1
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Zhang M, Wang J, Li C, Wu S, Liu W, Zhou C, Ma L. Cathelicidin AS-12W Derived from the Alligator sinensis and Its Antimicrobial Activity Against Drug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria In Vitro and In Vivo. Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins 2024:10.1007/s12602-024-10250-2. [PMID: 38587584 DOI: 10.1007/s12602-024-10250-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have the potential to treat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. Cathelicidins are a class of cationic antimicrobial peptides that are found in nearly all vertebrates. Herein, we determined the mature peptide region of Alligator sinensis cathelicidin by comparing its cathelicidin peptide sequence with those of other reptiles and designed nine peptide mutants based on the Alligator sinensis cathelicidin mature peptide. According to the antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity screening, the peptide AS-12W demonstrated broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and exhibited low erythrocyte hemolytic activity. In particular, AS-12W exhibited strong antibacterial activity and rapid bactericidal activity against carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in vitro. Additionally, AS-12W effectively removed carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa from blood and organs in vivo, leading to improved survival rates in septic mice. Furthermore, AS-12W exhibited good stability and tolerance to harsh conditions such as high heat, high salt, strong acid, and strong alkali, and it also displayed high stability toward trypsin and simulated gastric fluid (SGF). Moreover, AS-12W showed significant anti-inflammatory effects in vitro by inhibiting the production of proinflammatory factors induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Due to its antibacterial mechanism against Escherichia coli, we found that this peptide could neutralize the negative charge on the surface of the bacteria and disrupt the integrity of the bacterial cell membrane. In addition, AS-12W has the ability to bind to the genomic DNA of bacteria and stimulate the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within bacteria, which is believed to be the reason for the good antibacterial activity of AS-12W. These results demonstrated that AS-12W exhibits remarkable antibacterial activity, particularly against carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa. Therefore, it is a potential candidate for antibacterial drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meina Zhang
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211198, China
| | - Jian Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211198, China
| | - Chao Li
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211198, China
| | - Shaoju Wu
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211198, China
| | - Wei Liu
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211198, China
| | - Changlin Zhou
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211198, China.
| | - Lingman Ma
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211198, China.
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2
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Mourenza A, Ganesan R, Camarero JA. Resistance is futile: targeting multidrug-resistant bacteria with de novo Cys-rich cyclic polypeptides. RSC Chem Biol 2023; 4:722-735. [PMID: 37799576 PMCID: PMC10549238 DOI: 10.1039/d3cb00015j] [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: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The search for novel antimicrobial agents to combat microbial pathogens is intensifying in response to rapid drug resistance development to current antibiotic therapeutics. The use of disulfide-rich head-to-tail cyclized polypeptides as molecular frameworks for designing a new type of peptide antibiotics is gaining increasing attention among the scientific community and the pharmaceutical industry. The use of macrocyclic peptides, further constrained by the presence of several disulfide bonds, makes these peptide frameworks remarkably more stable to thermal, biological, and chemical degradation showing better activities when compared to their linear analogs. Many of these novel peptide scaffolds have been shown to have a high tolerance to sequence variability in those residues not involved in disulfide bonds, able to cross biological membranes, and efficiently target complex biomolecular interactions. Hence, these unique properties make the use of these scaffolds ideal for many biotechnological applications, including the design of novel peptide antibiotics. This article provides an overview of the new developments in the use of several disulfide-rich cyclic polypeptides, including cyclotides, θ-defensins, and sunflower trypsin inhibitor peptides, among others, in the development of novel antimicrobial peptides against multidrug-resistant bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro Mourenza
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy Los Angeles CA90033 USA +1-(323) 442-1417
| | - Rajasekaran Ganesan
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy Los Angeles CA90033 USA +1-(323) 442-1417
| | - Julio A Camarero
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy Los Angeles CA90033 USA +1-(323) 442-1417
- Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California Los Angeles CA90033 USA
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3
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Liao Y, Wang M, Jiang X. Sulfur-containing peptides: Synthesis and application in the discovery of potential drug candidates. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2023; 75:102336. [PMID: 37269675 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2023.102336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Peptides act as biological mediators and play a key role of various physiological activities. Sulfur-containing peptides are widely used in natural products and drug molecules due to their unique biological activity and chemical reactivity of sulfur. Disulfides, thioethers, and thioamides are the most common motifs of sulfur-containing peptides, and they have been extensively studied and developed for synthetic methodology as well as pharmaceutical applications. This review focuses on the illustration of these three motifs in natural products and drugs, as well as the recent advancements in the synthesis of the corresponding core scaffolds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyan Liao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Process, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ming Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Process, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Xuefeng Jiang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Process, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China; State Key Laboratory of Organometallic Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China; State Key Laboratory of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, Nankai University, China.
