1
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Di Stasi R, De Rosa L, D'Andrea LD. Structure-Based Design of Peptides Targeting VEGF/VEGFRs. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:851. [PMID: 37375798 DOI: 10.3390/ph16060851] [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: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors (VEGFRs) play a main role in the regulation of angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis. Furthermore, they are implicated in the onset of several diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative eye conditions, tumor growth, ulcers and ischemia. Therefore, molecules able to target the VEGF and its receptors are of great pharmaceutical interest. Several types of molecules have been reported so far. In this review, we focus on the structure-based design of peptides mimicking VEGF/VEGFR binding epitopes. The binding interface of the complex has been dissected and the different regions challenged for peptide design. All these trials furnished a better understanding of the molecular recognition process and provide us with a wealth of molecules that could be optimized to be exploited for pharmaceutical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lucia De Rosa
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, 80131 Napoli, Italy
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2
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Wang L, Xu M, Hu H, Zhang L, Ye F, Jin J, Fang H, Chen J, Chen G, Broussy S, Vidal M, Lv Z, Liu WQ. A Cyclic Peptide Epitope of an Under-Explored VEGF-B Loop 1 Demonstrated In Vivo Anti-Angiogenic and Anti-Tumor Activities. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:734544. [PMID: 34658874 PMCID: PMC8511632 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.734544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathological angiogenesis is mainly initiated by the binding of abnormal expressed vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) to their receptors (VEGFRs). Blocking the VEGF/VEGFR interaction is a clinically proven treatment in cancer. Our previous work by epitope scan had identified cyclic peptides, mimicking the loop 1 of VEGF-A, VEGF-B and placental growth factor (PlGF), inhibited effectively the VEGF/VEGFR interaction in ELISA. We described here the docking study of these peptides on VEGFR1 to identify their binding sites. The cellular anti-angiogenic activities were examined by inhibition of VEGF-A induced cell proliferation, migration and tube formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The ability of these peptides to inhibit MAPK/ERK1/2 signaling pathway was examined as well. On chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model, a cyclic peptide named B-cL1 with most potent in vitro activity showed important in vivo anti-angiogenic effect. Finally, B-cL1 inhibited VEGF induced human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells proliferation. It showed anti-tumoral effect on SGC-7901 xenografted BALB/c nude mouse model. The cyclic peptides B-cL1 constitutes an anti-angiogenic peptide drug lead for the design of new and more potent VEGFR antagonists in the treatment of angiogenesis related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Wang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Meng Xu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Haofeng Hu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lun Zhang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Fei Ye
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jia Jin
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hongming Fang
- Department of Oncology, Zhejiang Xiaoshan Hospital, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jian Chen
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Guiqian Chen
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Sylvain Broussy
- Université de Paris, CiTCoM-UMR 8038 CNRS, U 1268 INSERM, Paris, France
| | - Michel Vidal
- Université de Paris, CiTCoM-UMR 8038 CNRS, U 1268 INSERM, Paris, France.,Biologie du médicament, toxicologie, AP-HP, Hôpital Cochin, Paris, France
| | - Zhengbing Lv
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wang-Qing Liu
- Université de Paris, CiTCoM-UMR 8038 CNRS, U 1268 INSERM, Paris, France
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3
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Lee W, Park JW, Go YJ, Kim WJ, Rhee YM. Considering both small and large scale motions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is crucial for reliably predicting its binding affinities to DNA aptamers. RSC Adv 2021; 11:9315-9326. [PMID: 35423456 PMCID: PMC8695334 DOI: 10.1039/d0ra10106k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Considering both small and large scale motions of VEGF is crucial to predict its relative binding affinities to DNA aptamer variants with docking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wook Lee
- Department of Chemistry
- Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)
- Pohang 37673
- Korea
- Department of Chemistry
| | - Jae Whee Park
- Department of Chemistry
- Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
- Daejeon 34141
- Korea
| | - Yeon Ju Go
- Department of Chemistry
- Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
- Daejeon 34141
- Korea
| | - Won Jong Kim
- Department of Chemistry
- Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)
- Pohang 37673
- Korea
| | - Young Min Rhee
- Department of Chemistry
- Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
- Daejeon 34141
- Korea
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4
