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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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2
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Paquette AR, Brazeau-Henrie JT, Boddy CN. Thioesterases as tools for chemoenzymatic synthesis of macrolactones. Chem Commun (Camb) 2024; 60:3379-3388. [PMID: 38456624 DOI: 10.1039/d4cc00401a] [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: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Macrocycles are a key functional group that can impart unique properties into molecules. Their synthesis has led to the development of many outstanding chemical methodologies and yet still remains challenging. Thioesterase (TE) domains are frequently responsible for macrocyclization in natural product biosynthesis and provide unique strengths for the enzymatic synthesis of macrocycles. In this feature article, we describe our work to characterize the substrate selectivity of TEs and to use these enzymes as biocatalysts. Our efforts have shown that the linear thioester activated substrates are loaded on TEs with limited substrate selectivity to generate acyl-enzyme intermediates. We show that cyclization of the acyl-enzyme intermediates can be highly selective, with competing hydrolysis of the acyl-enzyme intermediates. The mechanisms controlling TE-mediated macrocyclization versus hydrolysis are a significant unsolved problem in TE biochemistry. The potential of TEs as biocatalysts was demonstrated by using them in the chemoenzymatic total synthesis of macrocyclic depsipeptide natural products. This article highlights the strengths and potential of TEs as biocatalysts as well as their limitations, opening exciting research opportunities including TE engineering to optimize these powerful biocatalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- André R Paquette
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5.
| | - Jordan T Brazeau-Henrie
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5.
| | - Christopher N Boddy
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5.
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3
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Kambanis L, Kulkarni SS, Payne RJ. Side-Chain Anchoring Strategies for the Synthesis of Peptide Thioesters and Selenoesters. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2530:125-140. [PMID: 35761046 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2489-0_9] [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] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Peptides bearing C-terminal thioester and selenoester functionalities are essential precursors for the chemical synthesis of larger proteins using ligation chemistry, including native chemical ligation (NCL) and diselenide-selenoester ligation (DSL). The use of a side-chain anchoring thioesterification or selenoesterification approach offers a robust method to access peptide thioesters or peptide selenoesters in excellent yields and in high purity. Importantly, this methodology overcomes solubility issues and epimerization of the C-terminal amino acid residue that can occur using solution-phase approaches. Detailed methods for the solid-phase synthesis of peptide thioesters and selenoesters using a side-chain anchoring approach are outlined in this article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Kambanis
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Sameer S Kulkarni
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Richard J Payne
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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Perkins WS, Davison RT, Shelkey GB, Lawson VE, Hutton GE, Miller JS. Unmasking latent thioesters under hydrophobic-compatible conditions. J Pept Sci 2021; 27:e3358. [PMID: 34121261 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Hydrophobic latent C-terminal thioesters were converted into thioesters, and were also coupled with cysteine in one-pot reactions, using conditions generally compatible with hydrophobic materials. The reaction conditions (ethanethiol and triethylamine in a mixture of DMF and THF) are compatible with acid-labile protecting groups (Boc/t-Bu) that are standard in Fmoc peptide synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wade S Perkins
- Department of Chemistry, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY, USA
| | - Ryan T Davison
- Department of Chemistry, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY, USA
| | - Gregory B Shelkey
- Department of Chemistry, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY, USA
| | - Vernon E Lawson
- Department of Chemistry, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY, USA
| | - Grace E Hutton
- Department of Chemistry, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY, USA
| | - Justin S Miller
- Department of Chemistry, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY, USA
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5
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Ojeda PG, Cardoso MH, Franco OL. Pharmaceutical applications of cyclotides. Drug Discov Today 2019; 24:2152-2161. [PMID: 31541712 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2019.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cyclotides are cyclic peptides, present in several plant families, that show diverse biological properties. Structurally, cyclotides share a distinctive head-to-tail circular knotted topology of three disulfide bonds. This framework provides cyclotides with extraordinary resistance to thermal and chemical denaturation. There is increasing interest in the therapeutic potential of cyclotides, which combine several promising pharmaceutical properties, including binding affinity, target selectivity, and low toxicity towards healthy mammalian cells. Recently, cyclotides have been reported to be orally bioavailable and have proved to be amenable to modifications. Here, we provide an overview of the structure, properties, and pharmaceutical applications of cyclotides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola G Ojeda
- Escuela de Química y Farmacia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Católica del Maule, Av. San Miguel 3605, Talca 3480112, Chile
| | - Marlon H Cardoso
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil; 3S-Inova Biotech, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, Campo Grande, Brazil
| | - Octávio L Franco
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil; 3S-Inova Biotech, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, Campo Grande, Brazil.
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6
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Tang S, Zhang N, Zhou Y, Cortopassi WA, Jacobson MP, Zhao LJ, Zhong RG. Structure-based Discovery of Novel CK2α-Binding Cyclic Peptides with Anti-cancer Activity. Mol Inform 2018; 38:e1800089. [PMID: 30307134 DOI: 10.1002/minf.201800089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2018] [Accepted: 09/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Protein kinase CK2 is considered as an emerging target in cancer therapy, and recent efforts have been made to develop its ATP-competitive inhibitors, but achieving selectivity with respect to related kinases remains challenging because of the highly conserved ATP-binding pocket of kinases. Non-ATP competitive inhibitors might solve this challenge; one such strategy is to identify compounds that target the CK2α/CK2β interface as CK2 holoenzyme antagonists. Here we improved the binding affinity to CK2α and cell-based anti-cancer activity of a CK2β-derived cyclic peptide (Pc) by combining structure-based computational design with experimental evaluation. By analyzing molecular dynamics simulations of Pc bound to CK2α, a series of Pc-derived peptides was rationally designed and synthesized to evaluate their binding affinity to CK2α, as well as anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects against HepG2 cancer cell line. One amino acid substitutions on Pc, I192F, exhibited over 10-fold improvement in the predicted binding affinity to CK2α when compared to Pc, and a cell-permeable version, I192F-Tat, also demonstrated more potent anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects against HepG2 compared to Pc. A second modification of Pc, H193W, also led to more potent cell-based activity, despite having weaker binding affinity (∼5×) to CK2α. The discovery of the I192F and H193W peptides provides new insights for further optimization of CK2 antagonist candidates as anti-cancer leads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Tang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, College of Life Science and Bioengineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Na Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, College of Life Science and Bioengineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Yue Zhou
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, College of Life Science and Bioengineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Wilian A Cortopassi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94143, United States
| | - Matthew P Jacobson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94143, United States
| | - Li-Jiao Zhao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, College of Life Science and Bioengineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Ru-Gang Zhong
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, College of Life Science and Bioengineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China
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