Solid-phase synthesis of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor BPTI) and two analogues

Promising antibacterial efficacy of arenicin peptides against the emerging opportunistic pathogen Mycobacterium abscessus

BACKGROUND

Mycobacterium abscessus, a fast-growing non-tuberculous mycobacterium, is an emerging opportunistic pathogen responsible for chronic bronchopulmonary infections in people with respiratory diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF). Due to its intrinsic polyresistance to a wide range of antibiotics, most treatments for M. abscessus pulmonary infections are poorly effective. In this context, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) active against bacterial strains and less prompt to cause resistance, represent a good alternative to conventional antibiotics. Herein, we evaluated the effect of three arenicin isoforms, possessing two or four Cysteines involved in one (Ar-1, Ar-2) or two disulfide bonds (Ar-3), on the in vitro growth of M. abscessus.

METHODS

The respective disulfide-free AMPs, were built by replacing the Cysteines with alpha-amino-n-butyric acid (Abu) residue. We evaluated the efficiency of the eight arenicin derivatives through their antimicrobial activity against M. abscessus strains, their cytotoxicity towards human cell lines, and their hemolytic activity on human erythrocytes. The mechanism of action of the Ar-1 peptide was further investigated through membrane permeabilization assay, electron microscopy, lipid insertion assay via surface pressure measurement, and the induction of resistance assay.

RESULTS

Our results demonstrated that Ar-1 was the safest peptide with no toxicity towards human cells and no hemolytic activity, and the most active against M. abscessus growth. Ar-1 acts by insertion into mycobacterial lipids, resulting in a rapid membranolytic effect that kills M. abscessus without induction of resistance.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the present study emphasized Ar-1 as a potential new alternative to conventional antibiotics in the treatment of CF-associated bacterial infection related to M. abscessus.

Calcium-Dependent Structural Dynamics of a Spin-Labeled RyR Peptide Bound to Calmodulin

We have used chemical synthesis, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and circular dichroism to detect and analyze the structural dynamics of a ryanodine receptor (RyR) peptide bound to calmodulin (CaM). The skeletal muscle calcium release channel RyR1 is activated by Ca²⁺-free CaM and inhibited by Ca²⁺-bound CaM. To probe the structural mechanism for this regulation, wild-type RyRp and four spin-labeled derivatives were synthesized, each containing the nitroxide probe 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidine-1-oxyl-4-amino-4-carboxylic acid substituted for a single amino acid. In 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidine-1-oxyl-4-amino-4-carboxylic acid, the probe is rigidly and stereospecifically coupled to the α-carbon, enabling direct detection by EPR of peptide backbone structural dynamics. In the absence of CaM, circular dichroism indicates a complete lack of secondary structure, while 40% trifluoroethanol (TFE) induces >90% helicity and is unperturbed by the spin label. The EPR spectrum of each spin-labeled peptide indicates nanosecond dynamic disorder that is substantially reduced by TFE, but a significant gradient in dynamics is observed, decreasing from N- to C-terminus, both in the presence and absence of TFE. When bound to CaM, the probe nearest RyRp's N-terminus shows rapid rotational motion consistent with peptide backbone dynamics of a locally unfolded peptide, while the other three sites show substantial restriction of dynamics, consistent with helical folding. The two N-terminal sites, which bind to the C-lobe of CaM, do not show a significant Ca²⁺-dependence in mobility, while both C-terminal sites, which bind to the N-lobe of CaM, are significantly less mobile in the presence of bound Ca²⁺. These results support a model in which the interaction of RyR with CaM is nonuniform along the peptide, and the primary effect of Ca²⁺ is to increase the interaction of the C-terminal portion of the peptide with the N-terminal lobe of CaM. These results provide, to our knowledge, new insight into the Ca²⁺-dependent regulation of RyR by CaM.

Fluorine teams up with water to restore inhibitor activity to mutant BPTI

Fluorinated derivatives of aminobutyric acid engage in unique interactions with structural waters within the BPTI/trypsin interface and restore inhibitor activity.