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Dmytriyeva O, de Diego Ajenjo A, Lundø K, Hertz H, Rasmussen KK, Christiansen AT, Klingelhofer J, Nielsen AL, Hoeber J, Kozlova E, Woldbye DPD, Pankratova S. Neurotrophic Effects of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor B and Novel Mimetic Peptides on Neurons from the Central Nervous System. ACS Chem Neurosci 2020; 11:1270-1282. [PMID: 32283014 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.9b00685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGFB) is a pleiotropic trophic factor, which in contrast to the closely related VEGFA is known to have a limited effect on angiogenesis. VEGFB improves survival in various tissues including the nervous system, where the effect was observed mainly for peripheral neurons. The neurotrophic effect of VEGFB on central nervous system neurons has been less investigated. Here we demonstrated that VEGFB promotes neurite outgrowth from primary cerebellar granule, hippocampal, and retinal neurons in vitro. VEGFB protected hippocampal and retinal neurons from both oxidative stress and glutamate-induced neuronal death. The VEGF receptor 1 (VEGFR1) is required for VEGFB-induced neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects. Using a structure-based approach, we designed short peptides, termed Vefin1-7, mimicking the binding interface of VEGFB to VEGFR1. Vefins were analyzed for their secondary structure and binding to VEGF receptors and compared with previously described peptides derived from VEGFA, another ligand of VEGFR1. We show that Vefins have neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects on primary hippocampal, cerebellar granule, and retinal neurons in vitro with potencies comparable to VEGFB. Similar to VEGFB, Vefins were not mitogenic for MCF-7 cancer cells. Furthermore, one of the peptides, Vefin7, even dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 cells in vitro. Unraveling the neurotrophic and neuroprotective potentials of VEGFB, the only nonangiogenic factor of the VEGF family, is promising for the development of neuroprotective peptide-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oksana Dmytriyeva
- Laboratory of Neural Plasticity, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
- Laboratory for Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Science and Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
| | - Amaia de Diego Ajenjo
- Laboratory of Neural Plasticity, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
| | - Kathrine Lundø
- Laboratory of Neural Plasticity, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
| | - Henrik Hertz
- Laboratory of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
| | - Kim K. Rasmussen
- Laboratory of Neural Plasticity, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
| | - Anders T. Christiansen
- Laboratory of Neural Plasticity, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
| | - Jorg Klingelhofer
- Laboratory of Neural Plasticity, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
| | - Alexander L. Nielsen
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark
| | - Jan Hoeber
- Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University, Uppsala 75124, Sweden
| | - Elena Kozlova
- Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University, Uppsala 75124, Sweden
| | - David P. D. Woldbye
- Laboratory of Neural Plasticity, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
| | - Stanislava Pankratova
- Laboratory of Neural Plasticity, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
- Research Laboratory for Stereology and Neuroscience, Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
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5
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Structural studies of the binding of an antagonistic cyclic peptide to the VEGFR1 domain 2. Eur J Med Chem 2019; 169:65-75. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.02.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Revised: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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6
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A cyclic peptide reproducing the α1 helix of VEGF-B binds to VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 and inhibits angiogenesis and tumor growth. Biochem J 2019; 476:645-663. [DOI: 10.1042/bcj20180823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2018] [Revised: 01/26/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) and their receptors (VEGFRs) are pivotal regulators of angiogenesis. The VEGF–VEGFR system is therefore an important target of anti-angiogenesis therapy. Based on the X-ray structure of VEGF-B/VEGFR-1 D2, we designed a cyclic peptide (known as VGB1) reproducing the α1 helix and its adjacent region to interfere with signaling through VEGFR-1. Unexpectedly, VGB1 bound VEGFR-2 in addition to VEGFR-1, leading to inhibition of VEGF-stimulated proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells and 4T1 murine mammary carcinoma cells, which express VGEFR-1 and VEGFR-2, and U87 glioblastoma cells that mostly express VEGFR-2. VGB1 inhibited different aspects of angiogenesis, including proliferation, migration and tube formation of endothelial cells stimulated by VEGF-A through suppression of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and AKT (Protein Kinase B) phosphorylation. In a murine 4T1 mammary carcinoma model, VGB1 caused regression of tumors without causing weight loss in association with impaired cell proliferation (decreased Ki67 expression) and angiogenesis (decreased CD31 and CD34 expression), and apoptosis induction (increased TUNEL staining and p53 expression, and decreased Bcl-2 expression). According to far-UV circular dichroism (CD) and molecular dynamic simulation data, VGB1 can adopt a helical structure. These results, for the first time, demonstrate that α1 helix region of VEGF-B recognizes both VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2.
