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Chen Q, Xu N, Zhao C, He Y, Kam SHT, Wu X, Huang P, Yang M, Wong CTT, Radis-Baptista G, Tang B, Fan G, Gong G, Lee SMY. A new invertebrate NPY-like polypeptide, ZoaNPY, from the Zoanthus sociatus, as a novel ligand of human NPY Y2 receptor rescues vascular insufficiency via PLC/PKC and Src- FAK-dependent signaling pathways. Pharmacol Res 2024; 203:107173. [PMID: 38580186 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2024.107173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
Our recent multi-omics studies have revealed rich sources of novel bioactive proteins and polypeptides from marine organisms including cnidarians. In the present study, we initially conducted a transcriptomic analysis to review the composition profile of polypeptides from Zoanthus sociatus. Then, a newly discovered NPY-like polypeptide-ZoaNPY was selected for further in silico structural, binding and virtually pharmacological studies. To evaluate the pro-angiogenic effects of ZoaNPY, we employed an in vitro HUVECs model and an in vivo zebrafish model. Our results indicate that ZoaNPY, at 1-100 pmol, enhances cell survival, migration and tube formation in the endothelial cells. Besides, treatment with ZoaNPY could restore a chemically-induced vascular insufficiency in zebrafish embryos. Western blot results demonstrated the application of ZoaNPY could increase the phosphorylation of proteins related to angiogenesis signaling including PKC, PLC, FAK, Src, Akt, mTOR, MEK, and ERK1/2. Furthermore, through molecular docking and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) verification, ZoaNPY was shown to directly and physically interact with NPY Y2 receptor. In view of this, all evidence showed that the pro-angiogenic effects of ZoaNPY involve the activation of NPY Y2 receptor, thereby activating the Akt/mTOR, PLC/PKC, ERK/MEK and Src- FAK-dependent signaling pathways. Furthermore, in an excision wound model, the treatment with ZoaNPY was shown to accelerate the wound healing process in mice. Our findings provide new insights into the discovery and development of novel pro-angiogenic drugs derived from NPY-like polypeptides in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Chen
- Center for Evolution and Conservation Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China; State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, 999078, Macao
| | - Nan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, 999078, Macao
| | - Chen Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, 999078, Macao
| | - Yulin He
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom 999077, Hong Kong, SAR China
| | - Sandy Hio Tong Kam
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, 999078, Macao
| | - Xue Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, 999078, Macao
| | - Pan Huang
- Kunming Institute of Zoology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
| | - Min Yang
- Kunming Institute of Zoology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
| | - Clarence Tsun Ting Wong
- Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 999077, Hong Kong, SAR China
| | | | - Benqin Tang
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom 999077, Hong Kong, SAR China; Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom 999077, Hong Kong, SAR China
| | - Guangyi Fan
- BGI-Qingdao, BGI-Shenzhen, Qingdao 266555, China
| | - Guiyi Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, 999078, Macao; Department of Food Science and Nutrition, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom 999077, Hong Kong, SAR China; Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom 999077, Hong Kong, SAR China.
| | - Simon Ming-Yuen Lee
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, 999078, Macao; Department of Food Science and Nutrition, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom 999077, Hong Kong, SAR China; Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom 999077, Hong Kong, SAR China.
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Chen H, Siu SWI, Wong CTT, Qiu J, Cheung AKK, Lee SMY. Anti-epileptic Kunitz-like peptides discovered in the branching coral Acropora digitifera through transcriptomic analysis. Arch Toxicol 2022; 96:2589-2608. [PMID: 35604417 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-022-03311-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Approximately 50 million people are suffering from epilepsy worldwide. Corals have been used for treating epilepsy in traditional Chinese medicine, but the mechanism of this treatment is unknown. In this study, we analyzed the transcriptome of the branching coral Acropora digitifera and obtained its Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), EuKaryotic Orthologous Groups (KOG) and Gene Ontology (GO) annotation. Combined with multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis, we discovered three polypeptides, we named them AdKuz1, AdKuz2 and AdKuz3, from A. digitifera that showed a close relationship to Kunitz-type peptides. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation indicated that AdKuz1 to 3 could interact with GABAA receptor but AdKuz2-GABAA remained more stable than others. The biological experiments showed that AdKuz1 and AdKuz2 exhibited an anti-inflammatory effect by decreasing the aberrant level of nitric oxide (NO), IL-6, TNF-α and IL-1β induced by LPS in BV-2 cells. In addition, the pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced epileptic effect on zebrafish was remarkably suppressed by AdKuz1 and AdKuz2. AdKuz2 particularly showed superior anti-epileptic effects compared to the other two peptides. Furthermore, AdKuz2 significantly decreased the expression of c-fos and npas4a, which were up-regulated by PTZ treatment. In addition, AdKuz2 reduced the synthesis of glutamate and enhanced the biosynthesis of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). In conclusion, the results indicated that AdKuz2 may affect the synthesis of glutamate and GABA and enhance the activity of the GABAA receptor to inhibit the symptoms of epilepsy. We believe, AdKuz2 could be a promising anti-epileptic agent and its mechanism of action should be further investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanbin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China.,Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Shirley Weng In Siu
- Institute of Science and Environment, University of Saint Joseph, Macao, China
| | - Clarence Tsun Ting Wong
- Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jianwen Qiu
- Department of Biology and Hong Kong Branch of the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
| | - Alex Kwok-Kuen Cheung
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Simon Ming Yuen Lee
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China. .,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China.
