1
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Kehrein J, Sotriffer C. Molecular Dynamics Simulations for Rationalizing Polymer Bioconjugation Strategies: Challenges, Recent Developments, and Future Opportunities. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2024; 10:51-74. [PMID: 37466304 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c00636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
The covalent modification of proteins with polymers is a well-established method for improving the pharmacokinetic properties of therapeutically valuable biologics. The conjugated polymer chains of the resulting hybrid represent highly flexible macromolecular structures. As the dynamics of such systems remain rather elusive for established experimental techniques from the field of protein structure elucidation, molecular dynamics simulations have proven as a valuable tool for studying such conjugates at an atomistic level, thereby complementing experimental studies. With a focus on new developments, this review aims to provide researchers from the polymer bioconjugation field with a concise and up to date overview of such approaches. After introducing basic principles of molecular dynamics simulations, as well as methods for and potential pitfalls in modeling bioconjugates, the review illustrates how these computational techniques have contributed to the understanding of bioconjugates and bioconjugation strategies in the recent past and how they may lead to a more rational design of novel bioconjugates in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josef Kehrein
- Institute of Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Würzburg 97074, Germany
| | - Christoph Sotriffer
- Institute of Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Würzburg 97074, Germany
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2
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Rahban M, Ahmad F, Piatyszek MA, Haertlé T, Saso L, Saboury AA. Stabilization challenges and aggregation in protein-based therapeutics in the pharmaceutical industry. RSC Adv 2023; 13:35947-35963. [PMID: 38090079 PMCID: PMC10711991 DOI: 10.1039/d3ra06476j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Protein-based therapeutics have revolutionized the pharmaceutical industry and become vital components in the development of future therapeutics. They offer several advantages over traditional small molecule drugs, including high affinity, potency and specificity, while demonstrating low toxicity and minimal adverse effects. However, the development and manufacturing processes of protein-based therapeutics presents challenges related to protein folding, purification, stability and immunogenicity that should be addressed. These proteins, like other biological molecules, are prone to chemical and physical instabilities. The stability of protein-based drugs throughout the entire manufacturing, storage and delivery process is essential. The occurrence of structural instability resulting from misfolding, unfolding, and modifications, as well as aggregation, poses a significant risk to the efficacy of these drugs, overshadowing their promising attributes. Gaining insight into structural alterations caused by aggregation and their impact on immunogenicity is vital for the advancement and refinement of protein therapeutics. Hence, in this review, we have discussed some features of protein aggregation during production, formulation and storage as well as stabilization strategies in protein engineering and computational methods to prevent aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahdie Rahban
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences Kerman Iran
| | - Faizan Ahmad
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Chemical & Life Sciences, Jamia Hamdard New Delhi-110062 India
| | | | | | - Luciano Saso
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer", Sapienza University Rome Italy
| | - Ali Akbar Saboury
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran Tehran 1417614335 Iran +9821 66404680 +9821 66956984
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3
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Stern JA, Free TJ, Stern KL, Gardiner S, Dalley NA, Bundy BC, Price JL, Wingate D, Della Corte D. A probabilistic view of protein stability, conformational specificity, and design. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15493. [PMID: 37726313 PMCID: PMC10509192 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42032-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Various approaches have used neural networks as probabilistic models for the design of protein sequences. These "inverse folding" models employ different objective functions, which come with trade-offs that have not been assessed in detail before. This study introduces probabilistic definitions of protein stability and conformational specificity and demonstrates the relationship between these chemical properties and the [Formula: see text] Boltzmann probability objective. This links the Boltzmann probability objective function to experimentally verifiable outcomes. We propose a novel sequence decoding algorithm, referred to as "BayesDesign", that leverages Bayes' Rule to maximize the [Formula: see text] objective instead of the [Formula: see text] objective common in inverse folding models. The efficacy of BayesDesign is evaluated in the context of two protein model systems, the NanoLuc enzyme and the WW structural motif. Both BayesDesign and the baseline ProteinMPNN algorithm increase the thermostability of NanoLuc and increase the conformational specificity of WW. The possible sources of error in the model are analyzed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob A Stern
- Department of Computer Science, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Tyler J Free
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Kimberlee L Stern
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Spencer Gardiner
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Nicholas A Dalley
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Bradley C Bundy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Joshua L Price
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - David Wingate
- Department of Computer Science, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Dennis Della Corte
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA.
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4
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Wong JYK, Ekanayake AI, Kharchenko S, Kirberger SE, Qiu R, Kelich P, Sarkar S, Li J, Fernandez KX, Alvizo-Paez ER, Miao J, Kalhor-Monfared S, John JD, Kang H, Choi H, Nuss JM, Vederas JC, Lin YS, Macauley MS, Vukovic L, Pomerantz WCK, Derda R. Genetically encoded discovery of perfluoroaryl macrocycles that bind to albumin and exhibit extended circulation in vivo. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5654. [PMID: 37704629 PMCID: PMC10499988 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41427-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Peptide-based therapeutics have gained attention as promising therapeutic modalities, however, their prevalent drawback is poor circulation half-life in vivo. In this paper, we report the selection of albumin-binding macrocyclic peptides from genetically encoded libraries of peptides modified by perfluoroaryl-cysteine SNAr chemistry, with decafluoro-diphenylsulfone (DFS). Testing of the binding of the selected peptides to albumin identified SICRFFC as the lead sequence. We replaced DFS with isosteric pentafluorophenyl sulfide (PFS) and the PFS-SICRFFCGG exhibited KD = 4-6 µM towards human serum albumin. When injected in mice, the concentration of the PFS-SICRFFCGG in plasma was indistinguishable from the reference peptide, SA-21. More importantly, a conjugate of PFS-SICRFFCGG and peptide apelin-17 analogue (N3-PEG6-NMe17A2) showed retention in circulation similar to SA-21; in contrast, apelin-17 analogue was cleared from the circulation after 2 min. The PFS-SICRFFC is the smallest known peptide macrocycle with a significant affinity for human albumin and substantial in vivo circulation half-life. It is a productive starting point for future development of compact macrocycles with extended half-life in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Y K Wong
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Arunika I Ekanayake
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Serhii Kharchenko
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Steven E Kirberger
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Ryan Qiu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Payam Kelich
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79968, USA
| | - Susmita Sarkar
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Jiaqian Li
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | | | - Edgar R Alvizo-Paez
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Jiayuan Miao
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
| | | | - J Dwyer John
- Ferring Research Institute, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Hongsuk Kang
- Quantum Intelligence Corp., 31F, One IFC, 10 Gukjegeumyung-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu-Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hwanho Choi
- Quantum Intelligence Corp., 31F, One IFC, 10 Gukjegeumyung-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu-Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - John M Nuss
- Ferring Research Institute, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - John C Vederas
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Yu-Shan Lin
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
| | - Matthew S Macauley
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G2, Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Lela Vukovic
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79968, USA
| | | | - Ratmir Derda
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G2, Canada.
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5
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Ó'Fágáin C. Protein Stability: Enhancement and Measurement. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2699:369-419. [PMID: 37647007 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3362-5_18] [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: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
This chapter defines protein stability, emphasizes its importance, and surveys the field of protein stabilization, with summary reference to a selection of 2014-2021 publications. One can enhance stability, particularly by protein engineering strategies but also by chemical modification and by other means. General protocols are set out on how to measure a given protein's (i) kinetic thermal stability and (ii) oxidative stability and (iii) how to undertake chemical modification of a protein in solution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ciarán Ó'Fágáin
- School of Biotechnology, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland.