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7
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Tajimi T, Wakui N, Yanagisawa K, Yoshikawa Y, Ohue M, Akiyama Y. Computational prediction of plasma protein binding of cyclic peptides from small molecule experimental data using sparse modeling techniques. BMC Bioinformatics 2018; 19:527. [PMID: 30598072 PMCID: PMC6311893 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-018-2529-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cyclic peptide-based drug discovery is attracting increasing interest owing to its potential to avoid target protein depletion. In drug discovery, it is important to maintain the biostability of a drug within the proper range. Plasma protein binding (PPB) is the most important index of biostability, and developing a computational method to predict PPB of drug candidate compounds contributes to the acceleration of drug discovery research. PPB prediction of small molecule drug compounds using machine learning has been conducted thus far; however, no study has investigated cyclic peptides because experimental information of cyclic peptides is scarce. RESULTS First, we adopted sparse modeling and small molecule information to construct a PPB prediction model for cyclic peptides. As cyclic peptide data are limited, applying multidimensional nonlinear models involves concerns regarding overfitting. However, models constructed by sparse modeling can avoid overfitting, offering high generalization performance and interpretability. More than 1000 PPB data of small molecules are available, and we used them to construct a prediction models with two enumeration methods: enumerating lasso solutions (ELS) and forward beam search (FBS). The accuracies of the prediction models constructed by ELS and FBS were equal to or better than those of conventional non-linear models (MAE = 0.167-0.174) on cross-validation of a small molecule compound dataset. Moreover, we showed that the prediction accuracies for cyclic peptides were close to those for small molecule compounds (MAE = 0.194-0.288). Such high accuracy could not be obtained by a simple method of learning from cyclic peptide data directly by lasso regression (MAE = 0.286-0.671) or ridge regression (MAE = 0.244-0.354). CONCLUSION In this study, we proposed a machine learning techniques that uses low-dimensional sparse modeling to predict the PPB value of cyclic peptides computationally. The low-dimensional sparse model not only exhibits excellent generalization performance but also improves interpretation of the prediction model. This can provide common an noteworthy knowledge for future cyclic peptide drug discovery studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Tajimi
- Department of Computer Science, School of Computing, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 W8-76 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan
| | - Naoki Wakui
- Department of Computer Science, School of Computing, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 W8-76 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan.,Middle Molecule IT-based Drug Discovery Laboratory (MIDL), Tokyo Institute of Technology, RGBT2-A-1C 3-25-10 Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki city, Kanagawa, 210-0821, Japan
| | - Keisuke Yanagisawa
- Department of Computer Science, School of Computing, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 W8-76 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan
| | - Yasushi Yoshikawa
- Department of Computer Science, School of Computing, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 W8-76 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan.,Middle Molecule IT-based Drug Discovery Laboratory (MIDL), Tokyo Institute of Technology, RGBT2-A-1C 3-25-10 Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki city, Kanagawa, 210-0821, Japan
| | - Masahito Ohue
- Department of Computer Science, School of Computing, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 W8-76 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan.,Middle Molecule IT-based Drug Discovery Laboratory (MIDL), Tokyo Institute of Technology, RGBT2-A-1C 3-25-10 Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki city, Kanagawa, 210-0821, Japan
| | - Yutaka Akiyama
- Department of Computer Science, School of Computing, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 W8-76 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan. .,Middle Molecule IT-based Drug Discovery Laboratory (MIDL), Tokyo Institute of Technology, RGBT2-A-1C 3-25-10 Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki city, Kanagawa, 210-0821, Japan. .,Molecular Profiling Research Center for Drug Discovery (molprof), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 2-4-7 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-0064, Japan.
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8
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Farzaneh Behelgardi M, Zahri S, Mashayekhi F, Mansouri K, Asghari SM. A peptide mimicking the binding sites of VEGF-A and VEGF-B inhibits VEGFR-1/-2 driven angiogenesis, tumor growth and metastasis. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17924. [PMID: 30560942 PMCID: PMC6298961 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36394-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Interfering with interactions of vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) with their receptors (VEGFRs) effectively inhibits angiogenesis and tumor growth. We designed an antagonist peptide of VEGF-A and VEGF-B reproducing two discontinuous receptor binding regions of VEGF-B (loop 1 and loop3) covalently linked together by a receptor binding region of VEGF-A (loop3). The designed peptide (referred to as VGB4) was able to bind to both VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 on the Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) surface and inhibited VEGF-A driven proliferation, migration and tube formation in HUVECs through suppression of ERK1/2 and AKT phosphorylation. The whole-animal fluorescence imaging demonstrated that fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-VGB4 accumulated in the mammary carcinoma tumors (MCTs). Administration of VGB4 led to the regression of 4T1 murine MCT growth through decreased expression of p-VEGFR1 and p-VEGFR2 and abrogation of ERK1/2 and AKT activation followed by considerable decrease of tumor cell proliferation (Ki67 expression) and angiogenesis (CD31 and CD34 expression), induction of apoptosis (increased p53 expression, TUNEL staining and decreased Bcl2 expression), and suppression of metastasis (increased E-cadherin and decreased N-cadherin, NF-κB and MMP-9 expression). These findings indicate that VGB4 may be applicable for antiangiogenic and antitumor therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Saber Zahri
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
| | - Farhad Mashayekhi
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
| | - Kamran Mansouri
- Medical Biology Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - S Mohsen Asghari
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.
