1
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Nuti F, Larregola M, Staśkiewicz A, Retzl B, Tomašević N, Macchia L, Street ME, Jewgiński M, Lequin O, Latajka R, Rovero P, Gruber CW, Chorev M, Papini AM. Design, synthesis, conformational analysis, and biological activity of Cα 1-to-Cα 6 1,4- and 4,1-disubstituted 1 H-[1,2,3]triazol-1-yl-bridged oxytocin analogues. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2023; 38:2254019. [PMID: 37735942 PMCID: PMC10519257 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2023.2254019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) is a neurohypophyseal peptide hormone containing a disulphide-bridged pseudocyclic conformation. The biomedical use of OT peptides is limited amongst others by disadvantageous pharmacokinetic parameters. To increase the stability of OT by replacing the disulphide bridge with the stable and more rigid [1,2,3]triazol-1-yl moiety, we employed the Cu2+-catalysed side chain-to-side chain azide-alkyne 1,3-cycloaddition. Here we report the design, synthesis, conformational analysis, and in vitro pharmacological activity of a homologous series of Cα1-to-Cα6 side chain-to-side chain [1,2,3]triazol-1-yl-containing OT analogues differing in the length of the bridge, location, and orientation of the linking moiety. Exploiting this macrocyclisation approach, it was possible to generate a systematic series of compounds providing interesting insight into the structure-conformation-function relationship of OT. Most analogues were able to adopt similar conformation to endogenous OT in water, namely, a type I β-turn. This approach may in the future generate stabilised pharmacological peptide tools to advance understanding of OT physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Nuti
- Interdepartmental Research Unit of Peptide and Protein Chemistry and Biology, Department of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Maud Larregola
- CNRS, BioCIS, CY Cergy Paris Université, Cergy Pontoise and Paris Saclay Université, Orsay, France
| | - Agnieszka Staśkiewicz
- Interdepartmental Research Unit of Peptide and Protein Chemistry and Biology, Department of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Bernhard Retzl
- Institute of Pharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nataša Tomašević
- Institute of Pharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lorenzo Macchia
- Interdepartmental Research Unit of Peptide and Protein Chemistry and Biology, Department of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Maria E. Street
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Parma e Clinica Pediatrica, AOU di Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Michał Jewgiński
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Olivier Lequin
- Laboratoire des Biomolécules, Sorbonne Université, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL University, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Rafal Latajka
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Paolo Rovero
- Interdepartmental Research Unit of Peptide and Protein Chemistry and Biology, Department of NeuroFarBa, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Christian W. Gruber
- Institute of Pharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Chorev
- Laboratory for Translational Research, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anna Maria Papini
- Interdepartmental Research Unit of Peptide and Protein Chemistry and Biology, Department of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
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2
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Yin S, Mei S, Li Z, Xu Z, Wu Y, Chen X, Liu D, Niu MM, Li J. Non-covalent cyclic peptides simultaneously targeting Mpro and NRP1 are highly effective against Omicron BA.2.75. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:1037993. [PMID: 36408220 PMCID: PMC9666779 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1037993] [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: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Available vaccine-based immunity may at high risk of being evaded due to substantial mutations in the variant Omicron. The main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2 and human neuropilin-1 (NRP1), two less mutable proteins, have been reported to be crucial for SARS-CoV-2 replication and entry into host cells, respectively. Their dual blockade may avoid vaccine failure caused by continuous mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 genome and exert synergistic antiviral efficacy. Herein, four cyclic peptides non-covalently targeting both Mpro and NRP1 were identified using virtual screening. Among them, MN-2 showed highly potent affinity to Mpro (Kd = 18.2 ± 1.9 nM) and NRP1 (Kd = 12.3 ± 1.2 nM), which was about 3,478-fold and 74-fold stronger than that of the positive inhibitors Peptide-21 and EG3287. Furthermore, MN-2 exhibited significant inhibitory activity against Mpro and remarkable anti-infective activity against the pseudotyped variant Omicron BA.2.75 without obvious cytotoxicity. These data demonstrated that MN-2, a novel non-covalent cyclic peptide, is a promising agent against Omicron BA.2.75.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengnan Yin
- Department of Pharmacy, Taizhou Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Taizhou, China
| | - Shuang Mei
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhiqin Li
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Department of Pharmacy, The Affiliated Taizhou People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou, China
| | - Zhen Xu
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Department of Pharmacy, The Affiliated Taizhou People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou, China
| | - Yuting Wu
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Department of Pharmacy, The Affiliated Taizhou People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou, China
| | - Xiujuan Chen
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Department of Pharmacy, The Affiliated Taizhou People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou, China
- *Correspondence: Xiujuan Chen, ; Jindong Li, ; Dongmei Liu, ; Miao-Miao Niu,
| | - Dongmei Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, Taizhou Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Taizhou, China
- *Correspondence: Xiujuan Chen, ; Jindong Li, ; Dongmei Liu, ; Miao-Miao Niu,
| | - Miao-Miao Niu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
- *Correspondence: Xiujuan Chen, ; Jindong Li, ; Dongmei Liu, ; Miao-Miao Niu,
| | - Jindong Li
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Department of Pharmacy, The Affiliated Taizhou People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou, China
- *Correspondence: Xiujuan Chen, ; Jindong Li, ; Dongmei Liu, ; Miao-Miao Niu,
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3
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Xu Z, Zou Y, Gao X, Niu MM, Li J, Xue L, Jiang S. Dual-targeting cyclic peptides of receptor-binding domain (RBD) and main protease (Mpro) as potential drug leads for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:1041331. [PMID: 36339564 PMCID: PMC9627161 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1041331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The receptor-binding domain (RBD) and the main protease (Mpro) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) play a crucial role in the entry and replication of viral particles, and co-targeting both of them could be an attractive approach for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection by setting up a "double lock" in the viral lifecycle. However, few dual RBD/Mpro-targeting agents have been reported. Here, four novel RBD/Mpro dual-targeting peptides, termed as MRs 1-4, were discovered by an integrated virtual screening scheme combining molecular docking-based screening and molecular dynamics simulation. All of them possessed nanomolar binding affinities to both RBD and Mpro ranging from 14.4 to 39.2 nM and 22.5-40.4 nM, respectively. Further pseudovirus infection assay revealed that the four selected peptides showed >50% inhibition against SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus at a concentration of 5 µM without significant cytotoxicity to host cells. This study leads to the identification of a class of dual RBD/Mpro-targeting agents, which may be developed as potential and effective SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Xu
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, The Affiliated Taizhou People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou, China
| | - Yunting Zou
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xi Gao
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, The Affiliated Taizhou People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou, China
| | - Miao-Miao Niu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jindong Li
- Department of Pharmacy, The Affiliated Taizhou People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou, China
| | - Lu Xue
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, The Affiliated Taizhou People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou, China
| | - Su Jiang
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, The Affiliated Taizhou People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou, China
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4
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Cui JB, Wei XX, Zhao R, Zhu H, Shi J, Bierer D, Li YM. Chemical synthesis of disulfide surrogate peptides by using beta-carbon dimethyl modified diaminodiacids. Org Biomol Chem 2021; 19:9021-9025. [PMID: 34611692 DOI: 10.1039/d1ob01715b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The replacement of disulfide bridges with metabolically stable isosteres is a promising strategy to improve the stability of disulfide-rich polypeptides towards reducing agents and isomerases. A diaminodiacid-based strategy is one of the most effective methods to construct disulfide bond mimics, but modified diaminodiacids have not been developed till now. Inspired by the fact that alkylation of disulfide bonds can regulate the activity of polypeptides, herein, we report the first example of thioether bridged diaminodiacids incorporating Cys Cβ dimethyl modification, obtained by penicillamine (Pen)-based thiol alkylation. The utility of these new diaminodiacids was demonstrated by the synthesis of disulfide surrogates of oxytocin containing a short-span disulfide bond and of KIIIA with large-span disulfide bonds. This new type of synthetic bridge further extends the diaminodiacid toolbox to facilitate the study of the structure-activity relationship of disulfide-rich peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Bin Cui
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Engineering Research Center of Bio-process, Ministry of Education, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China.
