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Barbosa GG, Silva TL, de Oliveira APS, de Albuquerque Lima T, da Silva PM, de Santana CJC, Vieira JRC, de Sousa DR, Souza FAL, Pereira R, Zingali RB, Costa RMPB, Paiva PMG, Rodrigues GG, Castro MS, Napoleão TH. Cutaneous glands of the striped toad, Rhinella crucifer (Wied-Neuwied, 1821) (Amphibia: Bufonidae): Histological study and bioactivities of glandular secretions. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2024; 273:110983. [PMID: 38688407 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2024.110983] [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] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
This study investigated the morphology of Rhinella crucifer cutaneous glands, as well as the protein/peptide profiles and bioactivities of body gland secretions (BGS) and parotoid macrogland secretions (PS). The parotoid as well as dorsal and ventral skin fragments of male and female individuals were processed for histological analysis. The protein and peptide profiles of male and female gland secretions were evaluated. Male secretions were also assessed for proteolytic, trypsin inhibiting, hemagglutinating, hemolytic, antimicrobial, and anticoagulant activities. The R. crucifer skin structure presented protuberances that are clearly visible and formed by the integument, which has cutaneous glands throughout the body. An average of 438 and 333 glands were identified in males in females, respectively. No significant differences were observed in the distribution of glands across the body as well as for area and perimeter of glands. Differences were observed in protein composition between the PS and BGS from males and females, and secretions from animals collected from undisturbed and anthropogenically disturbed areas. Proteins with similarities to catalase and elongation factor 1-alpha were detected in the PS. Zymography revealed proteolytic activity in both male BGS and PS. Male BGS showed antibacterial activity against Enterococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli and anticoagulant activity, being able to prolong prothrombin time by 6.34-fold and activated partial thromboplastin time by 2.17-fold. Finally, male PS and BGS caused a maximum hemolysis degree of 1.4%. The data showed that the cutaneous secretions of R. crucifer are potentially promising for biotechnological prospecting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Géssica Gomes Barbosa
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Tulíbia Laurindo Silva
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | | | - Thâmarah de Albuquerque Lima
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Pollyanna Michelle da Silva
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Carlos José Correia de Santana
- Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | | | - Dyeime Ribeiro de Sousa
- Departamento de Morfologia e Fisiologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Francisco Assis Leite Souza
- Departamento de Morfologia e Fisiologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Rafael Pereira
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Russolina Benedeta Zingali
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Patrícia Maria Guedes Paiva
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | | | - Mariana S Castro
- Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | - Thiago Henrique Napoleão
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
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2
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Zhan X, Wang D, Wang H, Chen H, Wu X, Li T, Qi J, Chen T, Wu D, Gao Y. Revitalizing Skin Repair: Unveiling the Healing Power of Livisin, a Natural Peptide Calcium Mimetic. Toxins (Basel) 2023; 16:21. [PMID: 38251238 PMCID: PMC10819626 DOI: 10.3390/toxins16010021] [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: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
When the skin is damaged, accelerating the repair of skin trauma and promoting the recovery of tissue function are crucial considerations in clinical treatment. Previously, we isolated and identified an active peptide (livisin) from the skin secretion of the frog Odorrana livida. Livisin exhibited strong protease inhibitory activity, water solubility, and stability, yet its wound-healing properties have not yet been studied. In this study, we assessed the impact of livisin on wound healing and investigated the underlying mechanism contributing to its effect. Our findings revealed livisin effectively stimulated the migration of keratinocytes, with the underlying mechanisms involved the activation of CaSR as a peptide calcium mimetic. This activation resulted in the stimulation of the CaSR/E-cadherin/EGFR/ERK signaling pathways. Moreover, the therapeutic effects of livisin were partially reduced by blocking the CaSR/E-cadherin/EGFR/ERK signaling pathway. The interaction between livisin and CaSR was further investigated by molecular docking. Additionally, studies using a mouse full-thickness wound model demonstrated livisin could accelerate skin wound healing by promoting re-epithelialization and collagen deposition. In conclusion, our study provides experimental evidence supporting the use of livisin in skin wound healing, highlighting its potential as an effective therapeutic option.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuehui Zhan
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine, Biological Resources Protection, College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China; (X.Z.); (D.W.); (H.W.); (T.L.); (J.Q.)
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325015, China; (H.C.); (X.W.)
| | - Danni Wang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine, Biological Resources Protection, College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China; (X.Z.); (D.W.); (H.W.); (T.L.); (J.Q.)
| | - Hanfei Wang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine, Biological Resources Protection, College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China; (X.Z.); (D.W.); (H.W.); (T.L.); (J.Q.)