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6
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Weigle AT, Feng J, Shukla D. Thirty years of molecular dynamics simulations on posttranslational modifications of proteins. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:26371-26397. [PMID: 36285789 PMCID: PMC9704509 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp02883b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
Posttranslational modifications (PTMs) are an integral component to how cells respond to perturbation. While experimental advances have enabled improved PTM identification capabilities, the same throughput for characterizing how structural changes caused by PTMs equate to altered physiological function has not been maintained. In this Perspective, we cover the history of computational modeling and molecular dynamics simulations which have characterized the structural implications of PTMs. We distinguish results from different molecular dynamics studies based upon the timescales simulated and analysis approaches used for PTM characterization. Lastly, we offer insights into how opportunities for modern research efforts on in silico PTM characterization may proceed given current state-of-the-art computing capabilities and methodological advancements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin T Weigle
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Jiangyan Feng
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Diwakar Shukla
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
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7
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Liu X, Kouassi KGW, Vanbever R, Dumoulin M. Impact of the PEG length and PEGylation site on the structural, thermodynamic, thermal, and proteolytic stability of mono-PEGylated alpha-1 antitrypsin. Protein Sci 2022; 31:e4392. [PMID: 36040264 PMCID: PMC9375436 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Conjugation to polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a widely used approach to improve the therapeutic value of proteins essentially by prolonging their body residence time. PEGylation may however induce changes in the structure and/or the stability of proteins and thus on their function(s). The effects of PEGylation on the thermodynamic stability can either be positive (stabilization), negative (destabilization), or neutral (no effect). Moreover, various factors such as the PEG length and PEGylation site can influence the consequences of PEGylation on the structure and stability of proteins. In this study, the effects of PEGylation on the structure, stability, and polymerization of alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT) were investigated, using PEGs with different lengths, different structures (linear or 2-armed) and different linking chemistries (via amine or thiol) at two distinct positions of the sequence. The results show that whatever the size, position, and structure of PEG chains, PEGylation (a) does not induce significant changes in AAT structure (either at the secondary or tertiary level); (b) does not alter the stability of the native protein upon both chemical- and heat-induced denaturation; and (c) does not prevent AAT to fully refold and recover its activity following chemical denaturation. However, the propensity of AAT to aggregate upon heat treatment was significantly decreased by PEGylation, although PEGylation did not prevent the irreversible inactivation of the enzyme. Moreover, conjugation to PEG, especially 2-armed 40 kDa PEG, greatly improved the proteolytic resistance of AAT. PEGylation of AAT could be a promising strategy to prolong its half-life after infusion in AAT-deficient patients and thereby decrease the frequency of infusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Liu
- Advanced Drug Delivery and BiomaterialsLouvain Drug Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain)BrusselsBelgium
| | - Kobenan G. W. Kouassi
- Advanced Drug Delivery and BiomaterialsLouvain Drug Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain)BrusselsBelgium
| | - Rita Vanbever
- Advanced Drug Delivery and BiomaterialsLouvain Drug Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain)BrusselsBelgium
| | - Mireille Dumoulin
- Department of Life SciencesInBios, Center for Protein Engineering, Nanobodies to Explore Protein Structure and Functions, University of LiègeLiègeBelgium
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8
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Zuma LK, Gasa NL, Makhoba XH, Pooe OJ. Protein PEGylation: Navigating Recombinant Protein Stability, Aggregation, and Bioactivity. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 2022:8929715. [PMID: 35924267 PMCID: PMC9343206 DOI: 10.1155/2022/8929715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Enzymes play a powerful role as catalysts with high specificity and activity under mild environmental conditions. Significant hurdles, such as reduced solubility, reduced shelf-life, aggregate formation, and toxicity, are still ongoing struggles that scientists come across when purifying recombinant proteins. Over the past three decades, PEGylation techniques have been utilized to significantly overcome low solubility; increased protein stability, shelf-life, and bioactivity; and prevented protein aggregate formation. This review seeks to highlight the impact of PEG-based formulations that are significantly utilized to obtain favourable protein physiochemical properties. The authors further discuss other techniques that can be employed such as coexpression studies and nanotechnology-based skills to obtaining favourable protein physiochemical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindiwe Khumbuzile Zuma
- Discipline of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Westville, 3629 KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
| | - Nothando Lovedale Gasa
- Discipline of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Westville, 3629 KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
| | - Xolani Henry Makhoba
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Fort Hare, Alice Campus, Alice, 5700 Eastern Cape, South Africa
| | - Ofentse Jacob Pooe
- Discipline of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Westville, 3629 KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
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9
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Hayun H, Arkadash V, Sananes A, Arbely E, Stepensky D, Papo N. Bioorthogonal PEGylation Prolongs the Elimination Half-Life of N-TIMP2 While Retaining MMP Inhibition. Bioconjug Chem 2022; 33:795-806. [PMID: 35446024 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.2c00059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) are natural inhibitors of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family of proteins, whose members are key regulators of the proteolysis of extracellular matrix components and hence of multiple biological processes. In particular, imbalanced activity of matrix metalloproteinase-14 (MMP-14) may lead to the development of cancer and cardiovascular and other diseases. This study aimed to engineer TIMP2, one of the four homologous TIMPs, as a potential therapeutic by virtue of its ability to bind to the active-site Zn2+ of MMP-14. However, the susceptibility to degradation of TIMP2 and its small size, which results in a short circulation half-life, limit its use as a therapeutic. PEGylation was thus used to improve the pharmacokinetic profile of TIMP2. PEGylation of the MMP-targeting N-terminal domain of TIMP2 (N-TIMP2), via either cysteine or lysine residues, resulted in a significant decrease in N-TIMP2 affinity toward MMP-14 or multisite conjugation and conjugate heterogeneity, respectively. Our strategy designed to address this problem was based on incorporating a noncanonical amino acid (NCAA) into N-TIMP2 to enable site-specific mono-PEGylation. The first step was to incorporate the NCAA propargyl lysine (PrK) at position S31 in N-TIMP2, which does not interfere with the N-TIMP2-MMP-14 binding interface. Thereafter, site-specific PEGylation was achieved via a click chemistry reaction between N-TIMP2-S31PrK and PEG-azide-20K. Inhibition studies showed that PEGylated N-TIMP2-S31PrK did indeed retain its inhibitory activity toward MMP-14. The modified protein also showed improved serum stability vs non-PEGylated N-TIMP2. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies in mice revealed a significant 8-fold increase in the elimination half-life of PEGylated N-TIMP2 vs the non-PEGylated protein. This study shows that site-specific bioorthogonal mono-PEGylation extends the half-life of N-TIMP2 without impairing its biological activity, thereby highlighting the advantage of this strategy for generating potent PEGylated proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hezi Hayun
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel.,The National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Valeria Arkadash
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel.,The National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Amiram Sananes
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel.,The National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Eyal Arbely
- Department of Chemistry, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel.,The National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - David Stepensky
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - Niv Papo
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel.,The National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
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10
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Assessing Site-specific PEGylation of TEM-1 β-lactamase with Cell-free Protein Synthesis and Coarse-grained Simulation. J Biotechnol 2022; 345:55-63. [PMID: 34995558 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2021.12.016] [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: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
PEGylation is a broadly used strategy to enhance the pharmacokinetic properties of therapeutic proteins. It is well established that the location and extent of PEGylation have a significant impact on protein properties. However, conventional PEGylation techniques have limited control over PEGylation sites. Emerging site-specific PEGylation technology provides control of PEG placement by conjugating PEG polymers via click chemistry reaction to genetically encoded non-canonical amino acids. Unfortunately, a method to rapidly determine the optimal PEGylation location has yet to be established. Here we seek to address this challenge. In this work, coarse-grained molecular dynamic simulations are paired with high-throughput experimental screening utilizing cell-free protein synthesis to investigate the effect of site-specific PEGylation on the two-state folder protein TEM-1 β-lactamase. Specifically, the conjugation efficiency, thermal stability, and enzymatic activity are studied for the enzyme PEGylated at several different locations. The results of this analysis confirm that the physical properties of the PEGylated protein vary considerably with PEGylation site and that traditional design recommendations are insufficient to predict favorable PEGylation sites. In this study, the best predictor of the most favorable conjugation site is coarse-grained simulation. Thus, we propose a dual combinatorial screening approach in which coarse-grained molecular simulation informs site selection for high-throughput experimental verification.