| | - Xiao-Xiong Wei
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
| | - Rui Zhao
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
| | - Huixia Zhu
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Engineering Research Center of Bio-process, Ministry of Education, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China.
| | - Jing Shi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
| | - Donald Bierer
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Bayer AG, Aprather Weg 18A, 42096 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Yi-Ming Li
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Engineering Research Center of Bio-process, Ministry of Education, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China. .,Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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5
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Zheng N, Christensen SB, Dowell C, Purushottam L, Skalicky JJ, McIntosh JM, Chou DHC. Discovery of Methylene Thioacetal-Incorporated α-RgIA Analogues as Potent and Stable Antagonists of the Human α9α10 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor for the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain. J Med Chem 2021; 64:9513-9524. [PMID: 34161094 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
α9-Containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are key targets for the treatment of neuropathic pain. α-Conotoxin RgIA4 is a peptide antagonist of human α9α10 nAChRs with high selectivity. However, structural rearrangement reveals a potential liability for clinical applications. We herein report our designer RgIA analogues stabilized by methylene thioacetal as nonopioid analgesic agents. We demonstrate that replacing disulfide loop I [CysI-CysIII] with methylene thioacetal in the RgIA skeleton results in activity loss, whereas substitution of loop II [CysII-CysIV] can be accommodated. The lead molecule, RgIA-5524, exhibits highly selective inhibition of α9α10 nAChRs with an IC50 of 0.9 nM and much reduced degradation in human serum. In vivo studies showed that RgIA-5524 relieves chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain in wild type but not α9 knockout mouse models, demonstrating that α9-containing nAChRs are necessary for the therapeutic effects. This work highlights the application of methylene thioacetal as a disulfide surrogate in conotoxin-based, disulfide-rich peptide drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Zheng
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Sean B Christensen
- School of Biological Science, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Cheryl Dowell
- School of Biological Science, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Landa Purushottam
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Jack J Skalicky
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - J Michael McIntosh
- School of Biological Science, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States.,George E. Whalen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Danny Hung-Chieh Chou
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
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6
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Belgi A, Burnley JV, MacRaild CA, Chhabra S, Elnahriry KA, Robinson SD, Gooding SG, Tae HS, Bartels P, Sadeghi M, Zhao FY, Wei H, Spanswick D, Adams DJ, Norton RS, Robinson AJ. Alkyne-Bridged α-Conotoxin Vc1.1 Potently Reverses Mechanical Allodynia in Neuropathic Pain Models. J Med Chem 2021; 64:3222-3233. [PMID: 33724033 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c02151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Several Conus-derived venom peptides are promising lead compounds for the management of neuropathic pain, with α-conotoxins being of particular interest. Modification of the interlocked disulfide framework of α-conotoxin Vc1.1 has been achieved using on-resin alkyne metathesis. Although introduction of a metabolically stable alkyne motif significantly disrupts backbone topography, the structural modification generates a potent and selective GABAB receptor agonist that inhibits Cav2.2 channels and exhibits dose-dependent reversal of mechanical allodynia in a behavioral rat model of neuropathic pain. The findings herein support the hypothesis that analgesia can be achieved via activation of GABABRs expressed in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) sensory neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Belgi
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - James V Burnley
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Christopher A MacRaild
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Sandeep Chhabra
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Khaled A Elnahriry
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Samuel D Robinson
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Simon G Gooding
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Han-Shen Tae
- Illawarra Health & Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Peter Bartels
- Illawarra Health & Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Mahsa Sadeghi
- Illawarra Health & Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | | | | | - David Spanswick
- NeuroSolutions Ltd., Coventry CV4 7AL, U.K
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and the Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
- Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, U.K
| | - David J Adams
- Illawarra Health & Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Raymond S Norton
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
- ARC Centre for Fragment-Based Design, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Andrea J Robinson
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
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7
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Zhang B, Ren M, Xiong Y, Li H, Wu Y, Fu Y, Zhangsun D, Dong S, Luo S. Cysteine [2,4] Disulfide Bond as a New Modifiable Site of α-Conotoxin TxIB. Mar Drugs 2021; 19:md19020119. [PMID: 33671487 PMCID: PMC7926623 DOI: 10.3390/md19020119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
α-Conotoxin TxIB, a selective antagonist of α6/α3β2β3 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, could be a potential therapeutic agent for addiction and Parkinson's disease. As a peptide with a complex pharmacophoric conformation, it is important and difficult to find a modifiable site which can be modified effectively and efficiently without activity loss. In this study, three xylene scaffolds were individually reacted with one pair of the cysteine residues ([1,3] or [2,4]), and iodine oxidation was used to form a disulfide bond between the other pair. Overall, six analogs were synthesized with moderate isolated yields from 55% to 65%, which is four times higher than the traditional two-step oxidation with orthogonal protection on cysteines. The cysteine [2,4] modified analogs, with higher stability in human serum than native TxIB, showed obvious inhibitory effect and selectivity on α6/α3β2β3 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), which was 100 times more than the cysteine [1,3] modified ones. This result demonstrated that the cysteine [2,4] disulfide bond is a new modifiable site of TxIB, and further modification can be a simple and feasible strategy for the exploitation and utilization of α-Conotoxin TxIB in drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baojian Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Marine Drugs of Haikou, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; (B.Z.); (M.R.); (Y.X.); (H.L.); (Y.F.); (D.Z.)
| | - Maomao Ren
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Marine Drugs of Haikou, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; (B.Z.); (M.R.); (Y.X.); (H.L.); (Y.F.); (D.Z.)
| | - Yang Xiong
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Marine Drugs of Haikou, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; (B.Z.); (M.R.); (Y.X.); (H.L.); (Y.F.); (D.Z.)
| | - Haonan Li
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Marine Drugs of Haikou, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; (B.Z.); (M.R.); (Y.X.); (H.L.); (Y.F.); (D.Z.)
| | - Yong Wu
- Medical School, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China;
| | - Ying Fu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Marine Drugs of Haikou, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; (B.Z.); (M.R.); (Y.X.); (H.L.); (Y.F.); (D.Z.)
| | - Dongting Zhangsun
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Marine Drugs of Haikou, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; (B.Z.); (M.R.); (Y.X.); (H.L.); (Y.F.); (D.Z.)
- Medical School, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China;
| | - Shuai Dong
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Marine Drugs of Haikou, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; (B.Z.); (M.R.); (Y.X.); (H.L.); (Y.F.); (D.Z.)
- Correspondence: (S.D.); (S.L.)
| | - Sulan Luo
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Marine Drugs of Haikou, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; (B.Z.); (M.R.); (Y.X.); (H.L.); (Y.F.); (D.Z.)
- Medical School, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China;
- Correspondence: (S.D.); (S.L.)
