1
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Chekan JR, Mydy LS, Pasquale MA, Kersten RD. Plant peptides - redefining an area of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides. Nat Prod Rep 2024. [PMID: 38411572 DOI: 10.1039/d3np00042g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Covering 1965 to February 2024Plants are prolific peptide chemists and are known to make thousands of different peptidic molecules. These peptides vary dramatically in their size, chemistry, and bioactivity. Despite their differences, all plant peptides to date are biosynthesized as ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs). Decades of research in plant RiPP biosynthesis have extended the definition and scope of RiPPs from microbial sources, establishing paradigms and discovering new families of biosynthetic enzymes. The discovery and elucidation of plant peptide pathways is challenging due to repurposing and evolution of housekeeping genes as both precursor peptides and biosynthetic enzymes and due to the low rates of gene clustering in plants. In this review, we highlight the chemistry, biosynthesis, and function of the known RiPP classes from plants and recommend a nomenclature for the recent addition of BURP-domain-derived RiPPs termed burpitides. Burpitides are an emerging family of cyclic plant RiPPs characterized by macrocyclic crosslinks between tyrosine or tryptophan side chains and other amino acid side chains or their peptide backbone that are formed by copper-dependent BURP-domain-containing proteins termed burpitide cyclases. Finally, we review the discovery of plant RiPPs through bioactivity-guided, structure-guided, and gene-guided approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan R Chekan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA.
| | - Lisa S Mydy
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Michael A Pasquale
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA.
| | - Roland D Kersten
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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2
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Tyler TJ, Durek T, Craik DJ. Native and Engineered Cyclic Disulfide-Rich Peptides as Drug Leads. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28073189. [PMID: 37049950 PMCID: PMC10096437 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28073189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Bioactive peptides are a highly abundant and diverse group of molecules that exhibit a wide range of structural and functional variation. Despite their immense therapeutic potential, bioactive peptides have been traditionally perceived as poor drug candidates, largely due to intrinsic shortcomings that reflect their endogenous heritage, i.e., short biological half-lives and poor cell permeability. In this review, we examine the utility of molecular engineering to insert bioactive sequences into constrained scaffolds with desired pharmaceutical properties. Applying lessons learnt from nature, we focus on molecular grafting of cyclic disulfide-rich scaffolds (naturally derived or engineered), shown to be intrinsically stable and amenable to sequence modifications, and their utility as privileged frameworks in drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tristan J. Tyler
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Thomas Durek
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - David J. Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
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3
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Loo S, Tay SV, Kam A, Lee W, Tam JP. Hololectin Interdomain Linker Determines Asparaginyl Endopeptidase-Mediated Maturation of Antifungal Hevein-Like Peptides in Oats. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:899740. [PMID: 35620686 PMCID: PMC9127739 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.899740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Heveins and hevein-containing (hev-) lectins play important roles in stress and pathogenic responses in plants but cause health concerns in humans. Hev-hololectins contain multiple modular hev-peptide domains and are abundantly present in cereals and pseudocereals. However, it is unclear why some cereal hev-hololectins are presented as different forms of proteolytically processed proteoforms. Here we show the precursor architectures of hev-hololectins lead to different processing mechanisms to give either hololectins or hevein-like peptides. We used mass spectrometry and datamining to screen hev-peptides from common cereals, and identified from the oat plant Avena sativa nine novel hevein-like peptides, avenatide aV1-aV9. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that asparaginyl endopeptidase (AEP) can be responsible for the maturation of the highly homologous avenatides from five oat hev-hololectin precursors, each containing four tandemly repeating, hev-like avenatide domains connected by AEP-susceptible linkers with 13-16 residues in length. Further analysis of cereal hev-hololectins showed that the linker lengths provide a distinguishing feature between their cleavable and non-cleavable precursors, with the cleavables having considerably longer linkers (>13 amino acids) than the non-cleavables (<6 amino acids). A detailed study of avenatide aV1 revealed that it contains eight cysteine residues which form a structurally compact, metabolic-resistant cystine-knotted framework with a well-defined chitin-binding site. Antimicrobial assays showed that avenatide aV1 is anti-fungal and inhibits the growth of phyto-pathogenic fungi. Together, our findings of cleavable and non-cleavable hololectins found in cereals expand our knowledge to their biosynthesis and provide insights for hololectin-related health concerns in human.
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4
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Yuan H, Luo Z, Ban Z, Reiter RJ, Ma Q, Liang Z, Yang M, Li X, Li L. Bioactive peptides of plant origin: distribution, functionality, and evidence of benefits in food and health. Food Funct 2022; 13:3133-3158. [PMID: 35244644 DOI: 10.1039/d1fo04077d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The multiple functions of peptides released from proteins have immense potential in food and health. In the past few decades, research interest in bioactive peptides of plant origin has surged tremendously, and new plant-derived peptides are continually discovered with advances in extraction, purification, and characterization technology. Plant-derived peptides are mainly extracted from dicot plants possessing bioactive functions, including antioxidant, cholesterol-lowering, and antihypertensive activities. Although the distinct functions are said to depend on the composition and structure of amino acids, the practical or industrial application of plant-derived peptides with bioactive features is still a long way off. In summary, the present review mainly focuses on the state-of-the-art extraction, separation, and analytical techniques, functional properties, mechanism of action, and clinical study of plant-derived peptides. Special emphasis has been placed on the necessity of more pre-clinical and clinical trials to authenticate the health claims of plant-derived peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hemao Yuan
- College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Fuli Institute of Food Science, Key Laboratory of Agro-Products Postharvest Handling, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Zisheng Luo
- College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Fuli Institute of Food Science, Key Laboratory of Agro-Products Postharvest Handling, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. .,National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Intelligent Food Technology and Equipment, Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Agro-Food Processing, Zhejiang Engineering Laboratory of Food Technology and Equipment, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhaojun Ban
- School of Biological and chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Russel J Reiter
- Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, USA
| | - Quan Ma
- College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Fuli Institute of Food Science, Key Laboratory of Agro-Products Postharvest Handling, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Ze Liang
- College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Fuli Institute of Food Science, Key Laboratory of Agro-Products Postharvest Handling, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Mingyi Yang
- College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Fuli Institute of Food Science, Key Laboratory of Agro-Products Postharvest Handling, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Xihong Li
- Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Li Li
- College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Fuli Institute of Food Science, Key Laboratory of Agro-Products Postharvest Handling, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. .,National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Intelligent Food Technology and Equipment, Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Agro-Food Processing, Zhejiang Engineering Laboratory of Food Technology and Equipment, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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5
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Handley TNG, Jackson MA, Craik DJ. Scalable and Efficient In Planta Biosynthesis of Sunflower Trypsin Inhibitor-1 (SFTI) Peptide Therapeutics. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2371:117-142. [PMID: 34596846 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1689-5_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Sunflower trypsin inhibitor-1 (SFTI-1) is a 14 amino acid cyclic peptide which has been effectively employed as a scaffold for engineering a range of peptide therapeutic candidates. Typically, synthesis of SFTI-1-based therapeutics is performed via solid-phase peptide synthesis and native chemical ligation, with significant financial and environmental costs associated. In planta synthesis of SFTI-1 based therapeutics serves as a greener approach for environmentally sustainable production. Here, we detail the methods for the transient expression, production, and purification of SFTI-1-based therapeutic peptides in Nicotiana benthamiana using a scalable and high-throughput approach. We demonstrate that a prerequisite for this is the co-expression of specialized asparaginyl endopeptidases (AEPs) that perform the backbone cyclization of SFTI-1. In our founding study, we were able to achieve in planta yields of a plasmin inhibitor SFTI-1 peptide at yields of ~60 μg/g of dried plant material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas N G Handley
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Mark A Jackson
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
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6
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Dall E, Licht A, Brandstetter H. Production of Functional Plant Legumain Proteases Using the Leishmania tarentolae Expression System. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2447:35-51. [PMID: 35583771 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2079-3_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Plant proteases of the legumain-type are key players in many processes along the plant life cycle. In particular, legumains are especially important in plant programmed cell death and the processing and maturation of seed storage proteins within the vacuole. Plant legumains are therefore synonymously called vacuolar processing enzymes (VPEs). Because of their dual protease and cyclase activities, plant legumains are of great interest to biotechnological applications, e.g., for the development of cyclic peptides for drug design. Despite this high interest by the scientific community, the recombinant expression of plant legumains proved challenging due to several posttranslational modifications, including (1) the formation of structurally critical disulfide bonds, (2) activation via pH-dependent proteolytic processing, and (3) stabilization by varying degrees of glycosylation. Recently we could show that LEXSY is a robust expression system for the production of plant legumains. Here we provide a general protocol for the recombinant expression of plant legumains in Leishmania cells. We further included detailed procedures for legumain purification, activation and subsequent activity assays and additionally note specific considerations with regard to isoform specific activation intermediates. This protocol serves as a universal strategy for different legumain isoforms from different source organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elfriede Dall
- Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
| | | | - Hans Brandstetter
- Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
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7
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Chigumba DN, Mydy LS, de Waal F, Li W, Shafiq K, Wotring JW, Mohamed OG, Mladenovic T, Tripathi A, Sexton JZ, Kautsar S, Medema MH, Kersten RD. Discovery and biosynthesis of cyclic plant peptides via autocatalytic cyclases. Nat Chem Biol 2022; 18:18-28. [PMID: 34811516 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-021-00892-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Many bioactive plant cyclic peptides form side-chain-derived macrocycles. Lyciumins, cyclic plant peptides with tryptophan macrocyclizations, are ribosomal peptides (RiPPs) originating from repetitive core peptide motifs in precursor peptides with plant-specific BURP (BNM2, USP, RD22 and PG1beta) domains, but the biosynthetic mechanism for their formation has remained unknown. Here, we characterize precursor-peptide BURP domains as copper-dependent autocatalytic peptide cyclases and use a combination of tandem mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and plant genomics to systematically discover five BURP-domain-derived plant RiPP classes, with mono- and bicyclic structures formed via tryptophans and tyrosines, from botanical collections. As BURP-domain cyclases are scaffold-generating enzymes in plant specialized metabolism that are physically connected to their substrates in the same polypeptide, we introduce a bioinformatic method to mine plant genomes for precursor-peptide-encoding genes by detection of repetitive substrate domains and known core peptide features. Our study sets the stage for chemical, biosynthetic and biological exploration of plant RiPP natural products from BURP-domain cyclases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Desnor N Chigumba
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Lisa S Mydy
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Floris de Waal
- Bioinformatics Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Wenjie Li
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Khadija Shafiq
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jesse W Wotring
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Osama G Mohamed
- Natural Products Discovery Core, Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Pharmacognosy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Tim Mladenovic
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Ashootosh Tripathi
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Natural Products Discovery Core, Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jonathan Z Sexton
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Satria Kautsar
- Bioinformatics Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Marnix H Medema
- Bioinformatics Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands.
