1
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Lander AJ, Mercado LD, Li X, Taily IM, Findlay BL, Jin Y, Luk LYP. Roles of inter- and intramolecular tryptophan interactions in membrane-active proteins revealed by racemic protein crystallography. Commun Chem 2023; 6:154. [PMID: 37464011 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-023-00953-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Tryptophan is frequently found on the surface of membrane-associated proteins that interact with the lipid membrane. However, because of their multifaceted interactions, it is difficult to pinpoint the structure-activity relationship of each tryptophan residue. Here, we describe the use of racemic protein crystallography to probe dedicated tryptophan interactions of a model tryptophan-rich bacteriocin aureocin A53 (AucA) by inclusion and/or exclusion of potential ligands. In the presence of tetrahedral anions that are isosteric to the head group of phospholipids, distinct tryptophan H-bond networks were revealed. H-bond donation by W40 was critical for antibacterial activity, as its substitution by 1-methyltryptophan resulted in substantial loss of activity against bacterial clinical isolates. Meanwhile, exclusion of tetrahedral ions revealed that W3 partakes in formation of a dimeric interface, thus suggesting that AucA is dimeric in solution and dissociated to interact with the phosphate head group in the presence of the lipid membrane. Based on these findings, we could predict the tryptophan residue responsible for activity as well as the oligomeric state of a distant homologue lacticin Q (48%).
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J Lander
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Laura Domínguez Mercado
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Richard J. Renaud Science Complex, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Xuefei Li
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Irshad Maajid Taily
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Brandon L Findlay
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Richard J. Renaud Science Complex, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, H4B 1R6, Canada.
| | - Yi Jin
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester, Manchester, M1 7DN, UK.
| | - Louis Y P Luk
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK.
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2
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Lander AJ, Jin Y, Luk LYP. D-Peptide and D-Protein Technology: Recent Advances, Challenges, and Opportunities. Chembiochem 2023; 24:e202200537. [PMID: 36278392 PMCID: PMC10805118 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Total chemical protein synthesis provides access to entire D-protein enantiomers enabling unique applications in molecular biology, structural biology, and bioactive compound discovery. Key enzymes involved in the central dogma of molecular biology have been prepared in their D-enantiomeric forms facilitating the development of mirror-image life. Crystallization of a racemic mixture of L- and D-protein enantiomers provides access to high-resolution X-ray structures of polypeptides. Additionally, D-enantiomers of protein drug targets can be used in mirror-image phage display allowing discovery of non-proteolytic D-peptide ligands as lead candidates. This review discusses the unique applications of D-proteins including the synthetic challenges and opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J. Lander
- School of ChemistryCardiff UniversityMain Building, Park PlaceCardiffCF10 3ATUK
| | - Yi Jin
- Manchester Institute of BiotechnologyThe University of ManchesterManchesterM1 7DNUK
| | - Louis Y. P. Luk
- School of ChemistryCardiff UniversityMain Building, Park PlaceCardiffCF10 3ATUK
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3
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Atomic-Resolution Structures and Mode of Action of Clinically Relevant Antimicrobial Peptides. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23094558. [PMID: 35562950 PMCID: PMC9100274 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23094558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Global rise of infections and deaths caused by drug-resistant bacterial pathogens are among the unmet medical needs. In an age of drying pipeline of novel antibiotics to treat bacterial infections, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are proven to be valid therapeutics modalities. Direct in vivo applications of many AMPs could be challenging; however, works are demonstrating encouraging results for some of them. In this review article, we discussed 3-D structures of potent AMPs e.g., polymyxin, thanatin, MSI, protegrin, OMPTA in complex with bacterial targets and their mode of actions. Studies on human peptide LL37 and de novo-designed peptides are also discussed. We have focused on AMPs which are effective against drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Since treatment options for the infections caused by super bugs of Gram-negative bacteria are now extremely limited. We also summarize some of the pertinent challenges in the field of clinical trials of AMPs.
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4
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Caraway HE, Lau JZ, Maron B, Oh MW, Belo Y, Brill A, Malach E, Ismail N, Hayouka Z, Lau GW. Antimicrobial Random Peptide Mixtures Eradicate Acinetobacter baumannii Biofilms and Inhibit Mouse Models of Infection. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11030413. [PMID: 35326876 PMCID: PMC8944503 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11030413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest crises in human medicine. Increased incidents of antibiotic resistance are linked to clinical overuse and overreliance on antibiotics. Among the ESKAPE pathogens, Acinetobacter baumannii, especially carbapenem-resistant isolates, has emerged as a significant threat in the context of blood, urinary tract, lung, and wound infections. Therefore, new approaches that limit the emergence of antibiotic resistant A. baumannii are urgently needed. Recently, we have shown that random peptide mixtures (RPMs) are an attractive alternative class of drugs to antibiotics with strong safety and pharmacokinetic profiles. RPMs are antimicrobial peptide mixtures produced by incorporating two amino acids at each coupling step, rendering them extremely diverse but still defined in their overall composition, chain length, and stereochemistry. The extreme diversity of RPMs may prevent bacteria from evolving resistance rapidly. Here, we demonstrated that RPMs rapidly and efficiently kill different strains of A. baumannii, inhibit biofilm formation, and disrupt mature biofilms. Importantly, RPMs attenuated bacterial burden in mouse models of acute pneumonia and soft tissue infection and significantly reduced mouse mortality during sepsis. Collectively, our results demonstrate RPMs have the potential to be used as powerful therapeutics against antibiotic-resistant A. baumannii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E. Caraway
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61802, USA; (H.E.C.); (J.Z.L.); (M.W.O.)
