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Zhou J, Sun P, Yang Z, Wang T, Guo J, Qiu R, Li Z, Wei D, Zheng J, Peng G, Fang L, Xiao S. The S2 Pocket Governs the Genus-Specific Substrate Selectivity of Coronavirus 3C-Like Protease. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024:e2407766. [PMID: 39377200 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202407766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2024] [Revised: 09/10/2024] [Indexed: 10/09/2024]
Abstract
Coronavirus 3C-like protease (CoV 3CLpro) is essential for viral replication, providing an attractive target for monitoring the evolution of CoV and developing anti-CoV drugs. Here, the substrate-binding modes of 3CLpros from four CoV genera are analyzed and found that the S2 pocket in 3CLpro is highly conserved within each genus but differs between genera. Functionally, the S2 pocket, in conjunction with S4 and S1' pockets, governs the genus-specific substrate selectivity of 3CLpro. Resurrected ancestral 3CLpros from four CoV genera validate the genus-specific divergence of S2 pocket. Drawing upon the genus-specific S2 pocket as evolutionary marker, eight newly identified 3CLpros uncover the ancestral state of modern 3CLpro and elucidate the possible evolutionary process for CoV. It is also demonstrated that the S2 pocket is highly correlated with the genus-specific inhibitory potency of PF-07321332 (an FDA-approved drug against COVID-19) on different CoV 3CLpros. This study on 3CLpro provides novel insights to inform evolutionary mechanisms for CoV and develop genera-specific or broad-spectrum drugs against CoVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junwei Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- The Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Peng Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- The Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Zhixiang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- The Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Taiquan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Jiahui Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- The Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Runhui Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- The Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Zhuang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- The Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Dengguo Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- The Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Jinshui Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Guiqing Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- The Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Liurong Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- The Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Shaobo Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- The Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, 430070, China
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Baharian A, Ishida H, Sillner C, Vogel HJ. Split intein-mediated backbone cyclization enhances the stability and activity of staphylokinase, a potent fibrin-selective plasminogen activator. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 275:133448. [PMID: 38945328 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.133448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Staphylokinase (Sak), a small 15 kDa globular protein that is secreted by certain strains of Staphylococcus aureus, shows a potent fibrin-selective thrombolytic activity. Earlier work has shown that Sak could potentially become a low-cost alternative to currently used thrombolytic agents, such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). In attempts to improve its potential for clinical applications, numerous modifications of Sak have already been investigated. Here, we have characterized a novel Sak modification, cyclized Sak (cyc-Sak), which was prepared through split-intein mediated protein backbone cyclization. We have characterized the structure, stability and the activity of cyc-Sak using biophysical techniques, limited proteolysis studies and plasminogen (PG)-activation assays. Our results show that cyc-Sak possesses an identical structure, enhanced stability, resistance to proteolysis by exoproteases and improved PG-activation properties compared to its linear counterpart. It can be over-expressed with high yield in the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli and is easily purified in a two-step process. The intein-mediated cyclization occurs spontaneously in vivo during protein expression and does not necessitate further modification steps after purification of the protein. Furthermore, covalent Sak cyclization could be readily combined with other Sak modifications previously proposed, to generate an effective thrombolytic agent with lower immunogenicity and improved stability and activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azin Baharian
- Biochemistry Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Hiroaki Ishida
- Biochemistry Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Cassandra Sillner
- Biochemistry Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Hans J Vogel
- Biochemistry Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada.
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3
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He J, Ghosh P, Nitsche C. Biocompatible strategies for peptide macrocyclisation. Chem Sci 2024; 15:2300-2322. [PMID: 38362412 PMCID: PMC10866349 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc05738k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Peptides are increasingly important drug candidates, offering numerous advantages over conventional small molecules. However, they face significant challenges related to stability, cellular uptake and overall bioavailability. While individual modifications may not address all these challenges, macrocyclisation stands out as a single modification capable of enhancing affinity, selectivity, proteolytic stability and membrane permeability. The recent successes of in situ peptide modifications during screening in combination with genetically encoded peptide libraries have increased the demand for peptide macrocyclisation reactions that can occur under biocompatible conditions. In this perspective, we aim to distinguish biocompatible conditions from those well-known examples that are fully bioorthogonal. We introduce key strategies for biocompatible peptide macrocyclisation and contextualise them within contemporary screening methods, providing an overview of available transformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junming He
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Pritha Ghosh
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Christoph Nitsche
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
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4
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Fan R, Aranko AS. Catcher/Tag Toolbox: Biomolecular Click-Reactions For Protein Engineering Beyond Genetics. Chembiochem 2024; 25:e202300600. [PMID: 37851860 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202300600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Manipulating protein architectures beyond genetic control has attracted widespread attention. Catcher/Tag systems enable highly specific conjugation of proteins in vivo and in vitro via an isopeptide-bond. They provide efficient, robust, and irreversible strategies for protein conjugation and are simple yet powerful tools for a variety of applications in enzyme industry, vaccines, biomaterials, and cellular applications. Here we summarize recent development of the Catcher/Tag toolbox with a particular emphasis on the design of Catcher/Tag pairs targeted for specific applications. We cover the current limitations of the Catcher/Tag systems and discuss the pH sensitivity of the reactions. Finally, we conclude some of the future directions in the development of this versatile protein conjugation method and envision that improved control over inducing the ligation reaction will further broaden the range of applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruxia Fan
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, 02150, Espoo, Finland
| | - A Sesilja Aranko
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, 02150, Espoo, Finland
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5
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Lin T, Ge Y, Gao Q, Zhang D, Chen X, Hu Y, Fan J. Backbone Cyclization of Flavin Mononucleotide-Based Fluorescent Protein Increases Fluorescence and Stability. J Microbiol Biotechnol 2023; 33:1681-1691. [PMID: 37789714 PMCID: PMC10772547 DOI: 10.4014/jmb.2305.05011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Flavin mononucleotide-binding proteins or domains emit cyan-green fluorescence under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, but relatively low fluorescence and less thermostability limit their application as reporters. In this work, we incorporated the codon-optimized fluorescent protein from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii with two different linkers independently into the redox-responsive split intein construct, overexpressed the precursors in hyperoxic Escherichia coli SHuffle T7 strain, and cyclized the target proteins in vitro in the presence of the reducing agent. Compared with the purified linear protein, the cyclic protein with the short linker displayed enhanced fluorescence. In contrast, cyclized protein with incorporation of the long linker including the myc-tag and human rhinovirus 3C protease cleavable sequence emitted slightly increased fluorescence compared with the protein linearized with the protease cleavage. The cyclic protein with the short linker also exhibited increased thermal stability and exopeptidase resistance. Moreover, induction of the target proteins in an oxygen-deficient culture rendered fluorescent E. coli BL21 (DE3) cells brighter than those overexpressing the linear construct. Thus, the cyclic reporter can hopefully be used in certain thermophilic anaerobes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Lin
- School of Life Science, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui 230036, P.R. China
| | - Yuanyuan Ge
- School of Life Science, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui 230036, P.R. China
| | - Qing Gao
- School of Life Science, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui 230036, P.R. China
| | - Di Zhang
- School of Life Science, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui 230036, P.R. China
| | - Xiaofeng Chen
- School of Life Science, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui 230036, P.R. China
| | - Yafang Hu
- School of Life Science, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui 230036, P.R. China
| | - Jun Fan
- School of Life Science, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui 230036, P.R. China
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6
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Lee Y, Kim KM, Nguyen DL, Jannah F, Seong HJ, Kim JM, Kim YP. Cyclized proteins with tags as permeable and stable cargos for delivery into cells and liposomes. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 252:126520. [PMID: 37625744 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
Despite the therapeutic potential of recombinant proteins, their cell permeabilities and stabilities remain significant challenges. Here we demonstrate that cyclized recombinant proteins can be used as universal cargos for permeable and stable delivery into cells and polydiacetylene liposomes. Utilizing a split intein-mediated process, cyclized model fluorescent proteins containing short tetraarginine (R4) and hexahistidine (H6) tags were generated without compromising their native protein functions. Strikingly, as compared to linear R4/H6-tagged proteins, the cyclized counterparts have substantially increased permeabilities in both cancer cells and synthetic liposomes, as well as higher resistances to enzymatic degradation in cancer cells. These properties are likely a consequence of structural constraints imposed on the proteins in the presence of short functional peptides. Additionally, photodynamic therapy by cyclized photoprotein-loaded liposomes in cancer cells was significantly improved in comparison to that by their non-cyclized counterparts. These findings suggest that our strategy will be universally applicable to intercellular delivery of proteins and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeonju Lee
- Department of Life Science, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung-Min Kim
- Department of Life Science, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea
| | - Duc Long Nguyen
- Department of Life Science, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea; Research Institute for Convergence of Basic Science, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea
| | - Fadilatul Jannah
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun-Jung Seong
- Department of Life Science, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Man Kim
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea; Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea.