Introducing fluorine into molecules has a wide range of effects on their physicochemical properties, often desirable but in most cases unpredictable. The fluorine atom imparts the C–F bond with low polarizability and high polarity, and significantly affects the behavior of neighboring functional groups, in a covalent or noncovalent manner. Here, we report that fluorine, present in the form of a single fluoroalkyl amino acid side chain in the P1 position of the well-characterized serine-protease inhibitor BPTI, can fully restore inhibitor activity to a mutant that contains the corresponding hydrocarbon side chain at the same site. High resolution crystal structures were obtained for four BPTI variants in complex with bovine β-trypsin, revealing changes in the stoichiometry and dynamics of water molecules in the S1 subsite. These results demonstrate that the introduction of fluorine into a protein environment can result in “chemical complementation” that has a significantly favorable impact on protein–protein interactions.

The synthetic peptides bovine enteric β-defensin (EBD), bovine neutrophil β-defensin (BNBD) 9 and BNBD 3 are chemotactic for immature bovine dendritic cells

Human and murine immature DCs (iDCs) are highly efficient in antigen capture and processing, while as mature cells they present antigen and are potent initiators of cell-mediated immune responses. Consequently, iDCs are logical targets for vaccine antigens. Originally discovered for their antimicrobial activity, and thought of as strictly part of the innate immune system, studies with defensins such as human β (beta)-defensin 2 (hBD2) and murine β-defensin 2 (mBD2) have shown that they can function as chemo-attractant for iDCs and, in vaccination strategies, can enhance antigen-specific adaptive immune responses. Most studies to date have been conducted in mice. In contrast, little is known about defensins in cattle. To expand our understanding of the role of defensins in modulating immune responses in cattle, DCs were generated from bovine monocytes and the immature state of these bovine DCs was characterized phenotypically and through functional assays. By day 3 (DC3), bovine monocyte-derived DCs stained positively for DC-specific receptors CD1, CD80/86, CD205, DC-Lamp and MMR. When compared to conventional 6-day DC cultures or DCs cultured for 10 days with and without maturation factors, these DC3 were functionally at their most immature stage. Fourteen of the 16 known bovine β-defensins were synthesized and the synthetic peptides were screened for their ability to attract bovine iDCs. Bovine DC3 were consistently attracted to BNBD3, an analog of BNBD3 (aBNBD3), BNBD9 and bovine EBD in vitro and to aBNBD3 in vivo. These results are the first to describe chemotactic ability of synthetic bovine β-defensins for immature bovine monocyte-derived DCs.

A synthetic camel anti-lysozyme peptide antibody (peptibody) with flexible loop structure identified by high-resolution affinity mass spectrometry

We describe the synthesis and characterisation of the fully functional molecular recognition structure of a 26-amino acid residue peptide antibody, referred to as peptibody, designed from a monoclonal single-domain antibody fragment derived from a camel heavy-chain antibody. The CDR3 region (CDR = complementarity determining region) of the cAbLys3 camel antibody fragment, which binds to the active site of hen eggwhite lysozyme (HEL) and acts as a potent enzyme inhibitor by mimicking an oligosaccharide substrate, was prepared by solid-phase peptide synthesis. To obtain a closed loop-like structure resembling that in the crystal structure, N- and C-terminal cysteine residues were added to the linear peptide and oxidised to a cyclic disulfide-bridged peptide by using dimethylsulfoxide. A further, internal cysteine-12 residue was acetamidomethyl-protected to prevent possible oxidative byproducts. Affinity separation on a lysozyme microcolumn combined with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry revealed that the peptide resumed high affinity to lysozyme only after deprotection of Cys-12, suggesting the importance of this paratope sequence for epitope recognition. The complex of lysozyme and active peptibody was characterised directly by conducting high-resolution ESI-FTICR mass spectrometry, which provided a molecular comparison of affinities for linear and cyclic peptibodies.