| | - Jonathan Z. Lau
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61802, USA; (H.E.C.); (J.Z.L.); (M.W.O.)
| | - Bar Maron
- Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel; (B.M.); (Y.B.); (A.B.); (E.M.)
| | - Myung Whan Oh
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61802, USA; (H.E.C.); (J.Z.L.); (M.W.O.)
| | - Yael Belo
- Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel; (B.M.); (Y.B.); (A.B.); (E.M.)
| | - Aya Brill
- Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel; (B.M.); (Y.B.); (A.B.); (E.M.)
| | - Einav Malach
- Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel; (B.M.); (Y.B.); (A.B.); (E.M.)
| | - Nahed Ismail
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 South Wood Street, Chicago, IL 60612, USA;
| | - Zvi Hayouka
- Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel; (B.M.); (Y.B.); (A.B.); (E.M.)
- Correspondence: (Z.H.); (G.W.L.)
| | - Gee W. Lau
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61802, USA; (H.E.C.); (J.Z.L.); (M.W.O.)
- Correspondence: (Z.H.); (G.W.L.)
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5
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Yadav V, Misra R. A review emphasizing on utility of heptad repeat sequence as a tool to design pharmacologically safe peptide-based antibiotics. Biochimie 2021; 191:126-139. [PMID: 34492334 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2021.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Extensive usage of antibiotics has created an unprecedented scenario of the rapid emergence of many drug-resistant bacteria, which has become an alarming public health concern around the globe. Search for better alternatives that are as efficacious as antibiotics led to the discovery of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). These small cationic amphiphilic peptides have emerged as a promising option as antimicrobial agents, owing to their multifaceted implications against varied pathogens. Recent years have witnessed tremendous growth in research on AMPs resulting in them being tested in clinical trials of which six got approved for topical application. The relatively less successful outcome has been attributed to the poor cell selectivity shown by most of the naturally occurring AMPs. This drawback needs to be circumvented by identifying strategies to design safe and effective peptides. In the present review, we have emphasized the importance of heptad repeat sequence (leucine and/or phenylalanine zipper motif) as a tool that has shown great promise in remodeling the toxic AMPs to safe antimicrobial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikas Yadav
- Department of Translational Medicine, Clinical Research Centre, Skåne University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden; Interdisciplinary Cluster for Applied Genoproteomics (GIGA), University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium.
| | - Richa Misra
- Department of Zoology, Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
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6
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Nasiri F, Atanaki FF, Behrouzi S, Kavousi K, Bagheri M. CpACpP: In Silico Cell-Penetrating Anticancer Peptide Prediction Using a Novel Bioinformatics Framework. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:19846-19859. [PMID: 34368571 PMCID: PMC8340416 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c02569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Cell-penetrating anticancer peptides (Cp-ACPs) are considered promising candidates in solid tumor and hematologic cancer therapies. Current approaches for the design and discovery of Cp-ACPs trust the expensive high-throughput screenings that often give rise to multiple obstacles, including instrumentation adaptation and experimental handling. The application of machine learning (ML) tools developed for peptide activity prediction is importantly of growing interest. In this study, we applied the random forest (RF)-, support vector machine (SVM)-, and eXtreme gradient boosting (XGBoost)-based algorithms to predict the active Cp-ACPs using an experimentally validated data set. The model, CpACpP, was developed on the basis of two independent cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) and anticancer peptide (ACP) subpredictors. Various compositional and physiochemical-based features were combined or selected using the multilayered recursive feature elimination (RFE) method for both data sets. Our results showed that the ACP subclassifiers obtain a mean performance accuracy (ACC) of 0.98 with an area under curve (AUC) ≈ 0.98 vis-à-vis the CPP predictors displaying relevant values of ∼0.94 and ∼0.95 via the hybrid-based features and independent data sets, respectively. Also, the predicting evaluation of Cp-ACPs gave accuracies of ∼0.79 and 0.89 on a series of independent sequences by applying our CPP and ACP classifiers, respectively, which leaves the performance of our predictors better than the earlier reported ACPred, mACPpred, MLCPP, and CPPred-RF. The described consensus-based fusion method additionally reached an AUC of 0.94 for the prediction of Cp-ACP (http://cbb1.ut.ac.ir/CpACpP/Index).