| | - Young-Pil Kim
- Department of Life Science, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea; Research Institute for Convergence of Basic Science, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea; Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea; Research Institute for Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea; Department of HY-KIST Bio-Convergence, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea; Hanyang Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea.
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7
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Nandy S, Maranholkar VM, Crum M, Wasden K, Patil U, Goyal A, Vu B, Kourentzi K, Mo W, Henrickson A, Demeler B, Sen M, Willson RC. Expression and Characterization of Intein-Cyclized Trimer of Staphylococcus aureus Protein A Domain Z. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:1281. [PMID: 36674796 PMCID: PMC9865183 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24021281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus protein A (SpA) is an IgG Fc-binding virulence factor that is widely used in antibody purification and as a scaffold to develop affinity molecules. A cyclized SpA Z domain could offer exopeptidase resistance, reduced chromatographic ligand leaching after single-site endopeptidase cleavage, and enhanced IgG binding properties by preorganization, potentially reducing conformational entropy loss upon binding. In this work, a Z domain trimer (Z3) was cyclized using protein intein splicing. Interactions of cyclic and linear Z3 with human IgG1 were characterized by differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF), surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). DSF showed a 5 ℃ increase in IgG1 melting temperature when bound by each Z3 variant. SPR showed the dissociation constants of linear and cyclized Z3 with IgG1 to be 2.9 nM and 3.3 nM, respectively. ITC gave association enthalpies for linear and cyclic Z3 with IgG1 of -33.0 kcal/mol and -32.7 kcal/mol, and -T∆S of association 21.2 kcal/mol and 21.6 kcal/mol, respectively. The compact cyclic Z3 protein contains 2 functional binding sites and exhibits carboxypeptidase Y-resistance. The results suggest cyclization as a potential approach toward more stable SpA-based affinity ligands, and this analysis may advance our understanding of protein engineering for ligand and drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suman Nandy
- William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Vijay M. Maranholkar
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77004, USA
| | - Mary Crum
- William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Katherine Wasden
- William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Ujwal Patil
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77004, USA
| | - Atul Goyal
- William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Binh Vu
- William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Katerina Kourentzi
- William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - William Mo
- William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Amy Henrickson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Borries Demeler
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Mehmet Sen
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77004, USA
| | - Richard C. Willson
- William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77004, USA
- Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de Salud, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo León, Mexico
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8
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Krzyscik MA, Opaliński Ł, Szymczyk J, Otlewski J. Cyclic and dimeric fibroblast growth factor 2 variants with high biomedical potential. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 218:243-258. [PMID: 35878661 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.07.105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) is a pleiotropic protein engaged in the regulation of key cellular processes in a wide spectrum of cells. FGF2 is an important object of basic research as well as a molecule used in regenerative medicine, in vitro cell culture maintenance, and as an anticancer drug carrier. However, the unsatisfactory stability and pleiotropic activities of the wild-type FGF2 largely limit its use as a medical product. To overcome these limitations, we have designed a set of FGF2-based macromolecules via sortase A-mediated cyclization and oligomerization. We obtained heparin-switchable FGF2 variants with enhanced stability and improved ability to stimulate cell proliferation and migration. We have shown that stimulation of glucose uptake by adipocytes is modulated by the architecture of FGF2 oligomers. Moreover, we used hyper-stable FGF2 variants for the construction of highly effective drug carriers for selective killing of FGFR1-overproducing cancer cells. The strategy for FGF2 engineering presented in this work provides novel insights into the design of growth factor variants for regenerative and anti-cancer precise medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateusz A Krzyscik
- University of Wroclaw, Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, 50-383 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Łukasz Opaliński
- University of Wroclaw, Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, 50-383 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Jakub Szymczyk
- University of Wroclaw, Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, 50-383 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Jacek Otlewski
- University of Wroclaw, Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, 50-383 Wroclaw, Poland.
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9
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Wu WH, Guo J, Zhang L, Zhang WB, Gao W. Peptide/protein-based macrocycles: from biological synthesis to biomedical applications. RSC Chem Biol 2022; 3:815-829. [PMID: 35866174 PMCID: PMC9257627 DOI: 10.1039/d1cb00246e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Living organisms have evolved cyclic or multicyclic peptides and proteins with enhanced stability and high bioactivity superior to their linear counterparts for diverse purposes. Herein, we review recent progress in applying this concept to artificial peptides and proteins to exploit the functional benefits of these macrocycles. Not only have simple cyclic forms been prepared, numerous macrocycle variants, such as knots and links, have also been developed. The chemical tools and synthetic strategies are summarized for the biological synthesis of these macrocycles, demonstrating it as a powerful alternative to chemical synthesis. Its further application to therapeutic peptides/proteins has led to biomedicines with profoundly improved pharmaceutical performances. Finally, we present our perspectives on the field and its future developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Hao Wu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry & Physics of Ministry of Education, Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University Beijing 100871 P. R. China
| | - Jianwen Guo
- Department of Geriatric Dentistry, Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology Beijing 100081 P. R. China
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Peking University Beijing 100191 P. R. China
| | - Longshuai Zhang
- Department of Geriatric Dentistry, Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology Beijing 100081 P. R. China
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Peking University Beijing 100191 P. R. China
| | - Wen-Bin Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry & Physics of Ministry of Education, Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University Beijing 100871 P. R. China
| | - Weiping Gao
- Department of Geriatric Dentistry, Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology Beijing 100081 P. R. China
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Peking University Beijing 100191 P. R. China
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10
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Haim A, Neubacher S, Grossmann TN. Protein Macrocyclization for Tertiary Structure Stabilization. Chembiochem 2021; 22:2672-2679. [PMID: 34060202 PMCID: PMC8453710 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Proteins possess unique molecular recognition capabilities and enzymatic activities, features that are usually tied to a particular tertiary structure. To make use of proteins for biotechnological and biomedical purposes, it is often required to enforce their tertiary structure in order to ensure sufficient stability under the conditions inherent to the application of interest. The introduction of intramolecular crosslinks has proven efficient in stabilizing native protein folds. Herein, we give an overview of methods that allow the macrocyclization of expressed proteins, discussing involved reaction mechanisms and structural implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anissa Haim
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical SciencesVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Saskia Neubacher
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical SciencesVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Incircular B.V.De Boelelaan 11081081 HZAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Tom N. Grossmann
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical SciencesVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life SciencesVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
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11