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8
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Li X, Tae HS, Chu Y, Jiang T, Adams DJ, Yu R. Medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and therapeutic potential of α-conotoxins antagonizing the α9α10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Pharmacol Ther 2020; 222:107792. [PMID: 33309557 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2020.107792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
α-Conotoxins are disulfide-rich and well-structured peptides, most of which can block nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) with exquisite selectivity and potency. There are various nAChR subtypes, of which the α9α10 nAChR functions as a heteromeric ionotropic receptor in the mammalian cochlea and mediates postsynaptic transmission from the medial olivocochlear. The α9α10 nAChR subtype has also been proposed as a target for the treatment of neuropathic pain and the suppression of breast cancer cell proliferation. Therefore, α-conotoxins targeting the α9α10 nAChR are potentially useful in the development of specific therapeutic drugs and pharmacological tools. Despite dissimilarities in their amino acid sequence and structures, these conopeptides are potent antagonists of the α9α10 nAChR subtype. Consequently, the activity and stability of these peptides have been subjected to chemical modifications. The resulting synthetic analogues have not only functioned as molecular probes to explore ligand binding sites of the α9α10 nAChR, but also have the potential to become candidates for drug development. From the perspectives of medicinal chemistry and pharmacology, we highlight the structure and function of the α9α10 nAChR and review studies of α-conotoxins targeting it, including their three-dimensional structures, structure optimization strategies, and binding modes at the α9α10 nAChR, as well as their therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China; Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Han-Shen Tae
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Yanyan Chu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China; Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266003, China; Innovation Platform of Marine Drug Screening & Evaluation, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong 266100, China
| | - Tao Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China; Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - David J Adams
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia.
| | - Rilei Yu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China; Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266003, China; Innovation Platform of Marine Drug Screening & Evaluation, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong 266100, China.
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9
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Turner A, Kaas Q, Craik DJ. Hormone-like conopeptides - new tools for pharmaceutical design. RSC Med Chem 2020; 11:1235-1251. [PMID: 34095838 PMCID: PMC8126879 DOI: 10.1039/d0md00173b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Conopeptides are a diverse family of peptides found in the venoms of marine cone snails and are used in prey capture and host defence. Because of their potent activity on a range of mammalian targets they have attracted interest as leads in drug design. Until recently most focus had been on studying conopeptides having activity at ion channels and related neurological targets but, with recent discoveries that some conopeptides might play hormonal roles, a new area of conopeptide research has opened. In this article we first summarize the canonical pharmaceutical families of Conus venom peptides and then focus on new research relating to hormone-like conopeptides and their potential applications. Finally, we briefly examine methods of chemically stabilizing conopeptides to improve their pharmacological properties. A summary is presented of conopeptides in clinical trials and a call for future work on hormone-like conopeptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashlin Turner
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia
| | - Quentin Kaas
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia
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10
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Qi Y, Qu Q, Bierer D, Liu L. A Diaminodiacid (DADA) Strategy for the Development of Disulfide Surrogate Peptides. Chem Asian J 2020; 15:2793-2802. [DOI: 10.1002/asia.202000609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yun‐Kun Qi
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry School of Pharmacy Qingdao University Qingdao 266021 China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology Department of Chemistry Tsinghua University Beijing 100084 China
| | - Qian Qu
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology Department of Chemistry Tsinghua University Beijing 100084 China
| | - Donald Bierer
- Bayer AG Department of Medicinal Chemistry Aprather Weg 18A 42096 Wuppertal Germany
| | - Lei Liu
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology Department of Chemistry Tsinghua University Beijing 100084 China
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11
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Kennedy AC, Belgi A, Husselbee BW, Spanswick D, Norton RS, Robinson AJ. α-Conotoxin Peptidomimetics: Probing the Minimal Binding Motif for Effective Analgesia. Toxins (Basel) 2020; 12:E505. [PMID: 32781580 PMCID: PMC7472027 DOI: 10.3390/toxins12080505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Several analgesic α-conotoxins have been isolated from marine cone snails. Structural modification of native peptides has provided potent and selective analogues for two of its known biological targets-nicotinic acetylcholine and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) G protein-coupled (GABAB) receptors. Both of these molecular targets are implicated in pain pathways. Despite their small size, an incomplete understanding of the structure-activity relationship of α-conotoxins at each of these targets has hampered the development of therapeutic leads. This review scrutinises the N-terminal domain of the α-conotoxin family of peptides, a region defined by an invariant disulfide bridge, a turn-inducing proline residue and multiple polar sidechain residues, and focusses on structural features that provide analgesia through inhibition of high-voltage-activated Ca2+ channels. Elucidating the bioactive conformation of this region of these peptides may hold the key to discovering potent drugs for the unmet management of debilitating chronic pain associated with a wide range of medical conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam C. Kennedy
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia; (A.C.K.); (A.B.); (B.W.H.)
| | - Alessia Belgi
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia; (A.C.K.); (A.B.); (B.W.H.)
| | - Benjamin W. Husselbee
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia; (A.C.K.); (A.B.); (B.W.H.)
| | - David Spanswick
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and the Department of Physiology, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia;
- Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
- NeuroSolutions Ltd., Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Raymond S. Norton
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia;
- ARC Centre for Fragment-Based Design, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Andrea J. Robinson
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia; (A.C.K.); (A.B.); (B.W.H.)
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12
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Zheng N, Christensen SB, Blakely A, Dowell C, Purushottam L, McIntosh JM, Chou DHC. Development of Conformationally Constrained α-RgIA Analogues as Stable Peptide Antagonists of Human α9α10 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors. J Med Chem 2020; 63:8380-8387. [PMID: 32597184 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c00613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Non-opioid therapeutics for the treatment of neuropathic pain are urgently needed to address the ongoing opioid crisis. Peptides from cone snail venoms have served as invaluable molecules to target key pain-related receptors but can suffer from unfavorable physicochemical properties, which limit their therapeutic potential. In this work, we developed conformationally constrained α-RgIA analogues with high potency, receptor selectivity, and enhanced human serum stability to target the human α9α10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. The key lactam linkage introduced in α-RgIA fixed the favored globular conformation and suppressed disulfide scrambling. The NMR structure of the macrocyclic peptide overlays well with that of α-RgIA4, demonstrating that the cyclization does not perturb the overall conformation of backbone and key side-chain residues. Finally, a molecular docking model was used to rationalize the selective binding between a macrocyclic analogue and the α9α10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. These conformationally constrained antagonists are therefore promising candidates for antinociceptive therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Zheng
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Sean B Christensen
- School of Biological Science, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Alan Blakely
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Cheryl Dowell
- School of Biological Science, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Landa Purushottam
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - J Michael McIntosh
- School of Biological Science, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States.,George E. Whalen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108, United States
| | - Danny Hung-Chieh Chou
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Stanford, California 94305, United States
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13
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Zhao R, Shi P, Chen J, Sun S, Chen J, Cui J, Wu F, Fang G, Tian C, Shi J, Bierer D, Liu L, Li YM. Chemical synthesis and biological activity of peptides incorporating an ether bridge as a surrogate for a disulfide bond. Chem Sci 2020; 11:7927-7932. [PMID: 34094161 PMCID: PMC8163063 DOI: 10.1039/d0sc02374d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Disulfide bridges contribute to the definition and rigidity of polypeptides, but they are inherently unstable in reducing environments and in the presence of isomerases and nucleophiles. Strategies to address these deficiencies, ideally without significantly perturbing the structure of the polypeptide, would be of great interest. One possible surrogate for the disulfide bridge is a simple thioether, but these are susceptible to oxidation. We report the introduction of an ether linkage into the biologically active, disulfide-rich peptides oxytocin, tachyplesin I, and conotoxin α-ImI, using an ether-containing diaminodiacid as the key building block, obtained by the stereoselective ring-opening addition reaction of an aziridine skeleton with a hydroxy group. NMR studies indicated that the derivatives with an ether surrogate bridge exhibited very small change of their three-dimensional structures. The analogs obtained using this novel substitution strategy were found to be more stable than the original peptide in oxidative and reductive conditions; without a loss of bioactivity. This strategy is therefore proposed as a practical and versatile solution to the stability problems associated with cysteine-rich peptides. We report the first introduction of an ether linkage as surrogate into the disulfide-rich peptides using ether-containing diaminodiacid.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Zhao
