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Jian C, Wang M, Qian Y, Song X, Wang L, Li L, Huang L, Wang G, Shi X, Dong J, Li H, Lin A, Shi L. A TLR4-Targeting Bioactive Peptide Hydrogel to Regulate Immune-Microenvironment for Diabetic Wound Repair. Adv Healthc Mater 2024; 13:e2400391. [PMID: 38568683 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202400391] [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: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Persistent inflammation and disrupted immunoregulation are critical factors in impeding diabetic wound healing. While immunoregulatory hydrogel dressings hold significant promise for clinical applications in diabetic wound healing, the current application often demands intricate interventions and high-cost treatments involving cytokines and cell therapies. The development of single component immunoregulatory hydrogels remains a complex challenge. To address this issue, an active peptide hydrogel with immunoregulatory properties targeting the TLR4/NF-kB pathway, aiming to promote rapid diabetic wound healing, is engineered. The hydrogel sequence comprises naphthalene derivative, phenylalanine, and glycine to modulate hydrophilic/hydrophobic characteristics. The amino group on arginine contributes to tissue adhesion and regulation of intermolecular forces, ultimately yielding stable gels. The results underscore the formation of the peptide hydrogel (NFA) via the physical crosslinking of self-assembled nanofibers in water, thereby affording both excellent injectability and tissue adhesion. Notably, NFA demonstrates significant potential in promoting wound healing in a mouse model with full-thickness wounds by regulating macrophage responses in the inflammatory microenvironment through the TLR4/NF-kB pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuanjiang Jian
- The Eighth Affiliated Hospital Sun Yat-sen University, 3025 Shennan Middle Road, Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Minjia Wang
- The Eighth Affiliated Hospital Sun Yat-sen University, 3025 Shennan Middle Road, Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Yunyun Qian
- Department of Organ Transplantation, Xiang'an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, China
| | - Xuejiao Song
- The Eighth Affiliated Hospital Sun Yat-sen University, 3025 Shennan Middle Road, Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Li Wang
- Precision Research Center for Refractory Diseases in Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Ling Li
- The Eighth Affiliated Hospital Sun Yat-sen University, 3025 Shennan Middle Road, Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Lulu Huang
- Vaccine Center, School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Guan Wang
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Science, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, 116044, China
| | - Xianjie Shi
- The Eighth Affiliated Hospital Sun Yat-sen University, 3025 Shennan Middle Road, Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Jinqiao Dong
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules and State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Hao Li
- Department of Organ Transplantation, Xiang'an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, China
| | - Ang Lin
- Vaccine Center, School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Leilei Shi
- Precision Research Center for Refractory Diseases in Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
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2
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Durinova A, Smutna L, Barta P, Kamaraj R, Smutny T, Schmierer B, Pavek P, Trejtnar F. Radiolabeled 15-mer peptide internalization is mediated by megalin (LRP2 receptor) in a CRISPR/Cas9-based LRP2 knockout human kidney cell model. EJNMMI Radiopharm Chem 2024; 9:32. [PMID: 38637347 PMCID: PMC11026318 DOI: 10.1186/s41181-024-00262-2] [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] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Megalin (LRP2 receptor) mediates the endocytosis of radiolabeled peptides into proximal tubular kidney cells, which may cause nephrotoxicity due to the accumulation of a radioactive tracer. The study aimed to develop a cellular model of human kidney HK2 cells with LRP2 knockout (KO) using CRISPR/Cas9 technique. This model was employed for the determination of the megalin-mediated accumulation of 68Ga- and 99mTc-labeled 15-mer peptide developed to target the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor in oncology radiodiagnostics. RESULTS The gene editing in the LRP2 KO model was verified by testing two well-known megalin ligands when higher viability of KO cells was observed after gentamicin treatment at cytotoxic concentrations and lower FITC-albumin internalization by the KO cells was detected in accumulation studies. Fluorescent-activated cell sorting was used to separate genetically modified LRP2 KO cell subpopulations. Moreover, flow cytometry with a specific antibody against megalin confirmed LRP2 knockout. The verified KO model identified both 68Ga- and 99mTc-radiolabeled 15-mer peptides as megalin ligands in accumulation studies. We found that both radiolabeled 15-mers enter LRP2 KO HK2 cells to a lesser extent compared to parent cells. Differences in megalin-mediated cellular uptake depending on the radiolabeling were not observed. Using biomolecular docking, the interaction site of the 15-mer with megalin was also described. CONCLUSION The CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of LRP2 in human kidney HK2 cells is an effective approach for the determination of radiopeptide internalization mediated by megalin. This in vitro method provided direct molecular evidence for the cellular uptake of radiolabeled anti-VEGFR 15-mer peptides via megalin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Durinova
- Division of Radiopharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove, Charles University, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
| | - Lucie Smutna
- Division of Radiopharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove, Charles University, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
| | - Pavel Barta
- Department of Biophysics and Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove, Charles University, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
| | - Rajamanikkam Kamaraj
- Division of Radiopharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove, Charles University, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
| | - Tomas Smutny
- Division of Radiopharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove, Charles University, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
| | - Bernhard Schmierer
- SciLifeLab and Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, CRISPR Functional Genomics, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Petr Pavek
- Division of Radiopharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove, Charles University, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
| | - Frantisek Trejtnar
- Division of Radiopharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove, Charles University, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
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3
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Di Stasi R, De Rosa L, D'Andrea LD. Structure-Based Design of Peptides Targeting VEGF/VEGFRs. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:851. [PMID: 37375798 DOI: 10.3390/ph16060851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors (VEGFRs) play a main role in the regulation of angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis. Furthermore, they are implicated in the onset of several diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative eye conditions, tumor growth, ulcers and ischemia. Therefore, molecules able to target the VEGF and its receptors are of great pharmaceutical interest. Several types of molecules have been reported so far. In this review, we focus on the structure-based design of peptides mimicking VEGF/VEGFR binding epitopes. The binding interface of the complex has been dissected and the different regions challenged for peptide design. All these trials furnished a better understanding of the molecular recognition process and provide us with a wealth of molecules that could be optimized to be exploited for pharmaceutical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lucia De Rosa
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, 80131 Napoli, Italy