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Oh H, Jung Y, Moon S, Hwang J, Ban C, Chung J, Chung WJ, Kweon DH. Development of End-Spliced Dimeric Nanodiscs for the Improved Virucidal Activity of a Nanoperforator. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:36757-36768. [PMID: 34319090 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c06364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Lipid-bilayer nanodiscs (NDs) wrapped in membrane scaffold proteins (MSPs) have primarily been used to study membrane proteins of interest in a physiological environment. Recently, NDs have been employed in broader applications including drug delivery, cancer immunotherapy, bio-imaging, and therapeutic virucides. Here, we developed a method to synthesize a dimeric nanodisc, whose MSPs are circularly end-spliced, with long-term thermal stability and resistance to aggregation. The end-spliced nanodiscs (esNDs) were assembled using MSPs that were self-circularized inside the cytoplasm ofEscherichia colivia highly efficient protein trans-splicing. The esNDs demonstrated a consistent size and 4-5-fold higher stability against heat and aggregation than conventional NDs. Moreover, cysteine residues on trans-spliced circularized MSPs allowed us to modulate the formation of either monomeric nanodiscs (essNDs) or dimeric nanodiscs (esdNDs) by controlling the oxidation/reduction conditions and lipid-to-protein ratios. When the esdNDs were used to prepare an antiviral nanoperforator that induced the disruption of the viral membrane upon contact, antiviral activity was dramatically increased, suggesting that the dimerization of nanodiscs led to cooperativity between linked nanodiscs. We expect that controllable structures, long-term stability, and aggregation resistance of esNDs will aid the development of novel versatile membrane-mimetic nanomaterials with flexible designs and improved therapeutic efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunseok Oh
- Department of Integrative Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Younghun Jung
- Institute of Biomolecular Control, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Seokoh Moon
- Department of Integrative Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaehyeon Hwang
- Department of Integrative Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Choongjin Ban
- Biomedical Institute for Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
- Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of Seoul, Seoul 02504, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinhyo Chung
- Department of Integrative Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Woo-Jae Chung
- Department of Integrative Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
- Biomedical Institute for Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Dae-Hyuk Kweon
- Department of Integrative Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
- Biomedical Institute for Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
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12
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Hsu STD, Lee YTC, Mikula KM, Backlund SM, Tascón I, Goldman A, Iwaï H. Tying up the Loose Ends: A Mathematically Knotted Protein. Front Chem 2021; 9:663241. [PMID: 34109153 PMCID: PMC8182377 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2021.663241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Knots have attracted scientists in mathematics, physics, biology, and engineering. Long flexible thin strings easily knot and tangle as experienced in our daily life. Similarly, long polymer chains inevitably tend to get trapped into knots. Little is known about their formation or function in proteins despite >1,000 knotted proteins identified in nature. However, these protein knots are not mathematical knots with their backbone polypeptide chains because of their open termini, and the presence of a “knot” depends on the algorithm used to create path closure. Furthermore, it is generally not possible to control the topology of the unfolded states of proteins, therefore making it challenging to characterize functional and physicochemical properties of knotting in any polymer. Covalently linking the amino and carboxyl termini of the deeply trefoil-knotted YibK from Pseudomonas aeruginosa allowed us to create the truly backbone knotted protein by enzymatic peptide ligation. Moreover, we produced and investigated backbone cyclized YibK without any knotted structure. Thus, we could directly probe the effect of the backbone knot and the decrease in conformational entropy on protein folding. The backbone cyclization did not perturb the native structure and its cofactor binding affinity, but it substantially increased the thermal stability and reduced the aggregation propensity. The enhanced stability of a backbone knotted YibK could be mainly originated from an increased ruggedness of its free energy landscape and the destabilization of the denatured state by backbone cyclization with little contribution from a knot structure. Despite the heterogeneity in the side-chain compositions, the chemically unfolded cyclized YibK exhibited several macroscopic physico-chemical attributes that agree with theoretical predictions derived from polymer physics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shang-Te Danny Hsu
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.,Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yun-Tzai Cloud Lee
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.,Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Kornelia M Mikula
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sofia M Backlund
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Igor Tascón
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Adrian Goldman
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
| | - Hideo Iwaï
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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13
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Hayes HC, Luk LYP, Tsai YH. Approaches for peptide and protein cyclisation. Org Biomol Chem 2021; 19:3983-4001. [PMID: 33978044 PMCID: PMC8114279 DOI: 10.1039/d1ob00411e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The cyclisation of polypeptides can play a crucial role in exerting biological functions, maintaining stability under harsh conditions and conferring proteolytic resistance, as demonstrated both in nature and in the laboratory. To date, various approaches have been reported for polypeptide cyclisation. These approaches range from the direct linkage of N- and C- termini to the connection of amino acid side chains, which can be applied both in reaction vessels and in living systems. In this review, we categorise the cyclisation approaches into chemical methods (e.g. direct backbone cyclisation, native chemical ligation, aldehyde-based ligations, bioorthogonal reactions, disulphide formation), enzymatic methods (e.g. subtiligase variants, sortases, asparaginyl endopeptidases, transglutaminases, non-ribosomal peptide synthetases) and protein tags (e.g. inteins, engineered protein domains for isopeptide bond formation). The features of each approach and the considerations for selecting an appropriate method of cyclisation are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather C Hayes
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Louis Y P Luk
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK and Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT.
| | - Yu-Hsuan Tsai
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK and Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518132, China.
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14
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Westerlund K, Myrhammar A, Tano H, Gestin M, Karlström AE. Stability Enhancement of a Dimeric HER2-Specific Affibody Molecule through Sortase A-Catalyzed Head-to-Tail Cyclization. Molecules 2021; 26:2874. [PMID: 34066245 PMCID: PMC8150554 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26102874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural backbone-cyclized proteins have an increased thermostability and resistance towards proteases, characteristics that have sparked interest in head-to-tail cyclization as a method to stability-enhance proteins used in diagnostics and therapeutic applications, for example. In this proof-of principle study, we have produced and investigated a head-to-tail cyclized and HER2-specific ZHER2:342 Affibody dimer. The sortase A-mediated cyclization reaction is highly efficient (>95%) under optimized conditions, and renders a cyclic ZHER3:342-dimer with an apparent melting temperature, Tm, of 68 °C, which is 3 °C higher than that of its linear counterpart. Circular dichroism spectra of the linear and cyclic dimers looked very similar in the far-UV range, both before and after thermal unfolding to 90 °C, which suggests that cyclization does not negatively impact the helicity or folding of the cyclic protein. The cyclic dimer had an apparent sub-nanomolar affinity (Kd ~750 pM) to the HER2-receptor, which is a ~150-fold reduction in affinity relative to the linear dimer (Kd ~5 pM), but the anti-HER2 Affibody dimer remained a high-affinity binder even after cyclization. No apparent difference in proteolytic stability was detected in an endopeptidase degradation assay for the cyclic and linear dimers. In contrast, in an exopeptidase degradation assay, the linear dimer was shown to be completely degraded after 5 min, while the cyclic dimer showed no detectable degradation even after 60 min. We further demonstrate that a site-specifically DyLight 594-labeled cyclic dimer shows specific binding to HER2-overexpressing cells. Taken together, the results presented here demonstrate that head-to-tail cyclization can be an effective strategy to increase the stability of an Affibody dimer.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Amelie Eriksson Karlström
- Department of Protein Science, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova University Center, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden; (K.W.); (A.M.); (H.T.); (M.G.)