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4
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Jacob B, Vogelaar A, Cadenas E, Camarero JA. Using the Cyclotide Scaffold for Targeting Biomolecular Interactions in Drug Development. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27196430. [PMID: 36234971 PMCID: PMC9570680 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27196430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
This review provides an overview of the properties of cyclotides and their potential for developing novel peptide-based therapeutics. The selective disruption of protein–protein interactions remains challenging, as the interacting surfaces are relatively large and flat. However, highly constrained polypeptide-based molecular frameworks with cell-permeability properties, such as the cyclotide scaffold, have shown great promise for targeting those biomolecular interactions. The use of molecular techniques, such as epitope grafting and molecular evolution employing the cyclotide scaffold, has shown to be highly effective for selecting bioactive cyclotides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binu Jacob
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 9033, USA
| | - Alicia Vogelaar
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 9033, USA
| | - Enrique Cadenas
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 9033, USA
| | - Julio A. Camarero
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 9033, USA
- Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 9033, USA
- Correspondence:
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5
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Ganesan R, Dughbaj MA, Ramirez L, Beringer S, Aboye TL, Shekhtman A, Beringer PM, Camarero JA. Engineered Cyclotides with Potent Broad in Vitro and in Vivo Antimicrobial Activity. Chemistry 2021; 27:12702-12708. [PMID: 34159664 PMCID: PMC8410672 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202101438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The search for novel antimicrobial agents to combat microbial pathogens is intensifying in response to the rapid development of drug resistance to current antibiotic therapeutics. Respiratory failure and septicemia are the leading causes of mortality among hospitalized patients. Here, the development of a novel engineered cyclotide with effective broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against several ESKAPE bacterial strains and clinical isolates is reported. The most active antibacterial cyclotide was extremely stable in serum, showed little hemolytic activity, and provided protection in vivo in a murine model of P. aeruginosa peritonitis. These results highlight the potential of the cyclotide scaffold for the development of novel antimicrobial therapeutic leads for the treatment of bacteremia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajasekaran Ganesan
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Mansour A. Dughbaj
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Lisa Ramirez
- Department of Chemistry, State University of New York, Albany, NY 12222, USA
| | - Steven Beringer
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Teshome L. Aboye
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Alexander Shekhtman
- Department of Chemistry, State University of New York, Albany, NY 12222, USA
| | - Paul M. Beringer
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Julio A. Camarero
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
- Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90033, USA
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6
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Abstract
Although the majority of proteins used for biomedical research are produced using living systems such as bacteria, biological means for producing proteins can be advantageously complemented by protein semisynthesis or total chemical synthesis. The latter approach is particularly useful when the proteins to be produced are toxic for the expression system or show unusual features that cannot be easily programmed in living organisms. The aim of this review is to provide a wide overview of the use of chemical protein synthesis in medicinal chemistry with a special focus on the production of post-translationally modified proteins and backbone cyclized proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vangelis Agouridas
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019, UMR 9017, CIIL, Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, F-59000 Lille, France.,Centrale Lille, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Ouafâa El Mahdi
- Faculté Polydisciplinaire de Taza, University Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, BP 1223 Taza gare, Morocco
| | - Oleg Melnyk
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019, UMR 9017, CIIL, Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, F-59000 Lille, France
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7
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Skeate JG, Segerink WH, Garcia MD, Fernandez DJ, Prins R, Lühen KP, Voss FO, Da Silva DM, Kast WM. Theta-Defensins Inhibit High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Infection Through Charge-Driven Capsid Clustering. Front Immunol 2020; 11:561843. [PMID: 33154746 PMCID: PMC7586039 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.561843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) genotypes results in a large number of anogenital and head and neck cancers worldwide. Although prophylactic vaccination coverage has improved, there remains a need to develop methods that inhibit viral transmission toward preventing the spread of HPV-driven disease. Defensins are a class of innate immune effector peptides that function to protect hosts from infection by pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. Previous work utilizing α and β defensins from humans has demonstrated that the α-defensin HD5 is effective at inhibiting the most common high-risk genotype, HPV16. A third class of defensin that has yet to be explored are θ-defensins: small, 18-amino acid cyclic peptides found in old-world monkeys whose unique structure makes them both highly cationic and resistant to degradation. Here we show that the prototype θ-defensin, rhesus theta defensin 1, inhibits hrHPV infection through a mechanism involving capsid clustering that inhibits virions from binding to cell surface receptor complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph G Skeate