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Hui Chen
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325015, China; (H.C.); (X.W.)
| | - Xinyi Wu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325015, China; (H.C.); (X.W.)
| | - Tao Li
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine, Biological Resources Protection, College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China; (X.Z.); (D.W.); (H.W.); (T.L.); (J.Q.)
| | - Junmei Qi
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine, Biological Resources Protection, College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China; (X.Z.); (D.W.); (H.W.); (T.L.); (J.Q.)
| | - Tianbao Chen
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK;
| | - Di Wu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325015, China; (H.C.); (X.W.)
| | - Yitian Gao
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine, Biological Resources Protection, College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China; (X.Z.); (D.W.); (H.W.); (T.L.); (J.Q.)
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3
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Chai J, Wu J, Li J, Liao H, Lu W, Guo R, Shao Z, Jmel MA, Martins LA, Hackeng T, Ippel H, Dijkgraaf I, Kotsyfakis M, Xu X. Novel Amphibian Bowman-Birk-Like Inhibitor with Antioxidant and Anticoagulant Effects Ameliorates Pancreatitis Symptoms in Mice. J Med Chem 2023; 66:11869-11880. [PMID: 37610210 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a serious inflammatory disorder and still lacks effective therapy globally. In this study, a novel Ranacyclin peptide, Ranacin, was identified from the skin of Pelophylax nigromaculatus frog. Ranacin adopted a compact β-hairpin conformation with a disulfide bond (Cys5-Cys15). Ranacin was also demonstrated effectively to inhibit trypsin and have anticoagulant and antioxidant activities in vitro. Furthermore, the severity of pancreatitis was significantly alleviated in l-Arg-induced AP mice after treatment with Ranacin. In addition, structure-activity studies of Ranacin analogues confirmed that the sequences outside the trypsin inhibitory loop (TIL), especially at the C-terminal side, might be closely associated with the efficacy of its trypsin inhibitory activity. In conclusion, our data suggest that Ranacin can improve pancreatic injury in mice with severe AP through its multi-activity. Therefore, Ranacin is considered a potential drug candidate in AP therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinwei Chai
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Jiena Wu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Jinqiao Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Hang Liao
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Wancheng Lu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Ruiyin Guo
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Zuoyan Shao
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Mohamed Amine Jmel
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Center of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Branisovska 31, Budweis (Ceske Budejovice) 37005, Czech Republic
| | - Larissa Almeida Martins
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Center of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Branisovska 31, Budweis (Ceske Budejovice) 37005, Czech Republic
| | - Tilman Hackeng
- Department of Biochemistry, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Hans Ippel
- Department of Biochemistry, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Ingrid Dijkgraaf
- Department of Biochemistry, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Michail Kotsyfakis
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Center of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Branisovska 31, Budweis (Ceske Budejovice) 37005, Czech Republic
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, N. Plastira 100, 70013 Heracklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Xueqing Xu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
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Yang J, Tong C, Qi J, Liao X, Li X, Zhang X, Zhou M, Wang L, Ma C, Xi X, Chen T, Gao Y, Wu D. Engineering and Structural Insights of a Novel BBI-like Protease Inhibitor Livisin from the Frog Skin Secretion. Toxins (Basel) 2022; 14:toxins14040273. [PMID: 35448882 PMCID: PMC9030697 DOI: 10.3390/toxins14040273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The Bowman–Birk protease inhibitor (BBI) family is a prototype group found mainly in plants, particularly grasses and legumes, which have been subjected to decades of study. Recently, the discovery of attenuated peptides containing the canonical Bowman–Birk protease inhibitory motif has been detected in the skin secretions of amphibians, mainly from Ranidae family members. The roles of these peptides in amphibian defense have been proposed to work cooperatively with antimicrobial peptides and reduce peptide degradation. A novel trypsin inhibitory peptide, named livisin, was found in the skin secretion of the green cascade frog, Odorrana livida. The cDNA encoding the precursor of livisin was cloned, and the predicted mature peptide was characterized. The mature peptide was found to act as a potent inhibitor against several serine proteases. A comparative activity study among the native peptide and its engineered analogs was performed, and the influence of the P1 and P2′ positions, as well as the C-terminal amidation on the structure–activity relationship for livisin, was illustrated. The findings demonstrated that livisin might serve as a potential drug discovery/development tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Yang
- Chemical Biology Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325015, China; (J.Y.); (C.T.); (X.L.)
| | - Chengliang Tong
- Chemical Biology Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325015, China; (J.Y.); (C.T.); (X.L.)
| | - Junmei Qi
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China; (J.Q.); (X.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Xiaoying Liao
- Chemical Biology Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325015, China; (J.Y.); (C.T.); (X.L.)