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15
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Jiang W, Zeng W. Construction of a Self-Purification and Self-Assembly Coenzyme Regeneration System for the Synthesis of Chiral Drug Intermediates. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:1911-1916. [PMID: 33521431 PMCID: PMC7841785 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c04668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
As one of the important research contents of synthetic biology, the construction of a regulatory system exhibits great potential in the synthesis of high value-added chemicals such as drug intermediates. In this work, a self-assembly coenzyme regeneration system, leucine dehydrogenase (LeuDH)-formate dehydrogenase (FDH) protein co-assembly system, was constructed by using the polypeptide, SpyTag/SpyCatcher. Then, it was demonstrated that the nonchromatographic inverse transition cycling purification method could purify intracellular coupling proteins and extracellular coupling proteins well. The conversion rate of the pure LeuDH-FDH protein assembly (FR-LR) was shown to be 1.6-fold and 32.3-fold higher than that of the free LeuDH-FDH system (LeuDH + FDH) and free LeuDH, respectively. This work has paved a new way of constructing a protein self-assembly system and engineering self-purification coenzyme regeneration system for the synthesis of chiral amino acids or chiral α-hydroxy acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Jiang
- ; . Tel.: +86-05926162305. Fax: +86-05926162305
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16
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Inteins in Science: Evolution to Application. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8122004. [PMID: 33339089 PMCID: PMC7765530 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8122004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Inteins are mobile genetic elements that apply standard enzymatic strategies to excise themselves post-translationally from the precursor protein via protein splicing. Since their discovery in the 1990s, recent advances in intein technology allow for them to be implemented as a modern biotechnological contrivance. Radical improvement in the structure and catalytic framework of cis- and trans-splicing inteins devised the development of engineered inteins that contribute to various efficient downstream techniques. Previous literature indicates that implementation of intein-mediated splicing has been extended to in vivo systems. Besides, the homing endonuclease domain also acts as a versatile biotechnological tool involving genetic manipulation and control of monogenic diseases. This review orients the understanding of inteins by sequentially studying the distribution and evolution pattern of intein, thereby highlighting a role in genetic mobility. Further, we include an in-depth summary of specific applications branching from protein purification using self-cleaving tags to protein modification, post-translational processing and labelling, followed by the development of intein-based biosensors. These engineered inteins offer a disruptive approach towards research avenues like biomaterial construction, metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. Therefore, this linear perspective allows for a more comprehensive understanding of intein function and its diverse applications.
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17
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Wang R, Sun F. The Spy that links: Creation of nonlinear protein architectures and materials using SpyTag/SpyCatcher chemistry. Methods Enzymol 2020; 647:283-301. [PMID: 33482993 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2020.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The peptide/protein pair, SpyTag/SpyCatcher, which is derived from split immunoglobulin-like collagen adhesin domain (CnaB2) from Streptococcus pyogenes, can spontaneously form a stable Lys-Asp isopeptide bond under physiological conditions. This enabling technology- also known as genetically encoded click chemistry owing to its marked efficiency and specificity-has led to a variety of applications in protein engineering, materials science and synthetic biology in recent years. In this chapter, we discuss the use of SpyTag/SpyCatcher chemistry to create nonlinear protein architectures and materials, with emphasis on its role in shaping up topology engineering as an emerging branch of protein engineering. The synthesis of entirely protein-based molecular networks, Spy networks, is highlighted. The protocols for preparing Spy networks and applications thereof are also illustrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ri Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
| | - Fei Sun
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.
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18
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Guo J, Sun J, Liu X, Wang Z, Gao W. Head-to-tail macrocyclization of albumin-binding domain fused interferon alpha improves the stability, activity, tumor penetration, and pharmacology. Biomaterials 2020; 250:120073. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2020.120073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Revised: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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19
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Wang Y, Chang Y, Jia R, Sun H, Tian J, Luo H, Yu H, Shen Z. SpyTag/SpyCatcher cyclization and covalent immobilization in enhancing cephalosporin C acylase stability. Process Biochem 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.procbio.2020.02.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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20
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Diemer V, Ollivier N, Leclercq B, Drobecq H, Vicogne J, Agouridas V, Melnyk O. A cysteine selenosulfide redox switch for protein chemical synthesis. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2558. [PMID: 32444769 PMCID: PMC7244499 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16359-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The control of cysteine reactivity is of paramount importance for the synthesis of proteins using the native chemical ligation (NCL) reaction. We report that this goal can be achieved in a traceless manner during ligation by appending a simple N-selenoethyl group to cysteine. While in synthetic organic chemistry the cleavage of carbon-nitrogen bonds is notoriously difficult, we describe that N-selenoethyl cysteine (SetCys) loses its selenoethyl arm in water under mild conditions upon reduction of its selenosulfide bond. Detailed mechanistic investigations show that the cleavage of the selenoethyl arm proceeds through an anionic mechanism with assistance of the cysteine thiol group. The implementation of the SetCys unit in a process enabling the modular and straightforward assembly of linear or backbone cyclized polypeptides is illustrated by the synthesis of biologically active cyclic hepatocyte growth factor variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Diemer
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019-UMR 9017-CIIL-Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, 59000, Lille, France
| | - Nathalie Ollivier
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019-UMR 9017-CIIL-Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, 59000, Lille, France
| | - Bérénice Leclercq
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019-UMR 9017-CIIL-Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, 59000, Lille, France
| | - Hervé Drobecq
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019-UMR 9017-CIIL-Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, 59000, Lille, France
| | - Jérôme Vicogne
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019-UMR 9017-CIIL-Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, 59000, Lille, France
| | - Vangelis Agouridas
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019-UMR 9017-CIIL-Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, 59000, Lille, France.
| | - Oleg Melnyk
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019-UMR 9017-CIIL-Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, 59000, Lille, France.
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21
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Vezina B, Rehm BHA, Smith AT. Bioinformatic prospecting and phylogenetic analysis reveals 94 undescribed circular bacteriocins and key motifs. BMC Microbiol 2020; 20:77. [PMID: 32252629 PMCID: PMC7132975 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-020-01772-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 03/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Circular bacteriocins are antimicrobial peptides produced by bacteria with a N and C termini ligation. They have desirable properties such as activity at low concentrations along with thermal, pH and proteolytic resistance. There are twenty experimentally confirmed circular bacteriocins as part of bacteriocin gene clusters, with transport, membrane and immunity proteins. Traditionally, novel antimicrobials are found by testing large numbers of isolates against indicator strains, with no promise of corresponding novel sequence. Results Through bioprospecting publicly available sequence databases, we identified ninety-nine circular bacteriocins across a variety of bacteria bringing the total to 119. They were grouped into two families within class I modified bacteriocins (i and ii) and further divided into subfamilies based on similarity to experimentally confirmed circular bacteriocins. Within subfamilies, sequences overwhelmingly shared similar characteristics such as sequence length, presence of a polybasic region, conserved locations of aromatic residues, C and N termini, gene clusters similarity, translational coupling and hydrophobicity profiles. At least ninety were predicted to be putatively functional based on gene clusters. Furthermore, bacteriocins identified from Enterococcus, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus species may have activity against clinically relevant strains, due to the presence of putative immunity genes required for expression in a toxin-antitoxin system. Some strains such as Paenibacillus larvae subsp. pulvifaciens SAG 10367 contained multiple circular bacteriocin gene clusters from different subfamilies, while some strains such as Bacillus cereus BCE-01 contained clusters with multiple circular bacteriocin structural genes. Conclusions Sequence analysis provided rapid insight into identification of novel, putative circular bacteriocins, as well as conserved genes likely essential for circularisation. This represents an expanded library of putative antimicrobial proteins which are potentially active against human, plant and animal pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Vezina
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia
| | - Bernd H A Rehm
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia
| | - Andrew T Smith
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia.
