scholarly journals Passing the Barrier – How Computer Simulations Can Help to Understand and Improve the Passive Membrane Permeability of Cyclic Peptides

2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 518-521
Author(s):  
Stephanie M. Linker ◽  
Shuzhe Wang ◽  
Benjamin Ries ◽  
Thomas Stadelmann ◽  
Sereina Riniker
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Permeability ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Cyclic Peptides ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Cyclic Peptide ◽  
Md Simulations ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Small Molecule Drugs ◽  
Conformational Dynamic ◽  
Passive Membrane

Proteins with large and flat binding sites as well as protein–protein interactions are considered ' undruggable ' with conventional small-molecule drugs. Cyclic peptides have been found to be capable of binding to such targets with high affinity, making this class of compounds an interesting source for possible therapeutics. However, the oftentimes poor passive membrane permeability of cyclic peptides still imposes restrictions on the applicability of cyclic peptide drugs. Here, we describe how computational methods in combination with experimental data can be used to improve our understanding of the structure–permeability relationship. Especially the conformational dynamic and chameleonic nature of cyclic peptides, which we investigate by a combination of MD simulations and kinetic modeling, is important for their ability to permeate passively through the membrane. The insights from such studies may enable the formulation of design principles for the rational design of permeable cyclic peptides.

Amide-to-Ester Substitution Improves Membrane Permeability of a Cyclic Peptide Without Altering Its Three-Dimensional Structure

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuki Hosono ◽  
Jumpei Morimoto ◽  
Chad Townsend ◽  
Colin N. Kelly ◽  
Matthew R. Naylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Permeability ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Cyclic Peptides ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Cyclic Peptide ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Amide Bond ◽  
Cell Membrane Permeability ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Molecular Mechanics Calculations

<div> <div> <div> <p>Cyclic peptides are attractive molecules as inhibitors with high affinity and selectivity against intracellular protein-protein interactions (PPIs). On the other hand, cyclic peptides generally have low passive cell-membrane permeability, which makes it difficult to discover cyclic peptides that efficiently permeate into cells and inhibit intracellular PPIs. Here, we show that backbone amide-to-ester substitutions are useful for improving membrane permeability of peptides. Permeability in a series of model dipeptides increased upon amide-to-ester substitution. Amide-to-ester substitutions increased permeability in the same manner as amide-to-N-methyl amide substitutions, which are conventionally used for increasing permeability. Furthermore, amide-to-ester substitutions of exposed amides of a cyclic peptide successfully improved permeability. Conformational studies of the cyclic peptides using NMR and molecular mechanics calculations revealed that an amide-to-ester substitution of an exposed amide bond did not affect its low-energy conformation in CDCl<sub>3</sub>, in contrast with an N-methyl amide substitution. We envision that amide-to-ester substitution will be a potentially useful strategy for rational design of bioactive peptides with high membrane permeability. </p> </div> </div> </div>

scholarly journals Amide-to-Ester Substitution Improves Membrane Permeability of a Cyclic Peptide Without Altering Its Three-Dimensional Structure

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuki Hosono ◽  
Jumpei Morimoto ◽  
Chad Townsend ◽  
Colin N. Kelly ◽  
Matthew R. Naylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Permeability ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Cyclic Peptides ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Cyclic Peptide ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Amide Bond ◽  
Cell Membrane Permeability ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Molecular Mechanics Calculations

<div> <div> <div> <p>Cyclic peptides are attractive molecules as inhibitors with high affinity and selectivity against intracellular protein-protein interactions (PPIs). On the other hand, cyclic peptides generally have low passive cell-membrane permeability, which makes it difficult to discover cyclic peptides that efficiently permeate into cells and inhibit intracellular PPIs. Here, we show that backbone amide-to-ester substitutions are useful for improving membrane permeability of peptides. Permeability in a series of model dipeptides increased upon amide-to-ester substitution. Amide-to-ester substitutions increased permeability in the same manner as amide-to-N-methyl amide substitutions, which are conventionally used for increasing permeability. Furthermore, amide-to-ester substitutions of exposed amides of a cyclic peptide successfully improved permeability. Conformational studies of the cyclic peptides using NMR and molecular mechanics calculations revealed that an amide-to-ester substitution of an exposed amide bond did not affect its low-energy conformation in CDCl<sub>3</sub>, in contrast with an N-methyl amide substitution. We envision that amide-to-ester substitution will be a potentially useful strategy for rational design of bioactive peptides with high membrane permeability. </p> </div> </div> </div>

scholarly journals Methods for the Creation of Cyclic Peptide Libraries for Use in Lead Discovery