The role of disulfide bonds in the structure and function of murine epidermal growth factor (mEGF)

A systematic study using solid phase peptide synthesis has been undertaken to examine the role of the disulfide bonds in the structure and function of mEGF. A combination of one, two and three native disulfide pair analogues of an active truncated (4-48) form of mEGF have been synthesised by replacing specific cysteine residues with isosteric a-amino-n-butyric acid (Abu). Oxidation of the peptides was performed using either conventional aerobic oxidation at basic pH, in DMSO under acidic conditions or via selective disulfide formation using orthogonal protection of the cysteine pairs. The contribution of individual, or pairs of, disulfide bonds to EGF structure was evaluated by CD and (1)H-NMR spectroscopy. The mitogenic activity of each analogue was determined using Balb/c 3T3 mouse fibroblastsAs we have reported previously (Barnham et al. 1998), the disulfide bond between residues 6 and 20 can be removed with significant retention of biological activity (EC50 20-50 nM). The overall structure of this analogue was similar to that of native mEGF, indicating that the loss of the 6-20 disulfide bridge did not affect the global fold of the molecule. We now show that removal of any other disulfide bond, either singly or in pairs, results in a major disruption of the tertiary structure, and a large loss of activity (EC50>900 nM). Remarkably, the linear analogue appears to have greater activity (EC50 580 nM) than most one and two disulfide bond analogues although it does not have a definable tertiary structure.

Practical protocols for stepwise solid-phase synthesis of cysteine-containing peptides

This study details a series of conditions that may be applied to ensure 'safe' incorporation of cysteine with minimal racemization during automated or manual solid-phase peptide synthesis. Earlier studies from our laboratories [Han et al. (1997) J. Org. Chem. 62, 4307-4312] showed that several common coupling methods, including those exploiting in situ activating agents such as N-[(dimethylamino)-1H-1,2,3-triazolo[4,5-b]pyridin-1-ylmethylene]-N-methylmethanaminium hexafluorophosphate N-oxide (HATU), N-[1H-benzotriazol-1-yl)-(dimethylamino)methylene]-N-methylmethanaminium hexafluorophosphate N-oxide (HBTU), and (benzotriazol-1-yl-N-oxy)tris(dimethylamino)phosphonium hexafluorophosphate (BOP) [all in the presence of N-methylmorpholine (NMM) or N,N-diisopropylethylamine (DIEA) as a tertiary amine base], give rise to unacceptable levels (i.e. 5-33%) of cysteine racemization. As demonstrated on the tripeptide model H-Gly-Cys-Phe-NH(2), and on the nonapeptide dihydrooxytocin, the following methods are recommended: O-pentafluorophenyl (O-Pfp) ester in DMF; O-Pfp ester/1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HOBt) in DMF; N,N'-diisopropylcarbodiimide (DIPCDI)/HOBt in DMF; HBTU/HOBt/2,4,6-trimethylpyridine (TMP) in DMF (preactivation time 3.5-7.0 min in all of these cases); and HBTU/HOBt/TMP in CH(2)Cl(2)/DMF (1:1) with no preactivation. In fact, several of the aforementioned methods are now used routinely in our laboratory during the automated synthesis of analogs of the 58-residue protein bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI). In addition, several highly hindered bases such as 2,6-dimethylpyridine (lutidine), 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyridine (TEMP), octahydroacridine (OHA), and 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-(dimethylamino)pyridine (DB[DMAP]) may be used in place of the usual DIEA or NMM to minimize cysteine racemization even with the in situ coupling protocols.

Cleavage of Chromogranin A N-terminal Domain by Plasmin Provides a New Mechanism for Regulating Cell Adhesion

It has been proposed that chromogranin A (CgA), a protein secreted by many normal and neoplastic neuroendocrine cells, can play a role as a positive or a negative modulator of cell adhesion. The mechanisms that regulate these extracellular functions of CgA are unknown. We show here that plasmin can regulate the anti/pro-adhesive activity of CgA by proteolytic cleavage of the N-terminal domain. Limited proteolytic processing decreased its anti-adhesive activity and induced pro-adhesive effects in fibronectin or serum-dependent fibroblast adhesion assays. Cleavage of Lys(77)-Lys(78) dibasic site in CgA(1-115) was relatively rapid and associated with an increase of pro-adhesive effect. In contrast, antibodies against the region 53-90 enhanced the anti-adhesive activity of CgA and CgA(1-115). Structure-activity relationship studies showed that the conserved region 47-64 (RILSILRHQNLLKELQDL) is critical for both pro- and anti-adhesive activity. These findings suggest that CgA might work on one hand as a negative modulator of cell adhesion and on the other hand as a precursor of positive modulators, the latter requiring proteolytic processing for activation. Given the importance of plasminogen activation in tissue invasion and remodeling, the interplay between CgA and plasmin could provide a novel mechanism for regulating fibroblast adhesion and function in neuroendocrine tumors.