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22
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Nasr ML. Large nanodiscs going viral. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2020; 60:150-156. [PMID: 32066086 PMCID: PMC10712563 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2020.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Covalently circularized and DNA-corralled nanodisc technologies have enabled engineering of large-sized bilayer nanodiscs up to 90nm. These large nanodiscs have the potential to extend the applicability of nanodisc technology from studying small and medium-sized membrane proteins to acting as surrogate membranes to investigate functional and structural aspects of viral entry. Here, we discuss the recent technical developments leading to construction of large circularized and DNA-corralled nanodiscs and examine their application in viral entry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud L Nasr
- Division of Renal Medicine, Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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23
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Neubacher S, Saya JM, Amore A, Grossmann TN. In Situ Cyclization of Proteins (INCYPRO): Cross-Link Derivatization Modulates Protein Stability. J Org Chem 2019; 85:1476-1483. [PMID: 31790232 PMCID: PMC7011175 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.9b02490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Protein macrocyclization represents a very efficient
strategy to
increase the stability of protein tertiary structures. Here, we describe
a panel of novel C3-symmetric tris-electrophilic agents and their
use for the cyclization of proteins. These electrophiles are reacted
with a protein domain harboring three solvent-exposed cysteine residues,
resulting in the in situ cyclization of the protein (INCYPRO). We
observe a clear dependency of cross-linking rates on the electrophilicity.
All nine obtained cross-linked protein versions show considerably
increased thermal stability (up to 29 °C increased melting temperature)
when compared to that of the linear precursor. Most interestingly,
the degree of stabilization correlates with the hydrophilicity of
the cross-link. These results will support the development of novel
cross-linked proteins and enable a more rational design process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saskia Neubacher
- Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences , VU University Amsterdam , De Boelelaan 1083 , 1081 HV Amsterdam , The Netherlands
| | - Jordy M Saya
- Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences , VU University Amsterdam , De Boelelaan 1083 , 1081 HV Amsterdam , The Netherlands
| | - Alessia Amore
- Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences , VU University Amsterdam , De Boelelaan 1083 , 1081 HV Amsterdam , The Netherlands
| | - Tom N Grossmann
- Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences , VU University Amsterdam , De Boelelaan 1083 , 1081 HV Amsterdam , The Netherlands
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24
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The discovery of potent and stable short peptide FGFR1 antagonist for cancer therapy. Eur J Pharm Sci 2019; 143:105179. [PMID: 31841696 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2019.105179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Revised: 11/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) is one of the attractive pharmaceutical targets for cancer therapy. The FGFR1 targeting antagonist peptides, especially of the short peptides harbouring only coding amino acid might highlights promising aspects for their higher affinity, specificity and lower adverse reactions. However, most of peptides inhibitors remain in preclinical research, likely associating with their instability and short half-life. In this study, we found a stable short peptide inhibitor P48 and speculated that its stability might be related to its non-linear spatial structure. In addition, P48 could target the extracellular immunoglobulin domain of FGFR1, and effectively block the particular signaling pathways of FGFR1, which lead to the inhibition of cancer proliferation, invasion in vitro and restraint of tumor growth in vivo. Together, this study provided a promising FGFR1 inhibitor with the potential to be developed as an antitumor drug.
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25
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Zhou J, Fang L, Yang Z, Xu S, Lv M, Sun Z, Chen J, Wang D, Gao J, Xiao S. Identification of novel proteolytically inactive mutations in coronavirus 3C-like protease using a combined approach. FASEB J 2019; 33:14575-14587. [PMID: 31690127 DOI: 10.1096/fj.201901624rr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Coronaviruses (CoVs) infect humans and multiple other animal species, causing highly prevalent and severe diseases. 3C-like proteases (3CLpros) from CoVs (also called main proteases) are essential for viral replication and are also involved in polyprotein cleavage and immune regulation, making them attractive and effective targets for the development of antiviral drugs. Herein, the 3CLpro from the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, an enteropathogenic CoV, was used as a model to identify novel crucial residues for enzyme activity. First, we established a rapid, sensitive, and efficient luciferase-based biosensor to monitor the activity of PDEV 3CLproin vivo. Using this luciferase biosensor, along with confirming the well-known catalytic residues (His41 and Cys144), we identified 4 novel proteolytically inactivated mutants of PDEV 3CLpro, which was also confirmed in mammalian cells by biochemical experiments. Our molecular dynamics (MD) simulations showed that the hydrogen bonding interactions occurring within and outside of the protease's active site and the dynamic fluctuations of the substrate, especially the van der Waals contacts, were drastically altered, a situation related to the loss of 3CLpro activity. These data suggest that changing the intermolecular dynamics in protein-substrate complexes eliminates the mechanism underlying the protease activity. The discovery of novel crucial residues for enzyme activity in the binding pocket could potentially provide more druggable sites for the design of protease inhibitors. In addition, our in-depth study of the dynamic substrate's envelope model using MD simulations is an approach that could augment the discovery of new inhibitors against 3CLpro in CoVs and other viral 3C proteases.-Zhou, J., Fang, L., Yang, Z., Xu, S., Lv, M., Sun, Z., Chen, J., Wang, D., Gao, J., Xiao, S. Identification of novel proteolytically inactive mutations in coronavirus 3C-like protease using a combined approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junwei Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Liurong Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhixiang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Shangen Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Mengting Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Zheng Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiyao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Dang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Jun Gao
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Shaobo Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
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27
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Covalently-assembled single-chain protein nanostructures with ultra-high stability. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3317. [PMID: 31346167 PMCID: PMC6658521 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11285-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein nanostructures with precisely defined geometries have many potential applications in catalysis, sensing, signal processing, and drug delivery. While many de novo protein nanostructures have been assembled via non-covalent intramolecular and intermolecular interactions, a largely unexplored strategy is to construct nanostructures by covalently linking multiple individually folded proteins through site-specific ligations. Here, we report the synthesis of single-chain protein nanostructures with triangular and square shapes made using multiple copies of a three-helix bundle protein and split intein chemistry. Coarse-grained simulations confirm the experimentally observed flexibility of these nanostructures, which is optimized to produce triangular structures with high regularity. These single-chain nanostructures also display ultra-high thermostability, resist denaturation by chaotropes and organic solvents, and have applicability as scaffolds for assembling materials with nanometer resolution. Our results show that site-specific covalent ligation can be used to assemble individually folded proteins into single-chain nanostructures with bespoke architectures and high stabilities. De novo protein nanostructures are typically assembled via top-down approaches. Here, the authors developed a bottom-up approach, using split inteins to ligate multiple copies of a three-helix bundle to create 2D triangular and square-shaped structures with high stability.