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9
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Reille-Seroussi M, Gaucher JF, Cussac LA, Broutin I, Vidal M, Broussy S. VEGFR1 domain 2 covalent labeling with horseradish peroxidase: Development of a displacement assay on VEGF. Anal Biochem 2017; 530:107-112. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2017.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Revised: 03/08/2017] [Accepted: 05/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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10
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Wang L, Zhou L, Reille-Seroussi M, Gagey-Eilstein N, Broussy S, Zhang T, Ji L, Vidal M, Liu WQ. Identification of Peptidic Antagonists of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 1 by Scanning the Binding Epitopes of Its Ligands. J Med Chem 2017; 60:6598-6606. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.7b00283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lei Wang
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 Avenue de l’Observatoire, Paris 75006, France
| | - Lingyu Zhou
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Complex Prescription and The MOE Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Marie Reille-Seroussi
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 Avenue de l’Observatoire, Paris 75006, France
| | - Nathalie Gagey-Eilstein
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 Avenue de l’Observatoire, Paris 75006, France
| | - Sylvain Broussy
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 Avenue de l’Observatoire, Paris 75006, France
| | - Tianyu Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Complex Prescription and The MOE Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Lili Ji
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Complex Prescription and The MOE Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Michel Vidal
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 Avenue de l’Observatoire, Paris 75006, France
- UF Pharmacocinétique
et Pharmacochimie, Hôpital Cochin, AP-HP, 27 Rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques, Paris 75014, France
| | - Wang-Qing Liu
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 Avenue de l’Observatoire, Paris 75006, France
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11
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Wang L, Gagey-Eilstein N, Broussy S, Reille-Seroussi M, Huguenot F, Vidal M, Liu WQ. Design and synthesis of C-terminal modified cyclic peptides as VEGFR1 antagonists. Molecules 2014; 19:15391-407. [PMID: 25264829 PMCID: PMC6270838 DOI: 10.3390/molecules191015391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2014] [Revised: 09/12/2014] [Accepted: 09/17/2014] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Previously designed cyclic peptide antagonist c[YYDEGLEE]-NH2 disrupts the interaction between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors (VEGFRs). It represents a promising tool in the fight against cancer and age-related macular degeneration. We described in this paper the optimization of the lead peptide by C-terminal modification. A new strategy for the synthesis of cyclic peptides is developed, improving the cyclisation efficiency. At 100 µM, several new peptides with an aromatic group flexibly linked at C-terminal end showed significantly increased receptor binding affinities in competition ELISA test. The most active peptide carrying a coumarin group may be a useful tool in anti-angiogenic biological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Wang
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 avenue de l'observatoire, Paris 75006, France.
| | - Nathalie Gagey-Eilstein
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 avenue de l'observatoire, Paris 75006, France.
| | - Sylvain Broussy
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 avenue de l'observatoire, Paris 75006, France.
| | - Marie Reille-Seroussi
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 avenue de l'observatoire, Paris 75006, France.
| | - Florent Huguenot
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 avenue de l'observatoire, Paris 75006, France.
| | - Michel Vidal
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 avenue de l'observatoire, Paris 75006, France.
| | - Wang-Qing Liu
- UMR 8638 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 avenue de l'observatoire, Paris 75006, France.
