Protein and Peptide Letters - Volume 14, Issue 3, 2007

Synthesis of thirteen new analogues of arginine vasopressin (AVP) has been described. Amino acid residues at positions 2 and 3 of AVP, [3-mercaptopropionic acid (Mpa)1]AVP (dAVP), [Mpa1,D-Arg8]VP (dDAVP) and [Mpa1,Val4,D-Arg8]VP (dVDAVP) were replaced with one amino acid residue using sterically constrained nonproteinogenic amino acids, 4-aminobenzoic acid (Abz), cis-4-aminocyclohexanecarboxylic acid (ach) or its trans-isomer (Ach). In the case of a potent V1a antagonist, [1-mercaptocyclohexaneacetic acid (Cpa)1]AVP, only one similar analogue has been prepared by replacing positions 2 and 3 with Abz. Unfortunately, all new peptides were inactive in bioassays for the pressor, antidiuretic and uterotonic in vitro activities in the rat.

The fast-twitch SERCA1 isoform of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase was purified to homogeneity and conjugated to peroxidase. The SERCA1 probe showed high affinity binding to the immobilized monomeric enzyme, but not crosslinker-stabilized oligomers. This suggests a preferential complex formation via homo-dimerization, rather than interactions with established oligomeric structures.

Comparative substrate analysis of full-length bovine enteropeptidase and trypsin, bovine and human enteropeptidase light chains was performed using model N-terminal dodecapeptides corresponding to wild-type human trypsinogen and pancreatitis-associated mutant trypsinogens K23R and D22G. The substitution of Lys residue by Arg at P1 leads to 2- fold increase in the efficiency of enteropeptidase hydrolysis; the absence of the negatively charged residue at P2 reduces the efficiency of such hydrolysis by two orders of magnitude. The difference in efficiency of peptide chain hydrolysis after Lys/Arg residues by enteropeptidase compared to trypsin is equal to the difference in hydrolysis by serine proteases of different primary specificity of their specific substrates.

The lone oligosaccharide chain of stem bromelain was oxidized with periodic acid to generate aldehyde groups and the resulting oxidized enzyme coupled to amino-Sepharose in order to obtain an immobilized preparation with uniformly oriented enzyme. The immobilized bromelain exhibited high proteolytic activity and remarkably enhanced thermal stability as compared to soluble bromelain and that coupled to CNBr activated Sepharose.

Investigations of the pathways involved in the metabolism of endocannabinoids have grown exponentially in recent years following the discovery of cannabinoid receptors (CB) and their endogenous ligands, such as anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG). The in vivo biosynthesis of AEA has been shown to occur through several pathways mediated by N-acylphosphatidylethanolamide-phospholipase D (NAPE-PLD), a secretory PLA2 and PLC. 2- AG, a second endocannabinoid is generated through the action of selective enzymes such as phosphatidic acid phsophohydrolase, diacylglycerol lipase (DAGL), phosphoinositide-specific PLC (PI-PLC) and lyso-PLC. A putative membrane transporter or facilitated diffusion is involved in the cellular uptake or release of endocannabinoids. AEA is metabolized by fatty acid amidohydrolase (FAAH) and 2-AG is metabolized by both FAAH and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL). The author presents an integrative overview of current research on the enzymes involved in the metabolism of endocannabinoids and discusses possible therapeutic interventions for various diseases, including addiction.

BmK AngM1, a scorpion peptide isolated from Buthus martensii Karch was reported to exhibit potential analgesic effect. But the relative low content of this toxin in crude venom limits its further characterization. In this study, we constructed an expression vector and transformed into E.coli. The BmK AngM1 was expressed as a fusion protein in the soluble fraction and was purified by Nickel affinity chromatography. Subsequently, the purified fusion protein was cleaved by enterokinase and was further purified by reverse-phase HPLC. We purified 25 mg recombinant BmK AngM1 (rBmK AngM1) from 1 L bacterial culture. The molecular weight of rBmK AngM1 determined by ESI-MS was 7240.4 Da which was the expected size for correctly processed. Analgesic bioassay studies of rBmK AngM1 exhibited its potential analgesic effect comparable to that of the natural BmK AngM1 peptide.

Sec2p is an essential yeast gene and is part of the cell polarization process that leads to budding. The Nterminal domain of sec2p (Sec2pN) the guanine-nucleotide exchange factor for sec4p has been expressed in Escherichia coli, purified, and crystallized. Crystals belong to the space group P21 with unit cell dimensions 178.1 x 98.4 x 180.0 Å,β = 91.7°, and diffract synchrotron-generated X-rays to better than 3.6 Å resolution. Pseudo-precession plots reveal a Laue symmetry of 2/m, corresponding to the aforementioned space group, and unusual weak diffraction in the ∼5-7 Å resolution range. The Matthews number calculations for a typical crystal density suggest a range of 28 to 64 molecules per asymmetric unit. Self-rotation and native Patterson calculations demonstrate a pure helical array of protein subunits. Based on the X-ray diffraction data analysis and amino-acid sequence alignments, the paper presents a hypothetical model of the exchange domain of sec2p as a pair of coiled-coil helices that binds to sec4p and facilitates nucleotide disassociation.