Role of cysteine residues in structural stability and function of a transmembrane helix bundle

To study the structural and functional roles of the cysteine residues at positions 36, 41, and 46 in the transmembrane domain of phospholamban (PLB), we have used Fmoc (N-(9-fluorenyl)methoxycarbonyl) solid-phase peptide synthesis to prepare alpha-amino-n-butyric acid (Abu)-PLB, the analogue in which all three cysteine residues are replaced by Abu. Whereas previous studies have shown that replacement of the three Cys residues by Ala (producing Ala-PLB) greatly destabilizes the pentameric structure, we hypothesized that replacement of Cys with Abu, which is isosteric to Cys, might preserve the pentameric stability. Therefore, we compared the oligomeric structure (from SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) and function (inhibition of the Ca-ATPase in reconstituted membranes) of Abu-PLB with those of synthetic wild-type PLB and Ala-PLB. Molecular modeling provides structural and energetic insight into the different oligomeric stabilities of these molecules. We conclude that 1) the Cys residues of PLB are not necessary for pentamer formation or inhibitory function; 2) the steric properties of cysteine residues in the PLB transmembrane domain contribute substantially to pentameric stability, whereas the polar or chemical properties of the sulfhydryl group play only a minor role; 3) the functional potency of these PLB variants does not correlate with oligomeric stability; and 4) acetylation of the N-terminal methionine has neither a functional nor a structural effect in full-length PLB.

Structure-activity relationships of chromogranin A in cell adhesion. Identification of an adhesion site for fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells

Previous studies showed that chromogranin A (CgA), a glycoprotein stored and co-released with various hormones by neuroendocrine cells and neurons, can modulate cell adhesion. We have investigated the structure-activity relationships of CgA using fibroblasts and coronary artery smooth muscle cells in adhesion assays. A recombinant CgA fragment 1-78 and a peptide 7-57 containing reduced and alkylated cysteines (Cys(17) and Cys(38)) induced cell adhesion after adsorption onto solid phases at 50-100 nm. Peptides lacking the disulfide loop region, including residues 47-68, 39-59, and 39-68, induced cell adhesion, either bound to solid phases at 200-400 nm or added to the liquid phase at 5-10 microm, whereas peptide 60-68 was inactive, suggesting that residues 47-57 are important for activity. The effect of CgA-(1-78) was blocked by anti-CgA antibodies against epitopes including residues Arg(53), His(54), and Leu(57). Substitutions of residues His(54), Gln(55), and Asn(56) with alanine decreased the cell adhesion activity of peptide 47-68. These results suggest that the region 47-57 (RILSILRHQNL) contains a cell adhesion site and that the disulfide bridge is not necessary for the proadhesive activity. The ability of soluble peptides to elicit proadhesive effects suggests an indirect mechanism. The high sequence conservation and accessibility to antibodies suggest that this region is important for the physiological role of CgA.

Evaluation of new base-labile 2-(4-nitrophenylsulfonyl) ethoxycarbonyl (Nsc)-amino acids for solid-phase peptide synthesis

The 2-(4-nitrophenylsulfonyl)ethoxycarbonyl (Nsc) group is a new base-labile protecting group for solid-phase peptide synthesis, completely interchangeable with the fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc) protecting group, but with certain advantages. In this paper, we report a methodology with Nalpha-Nsc-protected amino acids for the synthesis of some melanotropins important to our research, namely, gamma-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (gamma-MSH), its [Nle3]-analogue, and a cyclic alpha-MSH/beta-MSH hybrid. We developed an efficient protocol for the synthesis of the cyclic MSH analogue that yielded this peptide in >98% purity. The gamma-MSH synthesis, which gave problems with both the Boc and Fmoc strategies, yielded the desired peptide by Nsc-chemistry but was accompanied by side products. Finally, the Nle3-gamma-MSH analogue was synthesized more efficiently using the Fmoc strategy, suggesting that Nsc-chemistry might not be the best methodology for certain sequences.

