. The technology relies on the use of α,α'-disubstituted alkenyl amino acids, which fully contrain the helical region to typically yield peptides with enhanced structural ordering and biological activity. Recently, monosubstituted alkenyl amino acids were disclosed for peptide stapling; however, the impact that this tether has on HCS peptide structure and activity has not yet been fully explored. By applying this HCS to the disordered peptide eIF4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1), we discovered that this type of tethering has a dramatic effect on olefin geometry and activity of the resultant stapled peptides, where the putative trans isomer was found to exhibit enhanced in vitro and cellular inhibitory activity against eIF4E protein-protein interactions. We further demonstrated that the metathesis catalyst used for ring-closing metathesis can influence monosubstituted HCS peptide activity, presumably through alteration of the cis/trans olefin ratio. This study represents one of the first in-depth analyses of olefin isomers of a stapled peptide and highlights an additional feature for medicinal chemistry optimization of this class of peptide-based probes.
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Affiliation(s)
- James M Song
- Program in Chemical Biology, University of Michigan, 210 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Erin E Gallagher
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, 1600 Huron Parkway, NCRC B520, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
| | - Arya Menon
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, 1600 Huron Parkway, NCRC B520, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
| | - Lauren D Mishra
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, 1600 Huron Parkway, NCRC B520, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
| | - Amanda L Garner
- Program in Chemical Biology, University of Michigan, 210 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, 1600 Huron Parkway, NCRC B520, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
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34
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Partridge AW, Kaan HYK, Juang YC, Sadruddin A, Lim S, Brown CJ, Ng S, Thean D, Ferrer F, Johannes C, Yuen TY, Kannan S, Aronica P, Tan YS, Pradhan MR, Verma CS, Hochman J, Chen S, Wan H, Ha S, Sherborne B, Lane DP, Sawyer TK. Incorporation of Putative Helix-Breaking Amino Acids in the Design of Novel Stapled Peptides: Exploring Biophysical and Cellular Permeability Properties. Molecules 2019; 24:E2292. [PMID: 31226791 PMCID: PMC6632053 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24122292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Revised: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Stapled α-helical peptides represent an emerging superclass of macrocyclic molecules with drug-like properties, including high-affinity target binding, protease resistance, and membrane permeability. As a model system for probing the chemical space available for optimizing these properties, we focused on dual Mdm2/MdmX antagonist stapled peptides related to the p53 N-terminus. Specifically, we first generated a library of ATSP-7041 (Chang et al., 2013) analogs iteratively modified by L-Ala and D-amino acids. Single L-Ala substitutions beyond the Mdm2/(X) binding interfacial residues (i.e., Phe3, Trp7, and Cba10) had minimal effects on target binding, α-helical content, and cellular activity. Similar binding affinities and cellular activities were noted at non-interfacial positions when the template residues were substituted with their d-amino acid counterparts, despite the fact that d-amino acid residues typically 'break' right-handed α-helices. d-amino acid substitutions at the interfacial residues Phe3 and Cba10 resulted in the expected decreases in binding affinity and cellular activity. Surprisingly, substitution at the remaining interfacial position with its d-amino acid equivalent (i.e., Trp7 to d-Trp7) was fully tolerated, both in terms of its binding affinity and cellular activity. An X-ray structure of the d-Trp7-modified peptide was determined and revealed that the indole side chain was able to interact optimally with its Mdm2 binding site by a slight global re-orientation of the stapled peptide. To further investigate the comparative effects of d-amino acid substitutions we used linear analogs of ATSP-7041, where we replaced the stapling amino acids by Aib (i.e., R84 to Aib4 and S511 to Aib11) to retain the helix-inducing properties of α-methylation. The resultant analog sequence Ac-Leu-Thr-Phe-Aib-Glu-Tyr-Trp-Gln-Leu-Cba-Aib-Ser-Ala-Ala-NH2 exhibited high-affinity target binding (Mdm2 Kd = 43 nM) and significant α-helicity in circular dichroism studies. Relative to this linear ATSP-7041 analog, several d-amino acid substitutions at Mdm2(X) non-binding residues (e.g., d-Glu5, d-Gln8, and d-Leu9) demonstrated decreased binding and α-helicity. Importantly, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy showed that although helicity was indeed disrupted by d-amino acids in linear versions of our template sequence, stapled molecules tolerated these residues well. Further studies on stapled peptides incorporating N-methylated amino acids, l-Pro, or Gly substitutions showed that despite some positional dependence, these helix-breaking residues were also generally tolerated in terms of secondary structure, binding affinity, and cellular activity. Overall, macrocyclization by hydrocarbon stapling appears to overcome the destabilization of α-helicity by helix breaking residues and, in the specific case of d-Trp7-modification, a highly potent ATSP-7041 analog (Mdm2 Kd = 30 nM; cellular EC50 = 600 nM) was identified. Our findings provide incentive for future studies to expand the chemical diversity of macrocyclic α-helical peptides (e.g., d-amino acid modifications) to explore their biophysical properties and cellular permeability. Indeed, using the library of 50 peptides generated in this study, a good correlation between cellular permeability and lipophilicity was observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony W Partridge
- MSD International, 8 Biomedical Grove, #04-01/05 Neuros Building, Singapore 138665, Singapore.