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11
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Massad N, Banta SA. NAD(H)-PEG Swing Arms Improve Both the Activities and Stabilities of Modularly-Assembled Transhydrogenases Designed with Predictable Selectivities. Chembiochem 2021; 23:e202100251. [PMID: 34351671 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Protein engineering has been used to enhance the activities, selectivities, and stabilities of enzymes. Frequently tradeoffs are observed, where improvements in some features can come at the expense of others. Nature uses modular assembly of active sites for complex, multi-step reactions, and natural "swing arm" mechanisms have evolved to transfer intermediates between active sites. Biomimetic polyethylene glycol (PEG) swing arms modified with NAD(H) have been explored to introduce synthetic swing arms into fused oxidoreductases. Here we report that increasing NAD(H)-PEG swing arms can improve the activity of synthetic formate:malate oxidoreductases as well as the thermal and operational stabilities of the biocatalysts. The modular assembly approach enables the K M values of new enzymes to be predictable, based on the parental enzymes. We describe four unique synthetic transhydrogenases that have no native homologs, and this platform could be easily extended for the predictive design of additional synthetic cofactor-independent transhydrogenases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadim Massad
- Columbia University, Chemical Engineering, UNITED STATES
| | - Scott A Banta
- Columbia University, Department of Chemical Engineering, 820 Mudd MC4721, 500 West 120th Street, 10027, New York, UNITED STATES
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12
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Draper SRE, Jones ZB, Earl SO, Dalley NA, Ashton DS, Carter AJ, Conover BM, Price JL. PEGylation Increases the Strength of a Nearby NH-π Hydrogen Bond in the WW Domain. Biochemistry 2021; 60:2064-2070. [PMID: 34137579 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Here we show that an NH-π interaction between a highly conserved Asn and a nearby Trp stabilizes the WW domain of the human protein Pin1. The strength of this NH-π interaction depends on the structure of the arene, with NH-π interactions involving Trp or naphthylalanine being substantially more stabilizing than those involving Tyr or Phe. Calculations suggest arene size and polarizability are key structural determinants of NH-π interaction strength. Methylation or PEGylation of the Asn side-chain amide nitrogen each strengthens the associated NH-π interaction, though likely for different reasons. We hypothesize that methylation introduces steric clashes that destabilize conformations in which the NH-π interaction is not possible, whereas PEGylation strengthens the NH-π interaction via localized desolvation of the protein surface.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Seth O Earl
- Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | | | | | | | | | - Joshua L Price
- Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
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13
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General method to stabilize mesophilic proteins in hyperthermal water. iScience 2021; 24:102503. [PMID: 34113834 PMCID: PMC8169989 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The stability of protein structures and biological functions at normal temperature is closely linked with the universal aqueous environment of organisms. Preserving bioactivities of proteins in hyperthermia water would expand their functional capabilities beyond those in native environments. However, only a limited number of proteins derived from hyperthermophiles are thermostable at elevated temperatures. Triggered by this, here we describe a general method to stabilize mesophilic proteins in hyperthermia water. The mesophilic proteins, protected by amphiphilic polymers with multiple binding sites, maintain their secondary and tertiary structures after incubation even in boiling water. This approach, outside the conventional environment for bioactivities of mesophilic proteins, provides a general strategy to dramatically increase the Tm (melting temperature) of mesophilic proteins without any changes to amino sequences of the native proteins. Current work offers a new insight with protein stability engineering for potential application, including vaccine storage and enzyme engineering. Preserving bioactivities of proteins in hyperthermia water is promising. Amphiphilic polymers could protect mesophilic proteins even in boiling water. Mesophilic proteins protected by amphiphilic polymers show dramatically increased Tm. The method offers application prospect for vaccine storage and enzyme engineering.
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14
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Simeon RA, Zeng Y, Chonira V, Aguirre AM, Lasagna M, Baloh M, Sorg JA, Tommos C, Chen Z. Protease-stable DARPins as promising oral therapeutics. Protein Eng Des Sel 2021; 34:gzab028. [PMID: 34882774 PMCID: PMC8861517 DOI: 10.1093/protein/gzab028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile is an enteric bacterium whose exotoxins, TcdA and TcdB, inactivate small GTPases within the host cells, leading to bloody diarrhea. In prior work, our group engineered a panel of potent TcdB-neutralizing designed ankyrin repeat proteins (DARPin) as oral therapeutics against C. difficile infection. However, all these DARPins are highly susceptible to digestion by gut-resident proteases, i.e. trypsin and chymotrypsin. Close evaluation of the protein sequence revealed a large abundance of positively charged and aromatic residues in the DARPin scaffold. In this study, we significantly improved the protease stability of one of the DARPins, 1.4E, via protein engineering. Unlike 1.4E, whose anti-TcdB EC50 increased >83-fold after 1-hour incubation with trypsin (1 mg/ml) or chymotrypsin (0.5 mg/ml), the best progenies-T10-2 and T10b-exhibit similar anti-TcdB potency as their parent in PBS regardless of protease treatment. The superior protease stability of T10-2 and T10b is attributed to the removal of nearly all positively charged and aromatic residues except those directly engaged in target binding. Furthermore, T10-2 was found to retain significant toxin-neutralization ability in ex vivo cecum fluid and can be easily detected in mouse fecal samples upon oral administration. Both T10-2 and T10b enjoy a high thermo- and chemo-stability and can be expressed very efficiently in Escherichia coli (>100 mg/l in shaker flasks). We believe that, in additional to their potential as oral therapeutics against C. difficile infection, T10-2 and T10b can also serve as a new generation DARPin scaffold with superior protease stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rudo A Simeon
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, 8847 Riverside Pkwy, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Yu Zeng
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, 8847 Riverside Pkwy, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Vikas Chonira
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, 8847 Riverside Pkwy, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | | | - Mauricio Lasagna
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, 300 Olsen Blvd, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Marko Baloh
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, 424 Nagle St, College Station, TX 77840, USA
| | - Joseph A Sorg
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, 424 Nagle St, College Station, TX 77840, USA
| | - Cecilia Tommos
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, 300 Olsen Blvd, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Zhilei Chen
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, 8847 Riverside Pkwy, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
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15
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Bunker A, Róg T. Mechanistic Understanding From Molecular Dynamics Simulation in Pharmaceutical Research 1: Drug Delivery. Front Mol Biosci 2020; 7:604770. [PMID: 33330633 PMCID: PMC7732618 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.604770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In this review, we outline the growing role that molecular dynamics simulation is able to play as a design tool in drug delivery. We cover both the pharmaceutical and computational backgrounds, in a pedagogical fashion, as this review is designed to be equally accessible to pharmaceutical researchers interested in what this new computational tool is capable of and experts in molecular modeling who wish to pursue pharmaceutical applications as a context for their research. The field has become too broad for us to concisely describe all work that has been carried out; many comprehensive reviews on subtopics of this area are cited. We discuss the insight molecular dynamics modeling has provided in dissolution and solubility, however, the majority of the discussion is focused on nanomedicine: the development of nanoscale drug delivery vehicles. Here we focus on three areas where molecular dynamics modeling has had a particularly strong impact: (1) behavior in the bloodstream and protective polymer corona, (2) Drug loading and controlled release, and (3) Nanoparticle interaction with both model and biological membranes. We conclude with some thoughts on the role that molecular dynamics simulation can grow to play in the development of new drug delivery systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Bunker
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tomasz Róg
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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16