Chemical synthesis of proteins

The manipulation of protein structure enables a better understanding of the principles of protein folding, as well as the development of novel therapeutics and drug-delivery vehicles. Chemical synthesis is the most powerful approach for constructing proteins of novel design and structure, allowing for variation of covalent structure without limitations. Here we describe the various chemical methods that are currently used for creating proteins of unique architecture and function.

Total chemical synthesis of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor by native chemical ligation

Bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI) is an important model for the study of protein folding. Herein we describe a robust approach to the total chemical synthesis of BPTI using native chemical ligation of unprotected peptide segments in aqueous solution. After refolding and oxidative formation of disulfides, the target protein was purified by affinity chromatography. The synthetic BPTI was characterized by mass spectrometry, inhibition assay, thermal denaturation and 2D NMR spectroscopy, and was shown to be structurally and functionally identical to natural BPTI. The synthetic strategy presented in this paper has enabled us to establish rapid access to novel analogues of BPTI.

Chromogranin A fragments modulate cell adhesion. Identification and characterization of a pro-adhesive domain

Although several functions have been suggested for chromogranin A, a glycoprotein secreted by many neuroendocrine cells, the physiological role of this protein and of its proteolytic fragments has not been established. We have found that mixtures of chromogranin A fragments can inhibit fibroblast adhesion. The anti-adhesive activity was converted into pro-adhesive activity by limited trypsin treatment. Pro-adhesive effects were observed also with recombinant N-terminal fragments corresponding to residues 1-78 and 1-115 and with a synthetic peptide encompassing the residues 7-57. These fragments induced adhesion and spreading of fibroblasts on plates coated with collagen I or IV, laminin, fetal calf serum (FCS) but not on bovine serum albumin. The long incubation time required for adhesion assays (4 h) and the FCS requirements for optimal adhesion suggest that the adhesive activity is likely indirect and requires other proteins present in the FCS or made by the cells. These findings suggest that chromogranin A and its fragments could play a role in the regulation of cell adhesion. Since chromogranin A is concentrated and stored within granules and rapidly released by neuroendocrine cells and neurons after an appropriate stimulus, this protein could be important for the local control of cell adhesion by stimulated cells.

In vitro association of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit (p85) with the human insulin receptor

The insulin receptor, as a consequence of ligand binding, undergoes autophosphorylation of critical tyrosyl residues within the cytoplasmic portion of its beta-subunit. The 85 kDa regulatory subunit of phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase (p85), an SH2 domain protein, has been implicated as a regulatory molecule in the insulin signal transduction pathway. For the present study, glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion proteins of p85 SH2 domains were used to determine if such motifs associate directly with the autophosphorylated human insulin receptor. The p85 N + C (amino plus carboxyl) SH2 domains were demonstrated to associate with the autophosphorylated beta-subunit, while neither the GTPase activator protein (GAP) N SH2 domain nor the phospholipase C-gamma 1 (PLC gamma 1) N + C SH2 domains exhibited measurable affinity for the activated receptor. The p85 N SH2 domain demonstrated weak association with the insulin receptor, while the p85 C SH2 domain alone formed no detectable complexes with the insulin receptor. The association of p85 N + C SH2 domains with the autophosphorylated receptor was competed efficiently by a 15-residue tyrosine-phosphorylated peptide corresponding to the carboxyl-terminal region of the insulin receptor, but not by phosphopeptides of similar length derived from the juxtamembrane or regulatory regions. The insulin receptor C domain phosphopeptide inhibited the p85 N + C SH2 domain-insulin receptor complex with an IC0.5 of 2.3 +/- 0.35 microM, whereas a 10-residue phosphopeptide derived from the insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) competed with an IC0.5 of 0.54 +/- 0.10 microM. These results demonstrate that, in vitro, there is an association between the p85 regulatory protein and the carboxyl-terminal region of the activated insulin receptor that requires the presence of both the N and C SH2 domains. Furthermore, formation of the p85/insulin receptor complex may lead to signaling pathways independent of IRS-1.