| | - Roland D Kersten
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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8
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Payne CD, Vadlamani G, Hajiaghaalipour F, Muhammad T, Fisher MF, Andersson HS, Göransson U, Clark RJ, Bond CS, Mylne JS, Rosengren KJ. Solution NMR and racemic crystallography provide insights into a novel structural class of cyclic plant peptides. RSC Chem Biol 2021; 2:1682-1691. [PMID: 34977583 PMCID: PMC8637875 DOI: 10.1039/d1cb00155h] [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: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Head-to-tail cyclic and disulfide-rich peptides are natural products with applications in drug design. Among these are the PawS-Derived Peptides (PDPs) produced in seeds of the daisy plant family. PDP-23 is a unique member of this class in that it is twice the typical size and adopts two β-hairpins separated by a hinge region. The β-hairpins, both stabilised by a single disulfide bond, fold together into a V-shaped tertiary structure creating a hydrophobic core. In water two PDP-23 molecules merge their hydrophobic cores to form a square prism quaternary structure. Here, we synthesised PDP-23 and its enantiomer comprising d-amino acids and achiral glycine, which allowed us to confirm these solution NMR structural data by racemic crystallography. Furthermore, we discovered the related PDP-24. NMR analysis showed that PDP-24 does not form a dimeric structure and it has poor water solubility, but in less polar solvents adopts near identical secondary and tertiary structure to PDP-23. The natural role of these peptides in plants remains enigmatic, as we did not observe any antimicrobial or insecticidal activity. However, the plasticity of these larger PDPs and their ability to change structure under different conditions make them appealing peptide drug scaffolds. Larger members of the PawS-Derived family of cyclic plant peptides form complex structures. The graphical abstract shows the racemic crystal structure of the homodimeric PDP-23 as well as the solution NMR structure of PDP-24.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Colton D Payne
- The University of Queensland, School of Biomedical Sciences Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Grishma Vadlamani
- Curtin University, Centre for Crop and Disease Management, School of Molecular and Life Sciences Bentley WA 6102 Australia.,The University of Western Australia, School of Molecular Sciences Crawley WA 6009 Australia.,The University of Western Australia, ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, School of Molecular Sciences Crawley WA 6009 Australia
| | | | - Taj Muhammad
- Uppsala University, Division of Pharmacognosy, Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences 75124 Uppsala Sweden
| | - Mark F Fisher
- Curtin University, Centre for Crop and Disease Management, School of Molecular and Life Sciences Bentley WA 6102 Australia.,The University of Western Australia, School of Molecular Sciences Crawley WA 6009 Australia.,The University of Western Australia, ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, School of Molecular Sciences Crawley WA 6009 Australia
| | - Håkan S Andersson
- Uppsala University, Division of Pharmacognosy, Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences 75124 Uppsala Sweden.,Karolinska Institute, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics 17177 Stockholm Sweden
| | - Ulf Göransson
- Uppsala University, Division of Pharmacognosy, Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences 75124 Uppsala Sweden
| | - Richard J Clark
- The University of Queensland, School of Biomedical Sciences Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Charles S Bond
- The University of Western Australia, School of Molecular Sciences Crawley WA 6009 Australia
| | - Joshua S Mylne
- Curtin University, Centre for Crop and Disease Management, School of Molecular and Life Sciences Bentley WA 6102 Australia.,The University of Western Australia, School of Molecular Sciences Crawley WA 6009 Australia.,The University of Western Australia, ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, School of Molecular Sciences Crawley WA 6009 Australia
| | - K Johan Rosengren
- The University of Queensland, School of Biomedical Sciences Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
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9
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Liew HT, To J, Zhang X, Hemu X, Chan NY, Serra A, Sze SK, Liu CF, Tam JP. The legumain McPAL1 from Momordica cochinchinensis is a highly stable Asx-specific splicing enzyme. J Biol Chem 2021; 297:101325. [PMID: 34710371 PMCID: PMC8600085 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Revised: 10/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Legumains, also known as asparaginyl endopeptidases (AEPs), cleave peptide bonds after Asn/Asp (Asx) residues. In plants, certain legumains also have ligase activity that catalyzes biosynthesis of Asx-containing cyclic peptides. An example is the biosynthesis of MCoTI-I/II, a squash family-derived cyclic trypsin inhibitor, which involves splicing to remove the N-terminal prodomain and then N-to-C-terminal cyclization of the mature domain. To identify plant legumains responsible for the maturation of these cyclic peptides, we have isolated and characterized a legumain involved in splicing, McPAL1, from Momordica cochinchinensis (Cucurbitaceae) seeds. Functional studies show that recombinantly expressed McPAL1 displays a pH-dependent, trimodal enzymatic profile. At pH 4 to 6, McPAL1 selectively catalyzed Asp-ligation and Asn-cleavage, but at pH 6.5 to 8, Asn-ligation predominated. With peptide substrates containing N-terminal Asn and C-terminal Asp, such as is found in precursors of MCoTI-I/II, McPAL1 mediates proteolysis at the Asn site and then ligation at the Asp site at pH 5 to 6. Also, McPAL1 is an unusually stable legumain that is tolerant of heat and high pH. Together, our results support that McPAL1 is a splicing legumain at acidic pH that can mediate biosynthesis of MCoTI-I/II. We purport that the high thermal and pH stability of McPAL1 could have applications for protein engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Tai Liew
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Janet To
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Xiaohong Zhang
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Xinya Hemu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ning-Yu Chan
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Aida Serra
- IMDEA Food Research Institute, +Pec Proteomics, Campus of International Excellence UAM+CSIC, Old Cantoblanco Hospital, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain; Proteored - Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Campus UAM, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Siu Kwan Sze
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Chuan-Fa Liu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - James P Tam
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.
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10
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Payne CD, Fisher MF, Mylne JS, Rosengren KJ. Structural Characterization of the PawL-Derived Peptide Family, an Ancient Subfamily of Orbitides. JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS 2021; 84:2914-2922. [PMID: 34672199 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.1c00672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Plants are an excellent source of bioactive peptides, often with disulfide bonds and/or a cyclic backbone. While focus has predominantly been directed at disulfide-rich peptides, a large family of small, cyclic plant peptides lacking disulfide bonds, known as orbitides, has been relatively ignored. A recently discovered subfamily of orbitides is the PawL-derived peptides (PLPs), produced during the maturation of precursors for seed storage albumins. Although their evolutionary origins have been dated, in-depth exploration of the family's structural characteristics and potential bioactivities remains to be conducted. Here we present an extensive and systematic characterization of the PLP family. Nine PLPs were chosen and prepared by solid phase peptide synthesis. Their structural features were studied using solution NMR spectroscopy, and seven were found to possess regions of backbone order. Ordered regions consist of β-turns, with some PLPs adopting two well-defined β-turns within sequences as short as seven residues, which are largely the result of side chain interactions. Our data highlight that the sequence diversity within this family results in equally diverse structures. None of these nine PLPs showed antibacterial or antifungal activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colton D Payne
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Mark F Fisher
- School of Molecular Sciences and The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
- Centre for Crop and Disease Management, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
| | - Joshua S Mylne
- School of Molecular Sciences and The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
- Centre for Crop and Disease Management, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
| | - K Johan Rosengren
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
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11
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Dall E, Stanojlovic V, Demir F, Briza P, Dahms SO, Huesgen PF, Cabrele C, Brandstetter H. The Peptide Ligase Activity of Human Legumain Depends on Fold Stabilization and Balanced Substrate Affinities. ACS Catal 2021; 11:11885-11896. [PMID: 34621593 PMCID: PMC8491156 DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.1c02057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Protein modification by enzymatic breaking and forming of peptide bonds significantly expands the repertoire of genetically encoded protein sequences. The dual protease-ligase legumain exerts the two opposing activities within a single protein scaffold. Primarily localized to the endolysosomal system, legumain represents a key enzyme in the generation of antigenic peptides for subsequent presentation on the MHCII complex. Here we show that human legumain catalyzes the ligation and cyclization of linear peptides at near-neutral pH conditions, where legumain is intrinsically unstable. Conformational stabilization significantly enhanced legumain's ligase activity, which further benefited from engineering the prime substrate recognition sites for improved affinity. Additionally, we provide evidence that specific legumain activation states allow for differential regulation of its activities. Together these results set the basis for engineering legumain proteases and ligases with applications in biotechnology and drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elfriede Dall
- Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Vesna Stanojlovic
- Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Fatih Demir
- Central Institute for Engineering, Electronics and Analytics, ZEA-3, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Peter Briza
- Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Sven O. Dahms
- Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Pitter F. Huesgen
- Central Institute for Engineering, Electronics and Analytics, ZEA-3, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
- CECAD, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Institute for Biochemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Cologne, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Chiara Cabrele
- Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Hans Brandstetter
- Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
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12
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Plant derived cyclic peptides. Biochem Soc Trans 2021; 49:1279-1285. [PMID: 34156400 PMCID: PMC8286818 DOI: 10.1042/bst20200881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Cyclic peptides are widespread throughout the plant kingdom, and display diverse sequences, structures and bioactivities. The potential applications attributed to these peptides and their unusual biosynthesis has captivated the attention of researchers for many years. Several gene sequences for plant cyclic peptides have been discovered over the last two decades but it is only recently that we are beginning to understand the intricacies associated with their biosynthesis. Recent studies have focussed on three main classes of plant derived cyclic peptides, namely orbitides, SFTI related peptides and cyclotides. In this mini-review, we discuss the expansion of the known sequence and structural diversity in these families, insights into the enzymes involved in the biosynthesis, the exciting applications which includes a cyclotide currently in clinical trials for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, and new production methods that are being developed to realise the potential of plant cyclic peptides as pharmaceutical or agricultural agents.