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Wang X, Liao Q, Chen H, Gong G, Siu SWI, Chen Q, Kam H, Ung COL, Cheung KK, Rádis-Baptista G, Wong CTT, Lee SMY. Toxic Peptide From Palythoa caribaeorum Acting on the TRPV1 Channel Prevents Pentylenetetrazol-Induced Epilepsy in Zebrafish Larvae. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:763089. [PMID: 34925021 PMCID: PMC8672801 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.763089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
PcActx peptide, identified from the transcriptome of zoantharian Palythoa caribaeorum, was clustered into the phylogeny of analgesic polypeptides from sea anemone Heteractis crispa (known as APHC peptides). APHC peptides were considered as inhibitors of transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1). TRPV1 is a calcium-permeable channel expressed in epileptic brain areas, serving as a potential target for preventing epileptic seizures. Through in silico and in vitro analysis, PcActx peptide was shown to be a potential TRPV1 channel blocker. In vivo studies showed that the linear and oxidized PcActx peptides caused concentration-dependent increases in mortality of zebrafish larvae. However, monotreatment with PcActx peptides below the maximum tolerated doses (MTD) did not affect locomotor behavior. Moreover, PcActx peptides (both linear and oxidized forms) could effectively reverse pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced seizure-related behavior in zebrafish larvae and prevent overexpression of c-fos and npas4a at the mRNA level. The excessive production of ROS induced by PTZ was markedly attenuated by both linear and oxidized PcActx peptides. It was also verified that the oxidized PcActx peptide was more effective than the linear one. In particular, oxidized PcActx peptide notably modulated the mRNA expression of genes involved in calcium signaling and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic-glutamatergic signaling, including calb1, calb2, gabra1, grm1, gria1b, grin2b, gat1, slc1a2b, gad1b, and glsa. Taken together, PcActx peptide, as a novel neuroactive peptide, exhibits prominent anti-epileptic activity, probably through modulating calcium signaling and GABAergic-glutamatergic signaling, and is a promising candidate for epilepsy management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiufen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Qiwen Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China.,School of Life and Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hanbin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Guiyi Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Shirley Weng In Siu
- Department of Computer and Information Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Qian Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Hiotong Kam
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Carolina Oi Lam Ung
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Kwok-Kuen Cheung
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Gandhi Rádis-Baptista
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Institute for Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Clarence Tsun Ting Wong
- Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Simon Ming-Yuen Lee
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China
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Liao Q, Li S, Siu SWI, Morlighem JÉRL, Wong CTT, Wang X, Rádis-Baptista G, Lee SMY. Novel neurotoxic peptides from Protopalythoa variabilis virtually interact with voltage-gated sodium channel and display anti-epilepsy and neuroprotective activities in zebrafish. Arch Toxicol 2018; 93:189-206. [DOI: 10.1007/s00204-018-2334-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Liao Q, Gong G, Siu SWI, Wong CTT, Yu H, Tse YC, Rádis-Baptista G, Lee SMY. A Novel ShK-Like Toxic Peptide from the Transcriptome of the Cnidarian Palythoa caribaeorum Displays Neuroprotection and Cardioprotection in Zebrafish. Toxins (Basel) 2018; 10:toxins10060238. [PMID: 29895785 PMCID: PMC6024583 DOI: 10.3390/toxins10060238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Revised: 06/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Palythoa caribaeorum (class Anthozoa) is a zoantharian which, together with other cnidarians, like jellyfishes, hydra, and sea anemones, possesses specialized structures in its tissues, the cnidocytes, which deliver an array of toxins in order to capture prey and deter predators. The whole transcriptome of P. caribaeroum was deep sequenced, and a diversity of toxin-related peptide sequences were identified, and some retrieved for functional analysis. In this work, a peptide precursor containing a ShK domain, named PcShK3, was analyzed by means of computational processing, comprising structural phylogenetic analysis, model prediction, and dynamics simulation of peptide-receptor interaction. The combined data indicated that PcShK3 is a distinct peptide which is homologous to a cluster of peptides belonging to the ShK toxin family. In vivo, PcShK3 distributed across the vitelline membrane and accumulated in the yolk sac stripe of zebrafish larvae. Notably, it displayed a significant cardio-protective effect in zebrafish in concentrations inferior to the IC50 (<43.53 ± 6.45 µM), while in high concentrations (>IC50), it accumulated in the blood and caused pericardial edema, being cardiotoxic to zebrafish larvae. Remarkably, PcShK3 suppressed the 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxicity on the locomotive behavior of zebrafish. The present results indicated that PcShK3 is a novel member of ShK toxin family, and has the intrinsic ability to induce neuro- and cardio-protective effects or cause cardiac toxicity, according to its effective concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiwen Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China.
| | - Guiyi Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China.
| | - Shirley Weng In Siu
- Department of Computer and Information Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau, Macau, China.
| | | | - Huidong Yu
- Shenzhen Rongxin Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen 518054, China.
| | - Yu Chung Tse
- Department of Biology, South University of Science and Technology of China, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Gandhi Rádis-Baptista
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Institute for Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza 60165-081, Brazil.
| | - Simon Ming-Yuen Lee
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China.