Folding of the squash trypsin inhibitor EETI II. Evidence of native and non-native local structural preferences in a linear analogue

A peptide, corresponding to the entire sequence of the squash trypsin inhibitor EETI II (Ecballium elaterium trypsin inhibitor) in which the six cysteines, engaged in three disulphide bridges in native EETI II, have been replaced by six serines, has been synthesised. CD, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and 1H-NMR studies of this peptide revealed that some secondary structures present in native EETI II are still populated in the absence of disulphide bonds. Native-like secondary structures were observed for segments 10-15 (helix), 16-19 and 22-25 (reverse turns) but no native tertiary interaction was detected. However, a non-native local interaction between the aromatic ring of Phe26 and the amide group of Gly28 was observed. It is hypothesised that the 10-15, 16-19 and 22-25 native-like local conformations could play a major role in the early folding of EETI II.

Core domain of hirudin from the leech Hirudinaria manillensis: chemical synthesis, purification, and characterization of a Trp3 analog of fragment 1-47

Hirudin is a small (approximately 7 kDa) disulfide-cross-linked polypeptide known as the most potent and specific thrombin inhibitor. We have previously shown that the N-terminal proteolytic fragment 1-47 of hirudin HM2 from Hirudinaria manillensis maintains inhibitory action toward thrombin [Vindigni, A., et al. (1994) Eur. J. Biochem. 226, 323-333]. Here we report the solid-phase chemical synthesis of an analog of fragment 1-47 bearing a Tyr3-->Trp exchange (Y3W analog). The crude, reduced peptide was purified by reverse-phase HPLC and subjected to oxidative folding to the disulfide-cross-linked species. The folding process of the Y3W analog was slower than that of the natural fragment 1-47, but nevertheless still occurred almost quantitatively as the natural species. The overall final yield of the synthetic product was approximately 35%, and its identity and homogeneity was established by a number of analytical techniques, including electrospray mass spectometry. The unique alignment of the three disulfide bridges of the Y3W analog was established by peptide mapping as Cys6-Cys14, Cys16-Cys28, and Cys22-Cys37 and shown to be identical to that of the natural fragment. The results of far- and near-ultraviolet circular dichroism and fluorescence emission measurements provided evidence that the Y3W analog retains the structural features of the natural species. The thermodynamic quantities (delta GD, delta Hm, delta Sm, and delta Cp) characterizing the reversible and cooperative thermal unfolding processes of the Y3W analog (Tm = 60.5 degrees C) and the natural fragment species (Tm = 62.5 degrees C) were evaluated. Despite the relatively high Tm values, the stability of both fragment species at 37 degrees C was only approximately 10 kJ mol-1, well below the average 50 kJ mol-1 typical of single-domain globular proteins. The synthetic Y3W species was found to be approximately 5-fold more active (KI = 30 +/- 5 nM) than the natural fragment 1-47 (KI = 150 +/- 20 nM) in inhibiting thrombin. Of interest was that the difference in the free energies of binding to thrombin at 37 degrees C, delta delta Gb, between the Y3W analog and natural species (4.2 kJ mol-1) was that expected for the difference in hydrophobicity between the two polypeptides resulting from the Tyr-->Trp exchange. The results of this study indicate that solid-phase chemical synthesis represents a convenient and high-yield procedure to prepare analogs of the biologically active, N-terminal core domain of hirudin with improved functional properties.

Synthesis and characterization of indolicidin, a tryptophan-rich antimicrobial peptide from bovine neutrophils