| | - Hung Yi Kristal Kaan
- MSD International, 8 Biomedical Grove, #04-01/05 Neuros Building, Singapore 138665, Singapore.
| | - Yu-Chi Juang
- MSD International, 8 Biomedical Grove, #04-01/05 Neuros Building, Singapore 138665, Singapore.
| | - Ahmad Sadruddin
- MSD International, 8 Biomedical Grove, #04-01/05 Neuros Building, Singapore 138665, Singapore.
| | - Shuhui Lim
- MSD International, 8 Biomedical Grove, #04-01/05 Neuros Building, Singapore 138665, Singapore.
| | - Christopher J Brown
- p53Lab, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, #06-04/05 Neuros/Immunos, Singapore 138648, Singapore.
| | - Simon Ng
- p53Lab, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, #06-04/05 Neuros/Immunos, Singapore 138648, Singapore.
| | - Dawn Thean
- p53Lab, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, #06-04/05 Neuros/Immunos, Singapore 138648, Singapore.
| | - Fernando Ferrer
- p53Lab, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, #06-04/05 Neuros/Immunos, Singapore 138648, Singapore.
| | - Charles Johannes
- Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 8 Biomedical Grove, #07, Neuros Building, Singapore 138665, Singapore.
| | - Tsz Ying Yuen
- Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 8 Biomedical Grove, #07, Neuros Building, Singapore 138665, Singapore.
| | - Srinivasaraghavan Kannan
- Bioinformatics Institute (BII), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore.
| | - Pietro Aronica
- Bioinformatics Institute (BII), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore.
| | - Yaw Sing Tan
- Bioinformatics Institute (BII), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore.
| | - Mohan R Pradhan
- Bioinformatics Institute (BII), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore.
| | - Chandra S Verma
- Bioinformatics Institute (BII), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore.
| | | | | | - Hui Wan
- Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA.
| | - Sookhee Ha
- Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA.
| | | | - David P Lane
- p53Lab, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, #06-04/05 Neuros/Immunos, Singapore 138648, Singapore.