- Hefei National Laboratory of Physical Sciences at Microscale, Department of Chemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China Hefei Anhui 230009 China .,School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology Hefei Anhui 230009 China
| | - Pan Shi
- Hefei National Laboratory of Physical Sciences at Microscale, Department of Chemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China Hefei Anhui 230009 China
| | - Junyou Chen
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology Hefei Anhui 230009 China
| | - Shuaishuai Sun
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology Hefei Anhui 230009 China
| | - Jingnan Chen
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology Hefei Anhui 230009 China
| | - Jibin Cui
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology Hefei Anhui 230009 China
| | - Fangming Wu
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences Hefei 230031 China
| | - Gemin Fang
- School of Life Science, Institute of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University Hefei 230601 China
| | - Changlin Tian
- Hefei National Laboratory of Physical Sciences at Microscale, Department of Chemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China Hefei Anhui 230009 China
| | - Jing Shi
- Hefei National Laboratory of Physical Sciences at Microscale, Department of Chemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China Hefei Anhui 230009 China
| | - Donald Bierer
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Bayer AG Aprather Weg 18A 42096 Wuppertal Germany
| | - Lei Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University Beijing 100084 China
| | - Yi-Ming Li
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology Hefei Anhui 230009 China
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14
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Wiedemann C, Kumar A, Lang A, Ohlenschläger O. Cysteines and Disulfide Bonds as Structure-Forming Units: Insights From Different Domains of Life and the Potential for Characterization by NMR. Front Chem 2020; 8:280. [PMID: 32391319 PMCID: PMC7191308 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2020.00280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Disulfide bridges establish a fundamental element in the molecular architecture of proteins and peptides which are involved e.g., in basic biological processes or acting as toxins. NMR spectroscopy is one method to characterize the structure of bioactive compounds including cystine-containing molecules. Although the disulfide bridge itself is invisible in NMR, constraints obtained via the neighboring NMR-active nuclei allow to define the underlying conformation and thereby to resolve their functional background. In this mini-review we present shortly the impact of cysteine and disulfide bonds in the proteasome from different domains of life and give a condensed overview of recent NMR applications for the characterization of disulfide-bond containing biomolecules including advantages and limitations of the different approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Wiedemann
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Amit Kumar
- Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Andras Lang
- Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany
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15
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Qu Q, Gao S, Wu F, Zhang M, Li Y, Zhang L, Bierer D, Tian C, Zheng J, Liu L. Synthesis of Disulfide Surrogate Peptides Incorporating Large‐Span Surrogate Bridges Through a Native‐Chemical‐Ligation‐Assisted Diaminodiacid Strategy. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201915358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Qian Qu
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life SciencesMinistry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus, Chemistry and Chemical BiologyCenter for Synthetic and Systems BiologyDepartment of ChemistryTsinghua University Beijing 100084 China
| | - Shuai Gao
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life SciencesMinistry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus, Chemistry and Chemical BiologyCenter for Synthetic and Systems BiologyDepartment of ChemistryTsinghua University Beijing 100084 China
| | - Fangming Wu
- High Magnetic Field LaboratoryChinese Academy of Sciences Hefei 230031 China
| | - Meng‐Ge Zhang
- School of Life SciencesHefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the MicroscaleUniversity of Science and Technology of China Hefei 230027 China
| | - Ying Li
- School of Life SciencesHefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the MicroscaleUniversity of Science and Technology of China Hefei 230027 China
| | - Long‐Hua Zhang
- School of Life SciencesHefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the MicroscaleUniversity of Science and Technology of China Hefei 230027 China
| | - Donald Bierer
- Bayer AGDepartment of Medicinal Chemistry Aprather Weg 18A 42096 Wuppertal Germany
| | - Chang‐Lin Tian
- High Magnetic Field LaboratoryChinese Academy of Sciences Hefei 230031 China
- School of Life SciencesHefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the MicroscaleUniversity of Science and Technology of China Hefei 230027 China
| | - Ji‐Shen Zheng
- School of Life SciencesHefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the MicroscaleUniversity of Science and Technology of China Hefei 230027 China
| | - Lei Liu
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life SciencesMinistry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus, Chemistry and Chemical BiologyCenter for Synthetic and Systems BiologyDepartment of ChemistryTsinghua University Beijing 100084 China
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16
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Qu Q, Gao S, Wu F, Zhang MG, Li Y, Zhang LH, Bierer D, Tian CL, Zheng JS, Liu L. Synthesis of Disulfide Surrogate Peptides Incorporating Large-Span Surrogate Bridges Through a Native-Chemical-Ligation-Assisted Diaminodiacid Strategy. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020; 59:6037-6045. [PMID: 32060988 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201915358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 01/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The use of synthetic bridges as surrogates for disulfide bonds has emerged as a practical strategy to obviate the poor stability of some disulfide-containing peptides. However, peptides incorporating large-span synthetic bridges are still beyond the reach of existing methods. Herein, we report a native chemical ligation (NCL)-assisted diaminodiacid (DADA) strategy that enables the robust generation of disulfide surrogate peptides incorporating surrogate bridges up to 50 amino acids in length. This strategy provides access to some highly desirable but otherwise impossible-to-obtain disulfide surrogates of bioactive peptide. The bioactivities and structures of the synthetic disulfide surrogates were verified by voltage clamp assays, NMR, and X-ray crystallography; and stability studies established that the disulfide replacements effectively overcame the problems of disulfide reduction and scrambling that often plague these pharmacologically important peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Qu
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Shuai Gao
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Fangming Wu
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China
| | - Meng-Ge Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Ying Li
- School of Life Sciences, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Long-Hua Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Donald Bierer
- Bayer AG, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Aprather Weg 18A, 42096, Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Chang-Lin Tian
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China.,School of Life Sciences, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Ji-Shen Zheng
- School of Life Sciences, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Lei Liu
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
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17
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Structure and Activity Studies of Disulfide-Deficient Analogues of αO-Conotoxin GeXIVA. J Med Chem 2020; 63:1564-1575. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b01409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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18
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Insights into conformation and membrane interactions of the acyclic and dicarba-bridged brevinin-1BYa antimicrobial peptides. EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL: EBJ 2019; 48:701-710. [DOI: 10.1007/s00249-019-01395-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Revised: 08/10/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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19
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Fischer J, Schönauer R, Els‐Heindl S, Bierer D, Koebberling J, Riedl B, Beck‐Sickinger AG. Adrenomedullin disulfide bond mimetics uncover structural requirements for AM1receptor activation. J Pept Sci 2019; 25:e3147. [DOI: 10.1002/psc.3147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2018] [Revised: 12/22/2018] [Accepted: 12/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jan‐Patrick Fischer
- Institut für Biochemie, Fakultät für Lebenswissenschaften, Universität Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| | - Ria Schönauer
- Institut für Biochemie, Fakultät für Lebenswissenschaften, Universität Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| | - Sylvia Els‐Heindl
- Institut für Biochemie, Fakultät für Lebenswissenschaften, Universität Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| | | | | | - Bernd Riedl
- Bayer AG, Aprather Weg 18A Wuppertal Germany
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20
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Abraham N, Lewis RJ. Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Modulators from Cone Snails. Mar Drugs 2018; 16:E208. [PMID: 29899286 PMCID: PMC6024932 DOI: 10.3390/md16060208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2018] [Revised: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Marine cone snails are a large family of gastropods that have evolved highly potent venoms for predation and defense. The cone snail venom has exceptional molecular diversity in neuropharmacologically active compounds, targeting a range of receptors, ion channels, and transporters. These conotoxins have helped to dissect the structure and function of many of these therapeutically significant targets in the central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as unravelling the complex cellular mechanisms modulated by these receptors and ion channels. This review provides an overview of α-conotoxins targeting neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. The structure and activity of both classical and non-classical α-conotoxins are discussed, along with their contributions towards understanding nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikita Abraham
- IMB Centre for Pain Research, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
| | - Richard J Lewis
