PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Gilles Guichard

Publications and source records attributed to Gilles Guichard.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

In silico-guided target identification of a scaffold-focused library: 1,3,5-triazepan-2,6-diones as novel phospholipase A2 inhibitors.

A collection of 2150 druggable active sites from the Protein Data Bank was screened by high-throughput docking to identify putative targets for five representative molecules of a combinatorial library sharing a 1,3,5-triazepan-2,6-dione scaffold. Five targets were prioritized for experimental evaluation by computing enrichment in individual protein entries among the top 2% scoring targets. Out of the five proposed proteins, secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) was shown to be a true target for a panel of 1,3,5-triazepan-2,6-diones which exhibited micromolar affinities toward two human sPLA2 members.

Azepines↗
PubMed2006

1,3,5-Triazepane-2,6-diones as structurally diverse and conformationally constrained dipeptide mimetics: identification of malaria liver stage inhibitors from a small pilot library.

The development of the 1,3,5-triazepane-2,6-dione system as a novel, conformationally restricted, and readily accessible class of dipeptidomimetics is reported. The synthesis of the densely functionalized 1,3,5-triazepane-2,6-dione skeleton was achieved in only four steps from a variety of simple linear dipeptide precursors. To extend the practical value of 1,3,5-triazepane-2,6-diones, a general polymer-assisted solution-phase synthesis approach amenable to library production in a multiparallel format was developed. The conformational preferences of the 1,3,5-triazepane-2,6-dione skeleton were investigated in detail by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The ring exhibits a characteristic folded conformation which was compared to that of related dipeptide-derived scaffolds including the more planar 2,5-diketopiperazine (DKP). Molecular and structural diversity was increased further through post-cyclization appending operations at urea nitrogens. Preliminary biological screens of a small collection of 1,3,5-triazepane-2,6-diones revealed inhibitors of the underexplored malaria liver stage and suggest strong potential for this dipeptide-derived scaffold to interfere with and to modulate biological pathways.

Combinatorial Chemistry Techniques↗
PubMed2006

Solid-phase synthesis of CD40L mimetics.

The C3-symmetric molecule has been previously shown to mimic CD40 ligand (CD40L) homotrimers and to display effector functions. This molecule consists of a cyclic hexapeptide core containing the repetition of the D-Ala-L-Lys motif. The side chains of the lysine residues have been modified by appending the CD40L-derived sequence 143Lys-Gly-Tyr-Tyr146 via a 6-aminohexanoic acid residue as a spacer. The present report describes a general solid-phase synthesis approach to and related trimeric architectures. In addition, their CD40 binding properties as well as their effector functions have been evaluated.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed2006

Mimicking helical antibacterial peptides with nonpeptidic folding oligomers.

Unnatural oligomeric scaffolds designed to adopt defined secondary structures (e.g., helices), while retaining the chemical diversity of amino acid side chains, are of practical value to elaborate functional mimetics of bioactive alpha-polypeptides. Enantiopure N,N'-linked oligoureas as short as seven residues long have been previously shown to fold into a stable helical structure, stabilized by 12- and 14-membered H-bonded rings. We now report that eight-residue oligoureas designed to mimic globally amphiphilic alpha-helical host-defense peptides are effective against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria (including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus [MRSA]) and exhibit selectivity for bacterial versus mammalian cells. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy studies suggest enhanced helical propensity of oligoureas in the presence of phospholipid vesicles. The utility of this new class of nonpeptidic foldamers for biological applications is highlighted by high resistance to proteolytic degradation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2005

N,N'-linked oligoureas as foldamers: chain length requirements for helix formation in protic solvent investigated by circular dichroism, NMR spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics.