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12
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Bonache MÁ, Balsera B, López-Méndez B, Millet O, Brancaccio D, Gómez-Monterrey I, Carotenuto A, Pavone LM, Reille-Seroussi M, Gagey-Eilstein N, Vidal M, de la Torre-Martı́nez R, Fernández-Carvajal A, Ferrer-Montiel A, García-López MT, Martín-Martínez M, de Vega MJP, González-Muñiz R. De novo designed library of linear helical peptides: an exploratory tool in the discovery of protein-protein interaction modulators. ACS COMBINATORIAL SCIENCE 2014; 16:250-8. [PMID: 24725184 DOI: 10.1021/co500005x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) have emerged as important targets for pharmaceutical intervention because of their essential role in numerous physiological and pathological processes, but screening efforts using small-molecules have led to very low hit rates. Linear peptides could represent a quick and effective approach to discover initial PPI hits, particularly if they have inherent ability to adopt specific peptide secondary structures. Here, we address this hypothesis through a linear helical peptide library, composed of four sublibraries, which was designed by theoretical predictions of helicity (Agadir software). The 13-mer peptides of this collection fixes either a combination of three aromatic or two aromatic and one aliphatic residues on one face of the helix (Ac-SSEEX(5)ARNX(9)AAX(12)N-NH2), since these are structural features quite common at PPIs interfaces. The 81 designed peptides were conveniently synthesized by parallel solid-phase methodologies, and the tendency of some representative library components to adopt the intended secondary structure was corroborated through CD and NMR experiments. As proof of concept in the search for PPI modulators, the usefulness of this library was verified on the widely studied p53-MDM2 interaction and on the communication between VEGF and its receptor Flt-1, two PPIs for which a hydrophobic α-helix is essential for the interaction. We have demonstrated here that, in both cases, selected peptides from the library, containing the right hydrophobic sequence of the hot-spot in one of the protein partners, are able to interact with the complementary protein. Moreover, we have discover some new, quite potent inhibitors of the VEGF-Flt-1 interaction, just by replacing one of the aromatic residues of the initial F(5)Y(9)Y(12) peptide by W, in agreement with previous results on related antiangiogenic peptides. Finally, the HTS evaluation of the full collection on thermoTRPs has led to a few antagonists of TRPV1 and TRPA1 channels, which open new avenues on the way to innovative modulators of these channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Ángeles Bonache
- Instituto de Química-Médica (IQM-CSIC), Juan de la Cierva 3, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Beatriz Balsera
- Instituto de Química-Médica (IQM-CSIC), Juan de la Cierva 3, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Oscar Millet
- CICbioGUNE, Structural Biology Unit, 48160 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Diego Brancaccio
- Department
of Pharmacy, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via D. Montesano
49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Isabel Gómez-Monterrey
- Department
of Pharmacy, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via D. Montesano
49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Alfonso Carotenuto
- Department
of Pharmacy, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via D. Montesano
49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi M. Pavone
- Department
of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via S. Pansini 5, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Marie Reille-Seroussi
- UMR
8638
CNRS, UFR de Pharmacie, Université Paris Descartes, PRES
Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 avenue de l’Observatoire, 75006 Paris, France
| | - Nathalie Gagey-Eilstein
- UMR
8638
CNRS, UFR de Pharmacie, Université Paris Descartes, PRES
Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 avenue de l’Observatoire, 75006 Paris, France
| | - Michel Vidal
- UMR
8638
CNRS, UFR de Pharmacie, Université Paris Descartes, PRES
Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 avenue de l’Observatoire, 75006 Paris, France
- UF
“Pharmacocinétique et pharmacochimie”, Hôpital Cochin, , AP-HP, 27 rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques, 75014 Paris, France
| | - Roberto de la Torre-Martı́nez
- Instituto
de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Avenida de la Universidad s/n, 03202 Elche (Alicante), Spain
| | - Asia Fernández-Carvajal
- Instituto
de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Avenida de la Universidad s/n, 03202 Elche (Alicante), Spain
| | - Antonio Ferrer-Montiel
- Instituto
de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Avenida de la Universidad s/n, 03202 Elche (Alicante), Spain
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13
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d'Audigier C, Gautier B, Yon A, Alili JM, Guérin CL, Evrard SM, Godier A, Haviari S, Reille-Serroussi M, Huguenot F, Dizier B, Inguimbert N, Borgel D, Bièche I, Boisson-Vidal C, Roncal C, Carmeliet P, Vidal M, Gaussem P, Smadja DM. Targeting VEGFR1 on endothelial progenitors modulates their differentiation potential. Angiogenesis 2014; 17:603-16. [PMID: 24419917 DOI: 10.1007/s10456-013-9413-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2013] [Accepted: 12/26/2013] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We studied whether plasma levels of angiogenic factors VEGF and placental growth factor (PlGF) in coronary artery disease patients or undergoing cardiac surgery are modified, and whether those factors modulate endothelial progenitor's angiogenic potential. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 143 patients' plasmas from two different studies were analyzed (30 coronary artery disease patients, 30 patients with stable angina, coupled with 30 age and sex-matched controls; 53 patients underwent cardiac surgery). Among factors screened, only PlGF was found significantly increased in these pathological populations. PlGF-1 and PlGF-2 were then tested on human endothelial-colony-forming cells (ECFCs). We found that PlGF-1 and PlGF-2 induce VEGFR1 phosphorylation and potentiate ECFCs tubulogenesis in vitro. ECFCs VEGFR1 was further inhibited using a specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) and the chemical compound 4321. We then observed that the VEGFR1-siRNA and the compound 4321 decrease ECFCs tubulogenesis potential in vitro. Finally, we tested the compound 4321 in the preclinical Matrigel(®)-plug model with C57Bl/6J mice as well as in the murine hindlimb ischemia model. We found that 4321 inhibited the plug vascularization, attested by the hemoglobin content and the VE-Cadherin expression level and that 4321 inhibited the post-ischemic revascularization. CONCLUSION PlGF plasma levels were found increased in cardiovascular patients. Disrupting PlGF/VEGFR1 pathway could modulate ECFC-induced tubulogenesis, the cell type responsible for newly formed vessels in vivo.