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Affiliation(s)
- Farid Nasiri
- Peptide
Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry
and Biophysics (IBB), University of Tehran, Tehran 14176-14335, Iran
| | - Fereshteh Fallah Atanaki
- Laboratory
of Complex Biological Systems and Bioinformatics (CBB), Department
of Bioinformatics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics (IBB), University of Tehran, Tehran 14176-14411, Iran
| | - Saman Behrouzi
- Laboratory
of Complex Biological Systems and Bioinformatics (CBB), Department
of Bioinformatics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics (IBB), University of Tehran, Tehran 14176-14411, Iran
| | - Kaveh Kavousi
- Laboratory
of Complex Biological Systems and Bioinformatics (CBB), Department
of Bioinformatics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics (IBB), University of Tehran, Tehran 14176-14411, Iran
| | - Mojtaba Bagheri
- Peptide
Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry
and Biophysics (IBB), University of Tehran, Tehran 14176-14335, Iran
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7
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Aronica PGA, Reid LM, Desai N, Li J, Fox SJ, Yadahalli S, Essex JW, Verma CS. Computational Methods and Tools in Antimicrobial Peptide Research. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:3172-3196. [PMID: 34165973 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is an ongoing and troubling development that has increased the number of diseases and infections that risk going untreated. There is an urgent need to develop alternative strategies and treatments to address this issue. One class of molecules that is attracting significant interest is that of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Their design and development has been aided considerably by the applications of molecular models, and we review these here. These methods include the use of tools to explore the relationships between their structures, dynamics, and functions and the increasing application of machine learning and molecular dynamics simulations. This review compiles resources such as AMP databases, AMP-related web servers, and commonly used techniques, together aimed at aiding researchers in the area toward complementing experimental studies with computational approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro G A Aronica
- Bioinformatics Institute at A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671
| | - Lauren M Reid
- Bioinformatics Institute at A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671.,School of Chemistry, University of Southampton, Highfield Southampton, Hampshire, U.K. SO17 1BJ.,MedChemica Ltd, Alderley Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire, U.K. SK10 4TG
| | - Nirali Desai
- Bioinformatics Institute at A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671.,Division of Biological and Life Sciences, Ahmedabad University, Central Campus, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India 380009
| | - Jianguo Li
- Bioinformatics Institute at A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671.,Singapore Eye Research Institute, 20 College Road Discovery Tower, Singapore 169856
| | - Stephen J Fox
- Bioinformatics Institute at A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671
| | - Shilpa Yadahalli
- Bioinformatics Institute at A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671
| | - Jonathan W Essex
- School of Chemistry, University of Southampton, Highfield Southampton, Hampshire, U.K. SO17 1BJ
| | - Chandra S Verma
- Bioinformatics Institute at A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671.,Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, 117543 Singapore.,School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Drive, 637551 Singapore
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8
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Bennett RC, Oh MW, Kuo SH, Belo Y, Maron B, Malach E, Lin J, Hayouka Z, Lau GW. Random Peptide Mixtures as Safe and Effective Antimicrobials against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and MRSA in Mouse Models of Bacteremia and Pneumonia. ACS Infect Dis 2021; 7:672-680. [PMID: 33650856 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance is a daunting challenge in modern medicine, and novel approaches that minimize the emergence of resistant pathogens are desperately needed. Antimicrobial peptides are newer therapeutics that attempt to do this; however, they fall short because of low to moderate antimicrobial activity, low protease stability, susceptibility to resistance development, and high cost of production. The recently developed random peptide mixtures (RPMs) are promising alternatives. RPMs are synthesized by incorporating a defined proportion of two amino acids at each coupling step rather than just one, making them highly variable but still defined in their overall composition, chain length, and stereochemistry. Because RPMs have extreme diversity, it is unlikely that bacteria would be capable of rapidly evolving resistance. However, their efficacy against pathogens in animal models of human infectious diseases remained uncharacterized. Here, we demonstrated that RPMs have strong safety and pharmacokinetic profiles. RPMs rapidly killed both Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus efficiently and disrupted preformed biofilms by both pathogens. Importantly, RPMs were efficacious against both pathogens in mouse models of bacteremia and acute pneumonia. Our results demonstrate that RPMs are potent broad-spectrum therapeutics against antibiotic-resistant pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard C. Bennett
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61802, United States
| | - Myung Whan Oh
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61802, United States
| | - Shanny Hsuan Kuo
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61802, United States
| | - Yael Belo
- Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Bar Maron
- Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Einav Malach
- Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Jingjun Lin
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61802, United States
| | - Zvi Hayouka
- Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Gee W. Lau
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61802, United States
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9
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Sancho-Vaello E, Gil-Carton D, François P, Bonetti EJ, Kreir M, Pothula KR, Kleinekathöfer U, Zeth K. The structure of the antimicrobial human cathelicidin LL-37 shows oligomerization and channel formation in the presence of membrane mimics. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17356. [PMID: 33060695 PMCID: PMC7562864 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74401-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The human cathelicidin LL-37 serves a critical role in the innate immune system defending bacterial infections. LL-37 can interact with molecules of the cell wall and perforate cytoplasmic membranes resulting in bacterial cell death. To test the interactions of LL-37 and bacterial cell wall components we crystallized LL-37 in the presence of detergents and obtained the structure of a narrow tetrameric channel with a strongly charged core. The formation of a tetramer was further studied by cross-linking in the presence of detergents and lipids. Using planar lipid membranes a small but defined conductivity of this channel could be demonstrated. Molecular dynamic simulations underline the stability of this channel in membranes and demonstrate pathways for the passage of water molecules. Time lapse studies of E. coli cells treated with LL-37 show membrane discontinuities in the outer membrane followed by cell wall damage and cell death. Collectively, our results open a venue to the understanding of a novel AMP killing mechanism and allows the rational design of LL-37 derivatives with enhanced bactericidal activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enea Sancho-Vaello
- Unidad de Biofisica, Centro Mixto Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas-Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (CSIC, UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena s/n, Leioa, Bizkaia, Spain.,Institute of Microbiology and Infection, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - David Gil-Carton
- Structural Biology Unit, CIC bioGUNE, Parque Tecnológico de Bizkaia Edificio 800, 48160, Derio, Spain
| | - Patrice François
- Genomic Research Laboratory, Department of Medical Specialities, Geneva University Hospitals, University of Geneva, Genève, Switzerland
| | - Eve-Julie Bonetti
- Genomic Research Laboratory, Department of Medical Specialities, Geneva University Hospitals, University of Geneva, Genève, Switzerland
| | - Mohamed Kreir
- Nanion Technologies GmbH, Gabrielenstraße 9, 80636, Munich, Germany.,Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Janssen R&D, Nonclinical Safety, Beerse, Belgium
| | - Karunakar Reddy Pothula
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759, Bremen, Germany
| | - Ulrich Kleinekathöfer
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759, Bremen, Germany
| | - Kornelius Zeth
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Universitetsvej 1, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark.