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Liu L, Ding W, He L, Yang Y, Guan F, Sun X, Peng Y, Chen X, Zhao W, Xiao Y, Luo P. RGD and Scutellarin Conjugate (WK001) Targeting Platelet Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Receptor Protects from Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury: Synthesis, Characterization, and Bioactivity Evaluation. Bioconjug Chem 2023; 34:477-488. [PMID: 36740781 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.2c00439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury is an unresolved clinical challenge. The blockade of binding fibrinogen by glycoprotein IIb/IIIa (GPIIb-IIIa) inhibitors has become a new therapeutic approach against MI/R injury. In this study, we modified the RGD structure to combine with scutellarin and synthesized a novel peptide, scutellarin-HomoArg-Gly-Asp-Trp-NH2 (WK001). Herein, reported experimental and docking evidence indicates that WK001 provides immediate and potent platelet inhibition, with stronger inhibition of platelet aggregation than eptifibatide and scutellarin. In particular, it is administered intravenously to prevent thrombus formation and attenuate myocardial fibrosis progression in vivo. Therefore, WK001 could be developed as an antiplatelet drug to treat thrombosis-associated diseases, such as stroke and myocardial infarction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lancong Liu
- State Key Laboratories for Quality Research in Chinese Medicines, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau999078, China
| | - Wenfeng Ding
- Shenzhen Winkey Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen518000, China
| | - Lili He
- State Key Laboratories for Quality Research in Chinese Medicines, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau999078, China
| | - Yi Yang
- State Key Laboratories for Quality Research in Chinese Medicines, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau999078, China
| | - Fuyi Guan
- Shenzhen Winkey Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen518000, China
| | - Xinlin Sun
- Shenzhen Winkey Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen518000, China
| | - Yan Peng
- Shenzhen Winkey Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen518000, China
| | - Xue Chen
- Shenzhen Winkey Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen518000, China
| | - Wenhao Zhao
- Shenzhen Winkey Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen518000, China
| | - Yu Xiao
- Shenzhen Winkey Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen518000, China
| | - Pei Luo
- State Key Laboratories for Quality Research in Chinese Medicines, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau999078, China
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Xue S, Wang L, Cai J. Sulfono-γ-AApeptides as Protein Helical Domain Mimetics to Manipulate the Angiogenesis. Chembiochem 2022; 23:e202200298. [PMID: 36006398 PMCID: PMC9741949 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Sulfono-γ-AApeptides recently developed in our group have been proven to be a new class of unnatural foldamer with well-defined helical structure and have been demonstrated to mimic protein helical domains and disrupt biomedically relevant protein-protein interactions (PPIs). Based on our design concept in a recent report, we discovered two similar sulfono-γ-AApeptides V2 and V3 which were designed to mimic the VEGF N-terminal helix α1 known to directly interact with VEGFRs. Interestingly, V2 was shown to possess the pro-angiogenic effect, whereas V3 was proved to be a potent inhibitor for angiogenesis. We speculate that the distinct angiogenesis signaling was due to the selective binding of the two molecules to VEGFR1 and VEGFR2, respectively. Together with their remarkable resistance to proteolytic degradation, relatively small sizes, and amenability to modification with diverse functional groups, V2 and V3 could serve as lead molecules for the development of potential therapeutic agents and molecular probes. These findings highlight sulfono-γ-AApeptides as an alternative paradigm to mimic the α-helical domain to modulate a wide variety of PPIs in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songyi Xue
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Lei Wang
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Jianfeng Cai
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave, Tampa, FL, USA
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6
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Barta P, Kamaraj R, Kucharova M, Novy Z, Petrik M, Bendova K, Hajduch M, Pavek P, Trejtnar F. Preparation, In Vitro Affinity, and In Vivo Biodistribution of Receptor-Specific 68Ga-Labeled Peptides Targeting Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptors. Bioconjug Chem 2022; 33:1825-1836. [PMID: 36197842 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.2c00272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
As angiogenesis plays a key role in tumor growth and metastasis, the angiogenic process has attracted scientific interest as a target for diagnostic and therapeutic agents. Factors influencing angiogenesis include the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family and the two associated receptor types (VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2). VEGFR-1/-2 detection and quantification in cancer lesions are essential for tumor process management. As a result of the advantageous pharmacokinetics and image contrast, peptides radiolabeled with PET emitters have become interesting tools for the visualization of VEGFR-1/-2-positive tumors. In this study, we prepared 68Ga-labeled peptides containing 15 (peptide 1) and 23 (peptide 2) amino acids as new PET tracers for tumor angiogenic process imaging. METHODS The peptides were conjugated with NODAGA-tris(t-Bu ester) and subsequently radiolabeled with [68Ga]Ga-chloride. The prepared [68Ga]Ga-NODAGA-peptide 1 and [68Ga]Ga-NODAGA-peptide 2 were tested for radiochemical purity and saline/plasma stability. Consequently, the binding affinity toward VEGFRs was assessed in vitro on human glioblastoma and kidney carcinoma cells. The found peptide receptor affinity was compared with the calculated values in the PROtein binDIng enerGY prediction (PRODIGY) server. Finally, the biodistribution study was performed on BALB/c female mice to reveal the basic pharmacokinetic behavior of radiopeptides. RESULTS The in vitro affinity testing of [68Ga]Ga-NODAGA-peptides 1 and 2 showed retained receptor binding as characterized by equilibrium dissociation constant (KD) values in the range of 0.5-1.2 μM and inhibitory concentration 50% (IC50) values in the range of 3.0-5.6 μM. Better binding properties of peptide 2 to VEGFR-1/-2 were found in the PRODIGY server. The biodistribution study on mice showed remarkable accumulation of both peptides in the kidneys and urinary bladder with a short half-life after intravenous application. The in vitro plasma stability of [68Ga]Ga-NODAGA-peptide 2 was superior to that of [68Ga]Ga-NODAGA-peptide 1. CONCLUSIONS The obtained results demonstrated a high radiolabeling yield with no need for purification and preserved binding potency of 68Ga-labeled peptides 1 and 2 toward VEGFRs in cancer cells. The peptide-receptor protein interaction assessed in protein-peptide docking determined the strongest interaction of peptide 2 with domain 2 of VEGFR-2 in addition to a more acceptable plasma stability (t1/2 = 120 min) than that for peptide 1. We found both radiolabeled peptides very potent in their receptor binding, which makes them suitable imaging agents. The rapid transition of the radiopeptides into the urinary tract indicates suitable pharmacokinetic characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel Barta
- Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove, Department of Biophysics and Physical Chemistry, Charles University, Hradec Kralove 500 05, Czech Republic
| | - Rajamanikkam Kamaraj
- Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Charles University, Hradec Kralove 500 05, Czech Republic
| | - Monika Kucharova
- Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove, Department of Biophysics and Physical Chemistry, Charles University, Hradec Kralove 500 05, Czech Republic
| | - Zbynek Novy
- Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Palacky University Olomouc, Olomouc 779 00, Czech Republic
| | - Milos Petrik
- Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Palacky University Olomouc, Olomouc 779 00, Czech Republic
| | - Katerina Bendova
- Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Palacky University Olomouc, Olomouc 779 00, Czech Republic
| | - Marian Hajduch
- Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Palacky University Olomouc, Olomouc 779 00, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Pavek
- Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Charles University, Hradec Kralove 500 05, Czech Republic
| | - Frantisek Trejtnar
- Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Charles University, Hradec Kralove 500 05, Czech Republic
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7
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Teng P, Cai J. Using proteomimetics to switch angiogenic signaling. Acta Pharm Sin B 2022; 12:1534-1535. [PMID: 35530131 PMCID: PMC9069461 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Peng Teng
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Corresponding authors.
| | - Jianfeng Cai
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
- Corresponding authors.