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14
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Fang B, Jiang L, Zhang M, Ren FZ. A novel cell-penetrating peptide TAT-A1 delivers siRNA into tumor cells selectively. Biochimie 2013; 95:251-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2012.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2012] [Accepted: 09/17/2012] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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15
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A concise preparation of the fluorescent amino acid l-(7-hydroxycoumarin-4-yl) ethylglycine and extension of its utility in solid phase peptide synthesis. Bioorg Med Chem 2013; 21:553-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2012.10.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2012] [Revised: 10/18/2012] [Accepted: 10/25/2012] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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16
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García-Aranda MI, González-López S, Santiveri CM, Gagey-Eilstein N, Reille-Seroussi M, Martín-Martínez M, Inguimbert N, Vidal M, García-López MT, Jiménez MA, González-Muñiz R, Pérez de Vega MJ. Helical peptides from VEGF and Vammin hotspots for modulating the VEGF–VEGFR interaction. Org Biomol Chem 2013; 11:1896-905. [DOI: 10.1039/c3ob27312a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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17
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Hansen AN, Bendiksen CD, Sylvest L, Friis T, Staerk D, Jørgensen FS, Olsen CA, Houen G. Synthesis and antiangiogenic activity of N-alkylated levamisole derivatives. PLoS One 2012; 7:e45405. [PMID: 23024819 PMCID: PMC3443238 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0045405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2011] [Accepted: 08/22/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Inhibition of angiogenesis is a promising addition to current cancer treatment strategies. Neutralization of vascular endothelial growth factor by monoclonal antibodies is clinically effective but may cause side effects due to thrombosis. Low molecular weight angiogenesis inhibitors are currently less effective than antibody treatment and are also associated with serious side effects. The discovery of new chemotypes with efficient antiangiogenic activity is therefore of pertinent interest. (S)-levamisole hydrochloride, an anthelminthic drug approved for human use and with a known clinical profile, was recently shown to be an inhibitor of angiogenesis in vitro and exhibited tumor growth inhibition in mice. Here we describe the synthesis and in vitro evaluation of a series of N-alkylated analogues of levamisole with the aim of characterizing structure-activity relationships with regard to inhibition of angiogenesis. N-methyllevamisole and p-bromolevamisole proved more effective than the parent compound, (S)-levamisole hydrochloride, with respect to inhibition of angiogenesis and induction of undifferentiated cluster morphology in human umbilical vein endothelial cells grown in co-culture with normal human dermal fibroblasts. Interestingly, the cluster morphology caused by N-methyllevamisole was different than the clusters observed for levamisole, and a third "cord-like" morphology resembling that of the known drug suramin was observed for an aniline-containing derivative. New chemotypes exhibiting antiangiogenic effects in vitro are thus described, and further investigation of their underlying mechanism of action is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders N. Hansen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christine D. Bendiksen
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lene Sylvest
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tina Friis
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Dan Staerk
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Flemming Steen Jørgensen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christian A. Olsen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- * E-mail: (CAO); (GH)
| | - Gunnar Houen
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
- * E-mail: (CAO); (GH)
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18
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Gautier B, Miteva MA, Goncalves V, Huguenot F, Coric P, Bouaziz S, Seijo B, Gaucher JF, Broutin I, Garbay C, Lesnard A, Rault S, Inguimbert N, Villoutreix BO, Vidal M. Targeting the proangiogenic VEGF-VEGFR protein-protein interface with drug-like compounds by in silico and in vitro screening. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 18:1631-9. [PMID: 22195565 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2011.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2011] [Revised: 09/16/2011] [Accepted: 10/24/2011] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Protein-protein interactions play a central role in medicine, and their modulation with small organic compounds remains an enormous challenge. Because it has been noted that the macromolecular complexes modulated to date have a relatively pronounced binding cavity at the interface, we decided to perform screening experiments over the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR), a validated target for antiangiogenic treatments with a very flat interface. We focused the study on the VEGFR-1 D2 domain, and 20 active compounds were identified. These small compounds contained a (3-carboxy-2-ureido)thiophen unit and had IC(50) values in the low micromolar range. The most potent compound inhibited the VEGF-induced VEGFR-1 transduction pathways. Our findings suggest that our best hit may be a promising scaffold to probe this macromolecular complex and for the development of treatments of VEGFR-1-dependent diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benoit Gautier
