1
|
Nielsen AL, Bognar Z, Mothukuri GK, Zarda A, Schüttel M, Merz ML, Ji X, Will EJ, Chinellato M, Bartling CRO, Strømgaard K, Cendron L, Angelini A, Heinis C. Large Libraries of Structurally Diverse Macrocycles Suitable for Membrane Permeation. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202400350. [PMID: 38602024 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202400350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Macrocycles offer an attractive format for drug development due to their good binding properties and potential to cross cell membranes. To efficiently identify macrocyclic ligands for new targets, methods for the synthesis and screening of large combinatorial libraries of small cyclic peptides were developed, many of them using thiol groups for efficient peptide macrocyclization. However, a weakness of these libraries is that invariant thiol-containing building blocks such as cysteine are used, resulting in a region that does not contribute to library diversity but increases molecule size. Herein, we synthesized a series of structurally diverse thiol-containing elements and used them for the combinatorial synthesis of a 2,688-member library of small, structurally diverse peptidic macrocycles with unprecedented skeletal complexity. We then used this library to discover potent thrombin and plasma kallikrein inhibitors, some also demonstrating favorable membrane permeability. X-ray structure analysis of macrocycle-target complexes showed that the size and shape of the newly developed thiol elements are key for binding. The strategy and library format presented in this work significantly enhance structural diversity by allowing combinatorial modifications to a previously invariant region of peptide macrocycles, which may be broadly applied in the development of membrane permeable therapeutics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander L Nielsen
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Zsolt Bognar
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ganesh K Mothukuri
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anne Zarda
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Mischa Schüttel
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Manuel L Merz
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Xinjian Ji
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Edward J Will
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Christian R O Bartling
- Center for Biopharmaceuticals and Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 162, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kristian Strømgaard
- Center for Biopharmaceuticals and Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 162, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Laura Cendron
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, 35131, Padova, Italy
| | - Alessandro Angelini
- Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, Venezia Mestre, Venice, 30172, Italy
- European Centre for Living Technologies (ECLT), Ca' Bottacin, Dorsoduro 3911, Calle Crosera, Venice, 30124, Italy
| | - Christian Heinis
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Schüttel M, Will E, Sangouard G, Zarda A, Habeshian S, Nielsen AL, Heinis C. Solid-phase peptide synthesis in 384-well plates. J Pept Sci 2024; 30:e3555. [PMID: 38220145 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Newer solid-phase peptide synthesis and release strategies enable the production of short peptides with high purity, allowing direct screening for desired bioactivity without prior chromatographic purification. However, the maximum number of peptides that can currently be synthesized per microplate reactor is 96, allowing the parallel synthesis of 384 peptides in modern devices that have space for 4 microplate reactors. To synthesize larger numbers of peptides, we modified a commercially available peptide synthesizer to enable the production of peptides in 384-well plates, which allows the synthesis of 1,536 peptides in one run (4 × 384 peptides). We report new hardware components and customized software that allowed for the synthesis of 1,536 short peptides in good quantity (average > 0.5 μmol), at high concentration (average > 10 mM), and decent purity without purification (average > 80%). The high-throughput peptide synthesis, which we developed with peptide drug development in mind, may be widely used for peptide library synthesis and screening, antibody epitope scanning, epitope mimetic development, or protease/kinase substrate screening.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mischa Schüttel
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Edward Will
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Gontran Sangouard
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anne Zarda
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sevan Habeshian
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexander L Nielsen
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Christian Heinis
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Abstract
Cyclic peptides are fascinating molecules abundantly found in nature and exploited as molecular format for drug development as well as other applications, ranging from research tools to food additives. Advances in peptide technologies made over many years through improved methods for synthesis and drug development have resulted in a steady stream of new drugs, with an average of around one cyclic peptide drug approved per year. Powerful technologies for screening random peptide libraries, and de novo generating ligands, have enabled the development of cyclic peptide drugs independent of naturally derived molecules and now offer virtually unlimited development opportunities. In this review, we feature therapeutically relevant cyclic peptides derived from nature and discuss the unique properties of cyclic peptides, the enormous technological advances in peptide ligand development in recent years, and current challenges and opportunities for developing cyclic peptides that address unmet medical needs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xinjian Ji
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexander L Nielsen
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Christian Heinis
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Nolan MD, Shine C, Scanlan EM, Petracca R. Thioether analogues of the pituitary neuropeptide oxytocin via thiol–ene macrocyclisation of unprotected peptides. Org Biomol Chem 2022; 20:8192-8196. [DOI: 10.1039/d2ob01688e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
A radical mediated approach to macrocyclisation of unprotected peptides via Thiol-Ene Click for synthesis of disulfide analogues is reported.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mark D. Nolan
- Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, D05 R590, Ireland
| | - Conor Shine
- Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, D05 R590, Ireland
| | - Eoin M. Scanlan
- Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, D05 R590, Ireland
| | - Rita Petracca
- Utrecht University, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|