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8
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Abdulkadir S, Li C, Jiang W, Zhao X, Sang P, Wei L, Hu Y, Li Q, Cai J. Modulating Angiogenesis by Proteomimetics of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:270-281. [PMID: 34968032 PMCID: PMC8886800 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c09571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Angiogenesis, formation of new blood vessels from the existing vascular network, is a hallmark of cancer cells that leads to tumor vascular proliferation and metastasis. This process is mediated through the binding interaction of VEGF-A with VEGF receptors. However, the balance between pro-angiogenic and anti-angiogenic effect after ligand binding yet remains elusive and is therefore challenging to manipulate. To interrogate this interaction, herein we designed a few sulfono-γ-AA peptide based helical peptidomimetics that could effectively mimic a key binding interface on VEGF (helix-α1) for VEGFR recognition. Intriguingly, although both sulfono-γ-AA peptide sequences V2 and V3 bound to VEGF receptors tightly, in vitro angiogenesis assays demonstrated that V3 potently inhibited angiogenesis, whereas V2 activated angiogenesis effectively instead. Our findings suggested that this distinct modulation of angiogenesis might be due to the result of selective binding of V2 to VEGFR-1 and V3 to VEGFR-2, respectively. These molecules thus provide us a key to switch the angiogenic signaling, a biological process that balances the effects of pro-angiogenic and anti-angiogenic factors, where imbalances lead to several diseases including cancer. In addition, both V2 and V3 exhibited remarkable stability toward proteolytic hydrolysis, suggesting that V2 and V3 are promising therapeutic agents for the intervention of disease conditions arising due to angiogenic imbalances and could also be used as novel molecular switching probes to interrogate the mechanism of VEGFR signaling. The findings also further demonstrated the potential of sulfono-γ-AA peptides to mimic the α-helical domain for protein recognition and modulation of protein-protein interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sami Abdulkadir
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| | - Chunpu Li
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Institute of Medicine, Shuguang Hospital; Academy of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Wei Jiang
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
- Institute of Materials Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, China
| | - Xue Zhao
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| | - Peng Sang
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| | - Lulu Wei
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| | - Yong Hu
- Institute of Materials Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, China
| | - Qi Li
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Institute of Medicine, Shuguang Hospital; Academy of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Jianfeng Cai
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
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9
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Wang L, Xu M, Hu H, Zhang L, Ye F, Jin J, Fang H, Chen J, Chen G, Broussy S, Vidal M, Lv Z, Liu WQ. A Cyclic Peptide Epitope of an Under-Explored VEGF-B Loop 1 Demonstrated In Vivo Anti-Angiogenic and Anti-Tumor Activities. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:734544. [PMID: 34658874 PMCID: PMC8511632 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.734544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathological angiogenesis is mainly initiated by the binding of abnormal expressed vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) to their receptors (VEGFRs). Blocking the VEGF/VEGFR interaction is a clinically proven treatment in cancer. Our previous work by epitope scan had identified cyclic peptides, mimicking the loop 1 of VEGF-A, VEGF-B and placental growth factor (PlGF), inhibited effectively the VEGF/VEGFR interaction in ELISA. We described here the docking study of these peptides on VEGFR1 to identify their binding sites. The cellular anti-angiogenic activities were examined by inhibition of VEGF-A induced cell proliferation, migration and tube formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The ability of these peptides to inhibit MAPK/ERK1/2 signaling pathway was examined as well. On chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model, a cyclic peptide named B-cL1 with most potent in vitro activity showed important in vivo anti-angiogenic effect. Finally, B-cL1 inhibited VEGF induced human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells proliferation. It showed anti-tumoral effect on SGC-7901 xenografted BALB/c nude mouse model. The cyclic peptides B-cL1 constitutes an anti-angiogenic peptide drug lead for the design of new and more potent VEGFR antagonists in the treatment of angiogenesis related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Wang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Meng Xu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Haofeng Hu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lun Zhang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Fei Ye
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jia Jin
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hongming Fang
- Department of Oncology, Zhejiang Xiaoshan Hospital, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jian Chen
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Guiqian Chen
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Sylvain Broussy
- Université de Paris, CiTCoM-UMR 8038 CNRS, U 1268 INSERM, Paris, France
| | - Michel Vidal
- Université de Paris, CiTCoM-UMR 8038 CNRS, U 1268 INSERM, Paris, France.,Biologie du médicament, toxicologie, AP-HP, Hôpital Cochin, Paris, France
| | - Zhengbing Lv
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wang-Qing Liu
- Université de Paris, CiTCoM-UMR 8038 CNRS, U 1268 INSERM, Paris, France
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10
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Sang P, Zeng H, Lee C, Shi Y, Wang M, Pan C, Wei L, Huang C, Wu M, Shen W, Li X, Cai J. α/Sulfono-γ-AApeptide Hybrid Analogues of Glucagon with Enhanced Stability and Prolonged In Vivo Activity. J Med Chem 2021; 64:13893-13901. [PMID: 34506138 PMCID: PMC8903076 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Peptide drugs have the advantages of target specificity and good drugability and have become one of the most increasingly important hotspots in new drug research in biomedical sciences. However, peptide drugs generally have low bioavailability and metabolic stability, and therefore, the modification of existing peptide drugs for the purpose of improving stability and retaining activity is of viable importance. It is known that glucagon is an effective therapy for treating severe hypoglycemia, but its short half-life prevents its wide therapeutic use. Herein, we report that combined unnatural residues and long fatty acid conjugation afford potent α/sulfono-γ-AApeptide hybrid analogues of Glucagon with enhanced stability and prolonged in vivo activity. This strategy could be adopted to develop stabilized analogues of other short-acting bioactive peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Sang
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| | - Hongxiang Zeng
- Institute of Life Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Candy Lee
- Calibr at Scripps Research, 11119 N. Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Yan Shi
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| | - Minghui Wang
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| | - Cong Pan
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| | - Lulu Wei
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| | - Chenglong Huang
- Institute of Life Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Mingjun Wu
- Institute of Life Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Weijun Shen
- Calibr at Scripps Research, 11119 N. Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Xi Li
- Institute of Life Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Jianfeng Cai
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
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11
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De Rosa L, Capasso D, Diana D, Stefania R, Di Stasi R, Fattorusso R, D'Andrea LD. Metabolic and conformational stabilization of a VEGF-mimetic beta-hairpin peptide by click-chemistry. Eur J Med Chem 2021; 222:113575. [PMID: 34130005 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
HPLW is a Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF)-mimicking beta-hairpin peptide endowed of proangiogenic effect and showing valuable biomedical application in the proangiogenic therapy. However, the translational potential of HPLW is limited by its low metabolic stability, which would shorten the in vivo efficacy of the molecule. Here, we developed a peptide analog of HPLW, named HPLW2, that retains the structural and biological properties of the original peptide but features an impressive resistance to degradation by human serum proteases. HPLW2 was obtained by covalently modifying the chemical structure of the peptide with molecular tools known to impart protease resistance. Notably, the peptide was cyclized by installing an interstrand triazole bridge through Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction. HPLW2 appears as a novel and promising drug candidate with potential biomedical application in the proangiogenic therapy as a low molecular weight drug, alternative to the use of VEGF. Our work points out the utility of the interstrand triazole bridge as effective chemical platform for the conformational and metabolic stabilization of beta-hairpin bioactive peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia De Rosa
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Napoli, Italy
| | - Domenica Capasso
- CESTEV, Università di Napoli "Federico II", Via De Amicis 95, 80134, Napoli, Italy; CIRPeB Università di Napoli "Federico II" Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Napoli, Italy
| | - Donatella Diana
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Napoli, Italy
| | - Rachele Stefania
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Molecolari e Scienze per La Salute, Università di Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Rossella Di Stasi
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Napoli, Italy
| | - Roberto Fattorusso
- CIRPeB Università di Napoli "Federico II" Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Napoli, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, Università Della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Via Vivaldi 43, 81100, Caserta, Italy
| | - Luca Domenico D'Andrea
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta", CNR, Via M. Bianco 9, 20131, Milano, Italy.