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Tang L, Yang J, Chen J, Zhang J, Yu H, Shen Z. Design of salt-bridge cyclization peptide tags for stability and activity enhancement of enzymes. Process Biochem 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.procbio.2019.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Agouridas V, El Mahdi O, Diemer V, Cargoët M, Monbaliu JCM, Melnyk O. Native Chemical Ligation and Extended Methods: Mechanisms, Catalysis, Scope, and Limitations. Chem Rev 2019; 119:7328-7443. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 243] [Impact Index Per Article: 48.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vangelis Agouridas
- UMR CNRS 8204, Centre d’Immunité et d’Infection de Lille, University of Lille, CNRS, Institut Pasteur de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Ouafâa El Mahdi
- Faculté Polydisciplinaire de Taza, University Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, BP 1223 Taza Gare, Morocco
| | - Vincent Diemer
- UMR CNRS 8204, Centre d’Immunité et d’Infection de Lille, University of Lille, CNRS, Institut Pasteur de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Marine Cargoët
- UMR CNRS 8204, Centre d’Immunité et d’Infection de Lille, University of Lille, CNRS, Institut Pasteur de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Jean-Christophe M. Monbaliu
- Center for Integrated Technology and Organic Synthesis, Department of Chemistry, University of Liège, Building B6a, Room 3/16a, Sart-Tilman, B-4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Oleg Melnyk
- UMR CNRS 8204, Centre d’Immunité et d’Infection de Lille, University of Lille, CNRS, Institut Pasteur de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France
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Zhou F, Kroetsch A, Nguyen VP, Huang X, Ogoke O, Parashurama N, Park S. High-Affinity Antibody Detection with a Bivalent Circularized Peptide Containing Antibody-Binding Domains. Biotechnol J 2019; 14:e1800647. [PMID: 30810268 DOI: 10.1002/biot.201800647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Revised: 01/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Direct chemical labeling of antibody produces molecules with poorly defined modifications. Use of a small antibody-binding protein as an adapter can simplify antibody functionalization by forming a specific antibody-bound complex and introducing site-specific modifications. To stabilize a noncovalent antibody complex that may be used without chemical crosslinking, a bivalent antibody-binding protein is engineered with an improved affinity of interaction by joining two Z domains with a conformationally flexible linker. The linker is essential for the increase in affinity because it allows simultaneous binding of both domains. The molecule is further circularized using a split intein, creating a novel adapter protein ("lasso"), which binds human immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) with K D = 0.53 n m and a dissociation rate that is 55- to 84-fold slower than Z. The lasso contains a unique cysteine for conjugation with a reporter and may be engineered to introduce other functional groups, including a biotin tag and protease recognition sequences. When used in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the lasso generates a stronger reporter signal compared to a secondary antibody and lowers the limit of detection by 12-fold. The small size of the lasso and a long half-life of dissociation make the peptide a useful tool in antibody detection and immobilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangyu Zhou
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Andrew Kroetsch
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Vyncent P Nguyen
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Xiao Huang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Ogechi Ogoke
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Natesh Parashurama
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Sheldon Park
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
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31
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Sarmiento C, Camarero JA. Biotechnological Applications of Protein Splicing. Curr Protein Pept Sci 2019; 20:408-424. [PMID: 30734675 PMCID: PMC7135711 DOI: 10.2174/1389203720666190208110416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Revised: 12/22/2018] [Accepted: 12/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Protein splicing domains, also called inteins, have become a powerful biotechnological tool for applications involving molecular biology and protein engineering. Early applications of inteins focused on self-cleaving affinity tags, generation of recombinant polypeptide α-thioesters for the production of semisynthetic proteins and backbone cyclized polypeptides. The discovery of naturallyoccurring split-inteins has allowed the development of novel approaches for the selective modification of proteins both in vitro and in vivo. This review gives a general introduction to protein splicing with a focus on their role in expanding the applications of intein-based technologies in protein engineering and chemical biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corina Sarmiento
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA9033 USA
| | - Julio A. Camarero
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA9033 USA
- Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA9033 USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-9121, USA
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32
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Wang XW, Zhang WB. Chemical Topology and Complexity of Protein Architectures. Trends Biochem Sci 2018; 43:806-817. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2018.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2018] [Revised: 07/01/2018] [Accepted: 07/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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33
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Liu X, Sun J, Gao W. Site-selective protein modification with polymers for advanced biomedical applications. Biomaterials 2018; 178:413-434. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2018.04.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2017] [Revised: 04/21/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Pelay‐Gimeno M, Bange T, Hennig S, Grossmann TN. In Situ Cyclization of Native Proteins: Structure-Based Design of a Bicyclic Enzyme. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018; 57:11164-11170. [PMID: 29847004 PMCID: PMC6120448 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201804506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Increased tolerance of enzymes towards thermal and chemical stress is required for many applications and can be achieved by macrocyclization of the enzyme resulting in the stabilizing of its tertiary structure. Thus far, macrocyclization approaches utilize a very limited structural diversity, which complicates the design process. Herein, we report an approach that enables cyclization through the installation of modular crosslinks into native proteins composed entirely of proteinogenic amino acids. Our stabilization procedure involves the introduction of three surface-exposed cysteine residues, which are reacted with a triselectrophile, resulting in the in situ cyclization of the protein (INCYPRO). A bicyclic version of sortase A was designed that exhibits increased tolerance towards thermal as well as chemical denaturation, and proved to be efficient in protein labeling under denaturing conditions. In addition, we applied INCYPRO to the KIX domain, resulting in up to 24 °C increased thermal stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Pelay‐Gimeno
- Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical SciencesVU University AmsterdamDe Boelelaan 11081081 HZAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Tanja Bange
- Department of Mechanistic Cell BiologyMax-Planck Institute of Molecular PhysiologyOtto-Hahn-Str. 1144227DortmundGermany
- Department for Systems ChronobiologyLMU MunichGoethe-Str. 3180336MunichGermany
| | - Sven Hennig
- Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical SciencesVU University AmsterdamDe Boelelaan 11081081 HZAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Tom N. Grossmann
- Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical SciencesVU University AmsterdamDe Boelelaan 11081081 HZAmsterdamThe Netherlands
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35
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Pelay-Gimeno M, Bange T, Hennig S, Grossmann TN. In Situ Cyclization of Native Proteins: Structure-Based Design of a Bicyclic Enzyme. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201804506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marta Pelay-Gimeno
- Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences; VU University Amsterdam; De Boelelaan 1108 1081 HZ Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Tanja Bange
- Department of Mechanistic Cell Biology; Max-Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology; Otto-Hahn-Str. 11 44227 Dortmund Germany
- Department for Systems Chronobiology; LMU Munich; Goethe-Str. 31 80336 Munich Germany
| | - Sven Hennig
- Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences; VU University Amsterdam; De Boelelaan 1108 1081 HZ Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Tom N. Grossmann
- Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences; VU University Amsterdam; De Boelelaan 1108 1081 HZ Amsterdam The Netherlands
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36
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Ye B, Shen W, Shi M, Zhang Y, Xu C, Zhao Z. Intein-mediated backbone cyclization of entolimod confers enhanced radioprotective activity in mouse models. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5043. [PMID: 29938138 PMCID: PMC6011820 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Entolimod is a Salmonella enterica flagellin derivate. Previous work has demonstrated that entolimod effectively protects mice and non-human primates from ionizing radiation. However, it caused a “flu-like” syndrome after radioprotective and anticancer clinical application, indicating some type of immunogenicity and toxicity. Cyclization is commonly used to improve the in vivo stability and activity of peptides and proteins. Methods We designed and constructed cyclic entolimod using split Nostoc punctiforme DnaE intein with almost 100% cyclization efficiency. We adopted different strategies to purify the linear and circular entolimod due to their different topologies. Both of linear and circular entolimod were first purified by Ni-chelating affinity chromatography, and then the linear and circular entolimod were purified by size-exclusion and ion-exchange chromatography, respectively. Results The circular entolimod showed significantly increased both the in vitro NF-κB signaling and in vivo radioprotective activity in mice. Conclusion Our data indicates that circular entolimod might be a good candidate for further clinical investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingyu Ye
- College of Life Science, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China.,State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base for Cell Differentiation Regulation, College of Life Science, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China.,Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Wenlong Shen
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Minglei Shi
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Cunshuan Xu
- College of Life Science, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China.,State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base for Cell Differentiation Regulation, College of Life Science, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Zhihu Zhao
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
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37
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Bi X, Yin J, Hemu X, Rao C, Tam JP, Liu CF. Immobilization and Intracellular Delivery of Circular Proteins by Modifying a Genetically Incorporated Unnatural Amino Acid. Bioconjug Chem 2018; 29:2170-2175. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.8b00244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaobao Bi
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, 637551, Singapore
| | | | - Xinya Hemu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, 637551, Singapore
| | - Chang Rao
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, 637551, Singapore
| | - James P. Tam
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, 637551, Singapore
| | - Chuan-Fa Liu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, 637551, Singapore
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38
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Structural insights into the backbone-circularized granulocyte colony-stimulating factor containing a short connector. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2018; 500:224-228. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2018.04.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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39
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Covalently circularized nanodiscs; challenges and applications. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2018; 51:129-134. [PMID: 29677570 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2018.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2017] [Revised: 03/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Covalently circularized nanodiscs (cNDs) represent a significant advance in the durability and applicability of nanodisc technology. The new cNDs demonstrate higher size homogeneity and improved stability compared with that of non-circularized forms. Moreover, cNDs can be prepared at various defined sizes up to 80-nm diameter. The large cNDs can house much larger membrane proteins and their complexes than was previously possible with the conventional nanodiscs. In order to experience the full advantages of covalent circularization, high quality circularized scaffold protein and nanodisc samples are needed. Here, we give a concise overview and discuss the technical challenges that needed to be overcome in order to obtain high quality preparations. Furthermore, we review some potential new applications for the cNDs.
