Use of periplasmic target protein capture for phage display engineering of tight-binding protein-protein interactions

Promotion of angiogenesis by M13 phage and RGD peptide in vitro and in vivo

One of the most important goals of regenerative medicines is to generate alternative tissues with a developed vascular network. Endothelial cells are the most important cell type required in angiogenesis process, contributing to the blood vessels formation. The stimulation of endothelial cells to initiate angiogenesis requires appropriate extrinsic signals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of M13 phage along with RGD peptide motif on in vitro and in vivo vascularization. The obtained results demonstrated the increased cellular proliferation, HUVECs migration, cells altered morphology, and cells attachment to M13 phage-RGD coated surface. In addition, the expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (VEGF-A), VEGF Receptors 2 and 3, Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), and epithelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) transcripts were significantly upregulated due to the HUVECs culturing on M13 phage-RGD coated surface. Furthermore, VEGF protein secretion, nitric oxide, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production were significantly increased in cells cultured on M13 phage-RGD coated surface.

Tackling the Antibiotic Resistance Caused by Class A β-Lactamases through the Use of β-Lactamase Inhibitory Protein

β-Lactams are the most widely used and effective antibiotics for the treatment of infectious diseases. Unfortunately, bacteria have developed several mechanisms to combat these therapeutic agents. One of the major resistance mechanisms involves the production of β-lactamase that hydrolyzes the β-lactam ring thereby inactivating the drug. To overcome this threat, the small molecule β-lactamase inhibitors (e.g., clavulanic acid, sulbactam and tazobactam) have been used in combination with β-lactams for treatment. However, the bacterial resistance to this kind of combination therapy has evolved recently. Therefore, multiple attempts have been made to discover and develop novel broad-spectrum β-lactamase inhibitors that sufficiently work against β-lactamase producing bacteria. β-lactamase inhibitory proteins (BLIPs) (e.g., BLIP, BLIP-I and BLIP-II) are potential inhibitors that have been found from soil bacterium Streptomyces spp. BLIPs bind and inhibit a wide range of class A β-lactamases from a diverse set of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including TEM-1, PC1, SME-1, SHV-1 and KPC-2. To the best of our knowledge, this article represents the first systematic review on β-lactamase inhibitors with a particular focus on BLIPs and their inherent properties that favorably position them as a source of biologically-inspired drugs to combat antimicrobial resistance. Furthermore, an extensive compilation of binding data from β-lactamase–BLIP interaction studies is presented herein. Such information help to provide key insights into the origin of interaction that may be useful for rationally guiding future drug design efforts.