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13
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Tang TMS, Luk LYP. Asparaginyl endopeptidases: enzymology, applications and limitations. Org Biomol Chem 2021; 19:5048-5062. [PMID: 34037066 PMCID: PMC8209628 DOI: 10.1039/d1ob00608h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Asparaginyl endopeptidases (AEP) are cysteine proteases found in mammalian and plant cells. Several AEP isoforms from plant species were found to exhibit transpeptidase activity which is integral for the key head-to-tail cyclisation reaction during the biosynthesis of cyclotides. Since many plant AEPs exhibit excellent enzyme kinetics for peptide ligation via a relatively short substrate recognition sequence, they have become appealing tools for peptide and protein modification. In this review, research focused on the enzymology of AEPs and their applications in polypeptide cyclisation and labelling will be presented. Importantly, the limitations of using AEPs and opportunities for future research and innovation will also be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- T M Simon Tang
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK.
| | - Louis Y P Luk
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK. and Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK
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14
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Matabaro E, Song H, Chepkirui C, Kaspar H, Witte L, Naismith JH, Freeman MF, Künzler M. Enzyme-mediated backbone N-methylation in ribosomally encoded peptides. Methods Enzymol 2021; 656:429-458. [PMID: 34325794 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2021.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Backbone N-methylation as a posttranslational modification was recently discovered in a class of ribosomally encoded peptides referred to as borosins. The founding members of the borosins are the omphalotins (A-I), backbone N-methylated, macrocyclic dodecapeptides produced by the mushroom Omphalotus olearius. Omphalotins display a strong and selective toxicity toward the plant parasitic nematode Meloidogyne incognita. The primary product omphalotin A is synthesized via a concerted action of the omphalotin precursor protein (OphMA) and the dual function prolyloligopeptidase/macrocyclase (OphP). OphMA consists of α-N-methyltransferase domain that autocatalytically methylates the core peptide fused to its C-terminus via a clasp domain. Genome mining uncovered over 50 OphMA homologs from the fungal phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. However, the derived peptide natural products have not been described yet, except for lentinulins, dendrothelins and gymnopeptides produced by the basidiomycetes Lentinula edodes, Dendrothele bispora and Gymnopus fusipes, respectively. In this chapter, we describe methods used to isolate and characterize these backbone N-methylated peptides and their precursor proteins both in their original hosts and in the heterologous hosts Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris. These methods may pave the path for both the discovery of novel borosins with interesting bioactivities. In addition, understanding of borosin biosynthetic pathways may allow setting up a biotechnological platform for the production of pharmaceutical leads for orally available peptide drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Matabaro
- Department of Biology, Institute of Microbiology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Haigang Song
- The Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Campus, Didcot, United Kingdom; The Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell Campus, Didcot, United Kingdom
| | - Clara Chepkirui
- Department of Biology, Institute of Microbiology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Hannelore Kaspar
- Department of Biology, Institute of Microbiology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Luca Witte
- Department of Biology, Institute of Microbiology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - James H Naismith
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford, United Kingdom; The Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Campus, Didcot, United Kingdom; The Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell Campus, Didcot, United Kingdom
| | - Michael F Freeman
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics and BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States
| | - Markus Künzler
- Department of Biology, Institute of Microbiology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
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15
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Nonis SG, Haywood J, Mylne JS. Plant asparaginyl endopeptidases and their structural determinants of function. Biochem Soc Trans 2021; 49:965-976. [PMID: 33666219 PMCID: PMC8106488 DOI: 10.1042/bst20200908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Asparaginyl endopeptidases (AEPs) are versatile enzymes that in biological systems are involved in producing three different catalytic outcomes for proteins, namely (i) routine cleavage by bond hydrolysis, (ii) peptide maturation, including macrocyclisation by a cleavage-coupled intramolecular transpeptidation and (iii) circular permutation involving separate cleavage and transpeptidation reactions resulting in a major reshuffling of protein sequence. AEPs differ in their preference for cleavage or transpeptidation reactions, catalytic efficiency, and preference for asparagine or aspartate target residues. We look at structural analyses of various AEPs that have laid the groundwork for identifying important determinants of AEP function in recent years, with much of the research impetus arising from the potential biotechnological and pharmaceutical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel G. Nonis
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth 6009, Australia
- The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth 6009, Australia
| | - Joel Haywood
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth 6009, Australia
- The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth 6009, Australia
| | - Joshua S. Mylne
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth 6009, Australia
- The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth 6009, Australia
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16
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Payne CD, Franke B, Fisher MF, Hajiaghaalipour F, McAleese CE, Song A, Eliasson C, Zhang J, Jayasena AS, Vadlamani G, Clark RJ, Minchin RF, Mylne JS, Rosengren KJ. A chameleonic macrocyclic peptide with drug delivery applications. Chem Sci 2021; 12:6670-6683. [PMID: 34040741 PMCID: PMC8132947 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc00692d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Head-to-tail cyclized peptides are intriguing natural products with unusual properties. The PawS-Derived Peptides (PDPs) are ribosomally synthesized as part of precursors for seed storage albumins in species of the daisy family, and are post-translationally excised and cyclized during proteolytic processing. Here we report a PDP twice the typical size and with two disulfide bonds, identified from seeds of Zinnia elegans. In water, synthetic PDP-23 forms a unique dimeric structure in which two monomers containing two β-hairpins cross-clasp and enclose a hydrophobic core, creating a square prism. This dimer can be split by addition of micelles or organic solvent and in monomeric form PDP-23 adopts open or closed V-shapes, exposing different levels of hydrophobicity dependent on conditions. This chameleonic character is unusual for disulfide-rich peptides and engenders PDP-23 with potential for cell delivery and accessing novel targets. We demonstrate this by conjugating a rhodamine dye to PDP-23, creating a stable, cell-penetrating inhibitor of the P-glycoprotein drug efflux pump.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colton D Payne
- The University of Queensland, School of Biomedical Sciences Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Bastian Franke
- The University of Queensland, School of Biomedical Sciences Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Mark F Fisher
- The University of Western Australia, School of Molecular Sciences, The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology Crawley WA 6009 Australia
| | | | - Courtney E McAleese
- The University of Queensland, School of Biomedical Sciences Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Angela Song
- The University of Queensland, School of Biomedical Sciences Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Carl Eliasson
- The University of Queensland, School of Biomedical Sciences Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Jingjing Zhang
- The University of Western Australia, School of Molecular Sciences, The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology Crawley WA 6009 Australia
| | - Achala S Jayasena
- The University of Western Australia, School of Molecular Sciences, The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology Crawley WA 6009 Australia
| | - Grishma Vadlamani
- The University of Western Australia, School of Molecular Sciences, The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology Crawley WA 6009 Australia
| | - Richard J Clark
- The University of Queensland, School of Biomedical Sciences Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Rodney F Minchin
- The University of Queensland, School of Biomedical Sciences Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Joshua S Mylne
- The University of Western Australia, School of Molecular Sciences, The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology Crawley WA 6009 Australia
| | - K Johan Rosengren
- The University of Queensland, School of Biomedical Sciences Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
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17
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Zhang J, Yuan J, Li Z, Fu C, Xu M, Yang J, Jiang X, Zhou B, Ye X, Xu C. Exploring and exploiting plant cyclic peptides for drug discovery and development. Med Res Rev 2021; 41:3096-3117. [PMID: 33599316 DOI: 10.1002/med.21792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2020] [Revised: 01/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Ever since the discovery of insulin, natural peptides have become an important resource for therapeutic development. Decades of research has led to the discovery of a long list of peptide drugs with broad applications in clinics, from antibiotics to hypertension treatment to pain management. Many of these US FDA-approved peptide drugs are derived from microorganisms and animals. By contrast, the great potential of plant cyclic peptides as therapeutics remains largely unexplored. These macrocyclic peptides typically have rigid structures, good bioavailability and membrane permeability, making them appealing candidates for drug development and engineering. In this review, we introduce the three major classes of plant cyclic peptides and summarize their potential medical applications. We discuss how we can leverage the genome information of many different plants to quickly search for new cyclic peptides and how we can take advantage of the insights gained from their biosynthetic pathways to transform the process of production and drug development. These recent developments have provided a new angle for exploring and exploiting plant cyclic peptides, and we believe that many more peptide drugs derived from plants are about to come.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Zhang
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Postdoctoral Research Station, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Jimin Yuan
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhijie Li
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Chunjin Fu
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Menglong Xu
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jing Yang
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Xin Jiang
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Boping Zhou
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiufeng Ye
- Shenzhen People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Chengchao Xu
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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18
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Jackson MA, Nguyen LT, Gilding EK, Durek T, Craik DJ. Make it or break it: Plant AEPs on stage in biotechnology. Biotechnol Adv 2020; 45:107651. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2020.107651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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19
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de Veer SJ, White AM, Craik DJ. Sunflower Trypsin Inhibitor-1 (SFTI-1): Sowing Seeds in the Fields of Chemistry and Biology. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020; 60:8050-8071. [PMID: 32621554 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202006919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Nature-derived cyclic peptides have proven to be a vast source of inspiration for advancing modern pharmaceutical design and synthetic chemistry. The focus of this Review is sunflower trypsin inhibitor-1 (SFTI-1), one of the smallest disulfide-bridged cyclic peptides found in nature. SFTI-1 has an unusual biosynthetic pathway that begins with a dual-purpose albumin precursor and ends with the production of a high-affinity serine protease inhibitor that rivals other inhibitors much larger in size. Investigations on the molecular basis for SFTI-1's rigid structure and adaptable function have planted seeds for thought that have now blossomed in several different fields. Here we survey these applications to highlight the growing potential of SFTI-1 as a versatile template for engineering inhibitors, a prototypic peptide for studying inhibitory mechanisms, a stable scaffold for grafting bioactive peptides, and a model peptide for evaluating peptidomimetic motifs and platform technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon J de Veer
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Andrew M White
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
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20
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Veer SJ, White AM, Craik DJ. Der Sonnenblumen‐Trypsin‐Inhibitor 1 (SFTI‐1) in der Chemie und Biologie. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202006919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Simon J. Veer
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, ARC Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science The University of Queensland Brisbane QLD 4072 Australien
| | - Andrew M. White
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, ARC Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science The University of Queensland Brisbane QLD 4072 Australien
| | - David J. Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, ARC Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science The University of Queensland Brisbane QLD 4072 Australien
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21
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Gitlin-Domagalska A, Maciejewska A, Dębowski D. Bowman-Birk Inhibitors: Insights into Family of Multifunctional Proteins and Peptides with Potential Therapeutical Applications. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2020; 13:ph13120421. [PMID: 33255583 PMCID: PMC7760496 DOI: 10.3390/ph13120421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Bowman-Birk inhibitors (BBIs) are found primarily in seeds of legumes and in cereal grains. These canonical inhibitors share a highly conserved nine-amino acids binding loop motif CTP1SXPPXC (where P1 is the inhibitory active site, while X stands for various amino acids). They are natural controllers of plants' endogenous proteases, but they are also inhibitors of exogenous proteases present in microbials and insects. They are considered as plants' protective agents, as their elevated levels are observed during injury, presence of pathogens, or abiotic stress, i.a. Similar properties are observed for peptides isolated from amphibians' skin containing 11-amino acids disulfide-bridged loop CWTP1SXPPXPC. They are classified as Bowman-Birk like trypsin inhibitors (BBLTIs). These inhibitors are resistant to proteolysis and not toxic, and they are reported to be beneficial in the treatment of various pathological states. In this review, we summarize up-to-date research results regarding BBIs' and BBLTIs' inhibitory activity, immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activity, antimicrobial and insecticidal strength, as well as chemopreventive properties.