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12
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Battistini L, Bugatti K, Sartori A, Curti C, Zanardi F. RGD Peptide‐Drug Conjugates as Effective Dual Targeting Platforms: Recent Advances. European J Org Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.202100240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Battistini
- Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco Università di Parma Parco Area delle Scienze 27 A 43124 Parma Italy
| | - Kelly Bugatti
- Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco Università di Parma Parco Area delle Scienze 27 A 43124 Parma Italy
| | - Andrea Sartori
- Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco Università di Parma Parco Area delle Scienze 27 A 43124 Parma Italy
| | - Claudio Curti
- Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco Università di Parma Parco Area delle Scienze 27 A 43124 Parma Italy
| | - Franca Zanardi
- Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco Università di Parma Parco Area delle Scienze 27 A 43124 Parma Italy
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13
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Lee W, Park JW, Go YJ, Kim WJ, Rhee YM. Considering both small and large scale motions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is crucial for reliably predicting its binding affinities to DNA aptamers. RSC Adv 2021; 11:9315-9326. [PMID: 35423456 PMCID: PMC8695334 DOI: 10.1039/d0ra10106k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Considering both small and large scale motions of VEGF is crucial to predict its relative binding affinities to DNA aptamer variants with docking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wook Lee
- Department of Chemistry
- Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)
- Pohang 37673
- Korea
- Department of Chemistry
| | - Jae Whee Park
- Department of Chemistry
- Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
- Daejeon 34141
- Korea
| | - Yeon Ju Go
- Department of Chemistry
- Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
- Daejeon 34141
- Korea
| | - Won Jong Kim
- Department of Chemistry
- Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)
- Pohang 37673
- Korea
| | - Young Min Rhee
- Department of Chemistry
- Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
- Daejeon 34141
- Korea
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14
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Dmytriyeva O, de Diego Ajenjo A, Lundø K, Hertz H, Rasmussen KK, Christiansen AT, Klingelhofer J, Nielsen AL, Hoeber J, Kozlova E, Woldbye DPD, Pankratova S. Neurotrophic Effects of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor B and Novel Mimetic Peptides on Neurons from the Central Nervous System. ACS Chem Neurosci 2020; 11:1270-1282. [PMID: 32283014 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.9b00685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGFB) is a pleiotropic trophic factor, which in contrast to the closely related VEGFA is known to have a limited effect on angiogenesis. VEGFB improves survival in various tissues including the nervous system, where the effect was observed mainly for peripheral neurons. The neurotrophic effect of VEGFB on central nervous system neurons has been less investigated. Here we demonstrated that VEGFB promotes neurite outgrowth from primary cerebellar granule, hippocampal, and retinal neurons in vitro. VEGFB protected hippocampal and retinal neurons from both oxidative stress and glutamate-induced neuronal death. The VEGF receptor 1 (VEGFR1) is required for VEGFB-induced neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects. Using a structure-based approach, we designed short peptides, termed Vefin1-7, mimicking the binding interface of VEGFB to VEGFR1. Vefins were analyzed for their secondary structure and binding to VEGF receptors and compared with previously described peptides derived from VEGFA, another ligand of VEGFR1. We show that Vefins have neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects on primary hippocampal, cerebellar granule, and retinal neurons in vitro with potencies comparable to VEGFB. Similar to VEGFB, Vefins were not mitogenic for MCF-7 cancer cells. Furthermore, one of the peptides, Vefin7, even dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 cells in vitro. Unraveling the neurotrophic and neuroprotective potentials of VEGFB, the only nonangiogenic factor of the VEGF family, is promising for the development of neuroprotective peptide-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oksana Dmytriyeva
- Laboratory of Neural Plasticity, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
- Laboratory for Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Science and Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
| | - Amaia de Diego Ajenjo
- Laboratory of Neural Plasticity, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
| | - Kathrine Lundø
- Laboratory of Neural Plasticity, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
| | - Henrik Hertz
- Laboratory of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
| | - Kim K. Rasmussen
- Laboratory of Neural Plasticity, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
| | - Anders T. Christiansen
- Laboratory of Neural Plasticity, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
| | - Jorg Klingelhofer
- Laboratory of Neural Plasticity, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
| | - Alexander L. Nielsen
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark
| | - Jan Hoeber
- Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University, Uppsala 75124, Sweden
| | - Elena Kozlova
- Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University, Uppsala 75124, Sweden
| | - David P. D. Woldbye
- Laboratory of Neural Plasticity, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
| | - Stanislava Pankratova
- Laboratory of Neural Plasticity, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
- Research Laboratory for Stereology and Neuroscience, Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
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15
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Sang P, Zhou Z, Shi Y, Lee C, Amso Z, Huang D, Odom T, Nguyen-Tran VT, Shen W, Cai J. The activity of sulfono-γ-AApeptide helical foldamers that mimic GLP-1. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaaz4988. [PMID: 32440547 PMCID: PMC7228743 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz4988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Existing long α-helix mimicking necessitates the retention of most natural amino acid residues to maintain their biological activity. Here, we report the exploration of helical sulfono-γ-AApeptides with entire unnatural backbones for their ability to structurally and functionally mimic glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). Our findings suggest that efficient construction of novel GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists could be achieved with nanomolar potencies. In addition, the resulting sulfono-γ-AApeptides were also proved to display remarkable stability against enzymatic degradation compared to GLP-1, augmenting their biological potential. This alternative strategy of α-helix mimicking, as a proof of concept, could provide a new paradigm to prepare GLP-1R agonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Sang
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Zhihong Zhou
- Calibr at Scripps Research, 11119 N. Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Yan Shi
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Candy Lee
- Calibr at Scripps Research, 11119 N. Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Zaid Amso
- Calibr at Scripps Research, 11119 N. Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - David Huang
- Calibr at Scripps Research, 11119 N. Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Timothy Odom
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | | | - Weijun Shen
- Calibr at Scripps Research, 11119 N. Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Jianfeng Cai
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, FL 33620, USA
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16
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Di Stasi R, Diana D, De Rosa L, Fattorusso R, D'Andrea LD. Biochemical and Conformational Characterization of Recombinant VEGFR2 Domain 7. Mol Biotechnol 2020; 61:860-872. [PMID: 31531759 DOI: 10.1007/s12033-019-00211-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Angiogenesis is a biological process finely tuned by a plethora of pro- and anti-angiogenic molecules, among which vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs). Their biological activity is expressed through the interaction with three cognate receptor tyrosine kinases, VEGFR1, 2, and 3. VEGFR2 is the primary regulator of angiogenesis. Ligand-induced VEGFR2 dimerization and activation depend on direct ligand binding to extracellular domains 2 and 3 of receptor and in the establishment of interactions between proximal membrane domains. VEGFR2 domain 7 has been shown to play a crucial role in receptor dimerization and regulation, therefore, representing a convenient target for the allosteric modulation of VEGFR2 activity. The ability to prepare a functional VEGFR2D7 domain represents the starting point to the development of novel VEGFR2 binders acting as allosteric inhibitors of receptor activity. Here, we describe a robust and efficient procedure for the preparation in E. coli of the VEGFR2 domain 7. The protein was obtained with a good yield and was properly folded. It was investigated in a biochemical and structural study, providing information on its conformational arrangement and in solution properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rossella Di Stasi
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Naples, Italy.
| | - Donatella Diana
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Naples, Italy
| | - Lucia De Rosa
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Naples, Italy
| | - Roberto Fattorusso
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, Università della Campania "L. Vanvitelli", Via Vivaldi, 43 - 81100, Caserta, Italy
| | - Luca D D'Andrea
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Naples, Italy.