N,N'-linked oligoureas with proteinogenic side chains are peptide backbone mimetics belonging to the gamma-peptide lineage. In pyridine, heptamer 4 adopts a stable helical fold reminiscent of the 2.6(14) helical structure proposed for gamma-peptide foldamers. In the present study, we have used a combination of CD and NMR spectroscopies to correlate far-UV chiroptical properties and conformational preferences of oligoureas as a function of chain length from tetramer to nonamer. Both the intensity of the CD spectra and NMR chemical shift differences between alphaCH2 diastereotopic protons experienced a marked increase for oligomers between four and seven residues. No major change in CD spectra occurred between seven and nine residues, thus suggesting that seven residues could be the minimum length required for stabilizing a dominant conformation. Unexpectedly, in-depth NMR conformational investigation of heptamer 4 in CD3OH revealed that the 2.5 helix probably coexists with partially (un)folded conformations and that Z-E urea isomerization occurs, to some degree, along the backbone. Removing unfavorable electrostatic interactions at the amino terminal end of 4 and adding one H-bond acceptor by acylation with alkyl isocyanate (4 --> 7) was found to reinforce the 2.5 helical population. The stability of the 2.5 helical fold in MeOH is further discussed in light of unrestrained molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Taken together, these new data provide additional insight into the folding propensity of oligoureas in protic solvent and should be of practical value for the design of helical bioactive oligoureas.

Biomimetic Materials↗
PubMed2005

Synthesis of glycopeptides from type II collagen-incorporating galactosylated hydroxylysine mimetics and their use in studying the fine specificity of arthritogenic T cells.

Five analogues of the bovine type II collagen (bCII) immunodominant glycopeptide [beta-D-Gal-(5R)-5-Hyl264]CII(256-270) (1) carrying diverse modifications at the critical hydroxylysine (Hyl) 264 side chain were designed and synthesised, to explore the fine specificity of bCII-reactive T cells involved in the initiation and/or regulation of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), a mouse model for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Beta-D-galactosyl-(5R)-5-hydroxy-L-lysine (19) and corresponding mimetics (22-25), conveniently protected for solid-phase synthesis, were all obtained by a divergent route involving enantiopure 5-hydroxylated 6-oxo-1,2-piperidinedicarboxylates as the key intermediates. All three bCII-specific T hybridomas used, as well as a recurrent pathogenic CD4+ T-cell clone isolated from bCII-immunised DBA/1 mice, recognised the galactosylated form 1 of the immunodominant bCII (256-270) epitope. These cells were extremely sensitive to changes at the epsilon-amino group of Hyl264, but differed in their pattern of recognition of analogues with a Hyl264 side chain modified at C-5 (i.e. inversion of stereochemistry, methylation). These data further document the importance of collagen post-translational modifications in autoimmunity and in the CIA model in particular, and provide a new insight into the molecular interaction between glycopeptide 1 and the TCR of pathogenic T cells.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

C3-symmetric peptide scaffolds are functional mimetics of trimeric CD40L.

Interaction between CD40, a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily, and its ligand CD40L, a 39-kDa glycoprotein, is essential for the development of humoral and cellular immune responses. Selective blockade or activation of this pathway provides the ground for the development of new treatments against immunologically based diseases and malignancies. Like other members of the TNF superfamily, CD40L monomers self-assemble around a threefold symmetry axis to form noncovalent homotrimers that can each bind three receptor molecules. Here, we report on the structure-based design of small synthetic molecules with C3 symmetry that can mimic CD40L homotrimers. These molecules interact with CD40, compete with the binding of CD40L to CD40, and reproduce, to a certain extent, the functional properties of the much larger homotrimeric soluble CD40L. Architectures based on rigid C3-symmetric cores may thus represent a general approach to mimicking homotrimers of the TNF superfamily.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

DEUSS: a perdeuterated poly(oxyethylene)-based resin for improving HRMAS NMR studies of solid-supported molecules.

A novel resin called DEUSS (perdeuterated poly(oxyethylene)-based solid support) has been prepared by anionic polymerization of deuterated [D4]ethylene oxide, followed by cross-linking with deuterated epichlorohydrin. DEUSS can be suspended in a wide range of solvents including organic and aqueous solutions, in which it displays a high swelling capacity. As measured by proton HRMAS of the swollen polymer, the signal intensity of the oxyethylene protons is reduced by a factor of 110 relative to the corresponding nondeuterated poly(oxyethylene)poly(oxypropylene) (POEPOP) resin, thus facilitating detailed HRMAS NMR studies of covalently linked molecules. This 1H NMR invisible matrix was used for the solid-phase synthesis of peptides, oligoureas, and a series of amides as well as their characterization by HRMAS NMR spectroscopy. On-bead NMR spectra of high quality and with resolution comparable to that of liquid samples were obtained and readily interpreted. The complete absence of the parasite resin signals will be of great advantage, for example, for the optimization of multistep solid-phase stereoselective reactions, and for the conformational study of resin-bound molecules in a large variety of solvents.