- IMB Centre for Pain Research, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
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21
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Affiliation(s)
- Varsha J. Thombare
- School of ChemistryThe University of MelbourneVictoria3010 Australia
- Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of MelbourneVictoria3010 Australia
| | - Craig A. Hutton
- School of ChemistryThe University of MelbourneVictoria3010 Australia
- Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of MelbourneVictoria3010 Australia
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22
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Wright ZVF, McCarthy S, Dickman R, Reyes FE, Sanchez-Martinez S, Cryar A, Kilford I, Hall A, Takle AK, Topf M, Gonen T, Thalassinos K, Tabor AB. The Role of Disulfide Bond Replacements in Analogues of the Tarantula Toxin ProTx-II and Their Effects on Inhibition of the Voltage-Gated Sodium Ion Channel Na v1.7. J Am Chem Soc 2017; 139:13063-13075. [PMID: 28880078 PMCID: PMC5618157 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b06506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Spider
venom toxins, such as Protoxin-II (ProTx-II), have recently
received much attention as selective Nav1.7 channel blockers,
with potential to be developed as leads for the treatment of chronic
nocioceptive pain. ProTx-II is a 30-amino acid peptide with three
disulfide bonds that has been reported to adopt a well-defined inhibitory
cystine knot (ICK) scaffold structure. Potential drawbacks with such
peptides include poor pharmacodynamics and potential scrambling of
the disulfide bonds in vivo. In order to address
these issues, in the present study we report the solid-phase synthesis
of lanthionine-bridged analogues of ProTx-II, in which one of the
three disulfide bridges is replaced with a thioether linkage, and
evaluate the biological properties of these analogues. We have also
investigated the folding and disulfide bridging patterns arising from
different methods of oxidation of the linear peptide precursor. Finally,
we report the X-ray crystal structure of ProTx-II to atomic resolution;
to our knowledge this is the first crystal structure of an ICK spider
venom peptide not bound to a substrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoë V F Wright
- Department of Chemistry, University College London , 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen McCarthy
- Department of Chemistry, University College London , 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Rachael Dickman
- Department of Chemistry, University College London , 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Francis E Reyes
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute , Ashburn, Virginia 20147, United States
| | - Silvia Sanchez-Martinez
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute , Ashburn, Virginia 20147, United States
| | - Adam Cryar
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Biosciences, University College London , Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.,Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London , London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom
| | - Ian Kilford
- European Knowledge Centre, Eisai Limited , Mosquito Way, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL10 9SN, United Kingdom
| | - Adrian Hall
- European Knowledge Centre, Eisai Limited , Mosquito Way, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL10 9SN, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew K Takle
- European Knowledge Centre, Eisai Limited , Mosquito Way, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL10 9SN, United Kingdom
| | - Maya Topf
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London , London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute , Ashburn, Virginia 20147, United States
| | - Konstantinos Thalassinos
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Biosciences, University College London , Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.,Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London , London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom
| | - Alethea B Tabor
- Department of Chemistry, University College London , 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
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23
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Tabassum N, Tae HS, Jia X, Kaas Q, Jiang T, Adams DJ, Yu R. Role of Cys I-Cys III Disulfide Bond on the Structure and Activity of α-Conotoxins at Human Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors. ACS OMEGA 2017; 2:4621-4631. [PMID: 30023726 PMCID: PMC6044955 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.7b00639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Accepted: 08/04/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
α-Conotoxins preferentially antagonize muscle and neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Native α-conotoxins have two disulfide links, CI-CIII and CII-CIV, and owing to the inherent properties of disulfide bonds, α-conotoxins have been systematically engineered to improve their chemical and biological properties. In this study, we explored the possibility of simplifying the disulfide framework of α-conotoxins Vc1.1, BuIA, ImI, and AuIB, by introducing [C2H,C8F] modification to the CI-CIII bond. We therefore explored the possibility of using hydrophobic packing of standard amino acid side chains to replace disulfide bonds as an alternative strategy to nonnatural amino acid cross-links. The impact of CI-CIII disulfide bond replacement on the conformation of the α-conotoxins was investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and nuclear magnetic resonance chemical shift index study. Two-electrode voltage clamp techniques and MD simulations were used to study the impact of disulfide bond deletion on the activities of the peptides at human neuronal nAChRs. All disulfide-deleted variants except ImI[C2H,C8F] had reduced potency for inhibiting nAChRs. Our results suggest that the CI-CIII disulfide bond is important to stabilize the secondary structure of α-conotoxins as well as their interaction with neuronal nAChR targets. Results from this study enrich our understanding of the function of the CI-CIII disulfide bond and are useful in guiding future structural engineering of the α-conotoxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nargis Tabassum
- Key
Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School
of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University
of China, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory
for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts of Qingdao National Laboratory for
Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Han-Shen Tae
- Illawarra
Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Xinying Jia
- The Centre for Advanced Imaging and Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072 Australia
| | - Quentin Kaas
- The Centre for Advanced Imaging and Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072 Australia
| | - Tao Jiang
- Key
Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School
of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University
of China, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - David J. Adams
- Illawarra
Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Rilei Yu
- Key
Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School
of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University
of China, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory
for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts of Qingdao National Laboratory for
Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266003, China
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24
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Gori A, Gagni P, Rinaldi S. Disulfide Bond Mimetics: Strategies and Challenges. Chemistry 2017; 23:14987-14995. [PMID: 28749012 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201703199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The activity profile of many biologically relevant proteins and peptides often relies on a precise 3D structural organization. In this context, disulfide bonds are natural covalent constraints that play a key role in driving and stabilizing the folding pattern of these molecules. Despite its prominent significance as structural motif, the disulfide bond itself is inherently unstable under physiological conditions, posing a major limit to the use and development of disulfide-rich peptides and proteins as molecular tools and drug lead compounds. To tackle this restriction, disulfide engineering with stable functional analogues has arisen a considerable interest. Here, the most popular approaches to disulfide replacement are reviewed and discussed with particular emphasis on advantages and limitations under both functional and synthetic perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Gori
- Istituto di Chimica del Riconoscimento Molecolare (ICRM), National Research Council of, Italy) (CNR, via Mario Bianco 9, 20131, Milano, Italy
| | - Paola Gagni
- Istituto di Chimica del Riconoscimento Molecolare (ICRM), National Research Council of, Italy) (CNR, via Mario Bianco 9, 20131, Milano, Italy
| | - Silvia Rinaldi
- Istituto di Chimica del Riconoscimento Molecolare (ICRM), National Research Council of, Italy) (CNR, via Mario Bianco 9, 20131, Milano, Italy
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25
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Dutertre S, Nicke A, Tsetlin VI. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor inhibitors derived from snake and snail venoms. Neuropharmacology 2017. [PMID: 28623170 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) represents the prototype of ligand-gated ion channels. It is vital for neuromuscular transmission and an important regulator of neurotransmission. A variety of toxic compounds derived from diverse species target this receptor and have been of elemental importance in basic and applied research. They enabled milestone discoveries in pharmacology and biochemistry ranging from the original formulation of the receptor concept, the first isolation and structural analysis of a receptor protein (the nAChR) to the identification, localization, and differentiation of its diverse subtypes and their validation as a target for therapeutic intervention. Among the venom-derived compounds, α-neurotoxins and α-conotoxins provide the largest families and still represent indispensable pharmacological tools. Application of modified α-neurotoxins provided substantial structural and functional details of the nAChR long before high resolution structures were available. α-bungarotoxin represents not only a standard pharmacological tool and label in nAChR research but also for unrelated proteins tagged with a minimal α-bungarotoxin binding motif. A major advantage of α-conotoxins is their smaller size, as well as superior selectivity for diverse nAChR subtypes that allows their development into ligands with optimized pharmacological and chemical properties and potentially novel drugs. In the following, these two groups of nAChR antagonists will be described focusing on their respective roles in the structural and functional characterization of nAChRs and their development into research tools. In addition, we provide a comparative overview of the diverse α-conotoxin selectivities that can serve as a practical guide for both structure activity studies and subtype classification. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Venom-derived Peptides as Pharmacological Tools.'