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China; (J.Q.); (X.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Xiaokun Li
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China; (J.Q.); (X.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Xu Zhang
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China; (J.Q.); (X.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Mei Zhou
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK; (M.Z.); (L.W.); (C.M.); (X.X.); (T.C.)
| | - Lei Wang
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK; (M.Z.); (L.W.); (C.M.); (X.X.); (T.C.)
| | - Chengbang Ma
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK; (M.Z.); (L.W.); (C.M.); (X.X.); (T.C.)
| | - Xinping Xi
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK; (M.Z.); (L.W.); (C.M.); (X.X.); (T.C.)
| | - Tianbao Chen
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK; (M.Z.); (L.W.); (C.M.); (X.X.); (T.C.)
| | - Yitian Gao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China; (J.Q.); (X.L.); (X.Z.)
- Correspondence: (Y.G.); (D.W.)
| | - Di Wu
- Chemical Biology Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325015, China; (J.Y.); (C.T.); (X.L.)
- Correspondence: (Y.G.); (D.W.)
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5
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Lin Y, Lin T, Cheng N, Wu S, Huang J, Chen X, Chen T, Zhou M, Wang L, Shaw C. Evaluation of antimicrobial and anticancer activities of three peptides identified from the skin secretion of Hylarana latouchii. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) 2021; 53:1469-1483. [PMID: 34508563 DOI: 10.1093/abbs/gmab126] [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: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The skins of frogs of the family Ranidae are particularly rich sources of biologically active peptides, among which antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) constitute the major portion. Some of these have attracted the interest of researchers because they possess both antimicrobial and anticancer activities. In this study, with 'shotgun' cloning and MS/MS fragmentation, three AMPs, homologues of family brevinin-1 (brevinin-1HL), and temporin (temporin-HLa and temporin-HLb), were discovered from the skin secretion of the broad-folded frog, Hylarana latouchii. They exhibited various degrees of antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities against test microorganisms and hemolysis on horse erythrocytes. It was found that they could induce bacteria death through disrupting cell membranes and binding to bacterial DNA. In addition, they also showed different potencies towards human cancer cell lines. The secondary structure and physicochemical properties of each peptide were investigated to preliminarily reveal their structure-activity relationships. Circular dichroism spectrometry showed that they all adopted a canonical α-helical conformation in membrane-mimetic solvents. Notably, the prepropeptide of brevinin-1HL from H. latouchii was highly identical to that of brevinin-1GHd from Hylarana guentheri, indicating a close relationship between these two species. Accordingly, this study provides candidates for the design of novel anti-infective and antineoplastic agents to fight multidrug-resistant bacteria and malignant tumors and also offers additional clues for the taxonomy of ranid frogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Lin
- College of Animal Sciences (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Tianxing Lin
- College of Animal Sciences (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Ningna Cheng
- College of Animal Sciences (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Shuting Wu
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
| | - Jiancai Huang
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
| | - Xiaoling Chen
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Tianbao Chen
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Mei Zhou
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Lei Wang
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Chris Shaw
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
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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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Identification and Target-Modification of SL-BBI: A Novel Bowman-Birk Type Trypsin Inhibitor from Sylvirana latouchii. Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10091254. [PMID: 32872343 PMCID: PMC7565067 DOI: 10.3390/biom10091254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The peptides from the ranacyclin family share similar active disulphide loop with plant-derived Bowman-Birk type inhibitors, some of which have the dual activities of trypsin inhibition and antimicrobial. Herein, a novel Bowman-Birk type trypsin inhibitor of the ranacyclin family was identified from the skin secretion of broad-folded frog (Sylvirana latouchii) by molecular cloning method and named as SL-BBI. After chemical synthesis, it was proved to be a potent inhibitor of trypsin with a Ki value of 230.5 nM and showed weak antimicrobial activity against tested microorganisms. Modified analogue K-SL maintains the original inhibitory activity with a Ki value of 77.27 nM while enhancing the antimicrobial activity. After the substitution of active P1 site to phenylalanine and P2' site to isoleucine, F-SL regenerated its inhibitory activity on chymotrypsin with a Ki value of 309.3 nM and exhibited antiproliferative effects on PC-3, MCF-7 and a series of non-small cell lung cancer cell lines without cell membrane damage. The affinity of F-SL for the β subunits in the yeast 20S proteasome showed by molecular docking simulations enriched the understanding of the possible action mode of Bowman-Birk type inhibitors. Further mechanistic studies have shown that F-SL can activate caspase 3/7 in H157 cells and induce apoptosis, which means it has the potential to become an anticancer agent.