Anion Exchange Resins↗
PubMed2004

tert-Butyl (6S)-4-hydroxy-6-isobutyl-2-oxo-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine-1-carboxylate and tert-butyl (4R,6S)-4-hydroxy-6-isobutyl-2-oxopiperidine-1-carboxylate.

X-ray studies reveal that tert-butyl (6S)-6-isobutyl-2,4-dioxopiperidine-1-carboxylate occurs in the 4-enol form, viz. tert-butyl (6S)-4-hydroxy-6-isobutyl-2-oxo-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine-1-carboxylate, C14H23NO4, when crystals are grown from a mixture of dichloromethane and pentane, and has an axial orientation of the isobutyl side chain at the 6-position of the piperidine ring. Reduction of the keto functionality leads predominantly to the corresponding beta-hydroxylated delta-lactam, tert-butyl (4R,6S)-4-hydroxy-6-isobutyl-2-oxopiperidine-1-carboxylate, C14H25NO4, with a cis configuration of the 4-hydroxy and 6-isobutyl groups. The two compounds show similar molecular packing driven by strong O-H...O=C hydrogen bonds, leading to infinite chains in the crystal structure.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

(6S)-6-Isobutylpiperidine-2,4-dione and (4R,6S)/(4S,6S)-4-hydroxy-6-isobutylpiperidin-2-one.

The crystal structure of (6S)-6-isobutylpiperidine-2,4-dione, C9H15NO2, shows that the keto tautomer is favoured in the solid state. The reduction of the keto functionality leads to the corresponding 4-hydroxy-6-isobutylpiperidin-2-one, C9H17NO2, with an 84:16 cis/trans ratio, containing the 4R,6S and 4S,6S isomers; the ratio of the two isomers was determined by NMR analysis of the reaction mixture. Crystals obtained from the mixture of both isomers have been studied and shown to contain the isomers in a 86:14 ratio. Hence, both X-ray and NMR analyses show that crystallization does not select the major diastereomer formed by the reduction. In both crystal structures, the two independent molecules dimerize through an R2(2)(8) hydrogen-bond motif between adjacent amide groups.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

SUBPOL: a novel SUcrose-Based Polymer support for solid-phase peptide synthesis and affinity chromatography applications.

A novel SUcrose-Based Polymer support (SUBPOL) with tailored morphology suitable for the use in solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) is described, and its application as a hydrophilic affinity matrix for the specific removal of fibrinogen from human plasma is demonstrated. After suspension polymerization of partly methacrylated 2,1':4,6-di-O-isopropylidene sucrose and subsequent removal of the protecting groups, hydrophilic spherical polymer beads were obtained. The morphology of the resulting resin was controlled by variation of the porogen as well as the average degree of substitution with respect to the methacryloyl groups of the monomer mixture. After introduction of amino groups for a permanent attachment of immobilized peptide ligands, prevention of unintended esterification during SPPS was achieved by silylation of remaining hydroxy groups. Alternatively, a Rink amide linker was introduced prior to SPPS to allow cleavage and subsequent analysis of the peptide assembled on the SUBPOL resins. Two hexapeptides of sequence kwiivw and hffflw, consisting of d-amino acids, as well as a 19-mer peptide corresponding to the sequence GSGVRGDFGSLAPRVARQL of the VP1 protein from the foot-and-mouse disease virus (FMDV) were successfully prepared both manually or in a semi-automated process on SUBPOL resins according to the Fmoc/tBu strategy. Yields and purities were comparable to peptides prepared on commercially available polystyrene resins. A specific affinity adsorbent containing the fibrinogen-binding pentapeptide GPRPK was prepared by SPPS on SUBPOL resins of different morphology, and the strong impact of the affinity matrix on adsorption performance was demonstrated.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

Methyl 2-((succinimidooxy)carbonyl)benzoate (MSB): a new, efficient reagent for N-phthaloylation of amino acid and peptide derivatives.

A new, efficient, and readily available reagent, methyl 2-((succinimidooxy)carbonyl)benzoate (MSB), for N-phthaloylation of amino acids and amino acid derivatives is described. The phthaloylation procedure is simple and racemization-free and gives excellent results with alpha-amino acids, alpha-amino alcohols, dipeptides, alpha-amino carboxamides, and alpha-amino esters.

Amino Acids↗