1
|
El Khabchi M, Mcharfi M, Benzakour M, Fitri A, Benjelloun AT, Song JW, Lee KB, Lee HJ. Computational Investigation of Conformational Properties of Short Azapeptides: Insights from DFT Study and NBO Analysis. Molecules 2023; 28:5454. [PMID: 37513326 PMCID: PMC10386235 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28145454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Azapeptides have gained much attention due to their ability to enhance the stability and bioavailability of peptide drugs. Their structural preferences, essential to understanding their function and potential application in the peptide drug design, remain largely unknown. In this work, we systematically investigated the conformational preferences of three azaamino acid residues in tripeptide models, Ac-azaXaa-Pro-NHMe [Xaa = Asn (4), Asp (5), Ala (6)], using the popular DFT functionals, B3LYP and B3LYP-D3. A solvation model density (SMD) was used to mimic the solvation effect on the conformational behaviors of azapeptides in water. During the calculation, we considered the impact of the amide bond in the azapeptide models on the conformational preferences of models 4-6. We analyzed the effect of the HB between the side-chain main chain and main-chain main-chain on the conformational behaviors of azapeptides 4-6. We found that the predicted lowest energy conformation for the three models differs depending on the calculation methods. In the gas phase, B3LYP functional indicates that the conformers tttANP-1 and tttADP-1 of azapeptides 4 and 5 correspond to the type I of β-turn, the lowest energy conformation with all-trans amide bonds. Considering the dispersion correction, B3LYP-D3 functional predicts the conformers tctANP-2 and tctADP-3 of azapeptide 4 and 5, which contain the cis amide bond preceding the Pro residue, as the lowest energy conformation in the gas phase. The results imply that azaAsx and Pro residues may involve cis-trans isomerization in the gas phase. In water, the predicted lowest energy conformer of azapeptides 4 and 5 differs from the gas phase results and depends on the calculational method. For azapeptide 6, regardless of calculation methods and phases, tttAAP-1 (β-I turn) is predicted as the lowest energy conformer. The results imply that the effect of the side chain that can form HBs on the conformational preferences of azapeptides 4 and 5 may not be negligible. We compared the theoretical results of azaXaa-Pro models with those of Pro-azaXaa models, showing that incorporating azaamino acid residue in peptides at different positions can significantly impact the folding patterns and stability of azapeptides.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mouna El Khabchi
- LIMAS, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah University, Fez 30000, Morocco
| | - Mohammed Mcharfi
- LIMAS, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah University, Fez 30000, Morocco
| | - Mohammed Benzakour
- LIMAS, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah University, Fez 30000, Morocco
| | - Asmae Fitri
- LIMAS, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah University, Fez 30000, Morocco
| | - Adil Touimi Benjelloun
- LIMAS, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah University, Fez 30000, Morocco
| | - Jong-Won Song
- Department of Chemistry Education, Daegu University, Daegudae-ro 201, Gyeongsan-si 38453, Republic of Korea
| | - Kang-Bong Lee
- Climate and Environmental Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science & Technology, Hwarang-ro 14-gil 5, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Ho-Jin Lee
- Department of Natural Sciences, Southwest Tennessee Community College, Memphis, TN 38134, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Li X, Zhang Q, Yu SM, Li Y. The Chemistry and Biology of Collagen Hybridization. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:10901-10916. [PMID: 37158802 PMCID: PMC10789224 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c00713] [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] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Collagen provides mechanical and biological support for virtually all human tissues in the extracellular matrix (ECM). Its defining molecular structure, the triple-helix, could be damaged and denatured in disease and injuries. To probe collagen damage, the concept of collagen hybridization has been proposed, revised, and validated through a series of investigations reported as early as 1973: a collagen-mimicking peptide strand may form a hybrid triple-helix with the denatured chains of natural collagen but not the intact triple-helical collagen proteins, enabling assessment of proteolytic degradation or mechanical disruption to collagen within a tissue-of-interest. Here we describe the concept and development of collagen hybridization, summarize the decades of chemical investigations on rules underlying the collagen triple-helix folding, and discuss the growing biomedical evidence on collagen denaturation as a previously overlooked ECM signature for an array of conditions involving pathological tissue remodeling and mechanical injuries. Finally, we propose a series of emerging questions regarding the chemical and biological nature of collagen denaturation and highlight the diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities from its targeting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojing Li
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, Department of Radiology, Cardiac Surgery and Structural Heart Disease Unit of Cardiovascular Center, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, 519000, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, Department of Radiology, Cardiac Surgery and Structural Heart Disease Unit of Cardiovascular Center, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, 519000, China