- Université Paris Descartes, CNRS UMR 8601, UFR biomédicale, 75006 Paris, France
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19
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Cloninger MJ, Bilgiçer B, Li L, Mangold SL, Phillips ST, Wolfenden ML. Multivalency. Supramol Chem 2012. [DOI: 10.1002/9780470661345.smc008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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20
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García-Aranda MI, Marrero P, Gautier B, Martín-Martínez M, Inguimbert N, Vidal M, García-López MT, Jiménez MA, González-Muñiz R, Vega MJPD. Parallel solid-phase synthesis of a small library of linear and hydrocarbon-bridged analogues of VEGF81–91: Potential biological tools for studying the VEGF/VEGFR-1 interaction. Bioorg Med Chem 2011; 19:1978-86. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2011.01.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2010] [Revised: 01/24/2011] [Accepted: 01/27/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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21
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Basile A, Del Gatto A, Diana D, Di Stasi R, Falco A, Festa M, Rosati A, Barbieri A, Franco R, Arra C, Pedone C, Fattorusso R, Turco MC, D’Andrea LD. Characterization of a Designed Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor Antagonist Helical Peptide with Antiangiogenic Activity in Vivo. J Med Chem 2011; 54:1391-400. [DOI: 10.1021/jm101435r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Basile
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università di Salerno and BioUniverSA SRL, Salerno, Italy
| | - Annarita Del Gatto
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy
| | - Donatella Diana
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy
| | - Rossella Di Stasi
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy
| | - Antonia Falco
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università di Salerno and BioUniverSA SRL, Salerno, Italy
| | - Michelina Festa
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università di Salerno and BioUniverSA SRL, Salerno, Italy
| | - Alessandra Rosati
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università di Salerno and BioUniverSA SRL, Salerno, Italy
| | - Antonio Barbieri
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori “Fondazione G. Pascale”, Napoli, Italy
| | - Renato Franco
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori “Fondazione G. Pascale”, Napoli, Italy
| | - Claudio Arra
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori “Fondazione G. Pascale”, Napoli, Italy
| | - Carlo Pedone
- Dipartimento delle Scienze Biologiche, Università di Napoli “Federico II”, Napoli, Italy
| | - Roberto Fattorusso
- Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, Seconda Università di Napoli, Caserta, Italy
| | - Maria Caterina Turco
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università di Salerno and BioUniverSA SRL, Salerno, Italy
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22
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Gautier B, Goncalves V, Diana D, Di Stasi R, Teillet F, Lenoir C, Huguenot F, Garbay C, Fattorusso R, D'Andrea LD, Vidal M, Inguimbert N. Biochemical and structural analysis of the binding determinants of a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor peptidic antagonist. J Med Chem 2010; 53:4428-40. [PMID: 20462213 DOI: 10.1021/jm1002167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Cyclic peptide antagonist c[YYDEGLEE]-NH(2), which disrupts the interaction between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors (VEGFRs), represents a promising tool in the fight against cancer and age-related macular degeneration. Furthermore, coupled to a cyclen derivative, this ligand could be used as a medicinal imaging agent. Nevertheless, before generating such molecular probes, some preliminary studies need to be undertaken in order to define the more suitable positions for introduction of the cyclen macrocycle. Through an Ala-scan study on this peptide, we identified its binding motif, and an NMR study highlights its binding sites on the VEGFR-1D2 Ig-like domain. Guided by the structural relationship results deduced from the effect of the peptides on endothelial cells, new peptides were synthesized and grafted on beads. Used in a pull-down assay, these new peptides trap the VEGFRs, thus confirming that the identified amino acid positions are suitable for further derivatization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benoit Gautier
- Université Paris Descartes, UFR Biomédicale, Laboratoire de Pharmacochimie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, INSERM U648, 75006 Paris, France
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23