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Turin, Italy.
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17
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Structural studies of the binding of an antagonistic cyclic peptide to the VEGFR1 domain 2. Eur J Med Chem 2019; 169:65-75. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.02.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Revised: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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18
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Zanella S, Bocchinfuso G, De Zotti M, Arosio D, Marino F, Raniolo S, Pignataro L, Sacco G, Palleschi A, Siano AS, Piarulli U, Belvisi L, Formaggio F, Gennari C, Stella L. Rational Design of Antiangiogenic Helical Oligopeptides Targeting the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptors. Front Chem 2019; 7:170. [PMID: 30984741 PMCID: PMC6449863 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2019.00170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor angiogenesis, essential for cancer development, is regulated mainly by vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) and their receptors (VEGFRs), which are overexpressed in cancer cells. Therefore, the VEGF/VEGFR interaction represents a promising pharmaceutical target to fight cancer progression. The VEGF surface interacting with VEGFRs comprises a short α-helix. In this work, helical oligopeptides mimicking the VEGF-C helix were rationally designed based on structural analyses and computational studies. The helical conformation was stabilized by optimizing intramolecular interactions and by introducing helix-inducing Cα,α-disubstituted amino acids. The conformational features of the synthetic peptides were characterized by circular dichroism and nuclear magnetic resonance, and their receptor binding properties and antiangiogenic activity were determined. The best hits exhibited antiangiogenic activity in vitro at nanomolar concentrations and were resistant to proteolytic degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Zanella
- Department of Chemistry, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Gianfranco Bocchinfuso
- Department of Chemical Science and Technologies, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Marta De Zotti
- Padova Unit, Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, CNR, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Daniela Arosio
- National Research Council, Institute of Molecular Science and Technologies, Milan, Italy
| | - Franca Marino
- Center for Research in Medical Pharmacology, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Stefano Raniolo
- Department of Chemical Science and Technologies, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Luca Pignataro
- Department of Chemistry, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Giovanni Sacco
- Department of Chemistry, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonio Palleschi
- Department of Chemical Science and Technologies, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Alvaro S Siano
- Departamento de Química Organica, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biologicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Umberto Piarulli
- Center for Research in Medical Pharmacology, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Laura Belvisi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,National Research Council, Institute of Molecular Science and Technologies, Milan, Italy
| | - Fernando Formaggio
- Padova Unit, Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, CNR, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Cesare Gennari
- Department of Chemistry, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,National Research Council, Institute of Molecular Science and Technologies, Milan, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Stella
- Department of Chemical Science and Technologies, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
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19
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A cyclic peptide reproducing the α1 helix of VEGF-B binds to VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 and inhibits angiogenesis and tumor growth. Biochem J 2019; 476:645-663. [DOI: 10.1042/bcj20180823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2018] [Revised: 01/26/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) and their receptors (VEGFRs) are pivotal regulators of angiogenesis. The VEGF–VEGFR system is therefore an important target of anti-angiogenesis therapy. Based on the X-ray structure of VEGF-B/VEGFR-1 D2, we designed a cyclic peptide (known as VGB1) reproducing the α1 helix and its adjacent region to interfere with signaling through VEGFR-1. Unexpectedly, VGB1 bound VEGFR-2 in addition to VEGFR-1, leading to inhibition of VEGF-stimulated proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells and 4T1 murine mammary carcinoma cells, which express VGEFR-1 and VEGFR-2, and U87 glioblastoma cells that mostly express VEGFR-2. VGB1 inhibited different aspects of angiogenesis, including proliferation, migration and tube formation of endothelial cells stimulated by VEGF-A through suppression of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and AKT (Protein Kinase B) phosphorylation. In a murine 4T1 mammary carcinoma model, VGB1 caused regression of tumors without causing weight loss in association with impaired cell proliferation (decreased Ki67 expression) and angiogenesis (decreased CD31 and CD34 expression), and apoptosis induction (increased TUNEL staining and p53 expression, and decreased Bcl-2 expression). According to far-UV circular dichroism (CD) and molecular dynamic simulation data, VGB1 can adopt a helical structure. These results, for the first time, demonstrate that α1 helix region of VEGF-B recognizes both VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2.
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20
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Farzaneh Behelgardi M, Zahri S, Mashayekhi F, Mansouri K, Asghari SM. A peptide mimicking the binding sites of VEGF-A and VEGF-B inhibits VEGFR-1/-2 driven angiogenesis, tumor growth and metastasis. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17924. [PMID: 30560942 PMCID: PMC6298961 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36394-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Interfering with interactions of vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) with their receptors (VEGFRs) effectively inhibits angiogenesis and tumor growth. We designed an antagonist peptide of VEGF-A and VEGF-B reproducing two discontinuous receptor binding regions of VEGF-B (loop 1 and loop3) covalently linked together by a receptor binding region of VEGF-A (loop3). The designed peptide (referred to as VGB4) was able to bind to both VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 on the Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) surface and inhibited VEGF-A driven proliferation, migration and tube formation in HUVECs through suppression of ERK1/2 and AKT phosphorylation. The whole-animal fluorescence imaging demonstrated that fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-VGB4 accumulated in the mammary carcinoma tumors (MCTs). Administration of VGB4 led to the regression of 4T1 murine MCT growth through decreased expression of p-VEGFR1 and p-VEGFR2 and abrogation of ERK1/2 and AKT activation followed by considerable decrease of tumor cell proliferation (Ki67 expression) and angiogenesis (CD31 and CD34 expression), induction of apoptosis (increased p53 expression, TUNEL staining and decreased Bcl2 expression), and suppression of metastasis (increased E-cadherin and decreased N-cadherin, NF-κB and MMP-9 expression). These findings indicate that VGB4 may be applicable for antiangiogenic and antitumor therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Saber Zahri
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
| | - Farhad Mashayekhi
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
| | - Kamran Mansouri
- Medical Biology Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - S Mohsen Asghari
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.