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40
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Pavankumar TL. Inteins: Localized Distribution, Gene Regulation, and Protein Engineering for Biological Applications. Microorganisms 2018; 6:E19. [PMID: 29495613 PMCID: PMC5874633 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms6010019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Revised: 02/24/2018] [Accepted: 02/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Inteins are self-splicing polypeptides with an ability to excise themselves from flanking host protein regions with remarkable precision; in the process, they ligate flanked host protein fragments. Inteins are distributed sporadically across all three domains of life (bacteria, archaea, and unicellular eukaryotes). However, their apparent localized distribution in DNA replication, repair, and recombination proteins (the 3Rs), particularly in bacteria and archaea, is enigmatic. Our understanding of the localized distribution of inteins in the 3Rs, and their possible regulatory role in such distribution, is still only partial. Nevertheless, understanding the chemistry of post-translational self-splicing of inteins has opened up opportunities for protein chemists to modify, manipulate, and bioengineer proteins. Protein-splicing technology is adapted to a wide range of applications, starting with untagged protein purification, site-specific protein labeling, protein biotinylation, isotope incorporation, peptide cyclization, as an antimicrobial target, and so on. This review is focused on the chemistry of splicing; the localized distribution of inteins, particularly in the 3Rs and their possible role in regulating host protein function; and finally, the use of protein-splicing technology in various protein engineering applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theetha L Pavankumar
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Briggs Hall, One Shields Ave, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
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41
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Buldun CM, Jean JX, Bedford MR, Howarth M. SnoopLigase Catalyzes Peptide–Peptide Locking and Enables Solid-Phase Conjugate Isolation. J Am Chem Soc 2018; 140:3008-3018. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b13237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Can M. Buldun
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, U.K
| | - Jisoo X. Jean
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, U.K
| | | | - Mark Howarth
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, U.K
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42
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43
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Miyafusa T, Shibuya R, Nishima W, Ohara R, Yoshida C, Honda S. Backbone Circularization Coupled with Optimization of Connecting Segment in Effectively Improving the Stability of Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor. ACS Chem Biol 2017; 12:2690-2696. [PMID: 28895717 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.7b00776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Backbone circularization of protein is a powerful method to improve its structural stability. In this paper, we presumed that a tight connection leads to much higher stability. Therefore, we designed circularized variants of a granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) with a structurally optimized terminal connection. To estimate the appropriate length of the connection, we surveyed the Protein Data Bank to find local structures as a model for the connecting segment. We set the library of local structures composed of "helix-loop-helix," subsequently selected entries similar to the G-CSF terminus, and finally sorted the hit structures according to the loop length. Two, five, or nine loop residues were frequently observed; thus, three circularized variants (C163, C166, and C170) were constructed, prepared, and evaluated. All circularized variants demonstrated a higher thermal stability than linear G-CSF (L175). In particular, C166 that retained five connecting residues demonstrated apparent Tm values of 69.4 °C, which is 8.7 °C higher than that of the circularized variant with no truncation (C177), indicating that the optimization of the connecting segment is effective for enhancing the overall structural stability. C166 also showed higher proteolytic stability against both endoprotease and exopeptidase than L175. We anticipate that the present study will contribute to the improvement in the general design of circularized protein and development of G-CSF biobetters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takamitsu Miyafusa
- Biomedical Research Institute, The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Central 6, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Japan
| | - Risa Shibuya
- Department
of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of
Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8562, Japan
| | - Wataru Nishima
- Biomedical Research Institute, The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Central 6, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Japan
| | - Rie Ohara
- Department
of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of
Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8562, Japan
| | - Chuya Yoshida
- Biomedical Research Institute, The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Central 6, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Japan
| | - Shinya Honda
- Biomedical Research Institute, The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Central 6, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Japan
- Department
of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of
Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8562, Japan
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44
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Stevens CA, Semrau J, Chiriac D, Litschko M, Campbell RL, Langelaan DN, Smith SP, Davies PL, Allingham JS. Peptide backbone circularization enhances antifreeze protein thermostability. Protein Sci 2017; 26:1932-1941. [PMID: 28691252 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2017] [Revised: 06/22/2017] [Accepted: 07/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) are a class of ice-binding proteins that promote survival of a variety of cold-adapted organisms by decreasing the freezing temperature of bodily fluids. A growing number of biomedical, agricultural, and commercial products, such as organs, foods, and industrial fluids, have benefited from the ability of AFPs to control ice crystal growth and prevent ice recrystallization at subzero temperatures. One limitation of AFP use in these latter contexts is their tendency to denature and irreversibly lose activity at the elevated temperatures of certain industrial processing or large-scale AFP production. Using the small, thermolabile type III AFP as a model system, we demonstrate that AFP thermostability is dramatically enhanced via split intein-mediated N- and C-terminal end ligation. To engineer this circular protein, computational modeling and molecular dynamics simulations were applied to identify an extein sequence that would fill the 20-Å gap separating the free ends of the AFP, yet impose little impact on the structure and entropic properties of its ice-binding surface. The top candidate was then expressed in bacteria, and the circularized protein was isolated from the intein domains by ice-affinity purification. This circularized AFP induced bipyramidal ice crystals during ice growth in the hysteresis gap and retained 40% of this activity even after incubation at 100°C for 30 min. NMR analysis implicated enhanced thermostability or refolding capacity of this protein compared to the noncyclized wild-type AFP. These studies support protein backbone circularization as a means to expand the thermostability and practical applications of AFPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corey A Stevens
- Protein Function Discovery Group and the Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Joanna Semrau
- Protein Function Discovery Group and the Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Dragos Chiriac
- Protein Function Discovery Group and the Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Morgan Litschko
- Protein Function Discovery Group and the Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Robert L Campbell
- Protein Function Discovery Group and the Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - David N Langelaan
- Protein Function Discovery Group and the Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Steven P Smith
- Protein Function Discovery Group and the Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Peter L Davies
- Protein Function Discovery Group and the Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - John S Allingham
- Protein Function Discovery Group and the Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada
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45
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Engineered Ssp DnaX inteins for protein splicing with flanking proline residues. Saudi J Biol Sci 2017; 26:854-859. [PMID: 31049014 PMCID: PMC6486613 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2017.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2017] [Revised: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Inteins are internal protein sequences capable of catalyzing a protein splicing reaction by self-excising from a precursor protein and simultaneously joining the flanking sequences with a peptide bond. Split inteins have separate pieces (N-intein and C-intein) that reassemble non-covalently to catalyze a protein trans-splicing reaction joining two polypeptides. Protein splicing has become increasingly useful tools in many fields of biological research and biotechnology. However, natural and engineered inteins have failed previously to function when being flanked by proline residue at the -1 or +2 positions, which limits general uses of inteins. In this study, different engineered inteins were tested. We found that engineered Ssp DnaX mini-intein and split inteins could carry out protein splicing with proline at the +2 positions or at both -1 and +2 positions. Under in vivo conditions in E. coli cells, the mini-intein, S1 split intein, and S11 split intein spliced efficiently, whereas the S0 split intein did not splice with proline at both -1 and +2 positions. The S1 and S11 split inteins also trans-spliced efficiently in vitro with proline at the +2 positions or at both -1 and +2 positions, but the S0 split intein trans-spliced inefficiently with proline at the +2 position and did not trans-splice with proline at both -1 and +2 positions. These findings contribute significantly to the toolbox of intein-based technologies by allowing the use of inteins in proteins having proline at the splicing point.