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Dutertre
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron, UMR 5247, Université Montpellier - CNRS, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Annette Nicke
- Walther Straub Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Nußbaumstr. 26, 80336 Munich, Germany.
| | - Victor I Tsetlin
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Miklukho-Maklaya str.16/10, Moscow 117999, Russian Federation
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26
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27
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Dmab/ivDde protected diaminodiacids for solid-phase synthesis of peptide disulfide-bond mimics. Tetrahedron Lett 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tetlet.2017.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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28
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K-Ras(G12D)-selective inhibitory peptides generated by random peptide T7 phage display technology. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2017; 484:605-611. [PMID: 28153726 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2017.01.147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 01/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Amino-acid mutations of Gly12 (e.g. G12D, G12V, G12C) of V-Ki-ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (K-Ras), the most promising drug target in cancer therapy, are major growth drivers in various cancers. Although over 30 years have passed since the discovery of these mutations in most cancer patients, effective mutated K-Ras inhibitors have not been marketed. Here, we report novel and selective inhibitory peptides to K-Ras(G12D). We screened random peptide libraries displayed on T7 phage against purified recombinant K-Ras(G12D), with thorough subtraction of phages bound to wild-type K-Ras, and obtained KRpep-2 (Ac-RRCPLYISYDPVCRR-NH2) as a consensus sequence. KRpep-2 showed more than 10-fold binding- and inhibition-selectivity to K-Ras(G12D), both in SPR analysis and GDP/GTP exchange enzyme assay. KD and IC50 values were 51 and 8.9 nM, respectively. After subsequent sequence optimization, we successfully generated KRpep-2d (Ac-RRRRCPLYISYDPVCRRRR-NH2) that inhibited enzyme activity of K-Ras(G12D) with IC50 = 1.6 nM and significantly suppressed ERK-phosphorylation, downstream of K-Ras(G12D), along with A427 cancer cell proliferation at 30 μM peptide concentration. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a K-Ras(G12D)-selective inhibitor, contributing to the development and study of K-Ras(G12D)-targeting drugs.
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Molecular Engineering of Conus Peptides as Therapeutic Leads. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2017; 1030:229-254. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-66095-0_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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30
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Guo Y, Liu C, Song H, Wang FL, Zou Y, Wu QY, Hu HG. Diaminodiacid-based synthesis of macrocyclic peptides using 1,2,3-triazole bridges as disulfide bond mimetics. RSC Adv 2017. [DOI: 10.1039/c6ra26617g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
A new approach for the efficient construction of 1,2,3-triazole bridges as disulfide surrogates in peptides, utilizing the diaminodiacid strategy was established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Guo
- Department of Organic Chemistry
- College of Pharmacy
- Second Military Medical University
- Shanghai 200433
- China
| | - Chao Liu
- Department of Organic Chemistry
- College of Pharmacy
- Second Military Medical University
- Shanghai 200433
- China
| | - Hui Song
- College of Pharmacy
- Weifang Medical University
- Weifang
- China
| | | | - Yan Zou
- Department of Organic Chemistry
- College of Pharmacy
- Second Military Medical University
- Shanghai 200433
- China
| | - Qiu-Ye Wu
- Department of Organic Chemistry
- College of Pharmacy
- Second Military Medical University
- Shanghai 200433
- China
| | - Hong-Gang Hu
- Department of Organic Chemistry
- College of Pharmacy
- Second Military Medical University
- Shanghai 200433
- China
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Gleeson EC, Wang ZJ, Robinson SD, Chhabra S, MacRaild CA, Jackson WR, Norton RS, Robinson AJ. Stereoselective synthesis and structural elucidation of dicarba peptides. Chem Commun (Camb) 2016; 52:4446-9. [PMID: 26892179 DOI: 10.1039/c5cc10540d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
A facile stereoselective synthesis of cis and trans unsaturated dicarba peptides has been established using preformed diaminosuberic acid derivatives as bridging units. In addition, characteristic spectral differences in the (13)C-NMR spectra of the cis- and trans-isomers show that the chemical shift of carbons in the Δ4,5-diaminosuberic acid residue can be used to assign stereochemistry in unsaturated dicarba peptides formed from ring closing metathesis of linear peptide sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen C Gleeson
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Zhen J Wang
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Samuel D Robinson
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sandeep Chhabra
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
| | - Christopher A MacRaild
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
| | - W Roy Jackson
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Raymond S Norton
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andrea J Robinson
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia.
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Yap BK, Harjani JR, Leung EWW, Nicholson SE, Scanlon MJ, Chalmers DK, Thompson PE, Baell JB, Norton RS. Redox-stable cyclic peptide inhibitors of the SPSB2-iNOS interaction. FEBS Lett 2016; 590:696-704. [DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.12115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2016] [Revised: 02/18/2016] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Beow Keat Yap
- Medicinal Chemistry; Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Monash University; Parkville Vic. Australia
| | - Jitendra R. Harjani
- Medicinal Chemistry; Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Monash University; Parkville Vic. Australia
| | - Eleanor W. W. Leung
- Medicinal Chemistry; Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Monash University; Parkville Vic. Australia
| | - Sandra E. Nicholson
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research; Parkville Vic. Australia
- The Department of Medical Biology; University of Melbourne; Parkville Vic. Australia
| | - Martin J. Scanlon
- Medicinal Chemistry; Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Monash University; Parkville Vic. Australia
| | - David K. Chalmers
- Medicinal Chemistry; Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Monash University; Parkville Vic. Australia
| | - Philip E. Thompson
- Medicinal Chemistry; Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Monash University; Parkville Vic. Australia
| | - Jonathan B. Baell
- Medicinal Chemistry; Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Monash University; Parkville Vic. Australia
| | - Raymond S. Norton
- Medicinal Chemistry; Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Monash University; Parkville Vic. Australia
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Akcan M, Clark RJ, Daly NL, Conibear AC, de Faoite A, Heghinian MD, Sahil T, Adams DJ, Marí F, Craik DJ. Transforming conotoxins into cyclotides: Backbone cyclization of P-superfamily conotoxins. Biopolymers 2015; 104:682-92. [DOI: 10.1002/bip.22699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2015] [Revised: 06/17/2015] [Accepted: 07/04/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Muharrem Akcan
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience; The University of Queensland; Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Richard J. Clark
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience; The University of Queensland; Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Norelle L. Daly
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience; The University of Queensland; Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Anne C. Conibear
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience; The University of Queensland; Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Andrew de Faoite
- Health Innovations Research Institute; RMIT University; Bundoora VIC 3083 Australia
| | - Mari D. Heghinian
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Florida Atlantic University; FL 33431 USA
| | - Talwar Sahil
- Queensland Brain Institute; The University of Queensland; Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
| | - David J. Adams
- Health Innovations Research Institute; RMIT University; Bundoora VIC 3083 Australia
| | - Frank Marí
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Florida Atlantic University; FL 33431 USA
| | - David J. Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience; The University of Queensland; Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
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35
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Hossain MA, Haugaard-Kedström LM, Rosengren KJ, Bathgate RAD, Wade JD. Chemically synthesized dicarba H2 relaxin analogues retain strong RXFP1 receptor activity but show an unexpected loss of in vitro serum stability. Org Biomol Chem 2015; 13:10895-903. [PMID: 26368576 DOI: 10.1039/c5ob01539a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Peptides and proteins are now acknowledged as viable alternatives to small molecules as potential therapeutic agents. A primary limitation to their more widespread acceptance is their generally short in vivo half-lives due to serum enzyme susceptibility and rapid renal clearance. Numerous chemical approaches to address this concern have been undertaken in recent years. The replacement of disulfide bonds with non-reducible elements has been demonstrated to be one effective means by eliminating the deleterious effect of serum reductases. In particular, substitution with dicarba bonds via ring closure metathesis has been increasingly applied to many bioactive cystine-rich peptides. We used this approach for the replacement of the A-chain intramolecular disulfide bond of human relaxin 2 (H2 relaxin), an insulin-like peptide that has important regulatory roles in cardiovascular and connective tissue homeostasis that has led to successful Phase IIIa clinical trials for the treatment of acute heart failure. Use of efficient solid phase synthesis of the two peptide chains was followed by on-resin ring closure metathesis and formation of the dicarba bond within the A-chain and then by off-resin combination with the B-chain via sequential directed inter-chain disulfide bond formation. After purification and comprehensive chemical characterization, the two isomeric synthetic H2 relaxin analogues were shown to retain near-equipotent RXFP1 receptor binding and activation propensity. Unexpectedly, the in vitro serum stability of the analogues was greatly reduced compared with the native peptide. Circular dichroism spectroscopy studies showed subtle differences in the secondary structures between dicarba analogues and H2 relaxin suggesting that, although the overall fold is retained, it may be destabilized which could account for rapid degradation of dicarba analogues in serum. Caution is therefore recommended when using ring closure metathesis as a general approach to enhance peptide stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Akhter Hossain
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.