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Xiao Q, Ashton DS, Jones ZB, Thompson KP, Price JL. Long-range PEG Stapling: Macrocyclization for Increased Protein Conformational Stability and Resistance to Proteolysis. RSC Chem Biol 2020; 1:273-280. [PMID: 33796855 PMCID: PMC8009319 DOI: 10.1039/d0cb00075b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously showed that long-range stapling of two Asn-linked O-allyl PEG oligomers via olefin metathesis substantially increases the conformational stability of the WW domain through an entropic effect. The impact of stapling was more favorable when the staple connected positions that were far apart in primary sequence but close in the folded tertiary structure. Here we validate these criteria by identifying new stabilizing PEG-stapling sites within the WW domain and the SH3 domain, both β-sheet proteins. We find that stapling via olefin metathesis vs. the copper(i)-catalyzed azide/alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) results in similar energetic benefits, suggesting that olefin and triazole staples can be used interchangeably. Proteolysis assays of selected WW variants reveal that the observed staple-based increases in conformational stability lead to enhanced proteolytic resistance. Finally, we find that an intermolecular staple dramatically increases the quaternary structural stability of an α-helical GCN4 coiled-coil heterodimer. Long-range stapling of two Asn-linked PEG oligomers via olefin metathesis substantially increases the conformational stability of the WW and SH3 domain tertiary structures and the GCN4 coiled-coil quaternary structure.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Xiao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Dallin S Ashton
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Zachary B Jones
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Katherine P Thompson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Joshua L Price
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
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17
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Draper SRE, Ashton DS, Conover BM, Carter AJ, Stern KL, Xiao Q, Price JL. PEGylation near a Patch of Nonpolar Surface Residues Increases the Conformational Stability of the WW Domain. J Org Chem 2020; 85:1725-1730. [PMID: 31749365 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.9b02615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Many proteins have one or more surface-exposed patches of nonpolar residues; our observations here suggest that PEGylation near such locations might be a useful strategy for increasing protein conformational stability. Specifically, we show that conjugating a PEG-azide to a propargyloxyphenylalanine via the copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition can increase the conformational stability of the WW domain due to a favorable synergistic effect that depends on the hydrophobicity of a nearby patch of nonpolar surface residues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven R E Draper
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , Brigham Young University , Provo , Utah 84602 , United States
| | - Dallin S Ashton
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , Brigham Young University , Provo , Utah 84602 , United States
| | - Benjamin M Conover
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , Brigham Young University , Provo , Utah 84602 , United States
| | - Anthony J Carter
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , Brigham Young University , Provo , Utah 84602 , United States
| | - Kimberlee L Stern
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , Brigham Young University , Provo , Utah 84602 , United States
| | - Qiang Xiao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , Brigham Young University , Provo , Utah 84602 , United States
| | - Joshua L Price
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , Brigham Young University , Provo , Utah 84602 , United States
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18
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Munasinghe A, Baker SL, Lin P, Russell AJ, Colina CM. Structure-function-dynamics of α-chymotrypsin based conjugates as a function of polymer charge. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:456-465. [PMID: 31803897 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm01842e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The field of protein-polymer conjugates has suffered from a lack of predictive tools and design guidelines to synthesize highly active and stable conjugates. In order to develop this type of information, structure-function-dynamics relationships must be understood. These relationships depend strongly on protein-polymer interactions and how these influence protein dynamics and conformations. Probing nanoscale interactions is experimentally difficult, but computational tools, such as molecular dynamics simulations, can easily obtain atomic resolution. Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations were used to study α-chymotrypsin (CT) densely conjugated with either zwitterionic, positively charged, or negatively charged polymers. Charged polymers interacted with the protein surface to varying degrees and in different regions of the polymer, depending on their flexibilities. Specific interactions of the negatively charged polymer with CT caused structural deformations in CT's substrate binding pocket and active site while no deformations were observed for zwitterionic and positively charged polymers. Attachment of polymers displaced water molecules from CT's surface into the polymer phase and polymer hydration correlated with the Hofmeister series.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aravinda Munasinghe
- Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA.
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19
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Xiao Q, Draper SRE, Smith MS, Brown N, Pugmire NAB, Ashton DS, Carter AJ, Lawrence EEK, Price JL. Influence of PEGylation on the Strength of Protein Surface Salt Bridges. ACS Chem Biol 2019; 14:1652-1659. [PMID: 31188563 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.9b00432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Conjugation of polyethylene glycol (PEGylation) is a well-known strategy for extending the serum half-life of protein drugs and for increasing their resistance to proteolysis and aggregation. We previously showed that PEGylation can increase protein conformational stability; the extent of PEG-based stabilization depends on the PEGylation site, the structure of the PEG-protein linker, and the ability of PEG to release water molecules from the surrounding protein surface to the bulk solvent. The strength of a noncovalent interaction within a protein depends strongly on its microenvironment, with salt-bridge and hydrogen-bond strength increasing in nonpolar versus aqueous environments. Accordingly, we wondered whether partial desolvation by PEG of the surrounding protein surface might result in measurable increases in the strength of a salt bridge near a PEGylation site. Here we explore this possibility using triple-mutant box analysis to assess the impact of PEGylation on the strength of nearby salt bridges at specific locations within three peptide model systems. The results indicate that PEG can increase the nearby salt-bridge strength, though this effect is not universal, and its precise structural prerequisites are not a simple function of secondary structural context, of the orientation and distance between the PEGylation site and salt bridge, or of salt-bridge residue identity. We obtained high-resolution X-ray diffraction data for a PEGylated peptide in which PEG enhances the strength of a nearby salt bridge. Comparing the electron density map of this PEGylated peptide versus that of its non-PEGylated counterpart provides evidence of localized protein surface desolvation as a mechanism for PEG-based salt-bridge stabilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Xiao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Steven R. E. Draper
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Mason S. Smith
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Nathaniel Brown
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Natalie A. B. Pugmire
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Dallin S. Ashton
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Anthony J. Carter
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Eliza E. K. Lawrence
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Joshua L. Price
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
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20
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Munasinghe A, Mathavan A, Mathavan A, Lin P, Colina CM. Molecular Insight into the Protein–Polymer Interactions in N-Terminal PEGylated Bovine Serum Albumin. J Phys Chem B 2019; 123:5196-5205. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b12268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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21
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Xiao Q, Bécar NA, Brown NP, Smith MS, Stern KL, Draper SRE, Thompson KP, Price JL. Stapling of two PEGylated side chains increases the conformational stability of the WW domain via an entropic effect. Org Biomol Chem 2019; 16:8933-8939. [PMID: 30444518 DOI: 10.1039/c8ob02535e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Hydrocarbon stapling and PEGylation are distinct strategies for enhancing the conformational stability and/or pharmacokinetic properties of peptide and protein drugs. Here we combine these approaches by incorporating asparagine-linked O-allyl PEG oligomers at two positions within the β-sheet protein WW, followed by stapling of the PEGs via olefin metathesis. The impact of stapling two sites that are close in primary sequence is small relative to the impact of PEGylation alone and depends strongly on PEG length. In contrast, stapling of two PEGs that are far apart in primary sequence but close in tertiary structure provides substantially more stabilization, derived mostly from an entropic effect. Comparison of PEGylation + stapling vs. alkylation + stapling at the same positions in WW reveals that both approaches provide similar overall levels of conformational stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Xiao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA.