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22
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González-Castro R, Gómez-Lim MA, Plisson F. Cysteine-Rich Peptides: Hyperstable Scaffolds for Protein Engineering. Chembiochem 2020; 22:961-973. [PMID: 33095969 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202000634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Cysteine-rich peptides (CRPs) are small proteins of less than 100 amino acids in length characterized by the presence of disulfide bridges and common end-to-end macrocyclization. These properties confer hyperstability against high temperatures, salt concentration, serum presence, and protease degradation to CRPs. Moreover, their intercysteine domains (loops) are susceptible to residue hypervariability. CRPs have been successfully applied as stable scaffolds for molecular grafting, a protein engineering process in which cysteine-rich structures provide higher thermodynamic and metabolic stability to an epitope and acquire new biological function(s). This review describes the successes and limitations of seven cysteine-rich scaffolds, their bioactive epitopes, and the resulting grafted peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael González-Castro
- Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN (CINVESTAV) Unidad de Genómica Avanzada, Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad (Langebio), Irapuato, Guanajuato, 36824, México.,Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN Unidad Irapuato, Departamento de Ingeniería Genética, Irapuato, Guanajuato, 36824, México
| | - Miguel A Gómez-Lim
- Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN Unidad Irapuato, Departamento de Ingeniería Genética, Irapuato, Guanajuato, 36824, México
| | - Fabien Plisson
- CONACYT, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN (CINVESTAV) Unidad de Genómica Avanzada, Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad (Langebio), Irapuato, Guanajuato, 36824, México
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23
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Rodríguez-Decuadro S, da Rosa G, Radío S, Barraco-Vega M, Benko-Iseppon AM, Dans PD, Smircich P, Cecchetto G. Antimicrobial peptides in the seedling transcriptome of the tree legume Peltophorum dubium. Biochimie 2020; 180:229-242. [PMID: 33197551 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2020.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) play an essential role in plant defense against invading pathogens. Due to their biological properties, these molecules have been considered useful for drug development, as novel agents in disease therapeutics, applicable to both agriculture and medicine. New technologies of massive sequencing open opportunities to discover novel AMP encoding genes in wild plant species. This work aimed to identify cysteine-rich AMPs from Peltophorum dubium, a legume tree from South America. We performed whole-transcriptome sequencing of P. dubium seedlings followed by de novo transcriptome assembly, uncovering 78 AMP transcripts classified into five families: hevein-like, lipid-transfer proteins (LTPs), alpha hairpinins, defensins, and snakin/GASA (Giberellic Acid Stimulated in Arabidopsis) peptides. No transcripts with similarity to cyclotide or thionin genes were identified. Genomic DNA analysis by PCR confirmed the presence of 18 genes encoding six putative defensins and 12 snakin/GASA peptides and allowed the characterization of their exon-intron structure. The present work demonstrates that AMP prediction from a wild species is possible using RNA sequencing and de novo transcriptome assembly, regarding a starting point for studies focused on AMP gene evolution and expression. Moreover, this study allowed the detection of strong AMP candidates for drug development and novel biotechnological products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Rodríguez-Decuadro
- Departamento de Biología Vegetal, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de la República, Garzón 780, Montevideo 12900, Uruguay.
| | - Gabriela da Rosa
- Departamento de Biociencias, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, General Flores 2124, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay.
| | - Santiago Radío
- Departamento de Genómica, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable. MEC - Laboratorio de Interacciones Moleculares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, Montevideo, 11400, Uruguay.
| | - Mariana Barraco-Vega
- Departamento de Biociencias, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, General Flores 2124, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay.
| | - Ana Maria Benko-Iseppon
- Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Centro de Biociências, Av. Prof. Moraes Rego, 1235. CEP 50.670-420, Recife, PE, Brazil.
| | - Pablo D Dans
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, CENUR Litoral Norte, Universidad de la República. General Fructuoso Rivera 1350, Laboratorio Genética Funcional, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo. Mataojo 2020, Salto 50000, Montevideo, 11400, Uruguay.
| | - Pablo Smircich
- Departamento de Genómica, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable. MEC - Laboratorio de Interacciones Moleculares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, Montevideo, 11400, Uruguay.
| | - Gianna Cecchetto
- Departamento de Biociencias, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, General Flores 2124, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay; Instituto de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias - Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, General Flores 2124, Montevideo, 11800, Uruguay.
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24
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Payne CD, Vadlamani G, Fisher MF, Zhang J, Clark RJ, Mylne JS, Rosengren KJ. Defining the Familial Fold of the Vicilin-Buried Peptide Family. JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS 2020; 83:3030-3040. [PMID: 32997497 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.0c00594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Plants and their seeds have been shown to be a rich source of cystine-stabilized peptides. Recently a new family of plant seed peptides whose sequences are buried within precursors for seed storage vicilins was identified. Members of this Vicilin-Buried Peptide (VBP) family are found in distantly related plant species including the monocot date palm, as well as dicotyledonous species like pumpkin and sesame. Genetic evidence for their widespread occurrence indicates that they are of ancient origin. Limited structural studies have been conducted on VBP family members, but two members have been shown to adopt a helical hairpin fold. We present an extensive characterization of VBPs using solution NMR spectroscopy, to better understand their structural features. Four peptides were produced by solid phase peptide synthesis and shown to favor a helix-loop-helix hairpin fold, as a result of the I-IV/II-III ladderlike connectivity of their disulfide bonds. Interhelical interactions, including hydrophobic contacts and salt bridges, are critical for the fold stability and control the angle at which the antiparallel α-helices interface. Activities reported for VBPs include trypsin inhibitory activity and inhibition of ribosomal function; however, their diverse structural features despite a common fold suggest that additional bioactivities yet to be revealed are likely.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colton D Payne
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | | | | | | | - Richard J Clark
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | | | - K Johan Rosengren
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
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25
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Kalmankar NV, Venkatesan R, Balaram P, Sowdhamini R. Transcriptomic profiling of the medicinal plant Clitoria ternatea: identification of potential genes in cyclotide biosynthesis. Sci Rep 2020; 10:12658. [PMID: 32728092 PMCID: PMC7391643 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69452-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Clitoria ternatea a perennial climber of the Fabaceae family, is well known for its agricultural and medical applications. It is also currently the only known member of the Fabaceae family that produces abundant amounts of the ultra-stable macrocyclic peptides, cyclotides, across all tissues. Cyclotides are a class of gene-encoded, disulphide-rich, macrocyclic peptides (26–37 residues) acting as defensive metabolites in several plant species. Previous transcriptomic studies have demonstrated the genetic origin of cyclotides from the Fabaceae plant family to be embedded in the albumin-1 genes, unlike its counterparts in other plant families. However, the complete mechanism of its biosynthesis and the repertoire of enzymes involved in cyclotide folding and processing remains to be understood. In this study, using RNA-Seq data and de novo transcriptome assembly of Clitoria ternatea, we have identified 71 precursor genes of cyclotides. Out of 71 unique cyclotide precursor genes obtained, 51 sequences display unique cyclotide domains, of which 26 are novel cyclotide sequences, arising from four individual tissues. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis of fractions from different tissue extracts, coupled with precursor protein sequences obtained from transcriptomic data, established the cyclotide diversity in this plant species. Special focus in this study has also been on identifying possible enzymes responsible for proper folding and processing of cyclotides in the cell. Transcriptomic mining for oxidative folding enzymes such as protein-disulphide isomerases (PDI), ER oxidoreductin-1 (ERO1) and peptidylprolyl cis-trans isomerases (PPIases)/cyclophilins, and their levels of expression are also reported. In particular, it was observed that the CtPDI genes formed plant-specific clusters among PDI genes as compared to those from other plant species. Collectively, this work provides insights into the biogenesis of the medicinally important cyclotides and establishes the expression of certain key enzymes participating in peptide biosynthesis. Also, several novel cyclotide sequences are reported and precursor sequences are analysed in detail. In the absence of a published reference genome, a comprehensive transcriptomics approach was adopted to provide an overview of diverse properties and constituents of C. ternatea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha V Kalmankar
- National Centre for Biological Sciences (TIFR), GKVK Campus, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560065, India.,The University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology (TDU), #74/2, Jarakabande Kaval, Post Attur, Via Yelahanka, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560064, India
| | - Radhika Venkatesan
- National Centre for Biological Sciences (TIFR), GKVK Campus, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560065, India.,Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research, Kolkata, Mohanpur, West Bengal, 741246, India
| | - Padmanabhan Balaram
- National Centre for Biological Sciences (TIFR), GKVK Campus, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560065, India.,Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560012, India
| | - Ramanathan Sowdhamini
- National Centre for Biological Sciences (TIFR), GKVK Campus, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560065, India.