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Ranacyclin-NF, a Novel Bowman-Birk Type Protease Inhibitor from the Skin Secretion of the East Asian Frog, Pelophylax nigromaculatus. BIOLOGY 2020; 9:biology9070149. [PMID: 32630758 PMCID: PMC7407945 DOI: 10.3390/biology9070149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Serine protease inhibitors are found in plants, animals and microorganisms, where they play important roles in many physiological and pathological processes. Inhibitor scaffolds based on natural proteins and peptides have gradually become the focus of current research as they tend to bind to their targets with greater specificity than small molecules. In this report, a novel Bowman–Birk type inhibitor, named ranacyclin-NF (RNF), is described and was identified in the skin secretion of the East Asian frog, Pelophylax nigromaculatus. A synthetic replicate of the peptide was subjected to a series of functional assays. It displayed trypsin inhibitory activity with an inhibitory constant, Ki, of 447 nM and had negligible direct cytotoxicity. No observable direct antimicrobial activity was found but RNF improved the therapeutic potency of Gentamicin against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). RNF shared significant sequence similarity to previously reported and related inhibitors from Odorrana grahami (ORB) and Rana esculenta (ranacyclin-T), both of which were found to be multi-functional. Two analogues of RNF, named ranacyclin-NF1 (RNF1) and ranacyclin-NF3L (RNF3L), were designed based on some features of ORB and ranacyclin-T to study structure–activity relationships. Structure–activity studies demonstrated that residues outside of the trypsin inhibitory loop (TIL) may be related to the efficacy of trypsin inhibitory activity.
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9
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Reihill JA, Ouyang X, Yang Z, Douglas LEJ, Zhou M, Chen T, Martin SL. A Novel Serine Protease Inhibitor PE-BBI Ameliorates Cockroach Extract-Mediated Airway Epithelial Barrier Dysfunction. Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10040515. [PMID: 32231120 PMCID: PMC7226075 DOI: 10.3390/biom10040515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Epithelial barrier dysfunction, characteristic of allergic airway disease may be, at least in part, due to the action of allergen-associated protease activities. Cockroach allergy is a major global health issue, with cockroaches containing considerable serine trypsin-like protease (TLP) activity. The present study sought to evaluate two novel protease inhibitors (PE-BBI and pLR-HL), recently isolated from amphibian skin secretions, for their potential to neutralise cockroach TLP activity and to determine any protective effect on cockroach-induced airway epithelial barrier disruption. Inhibitor potencies against the cockroach-associated activities were determined using a fluorogenic peptide substrate-based activity assay. 16HBE14o- cells (16HBE; a bronchial epithelial cell line) were treated with cockroach extract (CRE) in the presence or absence of the compounds in order to assess cell viability (RealTime Glo luminescent assay) and epithelial barrier disruption (transepithelial resistance and paracellular dextran flux). PE-BBI potently and selectively inhibited CRE TLP activity (pIC50 -8), but not host (16HBE) cell surface activity, which conferred protection of 16HBE cells from CRE-induced cell damage and barrier disruption. Novel protease inhibitor strategies such as PE-BBI may be useful for the treatment of allergic airway disease caused by cockroach proteases.