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 563-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew D. Foster ◽  
James D. Ingram ◽  
Eilidh K. Leitch ◽  
Katherine R. Lennard ◽  
Eliot L. Osher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Cyclic Peptides ◽  
Cyclic Peptide ◽  
Peptide Libraries ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Lead Discovery ◽  
Small Molecule Libraries ◽  
The Creation

The identification of initial hits is a crucial stage in the drug discovery process. Although many projects adopt high-throughput screening of small-molecule libraries at this stage, there is significant potential for screening libraries of macromolecules created using chemical biology approaches. Not only can the production of the library be directly interfaced with a cell-based assay, but these libraries also require significantly fewer resources to generate and maintain. In this context, cyclic peptides are increasingly viewed as ideal scaffolds and have proven capability against challenging targets such as protein-protein interactions. Here we discuss a range of methods used for the creation of cyclic peptide libraries and detail examples of their successful implementation.

A Target-Based Method for Designing Heterochiral Cyclic Peptide Binders: De Novo Inhibitors of the PD-1/PD-L1 Interaction

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvador Guardiola ◽  
Monica Varese ◽  
Xavier Roig ◽  
Jesús Garcia ◽  
Ernest Giralt
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Cyclic Peptides ◽  
General Framework ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cyclic Peptide ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Macrocyclic Peptides ◽  
Pharmaceutical Properties

<p>Peptides, together with antibodies, are among the most potent biochemical tools to modulate challenging protein-protein interactions. However, current structure-based methods are largely limited to natural peptides and are not suitable for designing target-specific binders with improved pharmaceutical properties, such as macrocyclic peptides. Here we report a general framework that leverages the computational power of Rosetta for large-scale backbone sampling and energy scoring, followed by side-chain composition, to design heterochiral cyclic peptides that bind to a protein surface of interest. To showcase the applicability of our approach, we identified two peptides (PD-<i>i</i>3 and PD-<i>i</i>6) that target PD-1, a key immune checkpoint, and work as protein ligand decoys. A comprehensive biophysical evaluation confirmed their binding mechanism to PD-1 and their inhibitory effect on the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction. Finally, elucidation of their solution structures by NMR served as validation of our <i>de novo </i>design approach. We anticipate that our results will provide a general framework for designing target-specific drug-like peptides.<i></i></p>

Target-Templated de novo Design of Macrocyclic D-/L-Peptides: Inhibitors of the PD-1/PD-L1 Interaction

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvador Guardiola ◽  
Monica Varese ◽  
Xavier Roig ◽  
Jesús Garcia ◽  
Ernest Giralt
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Cyclic Peptides ◽  
General Framework ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Original Text ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Retraction Notice ◽  
Pharmaceutical Properties

<p>NOTE: This preprint has been retracted by consensus from all authors. See the retraction notice in place above; the original text can be found under "Version 1", accessible from the version selector above.</p><p><br></p><p>------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><br></p><p>Peptides, together with antibodies, are among the most potent biochemical tools to modulate challenging protein-protein interactions. However, current structure-based methods are largely limited to natural peptides and are not suitable for designing target-specific binders with improved pharmaceutical properties, such as macrocyclic peptides. Here we report a general framework that leverages the computational power of Rosetta for large-scale backbone sampling and energy scoring, followed by side-chain composition, to design heterochiral cyclic peptides that bind to a protein surface of interest. To showcase the applicability of our approach, we identified two peptides (PD-<i>i</i>3 and PD-<i>i</i>6) that target PD-1, a key immune checkpoint, and work as protein ligand decoys. A comprehensive biophysical evaluation confirmed their binding mechanism to PD-1 and their inhibitory effect on the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction. Finally, elucidation of their solution structures by NMR served as validation of our <i>de novo </i>design approach. We anticipate that our results will provide a general framework for designing target-specific drug-like peptides.<i></i></p>

A Target-Based Method for Designing Heterochiral Cyclic Peptide Binders: De Novo Inhibitors of the PD-1/PD-L1 Interaction

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvador Guardiola ◽  
Monica Varese ◽  
Xavier Roig ◽  
Jesús Garcia ◽  
Ernest Giralt
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Cyclic Peptides ◽  
General Framework ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cyclic Peptide ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Original Text ◽  
Retraction Notice ◽  
Pharmaceutical Properties