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35
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Derda R, Ng S. Genetically encoded fragment-based discovery. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2019; 50:128-137. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2019.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Revised: 03/09/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Schober T, Wehl I, Afonin S, Babii O, Iampolska A, Schepers U, Komarov IV, Ulrich AS. Controlling the Uptake of Diarylethene‐Based Cell‐Penetrating Peptides into Cells Using Light. CHEMPHOTOCHEM 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/cptc.201900019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tim Schober
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)Institute of Organic Chemistry (IOC) Fritz-Haber-Weg 6 76131 Karlsruhe Germany
| | - Ilona Wehl
- KIT, Institute of Functional Interfaces (IFG) POB 3640 76021 Karlsruhe Germany
| | - Sergii Afonin
- KIT, Institute of Biological Interfaces (IBG-2) POB 3640 76021 Karlsruhe Germany
| | - Oleg Babii
- KIT, Institute of Biological Interfaces (IBG-2) POB 3640 76021 Karlsruhe Germany
| | - Anna Iampolska
- Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv Vul. Volodymyrska 60 01601 Kyiv Ukraine
- Enamine Ltd. Vul. Chervonotkatska 78 02094 Kyiv Ukraine
| | - Ute Schepers
- KIT, Institute of Functional Interfaces (IFG) POB 3640 76021 Karlsruhe Germany
| | - Igor V. Komarov
- Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv Vul. Volodymyrska 60 01601 Kyiv Ukraine
- Lumobiotics GmbH Auerstraße 2 76227 Karlsruhe Germany
| | - Anne S. Ulrich
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)Institute of Organic Chemistry (IOC) Fritz-Haber-Weg 6 76131 Karlsruhe Germany
- KIT, Institute of Biological Interfaces (IBG-2) POB 3640 76021 Karlsruhe Germany
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37
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Li Y, Zhang Y, Wu M, Chang Q, Hu H, Zhao X. Improving Selectivity, Proteolytic Stability, and Antitumor Activity of Hymenochirin-1B: A Novel Glycosylated Staple Strategy. ACS Chem Biol 2019; 14:516-525. [PMID: 30789695 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.9b00046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
As a host defense peptide, hymenochirin-1B has attracted increasing attention for its strong cytotoxic activities. However, its poor selectivity and proteolytic stability remain major obstacles for clinical application. To solve these problems, we designed and synthesized a series of peptide analogues of hymenochirin-1B based on cationic residue substitution and stapling combined with a glycosylation strategy. Some analogues showed improvement not only in selectivity and proteolytic stability but also in antitumor activity. Among them, the glycosylated stapled peptide H-58 was identified as the most potential antitumor peptide. Flow cytometry and a competitive binding assay revealed that H-58 displayed significant antitumor selectivity. Confocal microscopy and nuclear staining with Hoechst dye demonstrated that H-58 entered the nucleus and caused DNA damage. In summary, the strategy of glycosylated stapled peptides is a promising approach for improving the antitumor selectivity, proteolytic stability, and antitumor activity of hymenochirin-1B, which can be used for other bioactive peptide modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulei Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Yihan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Minghao Wu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Qi Chang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Honggang Hu
- Translational Medicine Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200436, China
| | - Xia Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
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38
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Atangcho L, Navaratna T, Thurber GM. Hitting Undruggable Targets: Viewing Stabilized Peptide Development through the Lens of Quantitative Systems Pharmacology. Trends Biochem Sci 2019; 44:241-257. [PMID: 30563724 PMCID: PMC6661118 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2018.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Revised: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Stabilized peptide therapeutics have the potential to hit currently undruggable targets, dramatically expanding the druggable genome. However, major obstacles to their development include poor intracellular delivery, rapid degradation, low target affinity, and membrane toxicity. With the emergence of multiple stabilization techniques and screening technologies, the high efficacy of various bioactive peptides has been demonstrated in vitro, albeit with limited success in vivo. We discuss here the chemical and pharmacokinetic barriers to achieving in vivo efficacy, analyze the characteristics of FDA-approved peptide drugs, and propose a developmental tool that considers the molecular properties of stabilized peptides in a comprehensive and quantitative manner to achieve the necessary rates for in vivo delivery to the target, efficacy, and ultimately clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia Atangcho
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Tejas Navaratna
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Greg M Thurber
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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39
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Ikegami T. Hydrophilic interaction chromatography for the analysis of biopharmaceutical drugs and therapeutic peptides: A review based on the separation characteristics of the hydrophilic interaction chromatography phases. J Sep Sci 2019; 42:130-213. [DOI: 10.1002/jssc.201801074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2018] [Revised: 11/17/2018] [Accepted: 11/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tohru Ikegami