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10
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Miao Y, Chen G, Xi X, Ma C, Wang L, Burrows JF, Duan J, Zhou M, Chen T. Discovery and Rational Design of a Novel Bowman-Birk Related Protease Inhibitor. Biomolecules 2019; 9:biom9070280. [PMID: 31337113 PMCID: PMC6681222 DOI: 10.3390/biom9070280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [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: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Anuran amphibian skin secretions are a rich source of peptides, many of which represent novel protease inhibitors and can potentially act as a source for protease inhibitor drug discovery. In this study, a novel bioactive Bowman-Birk type inhibitory hexadecapeptide of the Ranacyclin family from the defensive skin secretion of the Fukien gold-striped pond frog, Pelophlax plancyi fukienesis, was successfully isolated and identified, named PPF-BBI. The primary structure of the biosynthetic precursor was deduced from a cDNA sequence cloned from a skin-derived cDNA library, which contains a consensus motif representative of the Bowman-Birk type inhibitor. The peptide was chemically synthesized and displayed a potent inhibitory activity against trypsin (Ki of 0.17 µM), as well as an inhibitory activity against tryptase (Ki of 30.73 µM). A number of analogues of this peptide were produced by rational design. An analogue, which substituted the lysine (K) at the predicted P1 position with phenylalanine (F), exhibited a potent chymotrypsin inhibitory activity (Ki of 0.851 µM). Alternatively, a more potent protease inhibitory activity, as well as antimicrobial activity, was observed when P16 was replaced by lysine, forming K16-PPF-BBI. The addition of the cell-penetrating peptide Tat with a trypsin inhibitory loop resulted in a peptide with a selective inhibitory activity toward trypsin, as well as a strong antifungal activity. This peptide also inhibited the growth of two lung cancer cells, H460 and H157, demonstrating that the targeted modifications of this peptide could effectively and efficiently alter its bioactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxi Miao
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT7 1NN, UK
| | - Guanzhu Chen
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT7 1NN, UK
| | - Xinping Xi
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT7 1NN, UK
| | - Chengbang Ma
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT7 1NN, UK.
| | - Lei Wang
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT7 1NN, UK
| | - James F Burrows
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT7 1NN, UK
| | - Jinao Duan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Formulae Research, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210046, China
| | - Mei Zhou
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT7 1NN, UK.
| | - Tianbao Chen
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT7 1NN, UK
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Identification and pharmaceutical evaluation of novel frog skin-derived serine proteinase inhibitor peptide-PE-BBI (Pelophylax esculentus Bowman-Birk inhibitor) for the potential treatment of cancer. Sci Rep 2018; 8:14502. [PMID: 30267012 PMCID: PMC6162207 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-32947-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Amphibian venom-derived peptides have high potential in the field of anticancer drug discovery. We have isolated a novel Bowman-Birk proteinase inhibitor (BBI)-type peptide from the skin secretion of Pelophylax esculentus (PE) named PE-BBI, and evaluated its bio-functions and anti-cancer activity in vitro. PE-BBI is a heptadecapeptide with C-terminal amidation. The mRNA sequence and primary structure of PE-BBI were identified using RT-PCR and LC/MS, respectively. A trypsin inhibitory assay was used to characterize the serine proteinase inhibitory activity of synthetic PE-BBI. PE-BBI’s myotropic activity was analyzed using isolated rat bladder and rat-tail artery smooth muscle tissues, and the anti-cancer ability of PE-BBI using human colorectal cancer cells. PE-BBI’s mechanism of action was investigated using Discovery studio software. PE-BBI showed trypsin inhibitory activity (Ki = 310 ± 72 nM), strong myotropic activity, and cytotoxicity that were specific to cancer cells, and no side effect to normal epithelial cells. The docking stimulation showed that PE-BBI had high affinity to several members of human kallikrein related peptidase (KLK) family. This finding helps to enrich our understanding of BBI peptides’ mode of action. Moreover, the data presented here validates frog secretions as sources of potential novel proteinase inhibitors for cancer treatment.
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A Bowman-Birk type chymotrypsin inhibitor peptide from the amphibian, Hylarana erythraea. Sci Rep 2018; 8:5851. [PMID: 29643444 PMCID: PMC5895817 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-24206-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 03/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The first amphibian skin secretion-derived Bowman-Birk type chymotrypsin inhibitor is described here from the Asian green frog, Hylarana erythraea, and was identified by use of molecular cloning and tandem mass spectrometric amino acid sequencing. It was named Hylarana erythraea chymotrypsin inhibitor (HECI) and in addition to inhibition of chymotrypsin (Ki = 3.92 ± 0.35 μM), the peptide also inhibited the 20 S proteasome (Ki = 8.55 ± 1.84 μM). Additionally, an analogue of HECI, named K9-HECI, in which Phe9 was substituted by Lys9 at the P1 position, was functional as a trypsin inhibitor. Both peptides exhibited anti-proliferation activity against the human cancer cell lines, H157, PC-3 and MCF-7, up to a concentration of 1 mM and possessed a low degree of cytotoxicity on normal cells, HMEC-1. However, HECI exhibited higher anti-proliferative potency against H157. The results indicate that HECI, inhibiting chymotryptic-like activity of proteasome, could provide new insights in treatment of lung cancer.
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