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22
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Musil M, Konegger H, Hon J, Bednar D, Damborsky J. Computational Design of Stable and Soluble Biocatalysts. ACS Catal 2018. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.8b03613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Milos Musil
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), and Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
- IT4Innovations Centre of Excellence, Faculty of Information Technology, Brno University of Technology, 612 66 Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne’s University Hospital, Pekarska 53, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Hannes Konegger
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), and Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne’s University Hospital, Pekarska 53, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiri Hon
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), and Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
- IT4Innovations Centre of Excellence, Faculty of Information Technology, Brno University of Technology, 612 66 Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne’s University Hospital, Pekarska 53, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - David Bednar
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), and Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne’s University Hospital, Pekarska 53, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiri Damborsky
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), and Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne’s University Hospital, Pekarska 53, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic
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23
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Oh J, Liuzzi A, Ronda L, Marchetti M, Corsini R, Folli C, Bettati S, Rhee S, Percudani R. Diatom Allantoin Synthase Provides Structural Insights into Natural Fusion Protein Therapeutics. ACS Chem Biol 2018; 13:2237-2246. [PMID: 29874034 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.8b00404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Humans have lost the ability to convert urate into the more soluble allantoin with the evolutionary inactivation of three enzymes of the uricolytic pathway. Restoration of this function through enzyme replacement therapy can treat severe hyperuricemia and Lesch-Nyhan disease. Through a genomic exploration of natural gene fusions, we found that plants and diatoms independently evolved a fusion protein (allantoin synthase) complementing two human pseudogenes. The 1.85-Å-resolution crystal structure of allantoin synthase from the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum provides a rationale for the domain combinations observed in the metabolic pathway, suggesting that quaternary structure is key to the evolutionary success of protein domain fusions. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) conjugation experiments indicate that a PEG-modified form of the natural fusion protein provides advantages over separate enzymes in terms of activity maintenance and manufacturing of the bioconjugate. These results suggest that the combination of different activities in a single molecular unit can simplify the production and chemical modification of recombinant proteins for multifunctional enzyme therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juntaek Oh
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Anastasia Liuzzi
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences, and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, 43124, Parma, Italy
| | - Luca Ronda
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43124, Parma, Italy
- Biopharmanet-TEC Interdepartmental Center, University of Parma, 43124, Parma, Italy
| | - Marialaura Marchetti
- Biopharmanet-TEC Interdepartmental Center, University of Parma, 43124, Parma, Italy
| | - Romina Corsini
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences, and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, 43124, Parma, Italy
| | - Claudia Folli
- Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, 43124, Parma, Italy
| | - Stefano Bettati
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43124, Parma, Italy
- Biopharmanet-TEC Interdepartmental Center, University of Parma, 43124, Parma, Italy
- National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, 00136, Rome, Italy
| | - Sangkee Rhee
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Riccardo Percudani
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences, and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, 43124, Parma, Italy
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24
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanjing Wang
- Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China
| | - Chi Wu
- Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
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25
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Wilding KM, Smith AK, Wilkerson JW, Bush DB, Knotts TA, Bundy BC. The Locational Impact of Site-Specific PEGylation: Streamlined Screening with Cell-Free Protein Expression and Coarse-Grain Simulation. ACS Synth Biol 2018; 7:510-521. [PMID: 29295615 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.7b00316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Although polyethylene glycol (PEG) is commonly used to improve protein stability and therapeutic efficacy, the optimal location for attaching PEG onto proteins is not well understood. Here, we present a cell-free protein synthesis-based screening platform that facilitates site-specific PEGylation and efficient evaluation of PEG attachment efficiency, thermal stability, and activity for different variants of PEGylated T4 lysozyme, including a di-PEGylated variant. We also report developing a computationally efficient coarse-grain simulation model as a potential tool to narrow experimental screening candidates. We use this simulation method as a novel tool to evaluate the locational impact of PEGylation. Using this screen, we also evaluated the predictive impact of PEGylation site solvent accessibility, conjugation site structure, PEG size, and double PEGylation. Our findings indicate that PEGylation efficiency, protein stability, and protein activity varied considerably with PEGylation site, variations that were not well predicted by common PEGylation guidelines. Overall our results suggest current guidelines are insufficiently predictive, highlighting the need for experimental and simulation screening systems such as the one presented here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen M. Wilding
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Addison K. Smith
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Joshua W. Wilkerson
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Derek B. Bush
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Thomas A. Knotts
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Bradley C. Bundy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
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26
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Hall D, Kinjo AR, Goto Y. A new look at an old view of denaturant induced protein unfolding. Anal Biochem 2018; 542:40-57. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2017.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2017] [Revised: 11/11/2017] [Accepted: 11/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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27
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Wilding KM, Schinn SM, Long EA, Bundy BC. The emerging impact of cell-free chemical biosynthesis. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2018; 53:115-121. [PMID: 29310029 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2017.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2017] [Revised: 12/16/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Biomanufacturing has emerged as a promising alternative to chemocatalysis for green, renewable, complex synthesis of biofuels, medicines, and fine chemicals. Cell-free chemical biosynthesis offers additional advantages over in vivo production, enabling plug-and-play assembly of separately produced enzymes into an optimal cascade, versatile reaction conditions, and direct access to the reaction environment. In order for these advantages to be realized on the larger scale of industry, strategies are needed to reduce costs of biocatalyst generation, improve biocatalyst stability, and enable economically sustainable continuous cascade operation. Here we overview the advantages and remaining challenges of applying cell-free chemical biosynthesis for commodity production, and discuss recent advances in cascade engineering, enzyme immobilization, and enzyme encapsulation which constitute important steps towards addressing these challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen M Wilding
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States
| | - Song-Min Schinn
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States
| | - Emily A Long
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States
| | - Bradley C Bundy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States.
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28
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Functional Stability of HIV-1 Envelope Trimer Affects Accessibility to Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies at Its Apex. J Virol 2017; 91:JVI.01216-17. [PMID: 28978711 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01216-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 09/29/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The trimeric envelope glycoprotein spike (Env) of HIV-1 is the target of vaccine development to elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs). Env trimer instability and heterogeneity in principle make subunit interfaces inconsistent targets for the immune response. Here, we investigate how functional stability of Env relates to neutralization sensitivity to V2 bnAbs and V3 crown antibodies that engage subunit interfaces upon binding to unliganded Env. Env heterogeneity was inferred when antibodies neutralized a mutant Env with a plateau of less than 100% neutralization. A statistically significant correlation was found between the stability of mutant Envs and the MPN of V2 bnAb, PG9, as well as an inverse correlation between stability of Env and neutralization by V3 crown antibody, 447-52D. A number of Env-stabilizing mutations and V2 bnAb-enhancing mutations were identified in Env, but they did not always overlap, indicating distinct requirements of functional stabilization versus antibody recognition. Blocking complex glycosylation of Env affected V2 bnAb recognition, as previously described, but also notably increased functional stability of Env. This study shows how instability and heterogeneity affect antibody sensitivity of HIV-1 Env, which is relevant to vaccine design involving its dynamic apex.IMPORTANCE The Env trimer is the only viral protein on the surface of HIV-1 and is the target of neutralizing antibodies that reduce viral infectivity. Quaternary epitopes at the apex of the spike are recognized by some of the most potent and broadly neutralizing antibodies to date. Being that their glycan-protein hybrid epitopes are at subunit interfaces, the resulting heterogeneity can lead to partial neutralization. Here, we screened for mutations in Env that allowed for complete neutralization by the bnAbs. We found that when mutations outside V2 increased V2 bnAb recognition, they often also increased Env stability-of-function and decreased binding by narrowly neutralizing antibodies to the V3 crown. Three mutations together increased neutralization by V2 bnAb and eliminated binding by V3 crown antibodies. These results may aid the design of immunogens that elicit antibodies to the trimer apex.