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21
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De Rosa L, Di Stasi R, D'Andrea LD. Pro-angiogenic peptides in biomedicine. Arch Biochem Biophys 2018; 660:72-86. [DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2018.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Revised: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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22
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VEGFR Recognition Interface of a Proangiogenic VEGF-Mimetic Peptide Determined In Vitro and in the Presence of Endothelial Cells by NMR Spectroscopy. Chemistry 2018; 24:11461-11466. [DOI: 10.1002/chem.201802117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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23
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Capasso D, Di Gaetano S, Celentano V, Diana D, Festa L, Di Stasi R, De Rosa L, Fattorusso R, D'Andrea LD. Unveiling a VEGF-mimetic peptide sequence in the IQGAP1 protein. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2018; 13:1619-1629. [PMID: 28685787 DOI: 10.1039/c7mb00190h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The ability to modulate angiogenesis by chemical tools has several important applications in different scientific fields. With the perspective of finding novel proangiogenic molecules, we searched peptide sequences with a chemical profile similar to that of the QK peptide, a well described VEGF mimetic peptide. We found that residues 1617-1627 of the IQGAP1 protein show molecular features similar to those of the QK peptide sequence. The IQGAP1-derived synthetic peptide was analyzed by NMR spectroscopy and its biological activity was characterized in endothelial cells. These studies showed that this IQGAP1-derived peptide has a biological activity similar to that of VEGF and could be considered as a novel tool for reparative angiogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domenica Capasso
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Napoli "Federico II", Via Mezzocannone 16, Napoli, Italy
| | - Sonia Di Gaetano
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, Napoli, 80134, Italy.
| | - Veronica Celentano
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, Napoli, 80134, Italy.
| | - Donatella Diana
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, Napoli, 80134, Italy.
| | - Luisa Festa
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, Napoli, 80134, Italy.
| | - Rossella Di Stasi
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, Napoli, 80134, Italy.
| | - Lucia De Rosa
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, Napoli, 80134, Italy.
| | - Roberto Fattorusso
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, Università della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Luca D D'Andrea
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, Napoli, 80134, Italy.
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24
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Disrupting VEGF-VEGFR1 Interaction: De Novo Designed Linear Helical Peptides to Mimic the VEGF 13-25 Fragment. Molecules 2017; 22:molecules22111846. [PMID: 29143774 PMCID: PMC6150346 DOI: 10.3390/molecules22111846] [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: 10/09/2017] [Revised: 10/20/2017] [Accepted: 10/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The interaction between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors (VEGFR) has important implications in angiogenesis and cancer, which moved us to search for peptide derivatives able to block this protein–protein interaction. In a previous work we had described a collection of linear 13-mer peptides specially designed to adopt helical conformations (Ac-SSEEX5ARNX9AAX12N-NH2), as well as the evaluation of seven library components for the inhibition of the interaction of VEGF with its Receptor 1 (VEGFR1). This study led to the discovery of some new, quite potent inhibitors of this protein–protein system. The results we found prompted us to extend the study to other peptides of the library. We describe here the evaluation of a new selection of peptides from the initial library that allow us to identify new VEGF-VEGFR1 inhibitors. Among them, the peptide sequence containing F, W, and I residues at the 5, 9, and 12 positions, show a very significant nanomolar IC50 value, competing with VEGF for its receptor 1, VEGFR1 (Flt-1), which could represent a new tool within the therapeutic arsenal for cancer detection and therapy.
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25
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Wang L, Zhou L, Reille-Seroussi M, Gagey-Eilstein N, Broussy S, Zhang T, Ji L, Vidal M, Liu WQ. Identification of Peptidic Antagonists of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 1 by Scanning the Binding Epitopes of Its Ligands. J Med Chem 2017; 60:6598-6606. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.7b00283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lei Wang
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 Avenue de l’Observatoire, Paris 75006, France
| | - Lingyu Zhou
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Complex Prescription and The MOE Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Marie Reille-Seroussi
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 Avenue de l’Observatoire, Paris 75006, France
| | - Nathalie Gagey-Eilstein
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 Avenue de l’Observatoire, Paris 75006, France
| | - Sylvain Broussy
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 Avenue de l’Observatoire, Paris 75006, France
| | - Tianyu Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Complex Prescription and The MOE Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Lili Ji
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Complex Prescription and The MOE Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Michel Vidal
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 Avenue de l’Observatoire, Paris 75006, France
- UF Pharmacocinétique
et Pharmacochimie, Hôpital Cochin, AP-HP, 27 Rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques, Paris 75014, France
| | - Wang-Qing Liu
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 Avenue de l’Observatoire, Paris 75006, France
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26
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Abstract
Conjugates of cytotoxic agents with RGD peptides (Arg-Gly-Asp) addressed to ανβ3, α5β1 and ανβ6 integrin receptors overexpressed by cancer cells, have recently gained attention as potential selective anticancer chemotherapeutics. In this review, the design and the development of RGD conjugates coupled to different small molecules including known cytotoxic drugs and natural products will be discussed.
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De Rosa L, Finetti F, Diana D, Di Stasi R, Auriemma S, Romanelli A, Fattorusso R, Ziche M, Morbidelli L, D’Andrea LD. Miniaturizing VEGF: Peptides mimicking the discontinuous VEGF receptor-binding site modulate the angiogenic response. Sci Rep 2016; 6:31295. [PMID: 27498819 PMCID: PMC4976335 DOI: 10.1038/srep31295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2016] [Accepted: 07/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The angiogenic properties of VEGF are mediated through the binding of VEGF to its receptor VEGFR2. The VEGF/VEGFR interface is constituted by a discontinuous binding region distributed on both VEGF monomers. We attempted to reproduce this discontinuous binding site by covalently linking into a single molecular entity two VEGF segments involved in receptor recognition. We designed and synthesized by chemical ligation a set of peptides differing in length and flexibility of the molecular linker joining the two VEGF segments. The biological activity of the peptides was characterized in vitro and in vivo showing a VEGF-like activity. The most biologically active mini-VEGF was further analyzed by NMR to determine the atomic details of its interaction with the receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia De Rosa
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Napoli, Italy
| | - Federica Finetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Università di Siena, Via A. Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Donatella Diana
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Napoli, Italy
| | - Rossella Di Stasi
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Napoli, Italy
| | - Sara Auriemma
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Napoli, Italy
| | - Alessandra Romanelli
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Napoli “Federico II”, via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Napoli, Italy
| | - Roberto Fattorusso
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, Seconda Università di Napoli, via A. Vivaldi 43, 81100, Caserta, Italy
| | - Marina Ziche
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Università di Siena, Via A. Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Lucia Morbidelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Università di Siena, Via A. Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
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29
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Celentano V, Diana D, Di Salvo C, De Rosa L, Romanelli A, Fattorusso R, D'Andrea LD. 1,2,3-Triazole Bridge as Conformational Constrain in β-Hairpin Peptides: Analysis of Hydrogen-Bonded Positions. Chemistry 2016; 22:5534-7. [DOI: 10.1002/chem.201600154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- V. Celentano
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini CNR; Via Mezzocannone 16 80134 Napoli (Italy)
| | - D. Diana
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini CNR; Via Mezzocannone 16 80134 Napoli (Italy)
| | - C. Di Salvo
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini CNR; Via Mezzocannone 16 80134 Napoli (Italy)
- National University of Ireland; Galway (Ireland)
| | - L. De Rosa
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini CNR; Via Mezzocannone 16 80134 Napoli (Italy)
| | - A. Romanelli
- Dipartimento di Farmacia; Università di Napoli “Federico II”; Via Mezzocannone 16 80134 Napoli (Italy)
| | - R. Fattorusso
- Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche; Seconda Università di Napoli; Via Vivaldi 46 81100 Caserta, Napoli (Italy)
| | - L. D. D'Andrea
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini CNR; Via Mezzocannone 16 80134 Napoli (Italy)
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30
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Long range Trp-Trp interaction initiates the folding pathway of a pro-angiogenic β-hairpin peptide. Sci Rep 2015; 5:16651. [PMID: 26602442 PMCID: PMC4658480 DOI: 10.1038/srep16651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2015] [Accepted: 10/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
HPLW, a designed VEGF (Vascular Endothelium Growth Factor) receptor-binding peptide, assumes a well folded β-hairpin conformation in water and is able to induce angiogenesis in vivo. In this study, we investigated at atomic resolution the thermal folding/unfolding pathway of HPLW by means of an original multi-technique approach combining DSC, NMR, MD and mutagenesis analyses. In particular, careful NMR investigation of the single proton melting temperatures together with DSC analysis accurately delineate the peptide folding mechanism, which is corroborated by computational folding/unfolding simulations. The HPLW folding process consists of two main events, which are successive but do not superimpose. The first folding step initiates at 320 K upon the hydrophobic collapse of the Trp5 and Trp13 side-chains which stabilizes the concurrent β-turn formation, whose COi-HNi + 3 hydrogen bond (Asp10 → Arg7) appears particularly stable. At 316 K, once the β-turn is completely formed, the two β-strands pair, very likely starting by Trp5 and Trp13, which thus play a key role also in the final step of the β-hairpin folding. Overall, here we describe a multi-state hierarchical folding pathway of a highly structured β-hairpin, which can be classified as a broken-zipper mechanism.