Indolicidin, a novel tryptophan-rich microbicidal tridecapeptide amide isolated originally from granules of bovine neutrophils, has been prepared by optimized manual and automated protocols of stepwise solid-phase synthesis with N alpha-9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (Fmoc) amino acid derivatives. Both standard polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene glycol-polystyrene (PEG-PS) graft supports were used in combination with handles that provide C-terminal peptide amides: 5-(4-Fmoc-aminomethyl-3,5-dimethoxyphenoxy)valeric acid (PAL) or 5-(9-Fmoc-aminoxanthen-2-oxy)valeric acid (XAL). Final deprotection/cleavage was carried out with reagent K, trifluoroacetic acid-phenol-water-thioanisole-1,2-ethanedithiol (82.5:5:5:5:2.5), or reagent B, trifluoroacetic acid-phenol-water-tri(isopropyl)silane (88:5:5:2), and related cocktails. Initial purities as high as 93% were obtained immediately following cleavage. In the largest-scale synthesis carried out, 0.8 g of HPLC-purified indolicidin (> 99% pure) was obtained, representing a 39% overall yield based on C-terminal Arg(Pmc) anchored to PAL-PS-resin. The main synthetic product, and some by-products, were characterized by analytical high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), sequencing, and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FABMS). The antimicrobial potencies of natural and synthetic indolicidin, as determined by in vitro antibacterial and antifungal assays, were identical. Further, the reactivities of natural and synthetic peptides with anti-indolicidin antibody were indistinguishable.

Partially folded, molten globule and molten coil states of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor

Three denatured states of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor have been characterized, using two chemically synthesized analogues designed for study of folding intermediates. One analogue, [14-38]Abu, retains only the 14-38 disulphide. At pH 4.5-6 and 1-7 degrees C, [14-38]Abu is a highly ordered beta-sheet molten globule; it has the circular dichroism (CD), ANS-binding and folding kinetics of a molten globule; is partially folded by NMR analysis; and undergoes cooperative thermal denaturation. At low temperature [14-38]Abu also forms an acid state at pH 1.5, as well as a denatured state at pH 2.5. A second BPTI analogue with all three disulphide bridges eliminated, [R]Abu, lacks detectable secondary and tertiary structure but has stable hydrophobic surfaces and is collapsed. We term this species a 'molten coil'.

Redox-active bis-cysteinyl peptides. I. Synthesis of cyclic cystinyl peptides by conventional methods in solution and on solid supports

Cyclic mono-cystinyl active-site fragments of thioredoxin and thioredoxin reductase were synthesized as N-acetyl and C-amide octapeptides by conventional methods of peptide synthesis in solution and on solid supports. Using a side-chain protection based on acid-labile tert-butanol-derived groups and on the S-tert-butylthio unsymmetric disulfide for the thiol functions, in combination with N alpha-Z- or N alpha-Nps derivatives in the chain elongation steps, the synthesis in solution was carried out in straightforward manner yielding the fully protected octapeptides as well characterized compounds. Upon deprotection with trifluoroacetic acid and reduction of the unsymmetrical disulfides with tri-butylphosphine, the resulting bis-cysteinyl-octapeptides were oxidized in dimethylformamide with azodicarboxylic acid di-tert-butyl ester to produce the desired cyclic compounds in good overall yields. For the synthesis on solid supports a similar acid-labile side-chain protection was applied in combination with the N alpha 9-flourenylmethyoxycarbonyl derivatives in the chain elongation steps. Thereby acylations were performed with the related amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides (UNCAs) or by the O-(1H-benzotriazol-1-yl)-N,N,N',N'-tetramethyluronium-tetraf luoroborate/1- hydroxybenzotriazole (TBTU/HOBt) procedure. The solid phase synthesis of the two octapeptides led to unexpected difficulties in terms of recovery of peptidic material from the resins in the final acidolytic cleavage step as well as of racemization at the level of the cysteine residues by the TBTU/HOBt coupling method. Racemization was efficiently suppressed by employing the related pentafluorophenyl ester and this method led to crude octapeptide products of a degree of purity comparable to those obtained by the synthesis in solution. However, the recovery of the peptides from the resin, i.e., irreversible reattachment of cleaved peptidic material via alkylation of various side-chain functions, could not be avoided even using the most efficient scavengers or their cocktails.

Thermodynamics of BPTI folding

A calorimetric study of the basic pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI) has been performed using the new generation of the adiabatic scanning microcalorimeters, operating in an extended temperature range of 5-130 degrees C. Precise measurements of the heat capacities of the native and unfolded states of BPTI show that the heat capacity change upon unfolding strongly depends on temperature; its value is maximal at about 50 degrees C and diminishes as the temperature is increased. The temperature dependencies of the enthalpy and entropy changes upon BPTI unfolding were found to be similar to those normally observed for other small globular proteins. The stability of BPTI has been correlated with its structure.