<p>NOTE: This preprint has been retracted by consensus from all authors. See the retraction notice in place above; the original text can be found under "Version 1", accessible from the version selector above.</p><p><br></p><p>------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><br></p><p>Peptides, together with antibodies, are among the most potent biochemical tools to modulate challenging protein-protein interactions. However, current structure-based methods are largely limited to natural peptides and are not suitable for designing target-specific binders with improved pharmaceutical properties, such as macrocyclic peptides. Here we report a general framework that leverages the computational power of Rosetta for large-scale backbone sampling and energy scoring, followed by side-chain composition, to design heterochiral cyclic peptides that bind to a protein surface of interest. To showcase the applicability of our approach, we identified two peptides (PD-<i>i</i>3 and PD-<i>i</i>6) that target PD-1, a key immune checkpoint, and work as protein ligand decoys. A comprehensive biophysical evaluation confirmed their binding mechanism to PD-1 and their inhibitory effect on the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction. Finally, elucidation of their solution structures by NMR served as validation of our <i>de novo </i>design approach. We anticipate that our results will provide a general framework for designing target-specific drug-like peptides.<i></i></p>

Target-Templated de novo Design of Macrocyclic D-/L-Peptides: Inhibitors of the PD-1/PD-L1 Interaction

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvador Guardiola ◽  
Monica Varese ◽  
Xavier Roig ◽  
Jesús Garcia ◽  
Ernest Giralt
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Cyclic Peptides ◽  
General Framework ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Original Text ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Retraction Notice ◽  
Pharmaceutical Properties

<p>NOTE: This preprint has been retracted by consensus from all authors. See the retraction notice in place above; the original text can be found under "Version 1", accessible from the version selector above.</p><p><br></p><p>------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><br></p><p>Peptides, together with antibodies, are among the most potent biochemical tools to modulate challenging protein-protein interactions. However, current structure-based methods are largely limited to natural peptides and are not suitable for designing target-specific binders with improved pharmaceutical properties, such as macrocyclic peptides. Here we report a general framework that leverages the computational power of Rosetta for large-scale backbone sampling and energy scoring, followed by side-chain composition, to design heterochiral cyclic peptides that bind to a protein surface of interest. To showcase the applicability of our approach, we identified two peptides (PD-<i>i</i>3 and PD-<i>i</i>6) that target PD-1, a key immune checkpoint, and work as protein ligand decoys. A comprehensive biophysical evaluation confirmed their binding mechanism to PD-1 and their inhibitory effect on the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction. Finally, elucidation of their solution structures by NMR served as validation of our <i>de novo </i>design approach. We anticipate that our results will provide a general framework for designing target-specific drug-like peptides.<i></i></p>

scholarly journals Rational Design and Synthesis of Right-Handed d-Sulfono-γ-AApeptide Helical Foldamers as Potent Inhibitors of Protein–Protein Interactions

2020 ◽  
Vol 85 (16) ◽  
pp. 10552-10560
Author(s):  
Peng Sang ◽  
Yan Shi ◽  
Pirada Higbee ◽  
Minghui Wang ◽  
Sami Abdulkadir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Design And Synthesis

scholarly journals Engineered pH-Sensitive Protein G / IgG Interaction

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramesh K. Jha ◽  
Allison Yankey ◽  
Kalifa Shabazz ◽  
Leslie Naranjo ◽  
Nileena Velappan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Binding Affinity ◽  
Protein Design ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Protein G ◽  
Acidic Ph ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Natural Interface ◽  
Complex Stimuli ◽  
Igg Purification

ABSTRACTWhile natural protein-protein interactions have evolved to be induced by complex stimuli, rational design of interactions that can be switched-on-demand still remain challenging in the protein design world. Here, we demonstrate a computationally redesigned natural interface for improved binding affinity could further be mutated to adopt a pH switchable interaction. The redesigned interface of Protein G-IgG Fc domain, when incorporated with histidine and glutamic acid on Protein G (PrG-EHHE), showed a switch in binding affinity by 50-fold when pH was altered from mild acidic to mild basic. The wild type (WT) interface only showed negligible switch. The overall binding affinity at mild acidic pH for PrG-EHHE outperformed the WT PrG interaction. The new reagent PrG-EHHE will be revolutionary in IgG purification since the traditional method of using an extreme acidic pH for elution can be circumvented.Abstract Figure

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