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10
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Kurgan KW, Kleman AF, Bingman CA, Kreitler DF, Weisblum B, Forest KT, Gellman SH. Retention of Native Quaternary Structure in Racemic Melittin Crystals. J Am Chem Soc 2019; 141:7704-7708. [PMID: 31059253 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b02691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Racemic crystallography has been used to elucidate the secondary and tertiary structures of peptides and small proteins that are recalcitrant to conventional crystallization. It is unclear, however, whether racemic crystallography can capture native quaternary structure, which could be disrupted by heterochiral associations. We are exploring the use of racemic crystallography to characterize the self-assembly behavior of membrane-associated peptides, very few of which have been crystallized. We report a racemic crystal structure of the membrane-active peptide melittin; the new structure allows comparison with a previously reported crystal structure of L-melittin. The tetrameric assembly observed in crystalline L-melittin has been proposed to represent the tetrameric state detected in solution for this peptide. This tetrameric assembly is precisely reproduced in the racemic crystal, which strengthens the conclusion that the tetramer is biologically relevant. More broadly, these findings suggest that racemic crystallography can provide insight on native quaternary structure.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Dale F Kreitler
- Department of Structural Biology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences , University at Buffalo , Buffalo , New York 14203-1102 , United States
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11
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Yao Z, Cary BP, Bingman CA, Wang C, Kreitler DF, Satyshur KA, Forest KT, Gellman SH. Use of a Stereochemical Strategy To Probe the Mechanism of Phenol-Soluble Modulin α3 Toxicity. J Am Chem Soc 2019; 141:7660-7664. [PMID: 31045358 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b00349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Phenol-soluble modulin α3 (PSMα3) is a cytotoxic peptide secreted by virulent strains of Staphylococcus aureus. We used a stereochemical strategy to examine the mechanism of PSMα3-mediated toxicity. One hypothesis is that PSMα3 toxicity requires fibril formation; an alternative is that toxicity is caused by soluble forms of PSMα3, possibly oligomeric. We find that the unnatural enantiomer (D residues) displays cytotoxicity comparable to that of L-PSMα3. Racemic PSMα3 is similarly toxic to enantiopure PSMα3 (L or D) under some conditions, but the toxicity is lost under conditions that cause racemic PSMα3 to aggregate. A crystal structure of racemic PSMα3-NH2 displays an α-helical secondary structure and a packing pattern that is reminiscent of the cross-α arrangement recently discovered in crystals of L-PSMα3. Our data suggest that the cytotoxicity of PSMα3 does not depend on stereospecific engagement of a target protein or other chiral macromolecule, an observation that supports a mechanism based on membrane disruption. In addition, our data support the hypothesis that toxicity is exerted by a soluble form rather than an insoluble fibrillar form.
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12
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Pham TN, Loupias P, Dassonville-Klimpt A, Sonnet P. Drug delivery systems designed to overcome antimicrobial resistance. Med Res Rev 2019; 39:2343-2396. [PMID: 31004359 DOI: 10.1002/med.21588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Revised: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/31/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance has emerged as a huge challenge to the effective treatment of infectious diseases. Aside from a modest number of novel anti-infective agents, very few new classes of antibiotics have been successfully developed for therapeutic use. Despite the research efforts of numerous scientists, the fight against antimicrobial (ATB) resistance has been a longstanding continued effort, as pathogens rapidly adapt and evolve through various strategies, to escape the action of ATBs. Among other mechanisms of resistance to antibiotics, the sophisticated envelopes surrounding microbes especially form a major barrier for almost all anti-infective agents. In addition, the mammalian cell membrane presents another obstacle to the ATBs that target intracellular pathogens. To negotiate these biological membranes, scientists have developed drug delivery systems to help drugs traverse the cell wall; these are called "Trojan horse" strategies. Within these delivery systems, ATB molecules can be conjugated with one of many different types of carriers. These carriers could include any of the following: siderophores, antimicrobial peptides, cell-penetrating peptides, antibodies, or even nanoparticles. In recent years, the Trojan horse-inspired delivery systems have been increasingly reported as efficient strategies to expand the arsenal of therapeutic solutions and/or reinforce the effectiveness of conventional ATBs against drug-resistant microbes, while also minimizing the side effects of these drugs. In this paper, we aim to review and report on the recent progress made in these newly prevalent ATB delivery strategies, within the current context of increasing ATB resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thanh-Nhat Pham
- Université de Picardie Jules Verne, AGIR: Agents Infectieux, Résistance et Chimiothérapie, Amiens, France
| | - Pauline Loupias
- Université de Picardie Jules Verne, AGIR: Agents Infectieux, Résistance et Chimiothérapie, Amiens, France
| | | | - Pascal Sonnet
- Université de Picardie Jules Verne, AGIR: Agents Infectieux, Résistance et Chimiothérapie, Amiens, France
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13
