Δ-Myrtoxin-Mp1a (Mp1a), a 49-residue heterodimeric peptide from the venom of Myrmecia pilosula, comprises a 26-mer A chain and a 23-mer B chain connected by two disulfide bonds in an antiparallel arrangement. Combination of the individual synthetic chains through aerial oxidation remarkably resulted in the self-assembly of Mp1a as a homogenous product without the need for directed disulfide-bond formation. NMR analysis revealed a well-defined, unique structure containing an antiparallel α-helix pair. Dual polarization interferometry (DPI) analysis showed strong interaction with supported lipid bilayers and insertion within the bilayers. Mp1a caused non-specific Ca2+ influx in SH-SY5Y cells with a half maximal effective concentration (EC50 ) of 4.3 μm. Mp1a also displayed broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, with the highest potency against Gram-negative Acinetobacter baumannii (MIC 25 nm). Intraplantar injection (10 μm) in mice elicited spontaneous pain and mechanical allodynia. Single- and two-chain mimetics of Mp1a revealed functional selectivity.

The standard p-MBHA resin used during Boc-chemistry synthesis of peptides carrying C-terminal carboxamides is compromised by batch-to-batch variations in its performance. This can cause artificially 'difficult' couplings during peptide chain assembly, which may ultimately lead to failed syntheses given the inability to achieve acceptable coupling yields. To overcome these problems, we have developed a new approach by grafting a functionalized benzhydrylamine linker onto well-characterized and well-performing PAM resins. We combine optimized Boc-chemistry, high-performing PAM resins and new benzhydrylamine-based linkers to achieve improved syntheses of peptide amides. Here we present the synthesis of two new benzhydrylamine linkers and their attachment to selected PAM resins. This novel solid support was evaluated through the synthesis of selected 'difficult' conotoxins and monitoring the coupling efficiency using quantitative ninhydrin assay. The results show a superior performance of the novel linker solid support compared to the standard p-MBHA resins routinely used. In summary, we describe an alternative linker-resin system that allows improved access to C-terminal amide peptides employing Boc/Bzl chemistry.

Norepinephrine (NE) amplifies the strength of descending pain inhibition, giving inhibitors of spinal NET clinical utility in the management of pain. chi-MrIA isolated from the venom of a predatory marine snail noncompetitively inhibits NET and reverses allodynia in rat models or neuropathic pain. An analogue of chi-MrIA has been found to be a suitable drug candidate. On the basis of the NMR solution structure of this related peptide, Xen2174 (3), and structure-activity relationships of analogues, a pharmacophore model for the allosteric binding of 3 to NET is proposed. It is shown that 3 interacts with NET predominantly through amino acids in the First loop, forming a tight inverse turn presenting amino acids Tyr7, Lys8, and Leu9 in an orientation allowing for high affinity interaction with NET. The second loop interacts with a large hydrophobic pocket within the transporter. Analogues based on the pharmacophore demonstrated activities that support the proposed model. On the basis of improved chemical stability and a wide therapeutic index, 3 was selected for further development and is currently in phase II clinical trials.

HIV-1 protease is a key target in treating HIV infection and AIDS, with 10 inhibitors used clinically. Here we used an unusual hexapeptide substrate, containing two macrocyclic tripeptides constrained to mimic a beta strand conformation, linked by a scissile peptide bond, to probe the structural mechanism of proteolysis. The substrate has been cocrystallized with catalytically active synthetic HIV-1 protease and an inactive isosteric (D25N) mutant, and three-dimensional structures were determined (1.60 A). The structure of the inactive HIVPR(D25N)/substrate complex shows an intact substrate molecule in a single orientation that perfectly mimics the binding of conventional peptide ligands of HIVPR. The structure of the active HIVPR/product complex shows two monocyclic hydrolysis products trapped in the active site, revealing two molecules of the N-terminal monocyclic product bound adjacent to one another, one molecule occupying the nonprime site, as expected, and the other monocycle binding in the prime site in the reverse orientation. The results suggest that both hydrolysis products are released from the active site upon cleavage and then rebind to the enzyme. These structures reveal that N-terminal binding of ligands is preferred, that the C-terminal site is more flexible, and that HIVPR can recognize substrate shape rather than just sequence alone. The product complex reveals three carboxylic acids in an almost planar orientation, indicating an unusual hexagonal homodromic complex between three carboxylic acids. The data presented herein regarding orientation of catalytic aspartates support the cleavage mechanism proposed by Northrop. The results imply strategies for design of inhibitors targeting the N-terminal side of the cleavage site or taking advantage of the flexibility in the protease domain that accommodates substrate/inhibitor segments C-terminal to the cleavage site.

Simple, effective protocols have been developed for manual and machine-assisted Boc-chemistry solid phase peptide synthesis on polystyrene resins. These use in situ neutralization [i.e. neutralization simultaneous with coupling], high concentrations (>0.2 M) of Boc-amino acid-OBt esters plus base for rapid coupling, 100% TFA for rapid Boc group removal, and a single short (30 s) DMF flow wash between deprotection/coupling and between coupling/deprotection. Single 10 min coupling times were used throughout. Overall cycle times were 15 min for manual and 19 min for machine-assisted synthesis (75 residues per day). No racemization was detected in the base-catalyzed coupling step. Several side reactions were studied, and eliminated. These included: pyrrolidonecarboxylic acid formation from Gln in hot TFA-DMF; chain-termination by reaction with excess HBTU; and, chain termination by acetylation (from HOAc in commercial Boc-amino acids). The in situ neutralization protocols gave a significant increase in the efficiency of chain assembly, especially for ''difficult'' sequences arising from sequence-dependent peptide chain aggregation in standard (neutralization prior to coupling) Boc-chemistry SPPS protocols or in Fmoc-chemistry SPPS. Reported syntheses include HIV-1 protease(1-50,Cys.amide), HIV-1 protease(53-99), and the full length HIV-1 protease(1-99).