- Faculty of Molecular Chemistry and Engineering; Kyoto Institute of Technology; Kyoto Japan
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Pharmaceutical (Bio-) Analysis; Eberhard-Karls Universität Tübingen; Tübingen Germany
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40
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Richelle GJJ, Schmidt M, Ippel H, Hackeng TM, van Maarseveen JH, Nuijens T, Timmerman P. A One-Pot "Triple-C" Multicyclization Methodology for the Synthesis of Highly Constrained Isomerically Pure Tetracyclic Peptides. Chembiochem 2018; 19:1934-1938. [PMID: 29944773 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201800346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
A broadly applicable one-pot methodology for the facile transformation of linear peptides into tetracyclic peptides through a chemoenzymatic peptide synthesis/chemical ligation of peptides onto scaffolds/copper(I)-catalyzed reaction (CEPS/CLIPS/CuAAC; "triple-C") locking methodology is reported. Linear peptides with varying lengths (≥14 amino acids), comprising two cysteines and two azidohomoalanines (Aha), were efficiently cyclized head-to-tail by using the peptiligase variant omniligase-1 (CEPS). Subsequent ligation-cyclization with tetravalent (T41/2 ) scaffolds containing two bromomethyl groups (CLIPS) and two alkyne functionalities (CuAAC) yielded isomerically pure tetracyclic peptides. Sixteen different functional tetracycles, derived from bicyclic inhibitors against urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and coagulation factor XIIa (FXIIa), were successfully synthesized and their bioactivities evaluated. Two of these (FF-T41/2 ) exhibited increased inhibitory activity against FXIIa, compared with a bicyclic control peptide. The corresponding hetero-bifunctional variants (UF/FU-T41/2 ), with a single copy of each inhibitory sequence, exhibited micromolar activities against both uPA and FXIIa; thus illustrating the potential of the "bifunctional tetracyclic peptide" inhibitor concept.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaston J J Richelle
- Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), Science Park 904, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel Schmidt
- Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), Science Park 904, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Enzypep B.V., Urmonderbaan 22, 6167 RD, Geleen, The Netherlands
| | - Hans Ippel
- Department of Biochemistry, CARIM), Universiteitssingel 50, 6229 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Tilman M Hackeng
- Department of Biochemistry, CARIM), Universiteitssingel 50, 6229 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Jan H van Maarseveen
- Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), Science Park 904, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Timo Nuijens
- Enzypep B.V., Urmonderbaan 22, 6167 RD, Geleen, The Netherlands
| | - Peter Timmerman
- Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), Science Park 904, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Pepscan Therapeutics, Zuidersluisweg 2, 8243 RC, Lelystad, The Netherlands
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41
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Li Y, Wu M, Chang Q, Zhao X. Stapling strategy enables improvement of antitumor activity and proteolytic stability of host-defense peptide hymenochirin-1B. RSC Adv 2018; 8:22268-22275. [PMID: 35541711 PMCID: PMC9081086 DOI: 10.1039/c8ra03446j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Hymenochirin-1B is a cationic, amphipathic, α-helical host-defense peptide with 29 residues, which was isolated from skin secretions of the Congo clawed frog and showed potent cytotoxic activities against a range of tumor cell lines. However, the application of hymenochirin-1B as a drug is limited due to its conformational flexibility and poor proteolytic stability. In this research, a series of hydrocarbon-stapled analogs of hymenochirin-1B were designed, synthesized, and tested. Some analogs showed remarkable improvement not only in α-helicity, but also in antitumor activity and protease resistance when compared to the parent peptide. The results indicated that most stapled peptide analogues possessed improved activities against a series of tumor cells; in particular, the bicyclic stapled peptide H-10 showed promising prospects for novel anti-tumor drug development. Our data demonstrated the important impacts of the all-hydrocarbon crosslink stapling strategy on the biological activity, proteolytic stability and helicity of hymenochirin-1B. A series of stapled peptide analogs of hymenochirin-1B were efficiently prepared by an Fmoc-SPPS procedure. The peptide stapling strategy can improve the helicity, proteolytic stability and tumor cell-killing activity of linear peptide hymenochirin-1B.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulei Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs
- Ministry of Education
- School of Medicine and Pharmacy
- Ocean University of China
- Qingdao 266003
| | - Minghao Wu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs
- Ministry of Education
- School of Medicine and Pharmacy
- Ocean University of China
- Qingdao 266003
| | - Qi Chang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs
- Ministry of Education
- School of Medicine and Pharmacy
- Ocean University of China
- Qingdao 266003
| | - Xia Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs
- Ministry of Education
- School of Medicine and Pharmacy
- Ocean University of China
- Qingdao 266003
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