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Yongye AB, Li Y, Giulianotti MA, Yu Y, Houghten RA, Martínez-Mayorga K. Modeling of peptides containing D-amino acids: implications on cyclization. J Comput Aided Mol Des 2009; 23:677-89. [PMID: 19593648 DOI: 10.1007/s10822-009-9295-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2009] [Accepted: 06/25/2009] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Cyclic peptides are therapeutically attractive due to their high bioavailability, potential selectivity, and scaffold novelty. Furthermore, the presence of D-residues induces conformational preferences not followed by peptides consisting of naturally abundant L-residues. Therefore, comprehending how amino acids induce turns in peptides, subsequently facilitating cyclization, is significant in peptide design. Here, we performed 20-ns explicit-solvent molecular dynamics simulations for three diastereomeric peptides with stereochemistries: LLLLL, LLLDL, and LDLDL. Experimentally LLLLL and LDLDL readily cyclize, whereas LLLDL cyclizes in low yield. Simulations at 310 K produced conformations with inter-terminal hydrogen bonds that correlated qualitatively with the experimental cyclization trend. Energies obtained for representative structures from quantum chemical (B3LYP/PCM/cc-pVTZ//HF/6-31G*) calculations predicted pseudo-cyclic and extended conformations as the most stable for LLLLL and LLLDL, respectively, in agreement with the experimental data. In contrast, the most stable conformer predicted for peptide LDLDL was not a pseudo-cyclic structure. Moreover, D-residues preferred the experimentally less populated alpha(L) rotamers even when simulations were performed at a higher temperature and with strategically selected starting conformations. Energies calculated with molecular mechanics were consistent only with peptide LLLLL. Thus, the conformational preferences obtained for the all L: -amino acid peptide were in agreement with the experimental observations. Moreover, refinement of the force field is expected to provide far-reaching conformational sampling of peptides containing D-residues to further develop force field-based conformational-searching methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin B Yongye
- Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, Port Saint Lucie, FL 34987, USA
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24
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Goncalves V, Gautier B, Huguenot F, Leproux P, Garbay C, Vidal M, Inguimbert N. Total chemical synthesis of the D2 domain of human VEGF receptor 1. J Pept Sci 2009; 15:417-22. [PMID: 19387974 DOI: 10.1002/psc.1133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The interaction of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) with its cellular receptors exerts a central role in the regulation of angiogenesis. Among these receptors, the VEGF receptor 1 may be implicated in pathological angiogenesis. Here, we report the first total chemical synthesis of the VEGF-binding domain of the VEGF receptor 1. Aggregation issues were overcome by the use of a low-substituted resin and the stepwise introduction of pseudoproline dipeptides and Dmb-glycines. The folding of the protein was achieved by air oxidation and its biological activity was verified on ELISA-based assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Goncalves
- Université Paris Descartes, UFR biomédicale, Laboratoire de Pharmacochimie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Paris, F-75006, France
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25
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Kenneth Ward W. A review of the foreign-body response to subcutaneously-implanted devices: the role of macrophages and cytokines in biofouling and fibrosis. J Diabetes Sci Technol 2008; 2:768-77. [PMID: 19885259 PMCID: PMC2769792 DOI: 10.1177/193229680800200504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 202] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The biological response to implanted biomaterials in mammals is a complex series of events that involves many biochemical pathways. Shortly after implantation, fibrinogen and other proteins bind to the device surface, a process known as biofouling. Macrophages then bind to receptors on the proteins, join into multinucleated giant cells, and release transforming growth factor beta and other inflammatory cytokines. In response to these signals, quiescent fibroblasts are transformed into myofibroblasts, which synthesize procollagen via activation of Smad mediators. The procollagen becomes crosslinked after secretion into the extracellular space. Mature crosslinked collagen and other extracellular matrix proteins gradually contribute to formation of a hypocellular dense fibrous capsule that becomes impermeable or hypopermeable to many compounds. Porous substrates and angiogenic growth factors can stimulate formation of microvessels, which to some extent can maintain analyte delivery to implanted sensors. However, stimulation by vascular endothelial growth factor alone may lead to formation of leaky, thin-walled, immature vessels. Other growth factors are most probably needed to act upon these immature structures to create more robust vessels.During implantation of foreign bodies, the foreign-body response is difficult to overcome, and thousands of biomaterials have been tested. Biomimicry (i.e., creating membranes whose chemical structure mimics natural cellular compounds) may diminish the response, but as of this writing, it has not been possible to create a stealth material that circumvents the ability of the mammalian surveillance systems to distinguish foreign from self.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Kenneth Ward
- Legacy Clinical Research and Technology Center and Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA.
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26
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Expression of PC cell-derived growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and their clinicopathologic significance. Chin Med J (Engl) 2008. [DOI: 10.1097/00029330-200805020-00004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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27
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Bacart J, Corbel C, Jockers R, Bach S, Couturier C. The BRET technology and its application to screening assays. Biotechnol J 2008; 3:311-24. [DOI: 10.1002/biot.200700222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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