Venomous animals have evolved a vast array of peptide toxins for prey capture and defence. These peptides are highly prospective for rapid drug discovery as they are active towards a wide variety of pharmacological targets such as ion channels or G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) in the nervous system. Here we describe Xenome's drug development process for the chi family, conopeptide _-MrIA[1] of the predatory marine snail Conus marmoreus, leading to a suitable drug candidate (Xen2174). Xen2174 is highly selective for the norepinephrine transporter (NET) compared to other transporters, such as dopamine and serotonin, and inhibits NET via an allosteric mechanism. Xen2174 is currently in a phase I/IIa clinical trial for the treatment of severe pain. An intensive synthetic analogue and screening program around _-MrIA, incorporating early stage animal data, resulted in the identification of Xen2174, a drug with improved plasma stability, linear pharmacokinetics and wide therapeutic window. Xen2174 isomers were synthesized via selective disulfide bond formation to identify the active connectivity. Data from alanine- scans, single amino acid mutations and probing of backbone interactions combined with the full 3D NMR structure, led to the development of a pharmacophore for Xen2174. This model is refined from further studies where STRUCTURE-ACTIVITY RELATIONSHIPs were developed utilising binding and functional assay data for a range of peptides.

Journal of Peptide ScienceVolume 12, Issue S1 p. 105-243 Forum PaperFree Access Poster Presentation Abstracts First published: 01 September 2006 https://doi.org/10.1002/psc.797AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume12, IssueS1Supplement: 29th European Peptide Symposium, September 3 – 8, 2006, Gdansk, PolandAugust 2006Pages 105-243 RelatedInformation

La presente invention a trait a un peptide isole, synthetique ou recombinant de ψ-conotoxine comprenant la sequence d'acides amines suivante : Xaa1 Xaa2 Gly Val Cys Cys Gly Tyr Lys Leu Cys His Pro Cys SEQ ID NO. 3, ou Xaa1 est un residu pyroglutamate (pGlu) ou D-pyroglutamate (PdGlu) N-terminal ; et Xaa2 est Asn ou une deletion ; ou une telle sequence dans laquelle un ou des Cys est/sont remplace(s) avec son/leur acide amine D correspondant et/ou un ou des residus d'acide amine autre que Cys a ete soumis a une modification de chaine laterale, ou un sel, ester, amide ou prodrogue de celui-ci. L'invention a egalement trait a des compositions pharmaceutiques comprenant lesdits peptides et l'utilisation desdits peptides dans la prophylaxie ou le traitement de conditions telles que, mais de maniere non exclusive, la douleur, l'inflammation, l'incontinence, les conditions cardio-vasculaires ou des troubles de l'humeur.

A peptide contained in the venom of the predatory marine snail Conus tulipa, rho-TIA, has previously been shown to possess alpha1-adrenoreceptor antagonist activity. Here, we further characterize its pharmacological activity as well as its structure-activity relationships. In the isolated rat vas deferens, rho-TIA inhibited alpha1-adrenoreceptor-mediated increases in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration that were triggered by norepinephrine, but did not affect presynaptic alpha2-adrenoreceptor-mediated responses. In radioligand binding assays using [125I]HEAT, rho-TIA displayed slightly greater potency at the alpha 1B than at the alpha 1A or alpha 1D subtypes. Moreover, although it did not affect the rate of association for [3H]prazosin binding to the alpha 1B-adrenoreceptor, the dissociation rate was increased, indicating non-competitive antagonism by rho-TIA. N-terminally truncated analogs of rho-TIA were less active than the full-length peptide, with a large decline in activity observed upon removal of the fourth residue of rho-TIA (Arg4). An alanine walk of rho-TIA confirmed the importance of Arg4 for activity and revealed a number of other residues clustered around Arg4 that contribute to the potency of rho-TIA. The unique allosteric antagonism of rho-TIA resulting from its interaction with receptor residues that constitute a binding site that is distinct from that of the classical competitive alpha1-adrenoreceptor antagonists may allow the development of inhibitors that are highly subtype selective.

Early pregnancy factor (EPF) has been identified as an extracellular homologue of chaperonin 10 (Cpn10), a heat shock protein that functions within the cell as a molecular chaperone. Here, we report the production of polyclonal antibodies directed against several different regions of the human Cpn10 molecule and their application to specific protein quantitation and localization techniques. These antibodies will be valuable tools in further studies to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the differential spatial and temporal localization of EPF and Cpn10 and in studies to elucidate structure and function.

Human immunodeficiency virus-1 protease, produced by total chemical synthesis with the cysteine residues replaced by L-α-amino-n-butyric acid ([Aba67,95] HIV-1 PR), has been used extensively for the X-ray crystallographic structural analysis of the enzyme and its complexes utilized in drug design. Here we report kinetic studies on the synthetic enzyme. The pH optimum is 5.5 at ionic strengths of 0.1 and 1.0. The acid pH optimum is due to a decrease in binding affinity at higher pH values rather than to a reduction in catalytic efficiency. Activity is markedly increased by high ionic strength, although the major effect is on Km and not Kcat. The effect of pH and ionic strength on the kinetic constants determined for substrates and inhibitors is demonstrated and attention is drawn to the need for assay conditions to be explicitly reported in studies on inhibitor activity. The effect of a number of inhibitors has been measured against the synthetic enzyme and a recombinant HIV-1 PR. This work shows that [Aba67,95] HIV-1 PR has full enzymatic activity and normal kinetic properties.