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Baeriswyl S, Gan BH, Siriwardena TN, Visini R, Robadey M, Javor S, Stocker A, Darbre T, Reymond JL. X-ray Crystal Structures of Short Antimicrobial Peptides as Pseudomonas aeruginosa Lectin B Complexes. ACS Chem Biol 2019; 14:758-766. [PMID: 30830745 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.9b00047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Herein, we report X-ray crystal structures of 11-13 residue antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa as complexes of fucosylated d-enantiomeric sequences with the P. aeruginosa lectin LecB. These represent the first crystal structures of short AMPs. In 24 individual structures of eight different peptides, we found mostly α-helices assembled as two-helix or four-helix bundles with a hydrophobic core and cationic residues pointing outside. Two of the analogs formed an extended structure engaging in multiple contacts with the lectin. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations showed that α-helices are stabilized by bundle formation and suggested that the N-terminal acyl group present in the linker to the fucosyl group can extend the helix by one additional H-bond and increase α-helix amphiphilicity. Investigating N-terminal acylation led to AMPs with equivalent and partly stronger antibacterial effects compared to the free peptide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane Baeriswyl
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Bee-Ha Gan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Thissa N. Siriwardena
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Ricardo Visini
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Maurane Robadey
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sacha Javor
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Achim Stocker
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Tamis Darbre
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jean-Louis Reymond
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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14
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Sowińska M, Laskowska A, Guśpiel A, Solecka J, Bochynska-Czyż M, Lipkowski AW, Trzeciak K, Urbanczyk-Lipkowska Z. Bioinspired Amphiphilic Peptide Dendrimers as Specific and Effective Compounds against Drug Resistant Clinical Isolates of E. coli. Bioconjug Chem 2018; 29:3571-3585. [PMID: 30235928 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.8b00544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Evolution-derived natural compounds have been inspirational for design of numerous pharmaceuticals, e.g., penicillins and tetracyclines. Herein, we present a bioinspired strategy to design peptide dendrimers for the effective therapy of E. coli infections where the selection of appropriate amino acids and the mode of their assembly are based on the information gained from research on membranolytic natural antimicrobial peptides (AMP's). On the molecular level two opposite effects were explored: the effect of multiple positive charges necessary for membrane disintegration was equilibrated by the anchoring role of tryptophanes. Indeed, a series of Trp-terminated dendrimers exhibited high potency against clinical isolates of antibiotic resistant ESBL E. coli strains, stability in human plasma along with very low hemo- and genotoxicity. Investigation of the underlying antimicrobial mechanism indicated that the dendrimers studied at minimal inhibitory concentration showed weak permeability toward membranes. Solid-state 2D NMR studies revealed their presence on and inside the model membranes. Therefore, their biological properties might be explained by targeting of extra- or intracellular receptors. Our results point to a new approach to design novel branched antimicrobials with high therapeutic index.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Sowińska
- Institute of Organic Chemistry PAS , Kasprzaka Str. 44/54 , Warsaw 01-224 , Poland
| | - Anna Laskowska
- National Institute of Public Health-National Institute of Hygiene , Chocimska Str. 24 , Warsaw 00-791 , Poland
| | - Adam Guśpiel
- National Institute of Public Health-National Institute of Hygiene , Chocimska Str. 24 , Warsaw 00-791 , Poland
| | - Jolanta Solecka
- National Institute of Public Health-National Institute of Hygiene , Chocimska Str. 24 , Warsaw 00-791 , Poland
| | - Marta Bochynska-Czyż
- Mossakowski Medical Research Centre PAS , Pawinskiego Str. 5 , 02-106 Warsaw , Poland
| | - Andrzej W Lipkowski
- Mossakowski Medical Research Centre PAS , Pawinskiego Str. 5 , 02-106 Warsaw , Poland
| | - Katarzyna Trzeciak
- Institute of Organic Chemistry PAS , Kasprzaka Str. 44/54 , Warsaw 01-224 , Poland.,Centre of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies PAS , Sienkiewicza 112 , 90-363 Lodz , Poland
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15
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Gao B, Zhu S. Mesobuthus Venom-Derived Antimicrobial Peptides Possess Intrinsic Multifunctionality and Differential Potential as Drugs. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:320. [PMID: 29599756 PMCID: PMC5863496 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.00320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Accepted: 02/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal venoms are a mixture of peptides and proteins that serve two basic biological functions: predation and defense against both predators and microbes. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a common component extensively present in various scorpion venoms (herein abbreviated as svAMPs). However, their roles in predation and defense against predators and potential as drugs are poorly understood. Here, we report five new venom peptides with antimicrobial activity from two Mesobuthus scorpion species. These α-helical linear peptides displayed highly bactericidal activity toward all the Gram-positive bacteria used here but differential activity against Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. In addition to the antibiotic activity, these AMPs displayed lethality to houseflies and hemotoxin-like toxicity on mice by causing hemolysis, tissue damage and inducing inflammatory pain. Unlike AMPs from other origins, these venom-derived AMPs seem to be unsuitable as anti-infective drugs due to their high hemolysis and low serum stability. However, MeuTXKβ1, a known two-domain Mesobuthus AMP, is an exception since it exhibits high activity toward antibiotic resistant Staphylococci clinical isolates with low hemolysis and high serum stability. The findings that the classical AMPs play predatory and defensive roles indicate that the multifunctionality of scorpion venom components is an intrinsic feature likely evolved by natural selection from microbes, prey and predators of scorpions. This definitely provides an excellent system in which one can study how a protein adaptively evolves novel functions in a new environment. Meantimes, new strategies are needed to remove the toxicity of svAMPs on eukaryotic cells when they are used as leads for anti-infective drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Gao
- Group of Peptide Biology and Evolution, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shunyi Zhu
- Group of Peptide Biology and Evolution, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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16
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Zeth K, Sancho-Vaello E. The Human Antimicrobial Peptides Dermcidin and LL-37 Show Novel Distinct Pathways in Membrane Interactions. Front Chem 2017; 5:86. [PMID: 29164103 PMCID: PMC5681987 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2017.00086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2017] [Accepted: 10/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Mammals protect themselves from inflammation triggered by microorganisms through secretion of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). One mechanism by which AMPs kill bacterial cells is perforating their membranes. Membrane interactions and pore formation were investigated for α-helical AMPs leading to the formulation of three basic mechanistic models: the barrel stave, toroidal, and carpet model. One major drawback of these models is their simplicity. They do not reflect the real in vitro and in vivo conditions. To challenge and refine these models using a structure-based approach we set out to investigate how human cathelicidin (LL-37) and dermcidin (DCD) interact with membranes. Both peptides are α-helical and their structures have been solved at atomic resolution. DCD assembles in solution into a hexameric pre-channel complex before the actual membrane targeting and integration step can occur, and the complex follows a deviation of the barrel stave model. LL-37 interacts with lipids and shows the formation of oligomers generating fibril-like supramolecular structures on membranes. LL-37 further assembles into transmembrane pores with yet unknown structure expressing a deviation of the toroidal pore model. Both of their specific targeting mechanisms will be discussed in the context of the “old” models propagated in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kornelius Zeth
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Enea Sancho-Vaello
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Institut Químic de Sarrià, Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona, Spain
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17
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Yan B, Ye L, Xu W, Liu L. Recent advances in racemic protein crystallography. Bioorg Med Chem 2017; 25:4953-4965. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2017.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2017] [Revised: 05/03/2017] [Accepted: 05/09/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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18
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Misawa T, Imamura M, Ozawa Y, Haishima K, Kurihara M, Kikuchi Y, Demizu Y. Development of helix-stabilized antimicrobial peptides composed of lysine and hydrophobic α,α-disubstituted α-amino acid residues. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2017; 27:3950-3953. [PMID: 28789896 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2017.07.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2017] [Revised: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 07/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Lysine-based amphipathic nonapeptides, including homochiral peptides [Ac-(l-Lys-l-Lys-Xaa)3-NH2 (Xaa=Gly, Ala, Aib, Ac5c, or Ac6c) and Ac-(d-Lys-d-Lys-Aib)3-NH2], a heterochiral peptide [Ac-(l-Lys-d-Lys-Aib)3-NH2], and a racemic mixture of diastereomeric peptides [Ac-(rac-Lys-rac-Lys-Aib)3-NH2] were designed and synthesized to investigate the relationship between their preferred secondary structures and their antimicrobial activity. Peptide 5, [Ac-(l-Lys-l-Lys-Ac6c)3-NH2] formed a stable α-helical structure and exhibited strong activity against Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa).
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Misawa
- National Institute of Health Sciences, 1-18-1, Kamiyoga, Setagaya, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan
| | - Mitsuyoshi Imamura
- National Institute of Health Sciences, 1-18-1, Kamiyoga, Setagaya, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan
| | - Yuto Ozawa
- National Institute of Health Sciences, 1-18-1, Kamiyoga, Setagaya, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan
| | - Kazuchika Haishima
- National Institute of Health Sciences, 1-18-1, Kamiyoga, Setagaya, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan
| | - Masaaki Kurihara
- National Institute of Health Sciences, 1-18-1, Kamiyoga, Setagaya, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan
| | - Yutaka Kikuchi
- National Institute of Health Sciences, 1-18-1, Kamiyoga, Setagaya, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan.
| | - Yosuke Demizu
- National Institute of Health Sciences, 1-18-1, Kamiyoga, Setagaya, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan.