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26
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Dall E, Zauner FB, Soh WT, Demir F, Dahms SO, Cabrele C, Huesgen PF, Brandstetter H. Structural and functional studies of Arabidopsis thaliana legumain beta reveal isoform specific mechanisms of activation and substrate recognition. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:13047-13064. [PMID: 32719006 PMCID: PMC7489914 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.014478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The vacuolar cysteine protease legumain plays important functions in seed maturation and plant programmed cell death. Because of their dual protease and ligase activity, plant legumains have become of particular biotechnological interest, e.g. for the synthesis of cyclic peptides for drug design or for protein engineering. However, the molecular mechanisms behind their dual protease and ligase activities are still poorly understood, limiting their applications. Here, we present the crystal structure of Arabidopsis thaliana legumain isoform β (AtLEGβ) in its zymogen state. Combining structural and biochemical experiments, we show for the first time that plant legumains encode distinct, isoform-specific activation mechanisms. Whereas the autocatalytic activation of isoform γ (AtLEGγ) is controlled by the latency-conferring dimer state, the activation of the monomeric AtLEGβ is concentration independent. Additionally, in AtLEGβ the plant-characteristic two-chain intermediate state is stabilized by hydrophobic rather than ionic interactions, as in AtLEGγ, resulting in significantly different pH stability profiles. The crystal structure of AtLEGβ revealed unrestricted nonprime substrate binding pockets, consistent with the broad substrate specificity, as determined by degradomic assays. Further to its protease activity, we show that AtLEGβ exhibits a true peptide ligase activity. Whereas cleavage-dependent transpeptidase activity has been reported for other plant legumains, AtLEGβ is the first example of a plant legumain capable of linking free termini. The discovery of these isoform-specific differences will allow us to identify and rationally design efficient ligases with application in biotechnology and drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elfriede Dall
- Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Florian B Zauner
- Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Wai Tuck Soh
- Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Fatih Demir
- Central Institute for Engineering, Electronics and Analytics, ZEA-3, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Sven O Dahms
- Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Chiara Cabrele
- Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Pitter F Huesgen
- Central Institute for Engineering, Electronics and Analytics, ZEA-3, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany; CECAD, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany; Institute for Biochemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Hans Brandstetter
- Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
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27
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Fisher MF, Zhang J, Berkowitz O, Whelan J, Mylne JS. Cyclic Peptides in Seed of Annona muricata Are Ribosomally Synthesized. JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS 2020; 83:1167-1173. [PMID: 32239926 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.9b01209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Small, cyclic peptides are reported to have many bioactivities. In bacteria and fungi, they can be made by nonribosomal peptide synthetases, but in plants they are exclusively ribosomal. Cyclic peptides from the Annona genus possess cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory activities, but their biosynthesis is unknown. The medicinal soursop plant, Annona muricata, contains annomuricatins A (cyclo-PGFVSA) and B (cyclo-PNAWLGT). Here, using de novo transcriptomics and tandem mass spectrometry, we identify a suite of short transcripts for precursor proteins for 10 validated annomuricatins, 9 of which are novel. In their precursors, annomuricatins are preceded by an absolutely conserved Glu and each peptide sequence has a conserved proto-C-terminal Pro, revealing parallels with the segetalin orbitides from the seed of Vaccaria hispanica, which are processed through ligation by a prolyl oligopeptidase in a transpeptidation reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark F Fisher
- The University of Western Australia, School of Molecular Sciences & ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Jingjing Zhang
- The University of Western Australia, School of Molecular Sciences & ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Oliver Berkowitz
- Department of Animal, Plant and Soil Sciences, School of Life Sciences & ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub in Medicinal Agriculture, AgriBio building, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3086, Australia
| | - James Whelan
- Department of Animal, Plant and Soil Sciences, School of Life Sciences & ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub in Medicinal Agriculture, AgriBio building, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3086, Australia
| | - Joshua S Mylne
- The University of Western Australia, School of Molecular Sciences & ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
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28
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Poreba M. Recent advances in the development of legumain-selective chemical probes and peptide prodrugs. Biol Chem 2020; 400:1529-1550. [PMID: 31021817 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2019-0135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Legumain, which is also known as vacuolar processing enzyme (VPE) or asparaginyl endopeptidase (AEP), is a cysteine protease that was first discovered and characterized in the leguminous seeds of the moth bean in the early 1990s. Later, this enzyme was also detected in higher organisms, including eukaryotes. This pH-dependent protease displays the highest activity in acidic endolysosomal compartments; however, legumain also displays nuclear, cytosolic and extracellular activity when stabilized by other proteins or intramolecular complexes. Based on the results from over 25 years of research, this protease is involved in multiple cellular events, including protein degradation and antigen presentation. Moreover, when dysregulated, this protease contributes to the progression of several diseases, with cancer being the well-studied example. Research on legumain biology was undoubtedly facilitated by the use of small molecule chemical tools. Therefore, in this review, I present the historical perspectives and most current strategies for the development of small molecule substrates, inhibitors and activity-based probes for legumain. These tools are of paramount importance in elucidating the roles of legumain in multiple biological processes. Finally, as this enzyme appears to be a promising molecular target for anticancer therapies, the development of legumain-activated prodrugs is also described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcin Poreba
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wyb. Wyspianskiego 27, 50-370, Wroclaw, Poland
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29
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Yamada K, Basak AK, Goto-Yamada S, Tarnawska-Glatt K, Hara-Nishimura I. Vacuolar processing enzymes in the plant life cycle. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 226:21-31. [PMID: 31679161 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Vacuolar processing enzyme (VPE) is a cysteine-type endopeptidase that has a substrate-specificity for asparagine or aspartic acid residues and cleaves peptide bonds at their carboxyl-terminal side. Various vacuolar proteins are synthesized as larger proprotein precursors, and VPE is an important initiator of maturation and activation of these proteins. It mediates programmed cell death (PCD) by provoking vacuolar rupture and initiating the proteolytic cascade leading to PCD. Vacuolar processing enzyme also possesses a peptide ligation activity, which is responsible for producing cyclic peptides in several plant species. These unique functions of VPE support developmental and environmental responses in plants. The number of VPE homologues is higher in angiosperm species, indicating that there has been differentiation and specialization of VPE function over the course of evolution. Angiosperm VPEs are separated into two major types: the γ-type VPEs, which are expressed mainly in vegetative organs, and the β-type VPEs, whose expression occurs mainly in storage organs; in eudicots, the δ-type VPEs are further separated within γ-type VPEs. This review also considers the importance of processing and peptide ligation by VPE in vacuolar protein maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Yamada
- Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, 30-387, Poland
| | - Arpan Kumar Basak
- Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, 30-387, Poland
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, 30-387, Poland
| | - Shino Goto-Yamada
- Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, 30-387, Poland
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30
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Du J, Yap K, Chan LY, Rehm FBH, Looi FY, Poth AG, Gilding EK, Kaas Q, Durek T, Craik DJ. A bifunctional asparaginyl endopeptidase efficiently catalyzes both cleavage and cyclization of cyclic trypsin inhibitors. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1575. [PMID: 32221295 PMCID: PMC7101308 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15418-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Asparaginyl endopeptidases (AEPs) catalyze the key backbone cyclization step during the biosynthesis of plant-derived cyclic peptides. Here, we report the identification of two AEPs from Momordica cochinchinensis and biochemically characterize MCoAEP2 that catalyzes the maturation of trypsin inhibitor cyclotides. Recombinantly produced MCoAEP2 catalyzes the backbone cyclization of a linear cyclotide precursor (MCoTI-II-NAL) with a kcat/Km of 620 mM−1 s−1, making it one of the fastest cyclases reported to date. We show that MCoAEP2 can mediate both the N-terminal excision and C-terminal cyclization of cyclotide precursors in vitro. The rate of cyclization/hydrolysis is primarily influenced by varying pH, which could potentially control the succession of AEP-mediated processing events in vivo. Furthermore, MCoAEP2 efficiently catalyzes the backbone cyclization of an engineered MCoTI-II analog with anti-angiogenic activity. MCoAEP2 provides enhanced synthetic access to structures previously inaccessible by direct chemistry approaches and enables the wider application of trypsin inhibitor cyclotides in biotechnology applications. Asparaginyl endopeptidases (AEPs) catalyze the cyclization step during the biosynthesis of cyclic peptides in plants. Here, the authors report a recombinantly produced AEP that catalyzes the backbone cyclization of a linear cyclotide precursor and an engineered analog with high efficiency and in a pH-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junqiao Du
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Kuok Yap
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Lai Yue Chan
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Fabian B H Rehm
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Fong Yang Looi
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Aaron G Poth
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Edward K Gilding
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Quentin Kaas
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Thomas Durek
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia.
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia.