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Wouter H Segerink
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Mauricio D Garcia
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Daniel J Fernandez
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Ruben Prins
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Kim P Lühen
- Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Féline O Voss
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Diane M Da Silva
- Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - W Martin Kast
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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8
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Targeting Trypanosoma evansi with disulphide-rich peptides derived from a phage display library. Exp Parasitol 2020; 212:107885. [PMID: 32234306 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2020.107885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Revised: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
A phage-display library was generated using a Bus thalamus scorpion toxin (BTK-2) as a peptide scaffold. BTK-2 belongs to the disulfide-rich family of proteins with pronounced structural stability due to the presence of three disulfide bridges that connects antiparallel beta-sheets and one alpha helix. Using BTK-2 as a phage display scaffold, we introduced mutations in five residues located in the alpha-helix and two residues located in the smaller loop, keeping intact the disulfide bridges to create a peptide phage-displayed library with disulfide-rich family properties. The library was subjected to in vivo and in vitro phage display selections against Trypanosoma evansi, the etiological agent of "Surra", a disease that affects a wide range of mammals. The development of T. evansi specific biomarkers is essential to improve diagnostic methods and epidemiological studies leading to a more accurate clinical decision for the treatment of this disease of economic impact for commercial livestock production. In this study, we identified two disulfide-rich peptides targeting T. evansi parasites. Further specificity studies are necessary to investigate the potential of selected peptides as new biomarkers to aid diagnostic and treatment procedures of T. evansi infections.
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9
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Tombling BJ, Wang CK, Craik DJ. EGF‐artige und andere disulfidreiche Mikrodomänen als therapeutische Molekülgerüste. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201913809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J. Tombling
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience The University of Queensland Brisbane QLD 4072 Australien
| | - Conan K. Wang
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience The University of Queensland Brisbane QLD 4072 Australien
| | - David J. Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience The University of Queensland Brisbane QLD 4072 Australien
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10
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Tombling BJ, Wang CK, Craik DJ. EGF-like and Other Disulfide-rich Microdomains as Therapeutic Scaffolds. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020; 59:11218-11232. [PMID: 31867866 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201913809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Disulfide bonds typically introduce conformational constraints into peptides and proteins, conferring improved biopharmaceutical properties and greater therapeutic potential. In our opinion, disulfide-rich microdomains from proteins are potentially a rich and under-explored source of drug leads. A survey of the UniProt protein database shows that these domains are widely distributed throughout the plant and animal kingdoms, with the EGF-like domain being the most abundant of these domains. EGF-like domains exhibit large diversity in their disulfide bond topologies and calcium binding modes, which we classify in detail here. We found that many EGF-like domains are associated with disease phenotypes, and the interactions they mediate are potential therapeutic targets. Indeed, EGF-based therapeutic leads have been identified, and we further propose that these domains can be optimized to expand their therapeutic potential using chemical design strategies. This Review highlights the potential of disulfide-rich microdomains as future peptide therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J Tombling
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Conan K Wang
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
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11