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19
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Hayouka Z, Bella A, Stern T, Ray S, Jiang H, Grovenor CRM, Ryadnov MG. Binary Encoding of Random Peptide Sequences for Selective and Differential Antimicrobial Mechanisms. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2017; 56:8099-8103. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201702313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2017] [Revised: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zvi Hayouka
- Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Rehovot 76100 Israel
| | - Angelo Bella
- National Physical Laboratory; Teddington TW11 0LW UK
| | - Tal Stern
- Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Rehovot 76100 Israel
| | - Santanu Ray
- SET; University of Brighton; Brighton BN2 4GJ UK
| | - Haibo Jiang
- CMCA; University of Western Australia; Perth 6009 Australia
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20
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Hayouka Z, Bella A, Stern T, Ray S, Jiang H, Grovenor CRM, Ryadnov MG. Binary Encoding of Random Peptide Sequences for Selective and Differential Antimicrobial Mechanisms. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201702313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zvi Hayouka
- Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Rehovot 76100 Israel
| | - Angelo Bella
- National Physical Laboratory; Teddington TW11 0LW UK
| | - Tal Stern
- Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Rehovot 76100 Israel
| | - Santanu Ray
- SET; University of Brighton; Brighton BN2 4GJ UK
| | - Haibo Jiang
- CMCA; University of Western Australia; Perth 6009 Australia
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21
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Mechanistic and structural basis of bioengineered bovine Cathelicidin-5 with optimized therapeutic activity. Sci Rep 2017; 7:44781. [PMID: 28322271 PMCID: PMC5359555 DOI: 10.1038/srep44781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2016] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide-drug discovery using host-defense peptides becomes promising against antibiotic-resistant pathogens and cancer cells. Here, we customized the therapeutic activity of bovine cathelicidin-5 targeting to bacteria, protozoa, and tumor cells. The membrane dependent conformational adaptability and plasticity of cathelicidin-5 is revealed by biophysical analysis and atomistic simulations over 200 μs in thymocytes, leukemia, and E. coli cell-membranes. Our understanding of energy-dependent cathelicidin-5 intrusion in heterogeneous membranes aided in designing novel loss/gain-of-function analogues. In vitro findings identified leucine-zipper to phenylalanine substitution in cathelicidin-5 (1-18) significantly enhance the antimicrobial and anticancer activity with trivial hemolytic activity. Targeted mutants of cathelicidin-5 at kink region and N-terminal truncation revealed loss-of-function. We ensured the existence of a bimodal mechanism of peptide action (membranolytic and non-membranolytic) in vitro. The melanoma mouse model in vivo study further supports the in vitro findings. This is the first structural report on cathelicidin-5 and our findings revealed potent therapeutic application of designed cathelicidin-5 analogues.
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22
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Kudo M, Carbajo López D, Maurizot V, Masu H, Tanatani A, Huc I. Synthesis and Conformational Analysis of Quinoline-Oxazole Peptides. European J Org Chem 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.201600229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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23
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She F, Nimmagadda A, Teng P, Su M, Zuo X, Cai J. Helical 1:1 α/Sulfono-γ-AA Heterogeneous Peptides with Antibacterial Activity. Biomacromolecules 2016; 17:1854-9. [PMID: 27030636 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.6b00286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
As one of the greatest threats facing the 21st century, antibiotic resistance is now a major public health concern. Host-defense peptides (HDPs) offer an alternative approach to combat emerging multi-drug-resistant bacteria. It is known that helical HDPs such as magainin 2 and its analogs adopt cationic amphipathic conformations upon interaction with bacterial membranes, leading to membrane disruption and subsequent bacterial cell death. We have previously shown that amphipathic sulfono-γ-AApeptides could mimic magainin 2 and exhibit bactericidal activity. In this article, we demonstrate for the first time that amphipathic helical 1:1 α/sulfono-γ-AA heterogeneous peptides, in which regular amino acids and sulfono-γ-AApeptide building blocks are alternatively present in a 1:1 pattern, display potent antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) suggests that the lead sequences adopt defined helical structures. The subsequent studies including fluorescence microscopy and time-kill experiments indicate that these hybrid peptides exert antimicrobial activity by mimicking the mechanism of HDPs. Our findings may lead to the development of HDP-mimicking antimicrobial peptidomimetics that combat drug-resistant bacterial pathogens. In addition, our results also demonstrate the effective design of a new class of helical foldamer, which could be employed to interrogate other important biological targets such as protein-protein interactions in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengyu She
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida , 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| | - Alekhya Nimmagadda
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida , 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| | - Peng Teng
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida , 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| | - Ma Su
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida , 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| | - Xiaobing Zuo
- X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory , 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Jianfeng Cai
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida , 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
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24
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Pino-Angeles A, Leveritt JM, Lazaridis T. Pore Structure and Synergy in Antimicrobial Peptides of the Magainin Family. PLoS Comput Biol 2016; 12:e1004570. [PMID: 26727376 PMCID: PMC4699650 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2015] [Accepted: 09/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Magainin 2 and PGLa are among the best-studied cationic antimicrobial peptides. They bind preferentially to negatively charged membranes and apparently cause their disruption by the formation of transmembrane pores, whose detailed structure is still unclear. Here we report the results of 5–9 μs all-atom molecular dynamics simulations starting from tetrameric transmembrane helical bundles of these two peptides, as well as their stoichiometric mixture, and the analog MG-H2 in DMPC or 3:1 DMPC/DMPG membranes. The simulations produce pore structures that appear converged, although some effect of the starting peptide arrangement (parallel vs. antiparallel) is still observed on this timescale. The peptides remain mostly helical and adopt tilted orientations. The calculated tilt angles for PGLa are in excellent agreement with recent solid state NMR experiments. The antiparallel dimer structure in the magainin 2 simulations