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31
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Tombling BJ, Wang CK, Craik DJ. EGF‐artige und andere disulfidreiche Mikrodomänen als therapeutische Molekülgerüste. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201913809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J. Tombling
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience The University of Queensland Brisbane QLD 4072 Australien
| | - Conan K. Wang
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience The University of Queensland Brisbane QLD 4072 Australien
| | - David J. Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience The University of Queensland Brisbane QLD 4072 Australien
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32
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Tombling BJ, Wang CK, Craik DJ. EGF-like and Other Disulfide-rich Microdomains as Therapeutic Scaffolds. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020; 59:11218-11232. [PMID: 31867866 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201913809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Disulfide bonds typically introduce conformational constraints into peptides and proteins, conferring improved biopharmaceutical properties and greater therapeutic potential. In our opinion, disulfide-rich microdomains from proteins are potentially a rich and under-explored source of drug leads. A survey of the UniProt protein database shows that these domains are widely distributed throughout the plant and animal kingdoms, with the EGF-like domain being the most abundant of these domains. EGF-like domains exhibit large diversity in their disulfide bond topologies and calcium binding modes, which we classify in detail here. We found that many EGF-like domains are associated with disease phenotypes, and the interactions they mediate are potential therapeutic targets. Indeed, EGF-based therapeutic leads have been identified, and we further propose that these domains can be optimized to expand their therapeutic potential using chemical design strategies. This Review highlights the potential of disulfide-rich microdomains as future peptide therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J Tombling
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Conan K Wang
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
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33
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De Novo Peptide Sequencing Reveals Many Cyclopeptides in the Human Gut and Other Environments. Cell Syst 2019; 10:99-108.e5. [PMID: 31864964 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2019.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Revised: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Cyclic and branch cyclic peptides (cyclopeptides) represent a class of bioactive natural products that include many antibiotics and anti-tumor compounds. Despite the recent advances in metabolomics analysis, still little is known about the cyclopeptides in the human gut and their possible interactions due to a lack of computational analysis pipelines that are applicable to such compounds. Here, we introduce CycloNovo, an algorithm for automated de novo cyclopeptide analysis and sequencing that employs de Bruijn graphs, the workhorse of DNA sequencing algorithms, to identify cyclopeptides in spectral datasets. CycloNovo reconstructed 32 previously unreported cyclopeptides (to the best of our knowledge) in the human gut and reported over a hundred cyclopeptides in other environments represented by various spectra on Global Natural Products Social Molecular Network (GNPS). https://github.com/bbehsaz/cyclonovo.
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34
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Progress toward sourcing plants for new bioconjugation tools: a screening evaluation of a model peptide ligase using a synthetic precursor. 3 Biotech 2019; 9:442. [PMID: 31763120 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-019-1983-2] [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: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In the present study, leaves from 39 phylogenetically distant plant species were sampled and screened for asparaginyl endopeptidase ligase activity using mass spectrometry to test the generality of peptide ligases in plants. A modified version of the sunflower trypsin inhibitor-1 precursor was used as the substrate for reactions with leaf crude extracts and protein fractions. Masses consistent with products of asparaginyl endopeptidase activities that cleave and ligate the substrate into cyclic peptide following the reactions were detected in 8 plants: Nerium oleander and Thevetia peruviana of the family Apocynaceae; Bauhinia variegata, Dermatophyllum secundiflorum, Pithecellobium flexicaule, and Prosopis chilensis of the family Fabaceae; Morus alba of the family Moraceae; and Citrus aurantium of the family Rutaceae. This screening result represents a 20% hit rate for finding asparaginyl endopeptidase ligase activity from the arbitrary plants sampled. Analysis following a 2-h reaction of the substrate with the crude extract of D. secundiflorum leaves showed that the yield of cyclic peptide remained stable around 0.5 ± 0.1% of the substrate over the course of the reaction.
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35
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36
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Franke B, Mylne JS, Rosengren KJ. Buried treasure: biosynthesis, structures and applications of cyclic peptides hidden in seed storage albumins. Nat Prod Rep 2019; 35:137-146. [PMID: 29379937 DOI: 10.1039/c7np00066a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Covering: 1999 up to the end of 2017The small cyclic peptide SunFlower Trypsin Inhibitor-1 (SFTI-1) from sunflower seeds is the prototypic member of a novel family of natural products. The biosynthesis of these peptides is intriguing as their gene-encoded peptide backbone emerges from a precursor protein that also contains a seed storage albumin. The peptide sequence is cleaved out from the precursor and cyclised by the albumin-maturing enzymatic machinery. Three-dimensional solution NMR structures of a number of these peptides, and of the intact precursor protein preproalbumin with SFTI-1, have now been elucidated. Furthermore, the evolution of the family has been described and a detailed understanding of the biosynthetic steps, which are necessary to produce cyclic SFTI-1, is emerging. Macrocyclisation provides peptide stability and thus represents a key strategy in peptide drug development. Consequently the constrained structure of SFTI-1 has been explored as a template for protein engineering, for tuning selectivity towards clinically relevant proteases and for grafting in sequences with completely novel functions. Here we review the discovery of the SFTI-1 peptide family, their evolution, biosynthetic origin, and structural features, as well as highlight the potential applications of this unique class of natural products.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Franke
- The University of Queensland, Faculty of Medicine, School of Biomedical Sciences, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
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37
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Pouvreau B, Fenske R, Ivanova A, Murcha MW, Mylne JS. An interstitial peptide is readily processed from within seed proteins. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2019; 285:175-183. [PMID: 31203882 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2019.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2019] [Revised: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The importance of de novo protein evolution is apparent, but most examples are de novo coding transcripts evolving from silent or non-coding DNA. The peptide macrocycle SunFlower Trypsin Inhibitor 1 (SFTI-1) evolved over 45 million years from genetic expansion within the N-terminal 'discarded' region of an ancestral seed albumin precursor. SFTI-1 and its adjacent albumin are both processed into separate, mature forms by asparaginyl endopeptidase (AEP). Here to determine whether the evolution of SFTI-1 in a latent region of its precursor was critical, we used a transgene approach in A. thaliana analysed by peptide mass spectrometry and RT-qPCR. SFTI could emerge from alternative locations within preproalbumin as well as emerge with precision from unrelated seed proteins via AEP-processing. SFTI production was possible with the adjacent albumin, but peptide levels dropped greatly without the albumin. The ability for SFTI to be processed from multiple sequence contexts and different proteins suggests that to make peptide, it was not crucial for the genetic expansion that gave rise to SFTI and its family to be within a latent protein region. Interstitial peptides, evolving like SFTI within existing proteins, might be more widespread and as a mechanism, SFTI exemplifies a stable, new, functional peptide that did not need a new gene to evolve de novo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Pouvreau
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia; The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
| | - Ricarda Fenske
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia; The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
| | - Aneta Ivanova
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia; The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
| | - Monika W Murcha
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia; The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
| | - Joshua S Mylne
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia; The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia.
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38
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James AM, Haywood J, Leroux J, Ignasiak K, Elliott AG, Schmidberger JW, Fisher MF, Nonis SG, Fenske R, Bond CS, Mylne JS. The macrocyclizing protease butelase 1 remains autocatalytic and reveals the structural basis for ligase activity. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2019; 98:988-999. [PMID: 30790358 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Revised: 02/03/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Plant asparaginyl endopeptidases (AEPs) are expressed as inactive zymogens that perform maturation of seed storage protein upon cleavage-dependent autoactivation in the low-pH environment of storage vacuoles. The AEPs have attracted attention for their macrocyclization reactions, and have been classified as cleavage or ligation specialists. However, we have recently shown that the ability of AEPs to produce either cyclic or acyclic products can be altered by mutations to the active site region, and that several AEPs are capable of macrocyclization given favorable pH conditions. One AEP extracted from Clitoria ternatea seeds (butelase 1) is classified as a ligase rather than a protease, presenting an opportunity to test for loss of cleavage activity. Here, making recombinant butelase 1 and rescuing an Arabidopsis thaliana mutant lacking AEP, we show that butelase 1 retains cleavage functions in vitro and in vivo. The in vivo rescue was incomplete, consistent with some trade-off for butelase 1 specialization toward macrocyclization. Its crystal structure showed an active site with only subtle differences from cleaving AEPs, suggesting the many differences in its peptide-binding region are the source of its efficient macrocyclization. All considered, it seems that either butelase 1 has not fully specialized or a requirement for autocatalytic cleavage is an evolutionary constraint upon macrocyclizing AEPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy M James
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
- The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
| | - Joel Haywood
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
- The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
| | - Julie Leroux
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
- The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
| | - Katarzyna Ignasiak
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
| | - Alysha G Elliott
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Qld, 4072, Australia
| | - Jason W Schmidberger
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
| | - Mark F Fisher
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
- The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
| | - Samuel G Nonis
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
- The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
| | - Ricarda Fenske
- The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
| | - Charles S Bond
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
| | - Joshua S Mylne
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
- The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
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Oguis GK, Gilding EK, Jackson MA, Craik DJ. Butterfly Pea ( Clitoria ternatea), a Cyclotide-Bearing Plant With Applications in Agriculture and Medicine. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:645. [PMID: 31191573 PMCID: PMC6546959 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
The perennial leguminous herb Clitoria ternatea (butterfly pea) has attracted significant interest based on its agricultural and medical applications, which range from use as a fodder and nitrogen fixing crop, to applications in food coloring and cosmetics, traditional medicine and as a source of an eco-friendly insecticide. In this article we provide a broad multidisciplinary review that includes descriptions of the physical appearance, distribution, taxonomy, habitat, growth and propagation, phytochemical composition and applications of this plant. Notable amongst its repertoire of chemical components are anthocyanins which give C. ternatea flowers their characteristic blue color, and cyclotides, ultra-stable macrocyclic peptides that are present in all tissues of this plant. The latter are potent insecticidal molecules and are implicated as the bioactive agents in a plant extract used commercially as an insecticide. We include a description of the genetic origin of these peptides, which interestingly involve the co-option of an ancestral albumin gene to produce the cyclotide precursor protein. The biosynthesis step in which the cyclic peptide backbone is formed involves an asparaginyl endopeptidase, of which in C. ternatea is known as butelase-1. This enzyme is highly efficient in peptide ligation and has been the focus of many recent studies on peptide ligation and cyclization for biotechnological applications. The article concludes with some suggestions for future studies on this plant, including the need to explore possible synergies between the various peptidic and non-peptidic phytochemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - David J. Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