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Foreman DJ, Parsley NC, Lawler JT, Aryal UK, Hicks LM, McLuckey SA. Gas-Phase Sequencing of Cyclotides: Introduction of Selective Ring Opening at Dehydroalanine via Ion/Ion Reaction. Anal Chem 2019; 91:15608-15616. [PMID: 31746593 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.9b03671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The gas-phase linearization of cyclotides via site-selective ring opening at dehydroalanine residues and its application to cyclotide sequencing is presented. This strategy relies on the ability to incorporate dehydroalanine into macrocyclic peptide ions, which is easily accomplished through an ion/ion reaction. Triply protonated cyclotide cations are transformed into radical cations via ion/ion reaction with the sulfate radical anion. Subsequent activation of the cyclotide radical cation generates dehydroalanine at a single cysteine residue, which is easily identified by the odd-electron loss of ·SCH2CONH2. The presence of dehydroalanine in cyclotides provides a site-selective ring-opening pathway that, in turn, generates linear cyclotide analogues in the gas phase. Unlike cyclic variants, product ions derived from the linear peptides provide rich sequence information. The sequencing capability of this strategy is demonstrated with four known cyclotides found in Viola inconspicua, where, in each case, greater than 93% sequence coverage was observed. Furthermore, the utility of this method is highlighted by the partial de novo sequencing of an unknown cyclotide with much greater sequence coverage than that obtained with a conventional Glu-C digestion approach. This method is particularly well-suited for cyclotide species that are not abundant enough to characterize with traditional methods.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicole C Parsley
- Department of Chemistry , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill , North Carolina 27514 , United States
| | | | | | - Leslie M Hicks
- Department of Chemistry , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill , North Carolina 27514 , United States
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12
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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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13
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Camarero JA, Campbell MJ. The Potential of the Cyclotide Scaffold for Drug Development. Biomedicines 2019; 7:biomedicines7020031. [PMID: 31010257 PMCID: PMC6631875 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines7020031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2019] [Revised: 04/13/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyclotides are a novel class of micro-proteins (≈30-40 residues long) with a unique topology containing a head-to-tail cyclized backbone structure further stabilized by three disulfide bonds that form a cystine knot. This unique molecular framework makes them exceptionally stable to physical, chemical, and biological degradation compared to linear peptides of similar size. The cyclotides are also highly tolerant to sequence variability, aside from the conserved residues forming the cystine knot, and are orally bioavailable and able to cross cellular membranes to modulate intracellular protein-protein interactions (PPIs), both in vitro and in vivo. These unique properties make them ideal scaffolds for many biotechnological applications, including drug discovery. This review provides an overview of the properties of cyclotides and their potential for the development of novel peptide-based therapeutics. The selective disruption of PPIs still remains a very challenging task, as the interacting surfaces are relatively large and flat. The use of the cell-permeable highly constrained polypeptide molecular frameworks, such as the cyclotide scaffold, has shown great promise, as it provides unique pharmacological properties. The use of molecular techniques, such as epitope grafting, and molecular evolution have shown to be highly effective for the selection of bioactive cyclotides. However, despite successes in employing cyclotides to target PPIs, some of the challenges to move them into the clinic still remain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julio A Camarero
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 9033, USA.
- Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 9033, USA.
| | - Maria Jose Campbell
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 9033, USA.
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14
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Using backbone-cyclized Cys-rich polypeptides as molecular scaffolds to target protein-protein interactions. Biochem J 2019; 476:67-83. [PMID: 30635453 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20180792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Revised: 12/07/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The use of disulfide-rich backbone-cyclized polypeptides, as molecular scaffolds to design a new generation of bioimaging tools and drugs that are potent and specific, and thus might have fewer side effects than traditional small-molecule drugs, is gaining increasing interest among the scientific and in the pharmaceutical industries. Highly constrained macrocyclic polypeptides are exceptionally more stable to chemical, thermal and biological degradation and show better biological activity when compared with their linear counterparts. Many of these relatively new scaffolds have been also found to be highly tolerant to sequence variability, aside from the conserved residues forming the disulfide bonds, able to cross cellular membranes and modulate intracellular protein-protein interactions both in vitro and in vivo These properties make them ideal tools for many biotechnological applications. The present study provides an overview of the new developments on the use of several disulfide-rich backbone-cyclized polypeptides, including cyclotides, θ-defensins and sunflower trypsin inhibitor peptides, in the development of novel bioimaging reagents and therapeutic leads.