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29
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Draper SRE, Lawrence PB, Billings WM, Xiao Q, Brown NP, Bécar NA, Matheson DJ, Stephens AR, Price JL. Polyethylene Glycol Based Changes to β-Sheet Protein Conformational and Proteolytic Stability Depend on Conjugation Strategy and Location. Bioconjug Chem 2017; 28:2507-2513. [PMID: 28972368 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.7b00281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The development of chemical strategies for site-specific protein modification now enables researchers to attach polyethylene glycol (PEG) to a protein drug at one or more specific locations (i.e., protein PEGylation). However, aside from avoiding enzyme active sites or protein-binding interfaces, distinguishing the optimal PEGylation site from the available alternatives has conventionally been a matter of trial and error. As part of a continuing effort to develop guidelines for identifying optimal PEGylation sites within proteins, we show here that the impact of PEGylation at various sites within the β-sheet model protein WW depends strongly on the identity of the PEG-protein linker. The PEGylation of Gln or of azidohomoalanine has a similar impact on WW conformational stability as does Asn-PEGylation, whereas the PEGylation of propargyloxyphenylalanine is substantially stabilizing at locations where Asn-PEGylation was destabilizing. Importantly, we find that at least one of these three site-specific PEGylation strategies leads to substantial PEG-based stabilization at each of the positions investigated, highlighting the importance of considering conjugation strategy as an important variable in selecting optimal PEGylation sites. We further demonstrate that using a branched PEG oligomer intensifies the impact of PEGylation on WW conformational stability and also show that PEG-based increases to conformational stability are strongly associated with corresponding increases in proteolytic stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven R E Draper
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University , Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Paul B Lawrence
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University , Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Wendy M Billings
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University , Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Qiang Xiao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University , Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Nathaniel P Brown
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University , Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Natalie A Bécar
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University , Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Derek J Matheson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University , Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Andrew R Stephens
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University , Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Joshua L Price
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University , Provo, Utah 84602, United States
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30
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Levy Y. Protein Assembly and Building Blocks: Beyond the Limits of the LEGO Brick Metaphor. Biochemistry 2017; 56:5040-5048. [PMID: 28809494 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.7b00666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Proteins, like other biomolecules, have a modular and hierarchical structure. Various building blocks are used to construct proteins of high structural complexity and diverse functionality. In multidomain proteins, for example, domains are fused to each other in different combinations to achieve different functions. Although the LEGO brick metaphor is justified as a means of simplifying the complexity of three-dimensional protein structures, several fundamental properties (such as allostery or the induced-fit mechanism) make deviation from it necessary to respect the plasticity, softness, and cross-talk that are essential to protein function. In this work, we illustrate recently reported protein behavior in multidomain proteins that deviates from the LEGO brick analogy. While earlier studies showed that a protein domain is often unaffected by being fused to another domain or becomes more stable following the formation of a new interface between the tethered domains, destabilization due to tethering has been reported for several systems. We illustrate that tethering may sometimes result in a multidomain protein behaving as "less than the sum of its parts". We survey these cases for which structure additivity does not guarantee thermodynamic additivity. Protein destabilization due to fusion to other domains may be linked in some cases to biological function and should be taken into account when designing large assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaakov Levy
- Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science , Rehovot 76100, Israel
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31
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Carmali S, Murata H, Amemiya E, Matyjaszewski K, Russell AJ. Tertiary Structure-Based Prediction of How ATRP Initiators React with Proteins. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2017; 3:2086-2097. [DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.7b00281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sheiliza Carmali
- Center
for Polymer-Based Protein Engineering and ‡Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Hironobu Murata
- Center
for Polymer-Based Protein Engineering and ‡Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Erika Amemiya
- Center
for Polymer-Based Protein Engineering and ‡Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Krzysztof Matyjaszewski
- Center
for Polymer-Based Protein Engineering and ‡Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Alan J. Russell
- Center
for Polymer-Based Protein Engineering and ‡Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
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32
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Hoffmann E, Streichert K, Nischan N, Seitz C, Brunner T, Schwagerus S, Hackenberger CPR, Rubini M. Stabilization of bacterially expressed erythropoietin by single site-specific introduction of short branched PEG chains at naturally occurring glycosylation sites. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2017; 12:1750-5. [PMID: 26776361 DOI: 10.1039/c5mb00857c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The covalent attachment of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to therapeutic proteins can improve their physicochemical properties. In this work we utilized the non-natural amino acid p-azidophenylalanine (pAzF) in combination with the chemoselective Staudinger-phosphite reaction to install branched PEG chains to recombinant unglycosylated erythropoietin (EPO) at each single naturally occurring glycosylation site. PEGylation with two short 750 or 2000 Da PEG units at positions 24, 38, or 83 significantly decreased unspecific aggregation and proteolytic degradation while biological activity in vitro was preserved or even increased in comparison to full-glycosylated EPO. This site-specific bioconjugation approach permits to analyse the impact of PEGylation at single positions. These results represent an important step towards the engineering of site-specifically modified EPO variants from bacterial expression with increased therapeutic efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Hoffmann
- Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Konstanz, D-78464 Konstanz, Germany.
| | - K Streichert
- Leibniz Institute of Molecular Pharmacology, D-13125 Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany.
| | - N Nischan
- Leibniz Institute of Molecular Pharmacology, D-13125 Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany.
| | - C Seitz
- Department of Biochemical Pharmacology, University of Konstanz, D-78464 Konstanz, Germany
| | - T Brunner
- Department of Biochemical Pharmacology, University of Konstanz, D-78464 Konstanz, Germany
| | - S Schwagerus
- Leibniz Institute of Molecular Pharmacology, D-13125 Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany.
| | - C P R Hackenberger
- Leibniz Institute of Molecular Pharmacology, D-13125 Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany.
| | - M Rubini
- Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Konstanz, D-78464 Konstanz, Germany.
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33
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Shah V, Pierre B, Kirtadze T, Shin S, Kim JR. Stabilization of Bacillus circulans xylanase by combinatorial insertional fusion to a thermophilic host protein. Protein Eng Des Sel 2017; 30:281-290. [PMID: 28100651 DOI: 10.1093/protein/gzw081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
High thermostability of an enzyme is critical for its industrial application. While many engineering approaches such as mutagenesis have enhanced enzyme thermostability, they often suffer from reduced enzymatic activity. A thermally stabilized enzyme with unchanged amino acids is preferable for subsequent functional evolution necessary to address other important industrial needs. In the research presented here, we applied insertional fusion to a thermophilic maltodextrin-binding protein from Pyrococcus furiosus (PfMBP) in order to improve the thermal stability of Bacillus circulans xylanase (BCX). Specifically, we used an engineered transposon to construct a combinatorial library of randomly inserted BCX into PfMBP. The library was then subjected to functional screening to identify successful PfMBP-BCX insertion complexes, PfMBP-BCX161 and PfMBP-BCX165, displaying substantially improved kinetic stability at elevated temperatures compared to unfused BCX and other controls. Results from subsequent characterizations were consistent with the view that lowered aggregation of BCX and reduced conformational flexibility at the termini was responsible for increased thermal stability. Our stabilizing approach neither sacrificed xylanase activity nor required changes in the BCX amino acid sequence. Overall, the current study demonstrated the benefit of combinatorial insertional fusion to PfMBP as a systematic tool for the creation of enzymatically active and thermostable BCX variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vandan Shah
- Othmer-Jacobs Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University, 6 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
| | - Brennal Pierre
- Othmer-Jacobs Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University, 6 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
| | - Tamari Kirtadze
- Othmer-Jacobs Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University, 6 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
| | - Seung Shin
- Othmer-Jacobs Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University, 6 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
| | - Jin Ryoun Kim
- Othmer-Jacobs Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University, 6 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
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34
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Ronda L, Marchetti M, Piano R, Liuzzi A, Corsini R, Percudani R, Bettati S. A Trivalent Enzymatic System for Uricolytic Therapy of HPRT Deficiency and Lesch-Nyhan Disease. Pharm Res 2017; 34:1477-1490. [PMID: 28508122 PMCID: PMC5445154 DOI: 10.1007/s11095-017-2167-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Because of the evolutionary loss of the uricolytic pathway, humans accumulate poorly soluble urate as the final product of purine catabolism. Restoration of uricolysis through enzyme therapy is a promising treatment for severe hyperuricemia caused by deficiency of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT). To this end, we studied the effect of PEG conjugation on the activity and stability of the enzymatic complement required for conversion of urate into the more soluble (S)-allantoin. METHODS We produced in recombinant form three zebrafish enzymes required in the uricolytic pathway. We carried out a systematic study of the effect of PEGylation on the function and stability of the three enzymes by varying PEG length, chemistry and degree of conjugation. We assayed in vitro the uricolytic activity of the PEGylated enzymatic triad. RESULTS We defined conditions that allow PEGylated enzymes to retain native-like enzymatic activity even after lyophilization or prolonged storage. A combination of the three enzymes in an appropriate ratio allowed efficient conversion of urate to (S)-allantoin with no accumulation of intermediate metabolites. CONCLUSIONS Pharmaceutical restoration of the uricolytic pathway is a viable approach for the treatment of severe hyperuricemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Ronda
- Department of Medicine and Surgery,, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 23/A, 43124, Parma, Italy
| | - Marialaura Marchetti
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences, and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma,, Parco Area delle Scienze 23/A, 43124, Parma, Italy
| | - Riccardo Piano
- Department of Medicine and Surgery,, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 23/A, 43124, Parma, Italy
| | - Anastasia Liuzzi
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences, and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma,, Parco Area delle Scienze 23/A, 43124, Parma, Italy
| | - Romina Corsini
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences, and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma,, Parco Area delle Scienze 23/A, 43124, Parma, Italy
| | - Riccardo Percudani
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences, and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma,, Parco Area delle Scienze 23/A, 43124, Parma, Italy.
