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Erdei AI, Borbély A, Magyar A, Szűcs E, Ötvös F, Gombos D, Al-Khrasani M, Stefanucci A, Dimmito MP, Luisi G, Mollica A, Benyhe S. Biochemical and pharmacological investigation of novel nociceptin/OFQ analogues and N/OFQ-RYYRIK hybrid peptides. Peptides 2019; 112:106-113. [PMID: 30513351 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2018.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Revised: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The endogenous ligand nociceptin (N/OFQ) and a positively charged synthetic peptide RYYRIK are both selective for the nociceptin opioid receptor (NOPr). Despite their structural dissimilarity, N/OFQ and RYYRIK compete for the same binding site of NOP receptor possessing full and partial agonistic character, respectively. In the view of the message-address concept, hybrid peptide constructs were probed for the NOP receptor combining different regions of N/OFQ and RYYRIK related peptide sequences. Nine novel nociceptin- or Ac-RYYRIK-NH2 peptide variants or hybrid peptides were synthesized and characterized. Peptides P2 and P8 contain fragments of native N/OFQ. The other seven analogues (P1, P3-7, P9) are composed of Ac-RYYRIK-NH2 fragments and parts of the original nociceptin sequence. The analogues were characterized in receptor binding assays and G-protein activation experiments on rat brain membranes, as well as by electrically stimulated mouse vas deferens bioassay. In receptor binding assays ligands P2, P4, P6 (Ki 0.37 nM) and P7 showed higher affinity (Ki 0.65 nM, 0.6 nM, 0.37 nM and 0.44 nM, respectively) for NOP receptor than their parent compounds N/OFQ (Ki 2.8 nM) or Ac-RYYRIK-NH2 (Ki 4.2 nM). In [35S]GTPγS binding experiments P2 and P3 behaved as full agonists. The other variants exhibited partial agonist properties characterized by submaximal stimulatory effects. In mouse vas deferens bioassay only P2 showed agonist activity. P4, P5, P6 inhibited the biological activity of N/OFQ more effectively than the NOP receptor selective antagonist JTC-801. In summary, hybrid peptides P4, P5 and P6 proved to be NOP receptor partial agonists even antagonists, while P2 peptide retained the full agonist property.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna I Erdei
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biological Research Center, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-6726 Szeged, Temesvári krt. 62., Hungary; Doctoral School of Theoretical Medicine, University of Szeged, Faculty of Medicine, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Adina Borbély
- MTA-ELTE Research Group of Peptide Chemistry, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117, Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/A, Hungary
| | - Anna Magyar
- MTA-ELTE Research Group of Peptide Chemistry, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117, Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/A, Hungary
| | - Edina Szűcs
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biological Research Center, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-6726 Szeged, Temesvári krt. 62., Hungary; Doctoral School of Theoretical Medicine, University of Szeged, Faculty of Medicine, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Ferenc Ötvös
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biological Research Center, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-6726 Szeged, Temesvári krt. 62., Hungary
| | - Dávid Gombos
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biological Research Center, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-6726 Szeged, Temesvári krt. 62., Hungary
| | - Mahmoud Al-Khrasani
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Semmelweis University, H-1445 Budapest, Nagyvárad tér 4., Hungary
| | - Azzurra Stefanucci
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università̀ degli Studi "G. d'Annunzio" di Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini 31, Chieti, 66100, Italy
| | - Marilisa Pia Dimmito
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università̀ degli Studi "G. d'Annunzio" di Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini 31, Chieti, 66100, Italy
| | - Grazia Luisi
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università̀ degli Studi "G. d'Annunzio" di Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini 31, Chieti, 66100, Italy
| | - Adriano Mollica
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università̀ degli Studi "G. d'Annunzio" di Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini 31, Chieti, 66100, Italy
| | - Sándor Benyhe
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biological Research Center, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-6726 Szeged, Temesvári krt. 62., Hungary.
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