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15
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Fang GM, Chen XX, Yang QQ, Zhu LJ, Li NN, Yu HZ, Meng XM. Discovery, structure, and chemical synthesis of disulfide-rich peptide toxins and their analogs. CHINESE CHEM LETT 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cclet.2018.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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16
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In-cell production of a genetically-encoded library based on the θ-defensin RTD-1 using a bacterial expression system. Bioorg Med Chem 2017; 26:1212-1219. [PMID: 28927803 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2017.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2017] [Revised: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
We report the high-yield heterologous expression of bioactive θ-defensin RTD-1 inside Escherichia coli cells by making use of intracellular protein trans-splicing in combination with a high efficient split-intein. RTD-1 is a small backbone-cyclized polypeptide with three disulfide bridges and a natural inhibitor of anthrax lethal factor protease. Recombinant RTD-1 was natively folded and able to inhibit anthrax lethal factor protease. In-cell expression of RTD-1 was very efficient and yielded ≈0.7mg of folded RTD-1 per gram of wet E. coli cells. This approach was used to generate of a genetically-encoded RTD-1-based peptide library in live E. coli cells. These results clearly demonstrate the possibility of using genetically-encoded RTD-1-based peptide libraries in live E. coli cells, which is a critical first step for developing in-cell screening and directed evolution technologies using the cyclic peptide RTD-1asa molecular scaffold.
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17
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The Role of Defensins in HIV Pathogenesis. Mediators Inflamm 2017; 2017:5186904. [PMID: 28839349 PMCID: PMC5559915 DOI: 10.1155/2017/5186904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 07/24/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Profound loss of CD4+ T cells, progressive impairment of the immune system, inflammation, and sustained immune activation are the characteristics of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection. Innate immune responses respond immediately from the day of HIV infection, and a thorough understanding of the interaction between several innate immune cells and HIV-1 is essential to determine to what extent those cells play a crucial role in controlling HIV-1 in vivo. Defensins, divided into the three subfamilies α-, β-, and θ-defensins based on structure and disulfide linkages, comprise a critical component of the innate immune response and exhibit anti-HIV-1 activities and immunomodulatory capabilities. In humans, only α- and β-defensins are expressed in various tissues and have broad impacts on HIV-1 transmission, replication, and disease progression. θ-defensins have been identified as functional peptides in Old World monkeys, but not in humans. Instead, θ-defensins exist only as pseudogenes in humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas. The use of the synthetic θ-defensin peptide “retrocyclin” as an antiviral therapy was shown to be promising, and further research into the development of defensin-based HIV-1 therapeutics is needed. This review focuses on the role of defensins in HIV-1 pathogenesis and highlights future research efforts that warrant investigation.
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Abstract
Cyclotides are globular microproteins with a unique head-to-tail cyclized backbone, stabilized by three disulfide bonds forming a cystine knot. This unique circular backbone topology and knotted arrangement of three disulfide bonds makes them exceptionally stable to chemical, thermal, and biological degradation compared to other peptides of similar size. In addition, cyclotides have been shown to be highly tolerant to sequence variability, aside from the conserved residues forming the cystine knot. Cyclotides can also cross cellular membranes and are able to modulate intracellular protein-protein interactions, both in vitro and in vivo. All of these features make cyclotides highly promising as leads or frameworks for the design of peptide-based diagnostic and therapeutic tools. This article provides an overview on cyclotides and their applications as molecular imaging agents and peptide-based therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Gould
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-9121, USA
| | - Julio A. Camarero
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-9121, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-9121, USA
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