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36
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Yu R, Seymour VAL, Berecki G, Jia X, Akcan M, Adams DJ, Kaas Q, Craik DJ. Less is More: Design of a Highly Stable Disulfide-Deleted Mutant of Analgesic Cyclic α-Conotoxin Vc1.1. Sci Rep 2015; 5:13264. [PMID: 26290113 PMCID: PMC4542547 DOI: 10.1038/srep13264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2015] [Accepted: 07/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyclic α-conotoxin Vc1.1 (cVc1.1) is an orally active peptide with analgesic activity in rat models of neuropathic pain. It has two disulfide bonds, which can have three different connectivities, one of which is the native and active form. In this study we used computational modeling and nuclear magnetic resonance to design a disulfide-deleted mutant of cVc1.1, [C2H,C8F]cVc1.1, which has a larger hydrophobic core than cVc1.1 and, potentially, additional surface salt bridge interactions. The new variant, hcVc1.1, has similar structure and serum stability to cVc1.1 and is highly stable at a wide range of pH and temperatures. Remarkably, hcVc1.1 also has similar selectivity to cVc1.1, as it inhibited recombinant human α9α10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-mediated currents with an IC50 of 13 μM and rat N-type (Cav2.2) and recombinant human Cav2.3 calcium channels via GABAB receptor activation, with an IC50 of ~900 pM. Compared to cVc1.1, the potency of hcVc1.1 is reduced three-fold at both analgesic targets, whereas previous attempts to replace Vc1.1 disulfide bonds by non-reducible dicarba linkages resulted in at least 30-fold decreased activity. Because it has only one disulfide bond, hcVc1.1 is not subject to disulfide bond shuffling and does not form multiple isomers during peptide synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rilei Yu
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Victoria A L Seymour
- Health Innovations Research Institute, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3083, Australia
| | - Géza Berecki
- Health Innovations Research Institute, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3083, Australia
| | - Xinying Jia
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Muharrem Akcan
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - David J Adams
- Health Innovations Research Institute, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3083, Australia
| | - Quentin Kaas
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
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Zhan C, Li C, Wei X, Lu W, Lu W. Toxins and derivatives in molecular pharmaceutics: Drug delivery and targeted therapy. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2015; 90:101-18. [PMID: 25959429 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2015.04.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2015] [Revised: 04/20/2015] [Accepted: 04/29/2015] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Protein and peptide toxins offer an invaluable source for the development of actively targeted drug delivery systems. They avidly bind to a variety of cognate receptors, some of which are expressed or even up-regulated in diseased tissues and biological barriers. Protein and peptide toxins or their derivatives can act as ligands to facilitate tissue- or organ-specific accumulation of therapeutics. Some toxins have evolved from a relatively small number of structural frameworks that are particularly suitable for addressing the crucial issues of potency and stability, making them an instrumental source of leads and templates for targeted therapy. The focus of this review is on protein and peptide toxins for the development of targeted drug delivery systems and molecular therapies. We summarize disease- and biological barrier-related toxin receptors, as well as targeted drug delivery strategies inspired by those receptors. The design of new therapeutics based on protein and peptide toxins is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changyou Zhan
- Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University & Key Laboratory of Smart Drug Delivery (Fudan University), Ministry of Education, Shanghai 201203, PR China
| | - Chong Li
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southwest University & Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Pharmaceutical Process and Quality Control, Chongqing 400716, PR China
| | - Xiaoli Wei
- Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University & Key Laboratory of Smart Drug Delivery (Fudan University), Ministry of Education, Shanghai 201203, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, PR China
| | - Wuyuan Lu
- Institute of Human Virology and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Weiyue Lu
- Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University & Key Laboratory of Smart Drug Delivery (Fudan University), Ministry of Education, Shanghai 201203, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, PR China.
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Abstract
Peptide neurotoxins from cone snails called conotoxins are renowned for their therapeutic potential to treat pain and several neurodegenerative diseases. Inefficient assay-guided discovery methods have been replaced by high-throughput bioassays integrated with advanced MS and next-generation sequencing, ushering in the era of 'venomics'. In this review, we focus on the impact of venomics on the understanding of cone snail biology as well as the application of venomics to accelerate the discovery of new conotoxins. We also discuss the continued importance of medicinal chemistry approaches to optimize conotoxins for clinical use, with a descriptive case study of MrIA featured.
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Structure and function of μ-conotoxins, peptide-based sodium channel blockers with analgesic activity. Future Med Chem 2015; 6:1677-98. [PMID: 25406007 DOI: 10.4155/fmc.14.107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
μ-Conotoxins block voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) and compete with tetrodotoxin for binding to the sodium conductance pore. Early efforts identified µ-conotoxins that preferentially blocked the skeletal muscle subtype (NaV1.4). However, the last decade witnessed a significant increase in the number of µ-conotoxins and the range of VGSC subtypes inhibited (NaV1.2, NaV1.3 or NaV1.7). Twenty µ-conotoxin sequences have been identified to date and structure-activity relationship studies of several of these identified key residues responsible for interactions with VGSC subtypes. Efforts to engineer-in subtype specificity are driven by in vivo analgesic and neuromuscular blocking activities. This review summarizes structural and pharmacological studies of µ-conotoxins, which show promise for development of selective blockers of NaV1.2, and perhaps also NaV1.1,1.3 or 1.7.