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31
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Zanella S, Mingozzi M, Dal Corso A, Fanelli R, Arosio D, Cosentino M, Schembri L, Marino F, De Zotti M, Formaggio F, Pignataro L, Belvisi L, Piarulli U, Gennari C. Synthesis, Characterization, and Biological Evaluation of a Dual-Action Ligand Targeting αvβ3 Integrin and VEGF Receptors. ChemistryOpen 2015; 4:633-41. [PMID: 26491644 PMCID: PMC4608532 DOI: 10.1002/open.201500062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
A dual-action ligand targeting both integrin αVβ3 and vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFRs), was synthesized via conjugation of a cyclic peptidomimetic αVβ3 Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) ligand with a decapentapeptide. The latter was obtained from a known VEGFR antagonist by acetylation at the Lys13 side chain. Functionalization of the precursor ligands was carried out in solution and in the solid phase, affording two fragments: an alkyne VEGFR ligand and the azide integrin αVβ3 ligand, which were conjugated by click chemistry. Circular dichroism studies confirmed that both the RGD and VEGFR ligand portions of the dual-action compound substantially adopt the biologically active conformation. In vitro binding assays on isolated integrin αVβ3 and VEGFR-1 showed that the dual-action conjugate retains a good level of affinity for both its target receptors, although with one order of magnitude (10/20 times) decrease in potency. The dual-action ligand strongly inhibited the VEGF-induced morphogenesis in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs). Remarkably, its efficiency in preventing the formation of new blood vessels was similar to that of the original individual ligands, despite the worse affinity towards integrin αVβ3 and VEGFR-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Zanella
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di MilanoVia C. Golgi 19, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Michele Mingozzi
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di MilanoVia C. Golgi 19, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Alberto Dal Corso
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di MilanoVia C. Golgi 19, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Fanelli
- Dipartimento di Scienza e Alta Tecnologia, Università degli Studi dell'InsubriaVia Valleggio 11, 22100, Como, Italy
| | - Daniela Arosio
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Molecolari (ISTM), National Research Council (CNR)Via C. Golgi 19, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Cosentino
- Center for Research in Medical Pharmacology, Università degli Studi dell'InsubriaVia Ottorino Rossi 9, 21100, Varese, Italy
| | - Laura Schembri
- Center for Research in Medical Pharmacology, Università degli Studi dell'InsubriaVia Ottorino Rossi 9, 21100, Varese, Italy
| | - Franca Marino
- Center for Research in Medical Pharmacology, Università degli Studi dell'InsubriaVia Ottorino Rossi 9, 21100, Varese, Italy
| | - Marta De Zotti
- Istituto di Chimica Biomolecolare, CNR, Unità di Padova, Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di PadovaVia Marzolo 1, 35131, Padova, Italy
| | - Fernando Formaggio
- Istituto di Chimica Biomolecolare, CNR, Unità di Padova, Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di PadovaVia Marzolo 1, 35131, Padova, Italy
| | - Luca Pignataro
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di MilanoVia C. Golgi 19, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Belvisi
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di MilanoVia C. Golgi 19, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Umberto Piarulli
- Dipartimento di Scienza e Alta Tecnologia, Università degli Studi dell'InsubriaVia Valleggio 11, 22100, Como, Italy
| | - Cesare Gennari
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di MilanoVia C. Golgi 19, 20133, Milan, Italy
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32
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The anti-apoptotic BAG3 protein is expressed in lung carcinomas and regulates small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) tumor growth. Oncotarget 2015; 5:6846-53. [PMID: 25149536 PMCID: PMC4196167 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.2261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BAG3, member the HSP70 co-chaperones family, has been shown to play a relevant role in the survival, growth and invasiveness of different tumor types. In this study, we investigate the expression of BAG3 in 66 specimens from different lung tumors and the role of this protein in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) tumor growth. Normal lung tissue did not express BAG3 while we detected the expression of BAG3 by immunohistochemistry in all the 13 squamous cell carcinomas, 13 adenocarcinomas and 4 large cell carcinomas. Furthermore, we detected BAG3 expression in 22 of the 36 SCLCs analyzed. The role on SCLC cell survival was determined by down-regulating BAG3 levels in two human SCLC cell lines, i.e. H69 and H446, in vitro and measuring cisplatin induced apoptosis. Indeed down-regulation of BAG3 determines increased cell death and sensitizes cells to cisplatin treatment. The effect of BAG3 down-regulation on tumor growth was also investigated in an in vivo xenograft model by treating mice with an adenovirus expressing a specific bag3 siRNA. Treatment with bag3 siRNA-Ad significantly reduced tumor growth and improved animal survival. In conclusion we show that a subset of SCLCs over express BAG3 that exerts an anti-apoptotic effect resulting in resistance to chemotherapy.
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33
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Diana D, Russomanno A, De Rosa L, Di Stasi R, Capasso D, Di Gaetano S, Romanelli A, Russo L, D'Andrea LD, Fattorusso R. Functional binding surface of a β-hairpin VEGF receptor targeting peptide determined by NMR spectroscopy in living cells. Chemistry 2014; 21:91-5. [PMID: 25378243 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201403335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
In this study, the functional interaction of HPLW peptide with VEGFR2 (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 2) was determined by using fast (15)N-edited NMR spectroscopic experiments. To this aim, (15)N uniformly labelled HPLW has been added to Porcine Aortic Endothelial Cells. The acquisition of isotope-edited NMR spectroscopic experiments, including (15)N relaxation measurements, allowed a precise characterization of the in-cell HPLW epitope recognized by VEGFR2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donatella Diana
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, C.N.R., via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Napoli (Italy)
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34
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Wang L, Gagey-Eilstein N, Broussy S, Reille-Seroussi M, Huguenot F, Vidal M, Liu WQ. Design and synthesis of C-terminal modified cyclic peptides as VEGFR1 antagonists. Molecules 2014; 19:15391-407. [PMID: 25264829 PMCID: PMC6270838 DOI: 10.3390/molecules191015391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2014] [Revised: 09/12/2014] [Accepted: 09/17/2014] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Previously designed cyclic peptide antagonist c[YYDEGLEE]-NH2 disrupts the interaction between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors (VEGFRs). It represents a promising tool in the fight against cancer and age-related macular degeneration. We described in this paper the optimization of the lead peptide by C-terminal modification. A new strategy for the synthesis of cyclic peptides is developed, improving the cyclisation efficiency. At 100 µM, several new peptides with an aromatic group flexibly linked at C-terminal end showed significantly increased receptor binding affinities in competition ELISA test. The most active peptide carrying a coumarin group may be a useful tool in anti-angiogenic biological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Wang
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 avenue de l'observatoire, Paris 75006, France.