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40
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Zhang J, Payne CD, Pouvreau B, Schaefer H, Fisher MF, Taylor NL, Berkowitz O, Whelan J, Rosengren KJ, Mylne JS. An Ancient Peptide Family Buried within Vicilin Precursors. ACS Chem Biol 2019; 14:979-993. [PMID: 30973714 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.9b00167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
New proteins can evolve by duplication and divergence or de novo, from previously noncoding DNA. A recently observed mechanism is for peptides to evolve within a "host" protein and emerge by proteolytic processing. The first examples of such interstitial peptides were ones hosted by precursors for seed storage albumin. Interstitial peptides have also been observed in precursors for seed vicilins, but current evidence for vicilin-buried peptides (VBPs) is limited to seeds of the broadleaf plants pumpkin and macadamia. Here, an extensive sequence analysis of vicilin precursors suggested that peptides buried within the N-terminal region of preprovicilins are widespread and truly ancient. Gene sequences indicative of interstitial peptides were found in species from Amborellales to eudicots and include important grass and legume crop species. We show the first protein evidence for a monocot VBP in date palm seeds as well as protein evidence from other crops including the common tomato, sesame and pumpkin relatives, cucumber, and the sponge loofah ( Luffa aegyptiaca). Their excision was consistent with asparaginyl endopeptidase-mediated maturation, and sequences were confirmed by tandem mass spectrometry. Our findings suggest that the family is large and ancient and that based on the NMR solution structures for loofah Luffin P1 and tomato VBP-8, VBPs adopt a helical hairpin fold stapled by two internal disulfide bonds. The first VBPs characterized were a protease inhibitor, antimicrobials, and a ribosome inactivator. The age and evolutionary retention of this peptide family suggest its members play important roles in plant biology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Colton D. Payne
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | | | - Hanno Schaefer
- Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Plant Biodiversity Research, Technical University of Munich, 85354, Freising, Germany
| | | | | | - Oliver Berkowitz
- Department of Animal, Plant, and Soil Sciences, School of Life Sciences and ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, AgriBio, The Centre for AgriBioscience, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3086 Australia
| | - James Whelan
- Department of Animal, Plant, and Soil Sciences, School of Life Sciences and ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, AgriBio, The Centre for AgriBioscience, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3086 Australia
| | - K. Johan Rosengren
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
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41
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Jackson MA, Yap K, Poth AG, Gilding EK, Swedberg JE, Poon S, Qu H, Durek T, Harris K, Anderson MA, Craik DJ. Rapid and Scalable Plant-Based Production of a Potent Plasmin Inhibitor Peptide. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:602. [PMID: 31156672 PMCID: PMC6530601 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The backbone cyclic and disulfide bridged sunflower trypsin inhibitor-1 (SFTI-1) peptide is a proven effective scaffold for a range of peptide therapeutics. For production at laboratory scale, solid phase peptide synthesis techniques are widely used, but these synthetic approaches are costly and environmentally taxing at large scale. Here, we developed a plant-based approach for the recombinant production of SFTI-1-based peptide drugs. We show that transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana allows for rapid peptide production, provided that asparaginyl endopeptidase enzymes with peptide-ligase functionality are co-expressed with the substrate peptide gene. Without co-expression, no target cyclic peptides are detected, reflecting rapid in planta degradation of non-cyclized substrate. We test this recombinant production system by expressing a SFTI-1-based therapeutic candidate that displays potent and selective inhibition of human plasmin. By using an innovative multi-unit peptide expression cassette, we show that in planta yields reach ~60 μg/g dry weight at 6 days post leaf infiltration. Using nuclear magnetic resonance structural analysis and functional in vitro assays, we demonstrate the equivalence of plant and synthetically derived plasmin inhibitor peptide. The methods and insights gained in this study provide opportunities for the large scale, cost effective production of SFTI-1-based therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A. Jackson
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Kuok Yap
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Aaron G. Poth
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Edward K. Gilding
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Joakim E. Swedberg
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Simon Poon
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Haiou Qu
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Thomas Durek
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Karen Harris
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Marilyn A. Anderson
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - David J. Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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42
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Cheng X, Hong H, Zhou Z, Wu Z. Enzymatic On-Resin Peptide Cleavage and in Situ Cyclization One-Pot Strategy for the Synthesis of Cyclopeptide and Cyclotide. J Org Chem 2018; 83:14078-14083. [PMID: 30277068 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.8b02032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
A one-pot strategy combining sortase A mediated on-resin peptide cleavage and in situ cyclization was developed for the synthesis of cyclic peptides. This strategy was applied to synthesize head-to-tail cyclic antibacterial bovine lactoferricin peptide LFcinB20-35 in a yield of 67%. The one-pot strategy was compatible with an oxidative folding reaction, and complex cyclotides containing one or two disulfide bonds, such as sunflower trypsin inhibitors-1 and α-conotoxin MII, were successfully synthesized in one pot in a yield of 77% and 61%, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaozhong Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry & Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology , Jiangnan University , Wuxi 214122 , China
| | - Haofei Hong
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry & Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology , Jiangnan University , Wuxi 214122 , China
| | - Zhifang Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry & Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology , Jiangnan University , Wuxi 214122 , China
| | - Zhimeng Wu
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry & Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology , Jiangnan University , Wuxi 214122 , China
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43
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Gene-guided discovery and engineering of branched cyclic peptides in plants. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E10961-E10969. [PMID: 30373830 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1813993115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The plant kingdom contains vastly untapped natural product chemistry, which has been traditionally explored through the activity-guided approach. Here, we describe a gene-guided approach to discover and engineer a class of plant ribosomal peptides, the branched cyclic lyciumins. Initially isolated from the Chinese wolfberry Lycium barbarum, lyciumins are protease-inhibiting peptides featuring an N-terminal pyroglutamate and a macrocyclic bond between a tryptophan-indole nitrogen and a glycine α-carbon. We report the identification of a lyciumin precursor gene from L. barbarum, which encodes a BURP domain and repetitive lyciumin precursor peptide motifs. Genome mining enabled by this initial finding revealed rich lyciumin genotypes and chemotypes widespread in flowering plants. We establish a biosynthetic framework of lyciumins and demonstrate the feasibility of producing diverse natural and unnatural lyciumins in transgenic tobacco. With rapidly expanding plant genome resources, our approach will complement bioactivity-guided approaches to unlock and engineer hidden plant peptide chemistry for pharmaceutical and agrochemical applications.
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44
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de Veer SJ, Li CY, Swedberg JE, Schroeder CI, Craik DJ. Engineering potent mesotrypsin inhibitors based on the plant-derived cyclic peptide, sunflower trypsin inhibitor-1. Eur J Med Chem 2018; 155:695-704. [PMID: 29936356 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.06.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Revised: 05/24/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Plants produce a diverse range of peptides and proteins that inhibit the activity of different serine proteases. The value of these inhibitors not only stems from their native role(s) in planta, but they are also regarded as promising templates for inhibitor engineering. Interest in this field has grown rapidly in recent years, particularly for therapeutic applications. The serine protease mesotrypsin has been implicated in several cancers, but is a challenging target for inhibitor engineering as a number of serine protease inhibitors that typically display broad-range activity show limited activity against mesotrypsin. In this study, we use a cyclic peptide isolated from sunflower seeds, sunflower trypsin inhibitor-1 (SFTI-1), as a scaffold for engineering potent mesotrypsin inhibitors. SFTI-1 comprises 14-amino acids and is a potent inhibitor of human cationic trypsin (Ki = 30 ± 0.8 pM) but shows 165,000-fold weaker activity against mesotrypsin (Ki = 4.96 ± 0.2 μM). Using an inhibitor library based on SFTI-1, we show that the inhibitor's P2' residue (Ile) is a key contributor to SFTI-1's limited activity against mesotrypsin. Substituting P2' Ile with chemically diverse amino acids, including non-canonical aromatic residues, produced new inhibitor variants that maintained a similar structure to SFTI-1 and showed marked improvements in activity (exceeding 100-fold). An assessment of the activity of the new inhibitors against closely-related trypsin paralogs revealed that the improved activity against mesotrypsin was accompanied by a loss in activity against off-target proteases, such that several engineered variants showed comparable activity against mesotrypsin and human cationic trypsin. Together, these findings identify potent mesotrypsin inhibitors that are suitable for further optimisation studies and demonstrate the potential gains in activity and selectivity that can be achieved by optimising the P2' residue, particularly for engineered SFTI-based inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon J de Veer
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Choi Yi Li
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Joakim E Swedberg
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Christina I Schroeder
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
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45
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Molecular basis for the production of cyclic peptides by plant asparaginyl endopeptidases. Nat Commun 2018; 9:2411. [PMID: 29925835 PMCID: PMC6010433 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04669-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 05/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Asparaginyl endopeptidases (AEPs) are proteases that have crucial roles in plant defense and seed storage protein maturation. Select plant AEPs, however, do not function as proteases but as transpeptidases (ligases) catalyzing the intra-molecular ligation of peptide termini, which leads to peptide cyclization. These ligase-type AEPs have potential biotechnological applications ranging from in vitro peptide engineering to plant molecular farming, but the structural features enabling these enzymes to catalyze peptide ligation/cyclization rather than proteolysis are currently unknown. Here, we compare the sequences, structures, and functions of diverse plant AEPs by combining molecular modeling, sequence space analysis, and functional testing in planta. We find that changes within the substrate-binding pocket and an adjacent loop, here named the “marker of ligase activity”, together play a key role for AEP ligase efficiency. Identification of these structural determinants may facilitate the discovery of more ligase-type AEPs and the engineering of AEPs with tailored catalytic properties. Asparaginyl endopeptidases (AEPs) are plant proteases that can also function as ligases, catalyzing the production of cyclic plant peptides. Here, the authors identify structural features that govern AEP ligase activity, providing insights to aid the discovery and engineering of ligase-type AEPs.
