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Enninful GN, Kuppusamy R, Tiburu EK, Kumar N, Willcox MDP. Non-canonical amino acid bioincorporation into antimicrobial peptides and its challenges. J Pept Sci 2024; 30:e3560. [PMID: 38262069 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3560] [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: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
The rise of antimicrobial resistance and multi-drug resistant pathogens has necessitated explorations for novel antibiotic agents as the discovery of conventional antibiotics is becoming economically less viable and technically more challenging for biopharma. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have emerged as a promising alternative because of their particular mode of action, broad spectrum and difficulty that microbes have in becoming resistant to them. The AMPs bacitracin, gramicidin, polymyxins and daptomycin are currently used clinically. However, their susceptibility to proteolytic degradation, toxicity profile, and complexities in large-scale manufacture have hindered their development. To improve their proteolytic stability, methods such as integrating non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) into their peptide sequence have been adopted, which also improves their potency and spectrum of action. The benefits of ncAA incorporation have been made possible by solid-phase peptide synthesis. However, this method is not always suitable for commercial production of AMPs because of poor yield, scale-up difficulties, and its non-'green' nature. Bioincorporation of ncAA as a method of integration is an emerging field geared towards tackling the challenges of solid-phase synthesis as a green, cheaper, and scalable alternative for commercialisation of AMPs. This review focusses on the bioincorporation of ncAAs; some challenges associated with the methods are outlined, and notes are given on how to overcome these challenges. The review focusses particularly on addressing two key challenges: AMP cytotoxicity towards microbial cell factories and the uptake of ncAAs that are unfavourable to them. Overcoming these challenges will draw us closer to a greater yield and an environmentally friendly and sustainable approach to make AMPs more druggable.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rajesh Kuppusamy
- University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Naresh Kumar
- University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Mark D P Willcox
- University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
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He J, Ghosh P, Nitsche C. Biocompatible strategies for peptide macrocyclisation. Chem Sci 2024; 15:2300-2322. [PMID: 38362412 PMCID: PMC10866349 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc05738k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Peptides are increasingly important drug candidates, offering numerous advantages over conventional small molecules. However, they face significant challenges related to stability, cellular uptake and overall bioavailability. While individual modifications may not address all these challenges, macrocyclisation stands out as a single modification capable of enhancing affinity, selectivity, proteolytic stability and membrane permeability. The recent successes of in situ peptide modifications during screening in combination with genetically encoded peptide libraries have increased the demand for peptide macrocyclisation reactions that can occur under biocompatible conditions. In this perspective, we aim to distinguish biocompatible conditions from those well-known examples that are fully bioorthogonal. We introduce key strategies for biocompatible peptide macrocyclisation and contextualise them within contemporary screening methods, providing an overview of available transformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junming He
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Pritha Ghosh
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Christoph Nitsche
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
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Wang R, Zhu B, Young P, Luo Y, Taylor J, Cameron AJ, Squire CJ, Travas-Sejdic J. A Portable and Disposable Electrochemical Sensor Utilizing Laser-Scribed Graphene for Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Detection. BIOSENSORS 2023; 14:10. [PMID: 38248387 PMCID: PMC10813335 DOI: 10.3390/bios14010010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2 was the greatest global threat to human health in the last three years. The most widely used methodologies for the diagnosis of COVID-19 are quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and rapid antigen tests (RATs). PCR is time-consuming and requires specialized instrumentation operated by skilled personnel. In contrast, RATs can be used in-home or at point-of-care but are less sensitive, leading to a higher rate of false negative results. In this work, we describe the development of a disposable, electrochemical, and laser-scribed graphene-based biosensor strips for COVID-19 detection that exploits a split-ester bond ligase system (termed 'EsterLigase') for immobilization of a virus-specific nanobody to maintain the out-of-plane orientation of the probe to ensure the efficacy of the probe-target recognition process. An anti-spike VHH E nanobody, genetically fused with the EsterLigase domain, was used as the specific probe for the spike receptor-binding domain (SP-RBD) protein as the target. The recognition between the two was measured by the change in the charge transfer resistance determined by fitting the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) spectra. The developed LSG-based biosensor achieved a linear detection range for the SP-RBD from 150 pM to 15 nM with a sensitivity of 0.0866 [log(M)]-1 and a limit of detection (LOD) of 7.68 pM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Runzhong Wang
- Centre for Innovative Materials and Health, School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand; (R.W.); (B.Z.)
| | - Bicheng Zhu
- Centre for Innovative Materials and Health, School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand; (R.W.); (B.Z.)
- School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand;
- MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6012, New Zealand
| | - Paul Young
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand; (P.Y.); (J.T.); (C.J.S.)
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Yu Luo
- Micro- and Nano-Technology Research Center, State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China;
| | - John Taylor
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand; (P.Y.); (J.T.); (C.J.S.)
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Alan J. Cameron
- School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand;
- MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6012, New Zealand
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand; (P.Y.); (J.T.); (C.J.S.)
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Christopher J. Squire
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand; (P.Y.); (J.T.); (C.J.S.)
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Jadranka Travas-Sejdic
- Centre for Innovative Materials and Health, School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand; (R.W.); (B.Z.)
- School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand;
- MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6012, New Zealand
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Bakare OO, Gokul A, Niekerk LA, Aina O, Abiona A, Barker AM, Basson G, Nkomo M, Otomo L, Keyster M, Klein A. Recent Progress in the Characterization, Synthesis, Delivery Procedures, Treatment Strategies, and Precision of Antimicrobial Peptides. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11864. [PMID: 37511621 PMCID: PMC10380191 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Infectious diseases are constantly evolving to bypass antibiotics or create resistance against them. There is a piercing alarm for the need to improve the design of new effective antimicrobial agents such as antimicrobial peptides which are less prone to resistance and possess high sensitivity. This would guard public health in combating and overcoming stubborn pathogens and mitigate incurable diseases; however, the emergence of antimicrobial peptides' shortcomings ranging from untimely degradation by enzymes to difficulty in the design against specific targets is a major bottleneck in achieving these objectives. This review is aimed at highlighting the recent progress in antimicrobial peptide development in the area of nanotechnology-based delivery, selectivity indices, synthesis and characterization, their doping and coating, and the shortfall of these approaches. This review will raise awareness of antimicrobial peptides as prospective therapeutic agents in the medical and pharmaceutical industries, such as the sensitive treatment of diseases and their utilization. The knowledge from this development would guide the future design of these novel peptides and allow the development of highly specific, sensitive, and accurate antimicrobial peptides to initiate treatment regimens in patients to enable them to have accommodating lifestyles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olalekan Olanrewaju Bakare
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Sagamu 2002, Nigeria
| | - Arun Gokul
- Department of Plant Sciences, Qwaqwa Campus, University of the Free State, Phuthadithjaba 9866, South Africa
| | - Lee-Ann Niekerk
- Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa
| | - Omolola Aina
- Plant Omics Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa
| | - Ademola Abiona
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Sagamu 2002, Nigeria
| | - Adele Mariska Barker
- Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa
| | - Gerhard Basson
- Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa
| | - Mbukeni Nkomo
- Department of Botany, H13 Botany Building, University of Zululand, Private Bag X1001, KwaDlangezwa 3886, South Africa
| | - Laetitia Otomo
- Department of Plant Sciences, Qwaqwa Campus, University of the Free State, Phuthadithjaba 9866, South Africa
| | - Marshall Keyster
- Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa
| | - Ashwil Klein
- Plant Omics Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa
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