| | - S. Michael Yu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Yang Li
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, Department of Radiology, Cardiac Surgery and Structural Heart Disease Unit of Cardiovascular Center, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, 519000, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Altiti A, He M, VanPatten S, Cheng KF, Ahmed U, Chiu PY, Mughrabi IT, Jabari BA, Burch RM, Manogue KR, Tracey KJ, Diamond B, Metz CN, Yang H, Hudson LK, Zanos S, Son M, Sherry B, Coleman TR, Al-Abed Y. Thiocarbazate building blocks enable the construction of azapeptides for rapid development of therapeutic candidates. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7127. [PMID: 36443291 PMCID: PMC9705435 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34712-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptides, polymers of amino acids, comprise a vital and expanding therapeutic approach. Their rapid degradation by proteases, however, represents a major limitation to their therapeutic utility and chemical modifications to native peptides have been employed to mitigate this weakness. Herein, we describe functionalized thiocarbazate scaffolds as precursors of aza-amino acids, that, upon activation, can be integrated in a peptide sequence to generate azapeptides using conventional peptide synthetic methods. This methodology facilitates peptide editing-replacing targeted amino acid(s) with aza-amino acid(s) within a peptide-to form azapeptides with preferred therapeutic characteristics (extending half-life/bioavailability, while at the same time typically preserving structural features and biological activities). We demonstrate the convenience of this azapeptide synthesis platform in two well-studied peptides with short half-lives: FSSE/P5779, a tetrapeptide inhibitor of HMGB1/MD-2/TLR4 complex formation, and bradykinin, a nine-residue vasoactive peptide. This bench-stable thiocarbazate platform offers a robust and universal approach to optimize peptide-based therapeutics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Altiti
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA.
| | - Mingzhu He
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Sonya VanPatten
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Kai Fan Cheng
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Umair Ahmed
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Pui Yan Chiu
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Ibrahim T Mughrabi
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Bayan Al Jabari
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | | | - Kirk R Manogue
- Center for Molecular Innovation, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Kevin J Tracey
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Betty Diamond
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Christine N Metz
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA
- Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA
| | - Huan Yang
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - LaQueta K Hudson
- Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA
| | - Stavros Zanos
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Myoungsun Son
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Barbara Sherry
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Thomas R Coleman
- Center for Molecular Innovation, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Yousef Al-Abed
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA.
- Center for Molecular Innovation, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Hulgan SAH, Hartgerink JD. Recent Advances in Collagen Mimetic Peptide Structure and Design. Biomacromolecules 2022; 23:1475-1489. [PMID: 35258280 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.2c00028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Collagen mimetic peptides (CMPs) fold into a polyproline type II triple helix, allowing the study of the structure and function (or misfunction) of the collagen family of proteins. This Perspective will focus on recent developments in the use of CMPs toward understanding the structure and controlling the stability of the triple helix. Triple helix assembly is influenced by various factors, including the single amino acid propensity for the triple helix fold, pairwise interactions between these amino acids, and long-range effects observed across the helix, such as bend, twist, and fraying. Important progress in creating a comprehensive and predictive understanding of these factors for peptides with exclusively natural amino acids has been made. In contrast, several groups have successfully developed unnatural amino acids that are engineered to stabilize the triple helical structure. A third approach to controlling the triple helical structure includes covalent cross-linking of the triple helix to stabilize the assembly, which eliminates the problematic equilibrium of unfolding into monomers and enforces compositional control. Advances in all these areas have resulted in significant improvements to our understanding and control of this important class of protein, allowing for the design and application of more chemically complex and well-controlled collagen mimetic biomaterials.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A H Hulgan
- Rice University, Department of Chemistry, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Jeffrey D Hartgerink
- Rice University, Department of Chemistry, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Sgorbati C, Lo Presti E, Bergamaschi G, Sani M, Volonterio A. Solid-Phase Synthesis of Gly-Ψ[CH(CF 3)NH]-Peptides. J Org Chem 2021; 86:9225-9232. [PMID: 34081467 PMCID: PMC8279481 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.1c00853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