Highly efficient coupling reagents, N-methanesulphonyloxy-2-phenyl benzimidazole and N - ptoluenesulphonyloxy- 2-phenyl benzimidazole were designed, synthesized and successfully applied in peptide coupling reactions. Their efficiency was evaluated by synthesizing a number of structurally different amides and peptides as well. The distereomeric purity was examined by HPLC. Also the optical rotations of all the synthesized peptides were measured and found to be quite matching with corresponding values in literature. After completion of reaction, the N-hydroxy 2- phenyl benzimidazole which was the starting material for the synthesis of reagents could be easily isolated during the work up by acid base treatment and could be re-used without significant loss in reactivity. Also the intermediate in the reaction sequence was isolated and characterized by mass and 1H NMR which could help to comment about the probable mechanism.

As part of structural investigations of components of the molecular motor, dynein, we prepared the light chain, Robl1_mouse, with and without an N-terminal His-tag. We found that the His-tag introduced a spurious binding site for a second protein, IC74. We propose a molecular mechanism for functional interference by the His-tag.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are quite attractive techniques for treatment and diagnosis of cancer, respectively. In order to develop practical materials utilizing both for BNCT and MRI, fluorinated p-boronophenylalanines and their alcohol derivatives had already been designed and synthesized. In the present paper the cytotoxicity, the incorporated amount into cancer cells, and the tumor cell killing effects of these compounds were elucidated to evaluate their usefulness as a boron carrier.

With the advances in genomics, molecular biology including gene vector technologies today's molecular imaging modalities have strongly been improved. The major progress is based on peptide and antibody targeting vectors. When labeled with β-emitting radioisotopes these agents are applicable for endoradiotherapy and exploit the targeting potential for highly specific therapeutic applications. This novel class of pharmaceuticals offers the potential to develop patient specific therapies and might provide the means to go beyond the possibilities of current chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In this review the basic principles of endoradiotherapeutics based on peptides and proteins are presented. Several of these drugs such as 90Y-rituximab (Zevalin), 131I-tositumomab (Bexxar) and the somatostatin receptor binding 90YDOTATOC that are nowadays successfully applied in oncological therapy are discussed. Future generations of endoradiopharmaceuticals will address yet unknown targets which might be identified by screening techniques such as ribosome and phage display peptide libraries.

The bacterial phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP):sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS), formed by a cascade of several proteins, mediates the uptake and phosphorylation of carbohydrates, and it is also involved in signal transduction. Its uniqueness in bacteria makes the PTS a target for new antibacterial drugs. These drugs can be obtained from peptides or proteins fragments able to interfere the first step of the protein cascade: the phosphorylation of the HPr protein by the enzyme EI. We designed a peptide comprising the active site and the first -helix of HPr of S. coelicolor; we also obtained a fragment of HPr by protein engineering methods, comprising the first forty-eight residues and thus, containing the amino acids of the shorter peptide. Both fragments were disordered in aqueous solution, with a similar percentage of helical structure (∼7 %), and an identical free energy of helix formation. In 40 % TFE, both fragments acquired native-like helical structure, stabilized by non-native hydrophobic interactions, as shown by the 2D-NMR assignments of the shorter peptide, and the presence of similar NOE contacts in both fragments. These findings, with the kinetic results in other members of the HPr family, highlight the importance of short- and long-range interactions during the folding reaction of HPr proteins. Based on the residual helical population, hypothesis about the inhibition capacity of the PTS by both fragments are discussed.

To investigate diverse enzyme structure-function combination (SFC) types in different species, 34 different genome sequences were annotated using the protein catalytic domain database SCOPEC (http://www.enzome.com/ enzome/), in which both the structure and function for each entry are known. Annotated enzymes with catalytic domains from the same SCOP superfamily are considered to have an identical structure. Annotated enzymes sharing the identical three-digit EC number are considered to have the same enzymatic function. Results reveal that the different SFC types for enzymes identified in archaea, bacteria and eukaryota are 137, 300 and 313, respectively. About 80% of the SFCs identified in archaea can be consistently found in bacteria and eukaryota species, whereas 28% and 35% combination types in bacteria and eukaryota respectively are unique to their corresponding groups. The number of functions per structure and the number of structures per function for the annotated sequences were measured in different species. Furthermore, a new concept was proposed to represent enzymatic structures as a functional similarity network. Thus, the current study will be helpful to enhance the global view on the evolution of enzymatic structure and function.

A synthetic peptide termed core peptide (CP), which corresponds to a specific sequence of the TCR-α chain transmembrane domain, is known to inhibit IL-2 production in antigen stimulated T-cells. The molecular mechanism of the TCR inhibition is not known. This study examined the effects of CP on TCR subunit assembly and TCR cell surface expression in vitro. Co-transfection experiments between TCR-α and CD3-δ using COS-7 cells, and the interaction between TCR- and the CD3 proteins in a T-cell line (2B4) were analysed after incubation with CP or its conjugates. Results indicate that CP co-precipitates with CD3-δ and CD3-η in vitro, without any effect on TCR-α /CD3-δ dimerisation or TCR multisubunit assembly and cell surface expression.