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46
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Zhou J, Wang D, Xi Y, Zhu X, Yang Y, Lv M, Luo C, Chen J, Ye X, Fang L, Xiao S. Assessing activity of Hepatitis A virus 3C protease using a cyclized luciferase-based biosensor. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2017; 488:621-627. [PMID: 28501618 PMCID: PMC7092888 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2017.05.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2017] [Accepted: 05/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Hepatitis A is an acute infection caused by Hepatitis A virus (HAV), which is widely distributed throughout the world. The HAV 3C cysteine protease (3Cpro), an important nonstructural protein, is responsible for most cleavage within the viral polyprotein and is critical for the processes of viral replication. Our group has previously demonstrated that HAV 3Cpro cleaves human NF-κB essential modulator (NEMO), a kinase required in interferon signaling. Based on this finding, we generated four luciferase-based biosensors containing the NEMO sequence (PVLKAQ↓ADIYKA) that is cleaved by HAV 3Cpro and/or the Nostoc punctiforme DnaE intein, to monitor the activity of HAV 3Cpro in human embryonic kidney cells (HEK-293T). Western blotting showed that HAV 3Cpro recognized and cleaved the NEMO cleavage sequence incorporated in the four biosensors, whereas only one cyclized luciferase-based biosensor (233-DnaE-HAV, 233DH) showed a measurable and reliable increase in firefly luciferase activity, with very low background, in the presence of HAV 3Cpro. With this biosensor (233DH), we monitored HAV 3Cpro activity in HEK-293T cells, and tested it against a catalytically deficient mutant HAV 3Cpro and other virus-encoded proteases. The results showed that the activity of this luciferase biosensor is specifically dependent on HAV 3Cpro. Collectively, our data demonstrate that the luciferase biosensor developed here might provide a rapid, sensitive, and efficient evaluation of HAV 3Cpro activity, and should extend our better understanding of the biological relevance of HAV 3Cpro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junwei Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Dang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China.
| | - Yongqiang Xi
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Xinyu Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Yuting Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Mengting Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Chuanzhen Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Jiyao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Xu Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Liurong Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Shaobo Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
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Gilbert C, Howarth M, Harwood CR, Ellis T. Extracellular Self-Assembly of Functional and Tunable Protein Conjugates from Bacillus subtilis. ACS Synth Biol 2017; 6:957-967. [PMID: 28230977 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.6b00292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The ability to stably and specifically conjugate recombinant proteins to one another is a powerful approach for engineering multifunctional enzymes, protein therapeutics, and novel biological materials. While many of these applications have been illustrated through in vitro and in vivo intracellular protein conjugation methods, extracellular self-assembly of protein conjugates offers unique advantages: simplifying purification, reducing toxicity and burden, and enabling tunability. Exploiting the recently described SpyTag-SpyCatcher system, we describe here how enzymes and structural proteins can be genetically encoded to covalently conjugate in culture media following programmable secretion from Bacillus subtilis. Using this approach, we demonstrate how self-conjugation of a secreted industrial enzyme, XynA, dramatically increases its resilience to boiling, and we show that cellular consortia can be engineered to self-assemble functional protein-protein conjugates with tunable composition. This novel genetically encoded modular system provides a flexible strategy for protein conjugation harnessing the substantial advantages of extracellular self-assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlie Gilbert
- Centre
for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Department
of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Mark Howarth
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, U.K
| | - Colin R. Harwood
- Centre
for Bacterial Cell Biology, Baddiley-Clark Building, Newcastle University, Richardson Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4AX, U.K
| | - Tom Ellis
- Centre
for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Department
of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
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Qi X, Xiong S. Intein-mediated backbone cyclization of VP1 protein enhanced protection of CVB3-induced viral myocarditis. Sci Rep 2017; 7:41485. [PMID: 28148910 PMCID: PMC5288654 DOI: 10.1038/srep41485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
CVB3 is a common human pathogen to be highly lethal to newborns and causes viral myocarditis and pancreatitis in adults. However, there is no vaccine available for clinical use. CVB3 capsid protein VP1 is an immunodominant structural protein, containing several B- and T-cell epitopes. However, immunization of mice with VP1 protein is ineffective. Cyclization of peptide is commonly used to improve their in vivo stability and biological activity. Here, we designed and synthesizd cyclic VP1 protein by using engineered split Rma DnaB intein and the cyclization efficiency was 100% in E. coli. As a result, the cyclic VP1 was significantly more stable against irreversible aggregation upon heating and against carboxypeptidase in vitro and the degradation rate was more slowly in vivo. Compared with linear VP1, immunization mice with circular VP1 significantly increased CVB3-specific serum IgG level and augmented CVB3-specific cellular immune responses, consequently afforded better protection against CVB3-induced viral myocarditis. The cyclic VP1 may be a novel candidate protein vaccine for preventing CVB3 infection and similar approaches could be employed to a variety of protein vaccines to enhance their protection effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingmei Qi
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Institutes of Biology and Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Sidong Xiong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Institutes of Biology and Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
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Abstract
Segmental isotopic labeling of samples for NMR studies is attractive for large complex biomacromolecular systems, especially for studies of function-related protein-ligand interactions and protein dynamics (Goto and Kay, Curr Opin Struct Biol 10:585-592, 2000; Rosa et al., Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) 18:440, 2013; Hiroaki, Expert Opin Drug Discovery 8:523-536, 2013). Advantages of segmental isotopic labeling include selective examination of specific segment(s) within a protein by NMR, significantly reducing the spectral complexity for large proteins, and allowing for the application of a variety of solution-based NMR strategies. By utilizing intein techniques (Wood and Camarero, J Biol Chem 289:14512-14519, 2014; Paulus, Annu Rev Biochem 69:447-496, 2000), two related approaches can generally be used in the segmental isotopic labeling of proteins: expressed protein ligation (Muir, Annu Rev Biochem 72:249-289, 2003) and protein trans-splicing (Shah et al., J Am Chem Soc 134:11338-11341, 2012). Here, we describe general implementation and latest improvements of expressed protein ligation method for the production of segmental isotopic labeled NMR samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongsheng Liu
- iHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, 99 Haike Road, Pudong, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - David Cowburn
- Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA.
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