![]()
The solid-phase synthesis
of Gly-Ψ[CH(CF3)NH]-peptides
is presented. In order to achieve this goal, the synthesis of Gly-Ψ[CH(CF3)NH]-dipeptides having the C-terminus unprotected, the N-terminus
protected as Fmoc- or Teoc-, and possibly side chain functionalities
protected with acid-labile protecting groups has been developed. A
selected small library of six peptidomimetics, encompassing analogues
of biological relevant peptides, have been obtained in high purity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Clara Sgorbati
- Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering "G. Natta", Politecnico di Milano, Via Mancinelli 7, 20131 Milan, Italy
| | - Eliana Lo Presti
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "G. Natta" (SCITEC), Via Mario Bianco 9, 20131 Milan, Italy
| | - Greta Bergamaschi
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "G. Natta" (SCITEC), Via Mario Bianco 9, 20131 Milan, Italy
| | - Monica Sani
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "G. Natta" (SCITEC), Via Mario Bianco 9, 20131 Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Volonterio
- Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering "G. Natta", Politecnico di Milano, Via Mancinelli 7, 20131 Milan, Italy.,Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "G. Natta" (SCITEC), Via Mario Bianco 9, 20131 Milan, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Bowles M, Proulx C. Solid phase submonomer azapeptide synthesis. Methods Enzymol 2021; 656:169-190. [PMID: 34325786 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2021.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Azapeptides contain at least one aza-amino acid, where the α-carbon has been replaced by a nitrogen atom, and have found broad applicability in fields ranging from medicinal chemistry to biomaterials. In this chapter, we provide a step-by-step protocol for the solid phase submonomer synthesis of azapeptides, which includes three steps: (1) hydrazone activation and coupling onto a resin-bound peptide, (2) chemoselective semicarbazone functionalization for installation of the aza-amino acid side chain, and (3) orthogonal deprotection of the semicarbazone to complete the monomer addition cycle. We focus on semicarbazone functionalization by N-alkylation with primary alkyl halides, and describe conditions for coupling onto aza-amino acids. Such divergent methods accelerate the synthesis of peptidomimetics and allow the rapid introduction of a wide variety of natural and unnatural side chains directly on solid support using easily accessible submonomers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maxwell Bowles
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Caroline Proulx
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Hilderbrand AM, Taylor PA, Stanzione F, LaRue M, Guo C, Jayaraman A, Kloxin AM. Combining simulations and experiments for the molecular engineering of multifunctional collagen mimetic peptide-based materials. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:1985-1998. [PMID: 33434255 PMCID: PMC8849569 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm01562h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Assembling peptides allow the creation of structurally complex materials, where amino acid selection influences resulting properties. We present a synergistic approach of experiments and simulations for examining the influence of natural and non-natural amino acid substitutions via incorporation of charged residues and a reactive handle on the thermal stability and assembly of multifunctional collagen mimetic peptides (CMPs). Experimentally, we observed inclusion of charged residues significantly decreased the melting temperature of CMP triple helices with further destabilization upon inclusion of the reactive handle. Atomistic simulations of a single CMP triple helix in explicit water showed increased residue-level and helical structural fluctuations caused by the inclusion of the reactive handle; however, these atomistic simulations cannot be used to predict changes in CMP melting transition. Coarse-grained (CG) simulations of CMPs at experimentally relevant solution conditions, showed, qualitatively, the same trends as experiments in CMP melting transition temperature with CMP design. These simulations show that when charged residues are included electrostatic repulsions significantly destabilize the CMP triple helix and that an additional inclusion of a reactive handle does not significantly change the melting transition. Based on findings from both experiments and simulations, the sequence design was refined for increased CMP triple helix thermal stability, and the reactive handle was utilized for the incorporation of the assembled CMPs within covalently crosslinked hydrogels. Overall, a unique approach was established for predicting stability of CMP triple helices for various sequences prior to synthesis, providing molecular insights for sequence design towards the creation of bulk nanostructured soft biomaterials.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amber M Hilderbrand
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
| | - Phillip A Taylor
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
| | - Francesca Stanzione
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
| | - Mark LaRue
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Chen Guo
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
| | - Arthi Jayaraman
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA. and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - April M Kloxin
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA. and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| |
Collapse
|