| | - Nathalie Gagey-Eilstein
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 avenue de l'observatoire, Paris 75006, France.
| | - Sylvain Broussy
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 avenue de l'observatoire, Paris 75006, France.
| | - Marie Reille-Seroussi
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 avenue de l'observatoire, Paris 75006, France.
| | - Florent Huguenot
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 avenue de l'observatoire, Paris 75006, France.
| | - Michel Vidal
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 avenue de l'observatoire, Paris 75006, France.
| | - Wang-Qing Liu
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 avenue de l'observatoire, Paris 75006, France.
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35
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Bonache MÁ, Balsera B, López-Méndez B, Millet O, Brancaccio D, Gómez-Monterrey I, Carotenuto A, Pavone LM, Reille-Seroussi M, Gagey-Eilstein N, Vidal M, de la Torre-Martı́nez R, Fernández-Carvajal A, Ferrer-Montiel A, García-López MT, Martín-Martínez M, de Vega MJP, González-Muñiz R. De novo designed library of linear helical peptides: an exploratory tool in the discovery of protein-protein interaction modulators. ACS COMBINATORIAL SCIENCE 2014; 16:250-8. [PMID: 24725184 DOI: 10.1021/co500005x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) have emerged as important targets for pharmaceutical intervention because of their essential role in numerous physiological and pathological processes, but screening efforts using small-molecules have led to very low hit rates. Linear peptides could represent a quick and effective approach to discover initial PPI hits, particularly if they have inherent ability to adopt specific peptide secondary structures. Here, we address this hypothesis through a linear helical peptide library, composed of four sublibraries, which was designed by theoretical predictions of helicity (Agadir software). The 13-mer peptides of this collection fixes either a combination of three aromatic or two aromatic and one aliphatic residues on one face of the helix (Ac-SSEEX(5)ARNX(9)AAX(12)N-NH2), since these are structural features quite common at PPIs interfaces. The 81 designed peptides were conveniently synthesized by parallel solid-phase methodologies, and the tendency of some representative library components to adopt the intended secondary structure was corroborated through CD and NMR experiments. As proof of concept in the search for PPI modulators, the usefulness of this library was verified on the widely studied p53-MDM2 interaction and on the communication between VEGF and its receptor Flt-1, two PPIs for which a hydrophobic α-helix is essential for the interaction. We have demonstrated here that, in both cases, selected peptides from the library, containing the right hydrophobic sequence of the hot-spot in one of the protein partners, are able to interact with the complementary protein. Moreover, we have discover some new, quite potent inhibitors of the VEGF-Flt-1 interaction, just by replacing one of the aromatic residues of the initial F(5)Y(9)Y(12) peptide by W, in agreement with previous results on related antiangiogenic peptides. Finally, the HTS evaluation of the full collection on thermoTRPs has led to a few antagonists of TRPV1 and TRPA1 channels, which open new avenues on the way to innovative modulators of these channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Ángeles Bonache
- Instituto de Química-Médica (IQM-CSIC), Juan de la Cierva 3, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Beatriz Balsera
- Instituto de Química-Médica (IQM-CSIC), Juan de la Cierva 3, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Oscar Millet
- CICbioGUNE, Structural Biology Unit, 48160 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Diego Brancaccio
- Department
of Pharmacy, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via D. Montesano
49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Isabel Gómez-Monterrey
- Department
of Pharmacy, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via D. Montesano
49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Alfonso Carotenuto
- Department
of Pharmacy, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via D. Montesano
49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi M. Pavone
- Department
of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via S. Pansini 5, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Marie Reille-Seroussi
- UMR
8638
CNRS, UFR de Pharmacie, Université Paris Descartes, PRES
Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 avenue de l’Observatoire, 75006 Paris, France
| | - Nathalie Gagey-Eilstein
- UMR
8638
CNRS, UFR de Pharmacie, Université Paris Descartes, PRES
Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 avenue de l’Observatoire, 75006 Paris, France
| | - Michel Vidal
- UMR
8638
CNRS, UFR de Pharmacie, Université Paris Descartes, PRES
Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 avenue de l’Observatoire, 75006 Paris, France
- UF
“Pharmacocinétique et pharmacochimie”, Hôpital Cochin, , AP-HP, 27 rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques, 75014 Paris, France
| | - Roberto de la Torre-Martı́nez
- Instituto
de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Avenida de la Universidad s/n, 03202 Elche (Alicante), Spain
| | - Asia Fernández-Carvajal
- Instituto
de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Avenida de la Universidad s/n, 03202 Elche (Alicante), Spain
| | - Antonio Ferrer-Montiel
- Instituto
de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Avenida de la Universidad s/n, 03202 Elche (Alicante), Spain
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36
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De Rosa L, Diana D, Basile A, Russomanno A, Isernia C, Turco MC, Fattorusso R, D'Andrea LD. Design, structural and biological characterization of a VEGF inhibitor β-hairpin-constrained peptide. Eur J Med Chem 2014; 73:210-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2013.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2013] [Revised: 11/19/2013] [Accepted: 12/13/2013] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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37
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Diana D, Di Stasi R, De Rosa L, Isernia C, D'Andrea LD, Fattorusso R. Structural investigation of the VEGF receptor interaction with a helical antagonist peptide. J Pept Sci 2013; 19:214-9. [DOI: 10.1002/psc.2480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2012] [Revised: 12/15/2012] [Accepted: 12/17/2012] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Donatella Diana
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini; CNR; Via Mezzocannone 16; Napoli; Italy
| | - Rossella Di Stasi
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini; CNR; Via Mezzocannone 16; Napoli; Italy
| | - Lucia De Rosa
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini; CNR; Via Mezzocannone 16; Napoli; Italy
| | - Carla Isernia
- Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali; Seconda Università di Napoli; Via Vivaldi 43; Caserta; Italy
| | - Luca D. D'Andrea
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini; CNR; Via Mezzocannone 16; Napoli; Italy
| | - Roberto Fattorusso
- Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali; Seconda Università di Napoli; Via Vivaldi 43; Caserta; Italy
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38
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García-Aranda MI, González-López S, Santiveri CM, Gagey-Eilstein N, Reille-Seroussi M, Martín-Martínez M, Inguimbert N, Vidal M, García-López MT, Jiménez MA, González-Muñiz R, Pérez de Vega MJ. Helical peptides from VEGF and Vammin hotspots for modulating the VEGF–VEGFR interaction. Org Biomol Chem 2013; 11:1896-905. [DOI: 10.1039/c3ob27312a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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39
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