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Guo Y, Sun DM, Wang FL, He Y, Liu L, Tian CL. Diaminodiacid Bridges to Improve Folding and Tune the Bioactivity of Disulfide-Rich Peptides. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2015. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201500699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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41
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Guo Y, Sun D, Wang F, He Y, Liu L, Tian C. Diaminodiacid Bridges to Improve Folding and Tune the Bioactivity of Disulfide‐Rich Peptides. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2015; 54:14276-81. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201500699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2015] [Revised: 04/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ye Guo
- Tsinghua‐Peking Center for Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)
| | - De‐Meng Sun
- Tsinghua‐Peking Center for Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)
| | - Feng‐Liang Wang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China)
| | - Yao He
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China and High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230027 (China)
| | - Lei Liu
- Tsinghua‐Peking Center for Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)
| | - Chang‐Lin Tian
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China and High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230027 (China)
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Pulka-Ziach K, Pavet V, Chekkat N, Estieu-Gionnet K, Rohac R, Lechner MC, Smulski CR, Zeder-Lutz G, Altschuh D, Gronemeyer H, Fournel S, Odaert B, Guichard G. Thioether analogues of disulfide-bridged cyclic peptides targeting death receptor 5: conformational analysis, dimerisation and consequences for receptor activation. Chembiochem 2014; 16:293-301. [PMID: 25487639 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201402485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Cyclic peptides containing redox-stable thioether bridges might provide a useful alternative to disulfide-bridged bioactive peptides. We report the effect of replacing the disulfide bridge with a lanthionine linkage in a 16-mer cyclic peptide that binds to death receptor 5 (DR5, TRAIL-R2). Upon covalent oligomerisation, the disulfide-bridged peptide has previously shown similar behaviour to that of TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL), by selectively triggering the DR5 cell death pathway. The structural and biological properties of the DR5-binding peptide and its desulfurised analogue were compared. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) data suggest that these peptides bind DR5 with comparable affinities. The same holds true for dimeric versions of these peptides: the thioether is able to induce DR5-mediated apoptosis of BJAB lymphoma and tumorigenic BJELR cells, albeit to a slightly lower extent compared to its disulfide homologue. NMR analysis revealed subtle variation in the conformations of the two peptides and suggests that the thioether peptide is slightly less folded than its disulfide homologue. These observations could account for the different capability of the two dimers to cluster DR5 receptors on the cell surface and to trigger apoptosis. Nevertheless, our results suggest that the thioether peptide is a potential candidate for evaluation in animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Pulka-Ziach
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Institut Polytechnique de Bordeaux, UMR5248 CBMN, Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, 2 rue Robert Escarpit, 33607 Pessac (France); Present address: Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 1, 02-093 Warsaw (Poland)
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Gori A, Wang CIA, Harvey PJ, Rosengren KJ, Bhola RF, Gelmi ML, Longhi R, Christie MJ, Lewis RJ, Alewood PF, Brust A. Stabilisierung eines cysteinreichen Kegelschneckentoxins, MrIA, in Form eines 1,2,3-Triazol-Disulfidbrückenmimetikums. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201409678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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44
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Gori A, Wang CIA, Harvey PJ, Rosengren KJ, Bhola RF, Gelmi ML, Longhi R, Christie MJ, Lewis RJ, Alewood PF, Brust A. Stabilization of the Cysteine-Rich Conotoxin MrIA by Using a 1,2,3-Triazole as a Disulfide Bond Mimetic. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2014; 54:1361-4. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201409678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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45
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Chhabra S, Belgi A, Bartels P, van Lierop BJ, Robinson SD, Kompella SN, Hung A, Callaghan BP, Adams DJ, Robinson AJ, Norton RS. Dicarba analogues of α-conotoxin RgIA. Structure, stability, and activity at potential pain targets. J Med Chem 2014; 57:9933-44. [PMID: 25393758 DOI: 10.1021/jm501126u] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
α-Conotoxin RgIA is both an antagonist of the α9α10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtype and an inhibitor of high-voltage-activated N-type calcium channel currents. RgIA has therapeutic potential for the treatment of pain, but reduction of the disulfide bond framework under physiological conditions represents a potential liability for clinical applications. We synthesized four RgIA analogues that replaced native disulfide pairs with nonreducible dicarba bridges. Solution structures were determined by NMR, activity assessed against biological targets, and stability evaluated in human serum. [3,12]-Dicarba analogues retained inhibition of ACh-evoked currents at α9α10 nAChRs but not N-type calcium channel currents, whereas [2,8]-dicarba analogues displayed the opposite pattern of selectivity. The [2,8]-dicarba RgIA analogues were effective in HEK293 cells stably expressing human Cav2.2 channels and transfected with human GABAB receptors. The analogues also exhibited improved serum stability over the native peptide. These selectively acting dicarba analogues may represent mechanistic probes to explore analgesia-related biological receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandeep Chhabra
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University , 381 Royal Parade, Parkville 3052, Victoria Australia
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46
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Aoki K, Maeda M, Nakae T, Okada Y, Ohya K, Chiba K. A disulfide bond replacement strategy enables the efficient design of artificial therapeutic peptides. Tetrahedron 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tet.2014.05.079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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47
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Thapa P, Espiritu MJ, Cabalteja CC, Bingham JP. Conotoxins and their regulatory considerations. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2014; 70:197-202. [PMID: 25013992 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2014.06.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2014] [Revised: 06/29/2014] [Accepted: 06/30/2014] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Venom derived peptides from marine cone snails, conotoxins, have demonstrated unique pharmacological targeting properties that have been pivotal in advancing medical research. The awareness of their true toxic origins and potent pharmacological nature is emphasized by their 'select agent' classification by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We briefly introduce the biochemical and pharmacological aspects of conotoxins, highlighting current advancements into their biological engineering, and provide details to the present regulations that govern their use in research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parashar Thapa
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawai'i, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - Michael J Espiritu
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawai'i, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - Chino C Cabalteja
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawai'i, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - Jon-Paul Bingham
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawai'i, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
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48
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Akondi KB, Muttenthaler M, Dutertre S, Kaas Q, Craik DJ, Lewis RJ, Alewood PF. Discovery, synthesis, and structure-activity relationships of conotoxins. Chem Rev 2014; 114:5815-47. [PMID: 24720541 PMCID: PMC7610532 DOI: 10.1021/cr400401e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 224] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sébastien Dutertre
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Quentin Kaas
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Richard J Lewis
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Paul F Alewood
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia
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49
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Incorporation of post-translational modified amino acids as an approach to increase both chemical and biological diversity of conotoxins and conopeptides. Amino Acids 2013; 46:125-51. [DOI: 10.1007/s00726-013-1606-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2013] [Accepted: 10/17/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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50
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Total chemical synthesis of a heterodimeric interchain bis-lactam-linked Peptide: application to an analogue of human insulin-like Peptide 3. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PEPTIDES 2013; 2013:504260. [PMID: 24288548 PMCID: PMC3830869 DOI: 10.1155/2013/504260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2013] [Revised: 08/31/2013] [Accepted: 09/02/2013] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Nonreducible cystine isosteres represent important peptide design elements in that they can maintain a near-native tertiary conformation of the peptide while simultaneously extending the in vitro and in vivo half-life of the biomolecule. Examples of these cystine mimics include dicarba, diselenide, thioether, triazole, and lactam bridges. Each has unique physicochemical properties that impact upon the resulting peptide conformation. Each also requires specific conditions for its formation via chemical peptide synthesis protocols. While the preparation of peptides containing two lactam bonds within a peptide is technically possible and reported by others, to date there has been no report of the chemical synthesis of a heterodimeric peptide linked by two lactam bonds. To examine the feasibility of such an assembly, judicious use of a complementary combination of amine and acid protecting groups together with nonfragment-based, total stepwise solid phase peptide synthesis led to the successful preparation of an analogue of the model peptide, insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3), in which both of the interchain disulfide bonds were replaced with a lactam bond. An analogue containing a single disulfide-substituted interchain lactam bond was also prepared. Both INSL3 analogues retained significant cognate RXFP2 receptor binding affinity.
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