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Kam A, Wong CTT, Loo S, Tam JP. DNA‐binding peptide dendrimer for efficient and selective intracellular delivery. FASEB J 2018. [DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.2018.32.1_supplement.530.30] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Antony Kam
- Nanyang Technological UniversitySingaporeSingapore
| | | | - Shining Loo
- Nanyang Technological UniversitySingaporeSingapore
| | - James P. Tam
- Nanyang Technological UniversitySingaporeSingapore
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Liao Q, Li S, Siu SWI, Yang B, Huang C, Chan JYW, Morlighem JÉRL, Wong CTT, Rádis-Baptista G, Lee SMY. Novel Kunitz-like Peptides Discovered in the Zoanthid Palythoa caribaeorum through Transcriptome Sequencing. J Proteome Res 2018; 17:891-902. [PMID: 29285938 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.7b00686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Palythoa caribaeorum (class Anthozoa) is a zoanthid that together jellyfishes, hydra, and sea anemones, which are venomous and predatory, belongs to the Phyllum Cnidaria. The distinguished feature in these marine animals is the cnidocytes in the body tissues, responsible for toxin production and injection that are used majorly for prey capture and defense. With exception for other anthozoans, the toxin cocktails of zoanthids have been scarcely studied and are poorly known. Here, on the basis of the analysis of P. caribaeorum transcriptome, numerous predicted venom-featured polypeptides were identified including allergens, neurotoxins, membrane-active, and Kunitz-like peptides (PcKuz). The three predicted PcKuz isotoxins (1-3) were selected for functional studies. Through computational processing comprising structural phylogenetic analysis, molecular docking, and dynamics simulation, PcKuz3 was shown to be a potential voltage gated potassium-channel inhibitor. PcKuz3 fitted well as new functional Kunitz-type toxins with strong antilocomotor activity as in vivo assessed in zebrafish larvae, with weak inhibitory effect toward proteases, as evaluated in vitro. Notably, PcKuz3 can suppress, at low concentration, the 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxicity on the locomotive behavior of zebrafish, which indicated PcKuz3 may have a neuroprotective effect. Taken together, PcKuz3 figures as a novel neurotoxin structure, which differs from known homologous peptides expressed in sea anemone. Moreover, the novel PcKuz3 provides an insightful hint for biodrug development for prospective neurodegenerative disease treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Jean-Étienne R L Morlighem
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Institute for Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceará , Fortaleza 60020-181, Brazil
| | | | - Gandhi Rádis-Baptista
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Institute for Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceará , Fortaleza 60020-181, Brazil
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Nguyen GKT, Zhang S, Wang W, Wong CTT, Nguyen NTK, Tam JP. Discovery of a linear cyclotide from the bracelet subfamily and its disulfide mapping by top-down mass spectrometry. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:44833-44. [PMID: 21979955 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.290296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyclotides are heat-stable macrocyclic peptides from plants that display a wide range of biological activities. They can be divided into two subfamilies: Möbius or bracelet, based on the presence or absence of a cis-proline residue in loop 5, respectively. Currently, over 150 cyclotides have been discovered, but only four linear variants of the Möbius subfamily have been hitherto isolated. In this study, we report the discovery of two novel cyclotides, hedyotide B1 and hedyotide B2, from the aerial parts of Hedyotis biflora. Hedyotide B1 has a cyclic cystine knot structure typical of cyclotides. Interestingly, hedyotide B2 possesses a linear backbone and is the first linear representative of the bracelet subfamily. Disulfide mapping of hedyotide B2 by a top-down MS/MS approach showed that it shares the same knotted disulfide arrangement as conventional cyclotides. Its unfolding pathway also showed that the penetrating disulfide bond Cys III-VI is the most stable disulfide linkage. Cloning of the gene encoding hedyotide B2 revealed a nonsense mutation that introduces a premature stop codon at the conserved Asn residue position, which is essential for an end-to-end backbone ligation. Biophysical characterization showed that hedyotide B2 was more susceptible to exopeptidase degradation as compared with hedyotide B1. Hedyotide B2 was also inactive against all four tested bacterial strains, whereas hedyotide B1 was bactericidal to Escherichia coli and Streptococcus salivarius at low micromolar concentration. Our results provide a deeper understanding of the structures, functions, and biosynthetic processing of cyclotides and uncyclotides in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giang Kien Truc Nguyen
- From the School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551
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