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46
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James AM, Haywood J, Mylne JS. Macrocyclization by asparaginyl endopeptidases. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2018; 218:923-928. [PMID: 28322452 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2016] [Accepted: 01/24/2017] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Contents Summary 923 I. Introduction 923 II. Plant AEPs with macrocyclizing ability 924 III. Mechanism of macrocyclization by AEPs 925 IV. Conclusions 927 Acknowledgements 927 References 927 SUMMARY: Plant asparaginyl endopeptidases (AEPs) are important for the post-translational processing of seed storage proteins via cleavage of precursor proteins. Some AEPs also function as peptide bond-makers during the biosynthesis of several unrelated classes of cyclic peptides, namely the kalata-type cyclic peptides, PawS-Derived Peptides and cyclic knottins. These three families of gene-encoded peptides have different evolutionary origins, but all have recruited AEPs for their maturation. In the last few years, the field has advanced rapidly, with the biochemical characterization of three plant AEPs capable of peptide macrocyclization, and insights have been gained from the first AEP crystal structures, albeit mammalian ones. Although the biochemical studies have improved our understanding of the mechanism of action, the focus now is to understand what changes in AEP sequence and structure enable some plant AEPs to perform macrocyclization reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy M James
- School of Molecular Sciences & The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
| | - Joel Haywood
- School of Molecular Sciences & The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
| | - Joshua S Mylne
- School of Molecular Sciences & The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia
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47
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Grosse‐Holz F, Kelly S, Blaskowski S, Kaschani F, Kaiser M, van der Hoorn RA. The transcriptome, extracellular proteome and active secretome of agroinfiltrated Nicotiana benthamiana uncover a large, diverse protease repertoire. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2018; 16:1068-1084. [PMID: 29055088 PMCID: PMC5902771 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Revised: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 10/15/2017] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Infiltration of disarmed Agrobacterium tumefaciens into leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana (agroinfiltration) facilitates quick and safe production of antibodies, vaccines, enzymes and metabolites for industrial use (molecular farming). However, yield and purity of proteins produced by agroinfiltration are hampered by unintended proteolysis, restricting industrial viability of the agroinfiltration platform. Proteolysis may be linked to an immune response to agroinfiltration, but understanding of the response to agroinfiltration is limited. To identify the proteases, we studied the transcriptome, extracellular proteome and active secretome of agroinfiltrated leaves over a time course, with and without the P19 silencing inhibitor. Remarkably, the P19 expression had little effect on the leaf transcriptome and no effect on the extracellular proteome. 25% of the detected transcripts changed in abundance upon agroinfiltration, associated with a gradual up-regulation of immunity at the expense of photosynthesis. By contrast, 70% of the extracellular proteins increased in abundance, in many cases associated with increased efficiency of extracellular delivery. We detect a dynamic reprogramming of the proteolytic machinery upon agroinfiltration by detecting transcripts encoding for 975 different proteases and protease homologs. The extracellular proteome contains peptides derived from 196 proteases and protease homologs, and activity-based proteomics displayed 17 active extracellular Ser and Cys proteases in agroinfiltrated leaves. We discuss unique features of the N. benthamiana protease repertoire and highlight abundant extracellular proteases in agroinfiltrated leaves, being targets for reverse genetics. This data set increases our understanding of the plant response to agroinfiltration and indicates ways to improve a key expression platform for both plant science and molecular farming.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Steven Kelly
- Department of Plant SciencesUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Svenja Blaskowski
- Chemische BiologieZentrum für Medizinische BiotechnologieFakultät für BiologieUniversität Duisburg‐EssenEssenGermany
| | - Farnusch Kaschani
- Chemische BiologieZentrum für Medizinische BiotechnologieFakultät für BiologieUniversität Duisburg‐EssenEssenGermany
| | - Markus Kaiser
- Chemische BiologieZentrum für Medizinische BiotechnologieFakultät für BiologieUniversität Duisburg‐EssenEssenGermany
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48
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Designing macrocyclic disulfide-rich peptides for biotechnological applications. Nat Chem Biol 2018; 14:417-427. [DOI: 10.1038/s41589-018-0039-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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49
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Zauner FB, Elsässer B, Dall E, Cabrele C, Brandstetter H. Structural analyses of Arabidopsis thaliana legumain γ reveal differential recognition and processing of proteolysis and ligation substrates. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:8934-8946. [PMID: 29628443 PMCID: PMC5995516 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m117.817031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2017] [Revised: 02/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Legumain is a dual-function protease-peptide ligase whose activities are of great interest to researchers studying plant physiology and to biotechnological applications. However, the molecular mechanisms determining the specificities for proteolysis and ligation are unclear because structural information on the substrate recognition by a fully activated plant legumain is unavailable. Here, we present the X-ray structure of Arabidopsis thaliana legumain isoform γ (AtLEGγ) in complex with the covalent peptidic Ac-YVAD chloromethyl ketone (CMK) inhibitor targeting the catalytic cysteine. Mapping of the specificity pockets preceding the substrate-cleavage site explained the known substrate preference. The comparison of inhibited and free AtLEGγ structures disclosed a substrate-induced disorder-order transition with synergistic rearrangements in the substrate-recognition sites. Docking and in vitro studies with an AtLEGγ ligase substrate, sunflower trypsin inhibitor (SFTI), revealed a canonical, protease substrate-like binding to the active site-binding pockets preceding and following the cleavage site. We found the interaction of the second residue after the scissile bond, P2'-S2', to be critical for deciding on proteolysis versus cyclization. cis-trans-Isomerization of the cyclic peptide product triggered its release from the AtLEGγ active site and prevented inadvertent cleavage. The presented integrative mechanisms of proteolysis and ligation (transpeptidation) explain the interdependence of legumain and its preferred substrates and provide a rational framework for engineering optimized proteases, ligases, and substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian B Zauner
- From the Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Salzburg 5020, Austria
| | - Brigitta Elsässer
- From the Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Salzburg 5020, Austria
| | - Elfriede Dall
- From the Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Salzburg 5020, Austria
| | - Chiara Cabrele
- From the Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Salzburg 5020, Austria
| | - Hans Brandstetter
- From the Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Salzburg 5020, Austria
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50
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Fisher MF, Zhang J, Taylor NL, Howard MJ, Berkowitz O, Debowski AW, Behsaz B, Whelan J, Pevzner PA, Mylne JS. A family of small, cyclic peptides buried in preproalbumin since the Eocene epoch. PLANT DIRECT 2018; 2:e00042. [PMID: 30417166 PMCID: PMC6223261 DOI: 10.1002/pld3.42] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Orbitides are cyclic ribosomally-synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) from plants; they consist of standard amino acids arranged in an unbroken chain of peptide bonds. These cyclic peptides are stable and range in size and topologies making them potential scaffolds for peptide drugs; some display valuable biological activities. Recently two orbitides whose sequences were buried in those of seed storage albumin precursors were said to represent the first observable step in the evolution of larger and hydrophilic bicyclic peptides. Here, guided by transcriptome data, we investigated peptide extracts of 40 species specifically for the more hydrophobic orbitides and confirmed 44 peptides by tandem mass spectrometry, as well as obtaining solution structures for four of them by NMR. Acquiring transcriptomes from the phylogenetically important Corymboideae family confirmed the precursor genes for the peptides (called PawS1-Like or PawL1) are confined to the Asteroideae, a subfamily of the huge plant family Asteraceae. To be confined to the Asteroideae indicates these peptides arose during the Eocene epoch around 45 Mya. Unlike other orbitides, all PawL-derived Peptides contain an Asp residue, needed for processing by asparaginyl endopeptidase. This study has revealed what is likely to be a very large new family of orbitides, uniquely buried alongside albumin and processed by asparaginyl endopeptidase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark F. Fisher
- School of Molecular SciencesThe University of Western Australia, CrawleyPerthWAAustralia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy BiologyThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyPerthWAAustralia
| | - Jingjing Zhang
- School of Molecular SciencesThe University of Western Australia, CrawleyPerthWAAustralia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy BiologyThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyPerthWAAustralia
| | - Nicolas L. Taylor
- School of Molecular SciencesThe University of Western Australia, CrawleyPerthWAAustralia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy BiologyThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyPerthWAAustralia
| | - Mark J. Howard
- School of Molecular SciencesThe University of Western Australia, CrawleyPerthWAAustralia
- Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and AnalysisThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyPerthWAAustralia
| | - Oliver Berkowitz
- Department of Animal, Plant and Soil SciencesSchool of Life Sciences & ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy BiologyAgriBioThe Centre for AgriBioscienceLa Trobe UniversityBundooraVic.Australia
| | - Aleksandra W. Debowski
- School of Molecular SciencesThe University of Western Australia, CrawleyPerthWAAustralia
- Marshall Centre for Infectious Disease Research and TrainingSchool of Biomedical SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyPerthWAAustralia
| | - Bahar Behsaz
- Department of Computer Science & EngineeringUniversity of CaliforniaLa JollaSan DiegoCAUSA
| | - James Whelan
- Department of Animal, Plant and Soil SciencesSchool of Life Sciences & ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy BiologyAgriBioThe Centre for AgriBioscienceLa Trobe UniversityBundooraVic.Australia
| | - Pavel A. Pevzner
- Department of Computer Science & EngineeringUniversity of CaliforniaLa JollaSan DiegoCAUSA
| | - Joshua S. Mylne
- School of Molecular SciencesThe University of Western Australia, CrawleyPerthWAAustralia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy BiologyThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyPerthWAAustralia
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