resembles previously determined NMR and crystal structures. More transmembrane orientations and a larger and more ordered pore are seen in the 1:1 heterotetramer with an antiparallel helix arrangement. Insights into the mechanism of synergy between these two peptides are obtained via implicit solvent modeling of homo- and heterodimers and analysis of interactions in the atomistic simulations. This analysis suggests stronger pairwise interactions in the heterodimer than in the two homodimers. The emergence of antibiotic resistance has created a compelling need for new potent antibiotics. Antimicrobial peptides, naturally produced by many organisms, have long been pursued as a means to fill this gap. However, they have not yet realized their practical potential, partly due to a lack of full understanding of their mechanism of action. The formation of pores by these peptides in bacterial membranes has been demonstrated by multiple biophysical approaches, but the detailed structure of these pores is still unclear. The magainin family of antimicrobial peptides have been thoroughly studied over the last three decades. We have generated atomic-resolution models of membrane pores generated by tetrameric assemblies of different magainin peptides by means of molecular dynamics simulations on the multimicrosecond timescale. The results complement previous experimental findings and set the stage for further development of theoretical and experimental approaches that may ultimately allow the rational design of improved antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Almudena Pino-Angeles
- Department of Chemistry, The City College of New York, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - John M. Leveritt
- Department of Chemistry, The City College of New York, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Themis Lazaridis
- Department of Chemistry, The City College of New York, New York, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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25
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Abstract
Interactions between polypeptide chains containing amino acid residues with opposite absolute configurations have long been a source of interest and speculation, but there is very little structural information for such heterochiral associations. The need to address this lacuna has grown in recent years because of increasing interest in the use of peptides generated from d amino acids (d peptides) as specific ligands for natural proteins, e.g., to inhibit deleterious protein-protein interactions. Coiled-coil interactions, between or among α-helices, represent the most common tertiary and quaternary packing motif in proteins. Heterochiral coiled-coil interactions were predicted over 50 years ago by Crick, and limited experimental data obtained in solution suggest that such interactions can indeed occur. To address the dearth of atomic-level structural characterization of heterochiral helix pairings, we report two independent crystal structures that elucidate coiled-coil packing between l- and d-peptide helices. Both structures resulted from racemic crystallization of a peptide corresponding to the transmembrane segment of the influenza M2 protein. Networks of canonical knobs-into-holes side-chain packing interactions are observed at each helical interface. However, the underlying patterns for these heterochiral coiled coils seem to deviate from the heptad sequence repeat that is characteristic of most homochiral analogs, with an apparent preference for a hendecad repeat pattern.
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26
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Hayouka Z, Thomas NC, Mortenson DE, Satyshur KA, Weisblum B, Forest KT, Gellman SH. Quasiracemate Crystal Structures of Magainin 2 Derivatives Support the Functional Significance of the Phenylalanine Zipper Motif. J Am Chem Soc 2015; 137:11884-7. [PMID: 26369301 PMCID: PMC4831726 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5b07206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Quasiracemic crystallography has been used to explore the significance of homochiral and heterochiral associations in a set of host-defense peptide derivatives. The previously reported racemic crystal structure of a magainin 2 derivative displayed a homochiral antiparallel dimer association featuring a "phenylalanine zipper" notable for the dual roles of phenylalanines in mediating dimerization and formation of an exposed hydrophobic swath. This motif is seen as well in two new quasiracemate crystals that contain the d form of the magainin 2 derivative along with an l-peptide in which one Ala has been replaced by a β-amino acid residue. This structural trend supports the hypothesis that the Phe zipper motif has functional significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zvi Hayouka
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Nicole C. Thomas
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - David E. Mortenson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Kenneth A. Satyshur
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Bernard Weisblum
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Katrina T. Forest
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Samuel H. Gellman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
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27
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Kudo M, Maurizot V, Masu H, Tanatani A, Huc I. Structural elucidation of foldamers with no long range conformational order. Chem Commun (Camb) 2015; 50:10090-3. [PMID: 25050415 DOI: 10.1039/c4cc03822c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The synthesis and structural investigation of aromatic-aliphatic oligoamide foldamers reveals a zig-zag tape conformation with local conformational variability that precludes long range order.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayumi Kudo
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Ochanomizu University, 2-1-1 Otsuka, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8610, Japan.
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28
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Li Y, Wu H, Teng P, Bai G, Lin X, Zuo X, Cao C, Cai J. Helical Antimicrobial Sulfono-γ-AApeptides. J Med Chem 2015; 58:4802-11. [PMID: 26020456 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5b00537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Host-defense peptides (HDPs) such as magainin 2 have emerged as potential therapeutic agents combating antibiotic resistance. Inspired by their structures and mechanism of action, herein we report the first example of antimicrobial helical sulfono-γ-AApeptide foldamers. The lead molecule displays broad-spectrum and potent antimicrobial activity against multi-drug-resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. Time-kill studies and fluorescence microscopy suggest that sulfono-γ-AApeptides eradicate bacteria by taking a mode of action analogous to that of HDPs. Clear structure-function relationships exist in the studied sequences. Longer sequences, presumably adopting more-defined helical structures, are more potent than shorter ones. Interestingly, the sequence with less helical propensity in solution could be more selective than the stronger helix-forming sequences. Moreover, this class of antimicrobial agents are resistant to proteolytic degradation. These results may lead to the development of a new class of antimicrobial foldamers combating emerging antibiotic-resistant pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Xiaobing Zuo
- §X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States
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