| | - Stefano Bettati
- Department of Medicine and Surgery,, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 23/A, 43124, Parma, Italy. .,National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, Viale Medaglie d'Oro 305, 00136, Rome, Italy.
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35
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Zore OV, Kasi RM, Kumar CV. Armored Enzyme-Nanohybrids and Their Catalytic Function Under Challenging Conditions. Methods Enzymol 2017; 590:169-192. [PMID: 28411637 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2017.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Synthesis and characterization of highly stable and functional bienzyme-polymer triads assembled on layered graphene oxide (GO) are described here. Glucose oxidase (GOx) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) were used as model enzymes and polyacrylic acid (PAA) as model polymer to armor the enzymes. PAA-armored GOx and HRP covalent conjugates were further protected from denaturation by adsorption onto GO nanosheets. Structure and morphology of this enzyme-polymer-nanosheet hybrid biocatalyst (GOx-HRP-PAA/GO) were confirmed by agarose gel electrophoresis, zeta potential, circular dichroism, and transmission electron microscopy. The armored biocatalysts retained full enzymatic activities under challenging conditions of pH (2.5-7.4), warm temperatures (65°C), and presence of chemical denaturants, 4mM sodium dodecyl sulfate, while GOx/HRP physical mixtures without the armor had very little activity under the same conditions. Therefore, this novel combination of two orthogonal approaches, enzyme conjugation with PAA and subsequent physical adsorption onto GO nanosheets, resulted in super stable hybrid biocatalysts that function under harsh conditions. Therefore, this general and powerful approach may be used to design environmentally friendly, green, biocompatible, and biodegradable biocatalysts for energy production in biofuel cell or biobattery applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omkar V Zore
- University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States; Polymer Program, Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - Rajeswari M Kasi
- University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States; Polymer Program, Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.
| | - Challa V Kumar
- University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States; Polymer Program, Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
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36
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Cummings CS, Campbell AS, Baker SL, Carmali S, Murata H, Russell AJ. Design of Stomach Acid-Stable and Mucin-Binding Enzyme Polymer Conjugates. Biomacromolecules 2017; 18:576-586. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.6b01723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chad S. Cummings
- Center for Polymer-Based Protein Engineering, ‡Department of Biomedical Engineering, §Disruptive Health Technology
Institute, and ∥Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Alan S. Campbell
- Center for Polymer-Based Protein Engineering, ‡Department of Biomedical Engineering, §Disruptive Health Technology
Institute, and ∥Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Stefanie L. Baker
- Center for Polymer-Based Protein Engineering, ‡Department of Biomedical Engineering, §Disruptive Health Technology
Institute, and ∥Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Sheiliza Carmali
- Center for Polymer-Based Protein Engineering, ‡Department of Biomedical Engineering, §Disruptive Health Technology
Institute, and ∥Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Hironobu Murata
- Center for Polymer-Based Protein Engineering, ‡Department of Biomedical Engineering, §Disruptive Health Technology
Institute, and ∥Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Alan J. Russell
- Center for Polymer-Based Protein Engineering, ‡Department of Biomedical Engineering, §Disruptive Health Technology
Institute, and ∥Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
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37
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Abstract
This article defines protein stability, emphasizes its importance and surveys the field of protein stabilization, with summary reference to a selection of 2009-2015 publications. One can enhance stability by, in particular, protein engineering strategies and by chemical modification (including conjugation) in solution. General protocols are set out on how to measure a given protein's (1) kinetic thermal stability, and (2) oxidative stability, and (3) how to undertake chemical modification of a protein in solution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ciarán Ó'Fágáin
- School of Biotechnology, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland.
- National Centre for Sensor Research, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland.
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38
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Lawrence PB, Price JL. How PEGylation influences protein conformational stability. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2016; 34:88-94. [PMID: 27580482 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2016.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2016] [Revised: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 08/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
PEGylation is an important strategy for enhancing the pharmacokinetic properties of protein therapeutics. The development of chemoselective side-chain modification reactions has enabled researchers to PEGylate proteins with high selectivity at defined locations. However, aside from avoiding active sites and binding interfaces, there are few guidelines for the selection of optimal PEGylation sites. Because conformational stability is intimately related to the ability of a protein to avoid proteolysis, aggregation, and immune responses, it is possible that PEGylating a protein at sites where PEG enhances conformational stability will result in PEG-protein conjugates with enhanced pharmacokinetic properties. However, the impact of PEGylation on protein conformational stability is incompletely understood. This review describes recent advances toward understanding the impact of PEGylation on protein conformational stability, along with the development of structure-based guidelines for selecting stabilizing PEGylation sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul B Lawrence
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, United States
| | - Joshua L Price
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, United States
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39
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Lawrence PB, Billings WM, Miller MB, Pandey BK, Stephens AR, Langlois MI, Price JL. Conjugation Strategy Strongly Impacts the Conformational Stability of a PEG-Protein Conjugate. ACS Chem Biol 2016; 11:1805-9. [PMID: 27191252 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.6b00349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Site-specific PEGylation is an important strategy for enhancing the pharmacokinetic properties of protein drugs, and has been enabled by the recent development of many chemoselective reactions for protein side-chain modification. However, the impact of these different conjugation strategies on the properties of PEG-protein conjugates is poorly understood. Here we show that the ability of PEG to enhance protein conformational stability depends strongly on the identity of the PEG-protein linker, with the most stabilizing linkers involving conjugation of PEG to planar polar groups near the peptide backbone. We also find that branched PEGs provide superior stabilization relative to their linear counterparts, suggesting additional applications for branched PEGs in protein stabilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul B. Lawrence
- Department
of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Wendy M. Billings
- Department
of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - McKenzie B. Miller
- Department
of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Brijesh K. Pandey
- Department
of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Andrew R. Stephens
- Department
of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Minnie I. Langlois
- Department
of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Joshua L. Price
- Department
of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
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40
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Hsu CH, Park S, Mortenson DE, Foley BL, Wang X, Woods RJ, Case DA, Powers ET, Wong CH, Dyson HJ, Kelly JW. The Dependence of Carbohydrate-Aromatic Interaction Strengths on the Structure of the Carbohydrate. J Am Chem Soc 2016; 138:7636-48. [PMID: 27249581 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6b02879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Interactions between proteins and carbohydrates are ubiquitous in biology. Therefore, understanding the factors that determine their affinity and selectivity are correspondingly important. Herein, we have determined the relative strengths of intramolecular interactions between a series of monosaccharides and an aromatic ring close to the glycosylation site in an N-glycoprotein host. We employed the enhanced aromatic sequon, a structural motif found in the reverse turns of some N-glycoproteins, to facilitate face-to-face monosaccharide-aromatic interactions. A protein host was used because the dependence of the folding energetics on the identity of the monosaccharide can be accurately measured to assess the strength of the carbohydrate-aromatic interaction. Our data demonstrate that the carbohydrate-aromatic interaction strengths are moderately affected by changes in the stereochemistry and identity of the substituents on the pyranose rings of the sugars. Galactose seems to make the weakest and allose the strongest sugar-aromatic interactions, with glucose, N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) and mannose in between. The NMR solution structures of several of the monosaccharide-containing N-glycoproteins were solved to further understand the origins of the similarities and differences between the monosaccharide-aromatic interaction energies. Peracetylation of the monosaccharides substantially increases the strength of the sugar-aromatic interaction in the context of our N-glycoprotein host. Finally, we discuss our results in light of recent literature regarding the contribution of electrostatics to CH-π interactions and speculate on what our observations imply about the absolute conservation of GlcNAc as the monosaccharide through which N-linked glycans are attached to glycoproteins in eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Che-Hsiung Hsu
- Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute , La Jolla, California 92037, United States.,Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute , La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Sangho Park
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute , La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - David E Mortenson
- Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute , La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - B Lachele Foley
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia , 315 Riverbend Road, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
| | - Xiaocong Wang
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia , 315 Riverbend Road, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
| | - Robert J Woods
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia , 315 Riverbend Road, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
| | - David A Case
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University , Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Evan T Powers
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute , La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Chi-Huey Wong
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute , La Jolla, California 92037, United States.,Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica , Taipei 115, Taiwan.,The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology , La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - H Jane Dyson
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute , La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Jeffery W Kelly
- Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute , La Jolla, California 92037, United States.,Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute , La Jolla, California 92037, United States.,The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology , La Jolla, California 92037, United States
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41
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Isakari Y, Podgornik A, Yoshimoto N, Yamamoto S. Monolith disk chromatography separates PEGylated protein positional isoforms within minutes at low pressure. Biotechnol J 2015; 11:100-6. [DOI: 10.1002/biot.201500294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2015] [Revised: 08/02/2015] [Accepted: 11/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yu Isakari
- Bio-Process Engineering Laboratory, School of Engineering and Graduate School of Medicine; Yamaguchi University; Ube Japan
| | - Ales Podgornik
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology; University of Ljubljana; Ljubljana Slovenia
- Center of Excellence COBIK; Ajdovščina Slovenia
| | - Noriko Yoshimoto
- Bio-Process Engineering Laboratory, School of Engineering and Graduate School of Medicine; Yamaguchi University; Ube Japan
| | - Shuichi Yamamoto
- Bio-Process Engineering Laboratory, School of Engineering and Graduate School of Medicine; Yamaguchi University; Ube Japan
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42
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Bioanalytical approaches to assess the proteolytic stability of therapeutic fusion proteins. Bioanalysis 2015; 7:3035-51. [DOI: 10.4155/bio.15.217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic fusion proteins (TFPs) are designed to improve the therapeutic profile of an endogenous protein or protein fragment with a limited dose frequency providing the desired pharmacological activity in vivo. Fusion of a therapeutic protein to a half-life extension or targeting domain can improve the disposition of the molecule or introduce a novel mechanism of action. Prolonged exposure and altered biodistribution of an endogenous protein through fusion technology increases the potential for local protein unfolding during circulation increasing the chance for partial proteolysis of the therapeutic domain. Characterizing the proteolytic liabilities of a TFP can guide engineering efforts to inhibit or hinder partial proteolysis. This review focuses on considerations and techniques for evaluating the stability of a TFP both in vivo and in vitro.
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43
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Weller CE, Chatterjee C. All about that Amide Bond: The Sixth Chemical Protein Synthesis (CPS) Meeting. Chembiochem 2015; 16:2531-6. [PMID: 26457983 PMCID: PMC4749268 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201500473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Endless potential: The sixth Chemical Protein Synthesis Meeting, held recently in St. Augustine, Florida, showed the potential of peptide and protein chemistry when applied toward understanding and controlling complex biological processes. This report highlights the diverse and cutting-edge protein chemistry presented at the meeting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline E Weller
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Box 351700, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
| | - Champak Chatterjee
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Box 351700, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
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44
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Gavrilov Y, Shental-Bechor D, Greenblatt HM, Levy Y. Glycosylation May Reduce Protein Thermodynamic Stability by Inducing a Conformational Distortion. J Phys Chem Lett 2015; 6:3572-3577. [PMID: 26722726 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.5b01588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Glycosylation plays not only a functional role but can also modify the biophysical properties of the modified protein. Usually, natural glycosylation results in protein stabilization; however, in vitro and in silico studies showed that sometimes glycosylation results in thermodynamic destabilization. Here, we applied coarse-grained and all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to understand the mechanism underlying the loss of stability of the MM1 protein by glycosylation. We show that the origin of the destabilization is a conformational distortion of the protein caused by the interaction of the monosaccharide with the protein surface. Though glycosylation creates new short-range glycan-protein interactions that stabilize the conjugated protein, it breaks long-range protein-protein interactions. This has a destabilizing effect because the probability of long- and short-range interactions forming differs between the folded and unfolded states. The destabilization originates not from simple loss of interactions but due to a trade-off between the short- and long-range interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulian Gavrilov
- Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science , Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Dalit Shental-Bechor
- Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science , Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Harry M Greenblatt
- Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science , Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Yaakov Levy
- Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science , Rehovot 76100, Israel
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45
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Zang Q, Tada S, Uzawa T, Kiga D, Yamamura M, Ito Y. Two site genetic incorporation of varying length polyethylene glycol into the backbone of one peptide. Chem Commun (Camb) 2015; 51:14385-8. [PMID: 26273708 DOI: 10.1039/c5cc04486c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Polyethylene glycol (PEG) of different lengths was genetically incorporated into the backbone of a polypeptide using stop-anticodon and frameshift anticodon-containing tRNAs, which were acylated with PEG-containing amino acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingmin Zang
- Nano Medical Engineering Laboratory, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
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Gavrilov Y, Hagai T, Levy Y. Nonspecific yet decisive: Ubiquitination can affect the native-state dynamics of the modified protein. Protein Sci 2015; 24:1580-92. [PMID: 25970168 DOI: 10.1002/pro.2688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2015] [Accepted: 04/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Ubiquitination is one of the most common post-translational modifications of proteins, and mediates regulated protein degradation among other cellular processes. A fundamental question regarding the mechanism of protein ubiquitination is whether and how ubiquitin affects the biophysical nature of the modified protein. For some systems, it was shown that the position of ubiquitin within the attachment site is quite flexible and ubiquitin does not specifically interact with its substrate. Nevertheless, it was revealed that polyubiquitination can decrease the thermal stability of the modified protein in a site-specific manner because of alterations of the thermodynamic properties of the folded and unfolded states. In this study, we used detailed atomistic simulations to focus on the molecular effects of ubiquitination on the native structure of the modified protein. As a model, we used Ubc7, which is an E2 enzyme whose in vivo ubiquitination process is well characterized and known to lead to degradation. We found that, despite the lack of specific direct interactions between the ubiquitin moiety and Ubc7, ubiquitination decreases the conformational flexibility of certain regions of the substrate Ubc7 protein, which reduces its entropy and thus destabilizes it. The strongest destabilizing effect was observed for systems in which Lys48-linked tetra-ubiquitin was attached to sites used for in vivo degradation. These results reveal how changes in the configurational entropy of the folded state may modulate the stability of the protein's native state. Overall, our results imply that ubiquitination can modify the biophysical properties of the attached protein in the folded state and that, in some proteins, different ubiquitination sites will lead to different biophysical outcomes. We propose that this destabilizing effect of polyubiquitin on the substrate is linked to the functions carried out by the modification, and in particular, regulatory control of protein half-life through proteasomal degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulian Gavrilov
- Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Tzachi Hagai
- Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Yaakov Levy
- Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
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