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[Research in synthesis of bioactive peptide RGD and the method for its grafting on PET surface].

The aim of this experiment is to graft synthesizing Arg-Gly-Asp peptides (RGD) on the surface of polymer materials, combine endothelial cells with its special site, enhance the adhesion of endothelial cells on the surface, promote the blood compatibility of the biomaterials. Carboxy group (-COOH) was grafted on the materials surface by ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and the RGD serial obtained by liquid phase synthesis was successfully grafted on the disposed materials by chemical reaction. The endothelialization experiment was made also. The grafting results were measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and endothelialization was observed using optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results indicated that the method improves the effect of materials endothelialization. The experiment has made successful use of UV grafting and chemical coupling methods to graft bioactive RGD onto PET film surface. This is a new method of grafting bioactive peptide.

Biocompatible Materials↗

Studies on the ileum-contracting mechanisms and identification as a complement C3a receptor agonist of oryzatensin, a bioactive peptide derived from rice albumin.

Oryzatensin (Gly-Tyr-Pro-Met-Tyr-Pro-Leu-Pro-Arg) is an ileum-contracting and immunostimulating peptide derived from rice albumin. The mechanisms for the ileal contraction that it induces, consisting of rapid and slow components, were examined. The rapid contraction was mediated by histamine release and the slow contraction by a prostaglandin E2-like substance, judging from the effects of various pharmacological inhibitors and antagonists on ileal contraction and titration of histamine release. The contractile profile was very similar to that of human complement C3a(70-77), which is the COOH-terminal octapeptide of C3a and has, although less potent, qualitatively the same biological activities as C3a. Oryzatensin showed homology with C3a(70-77) and affinity for C3a receptors (IC50 = 44 microM) by radioreceptor assay. This is the first report of a food-derived bioactive peptide acting through complement C3a receptors.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Co-evolution of ligand-receptor pairs in the vasopressin/oxytocin superfamily of bioactive peptides.

In order to understand the molecular mechanisms that underlie the co-evolution of related yet functionally distinct peptide-receptor pairs, we study receptors for the vasopressin-related peptide Lys-conopressin in the mollusc Lymnaea stagnalis. In addition to a previously cloned Lys-conopressin receptor (LSCPR1), we have now identified a novel Lys-conopressin receptor subtype, named LSCPR2. The two receptors have a differential distribution in the reproductive organs and the brain, which suggests that they are involved in the control of distinct aspects of reproduction and mediate transmitter-like and/or modulatory effects of Lys-conopressin on different types of central neurons. In contrast to LSCPR1, LSCPR2 is maximally activated by both Lys-conopressin and Ile-conopressin, an oxytocin-like synthetic analog of Lys-conopressin. Together with a study of the phylogenetic relationships of Lys-conopressin receptors and their vertebrate counterparts, these data suggest that LSCPR2 represents an ancestral receptor to the vasopressin/oxytocin receptor family in the vertebrates. Based on our findings, we provide a theory of the molecular co-evolution of the functionally distinct ligand-receptor pairs of the vasopressin/oxytocin superfamily of bioactive peptides.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A fermented milk high in bioactive peptides has a blood pressure-lowering effect in hypertensive subjects.

BACKGROUND: Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE; EC 3.4.15.1) plays a dual role in the regulation of hypertension: it catalyzes the production of the vasoconstrictor angiotensin II and it inactivates the vasodilator bradykinin. By inhibiting these processes, ACE inhibitors have antihypertensive effects. Peptides derived from milk proteins can have ACE-inhibiting properties and may thus be used as antihypertensive components. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the long-term blood pressure-lowering effect of milk fermented by Lactobacillus helveticus LBK-16H in hypertensive subjects. DESIGN: In a randomized placebo-controlled study, 39 hypertensive patients received 150 mL/d of either L. helveticus LBK-16H fermented milk or a control product for 21 wk after a 2-wk run-in period. During the run-in period, the average baseline diastolic and systolic blood pressure values were 155 and 97 mm Hg, respectively, in the test product group and 152 and 96 mm Hg, respectively, in the control group. After the run-in period, blood pressure was measured at home on the same day every week with the use of an automatic blood pressure recorder. RESULTS: There was a mean difference of 6.7 +/- 3.0 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure (P = 0.030) and of 3.6 +/- 1.9 mm Hg (P = 0.059) in diastolic blood pressure between the test product and control groups. Demographic factors had no significant effect on the responses. CONCLUSION: L. helveticus LBK-16H fermented milk containing bioactive peptides in normal daily use has a blood pressure-lowering effect in hypertensive subjects.

Adult↗

Role of the chymotrypsin-like membrane-associated proteinase from Treponema denticola ATCC 35405 in inactivation of bioactive peptides.

The ability of washed whole cells of Treponema denticola ATCC 35405 to hydrolyze (inactivate) substance P, bradykinin, and angiotensin I was studied. Substance P was attacked primarily at the Phe-8-Gly-9 bond by a chymotrypsin-like proteinase (CTLP), at Pro-4-Gln-5 by an endo-acting prolyl oligopeptidase (POPase), and at Gln-5-Gln-6 by an endopeptidase (FALGPA-peptidase). Bradykinin was cleaved at Phe-5-Ser-6 by the FALGPA-peptidase and at Pro-7-Phe-8 by the POPase. Angiotensin I was rapidly converted to angiotensin II by the CTLP, and both angiotensin I and angiotensin II were further hydrolyzed at Pro-7-Phe-8 by the POPase. All these enzymes were assumed to be cell associated and were easily extracted with a mild (0.05 to 0.1%) Triton X-100 treatment. Because it was conceivable that the hydrolysis of substance P at the Phe-8-Gly-9 bond was catalyzed by a CTLP described earlier (V.-J. Uitto, D. Grenier, E. C. S. Chan, and B. C. McBride, Infect. Immun. 56:2717-2722, 1988), the enzyme was purified to homogeneity by means of conventional fast protein liquid chromatography procedures. For kinetic studies, Phe-8(4-nitro)-substance P (NSP) (absorption maximum at 309.2 nm, epsilon = 545 M-1 cm-1) was synthesized to replace substance P as a substrate in kinetic studies. In reversed-phase chromatography, both NSP and substance P gave identical results with both whole cells and the purified enzyme. The CTLP has a mass of 95 kDa, and its activity is suggested to be based on an active seryl residue, on an active imidazole group, and on an active carboxyl group but not on metal cations. The enzyme hydrolyzes N-succinyl-L-Ala-L-Ala-L-Pro-L-Phe-p-nitroaniline (SAAPFNA, a typical chymotrypsin substrate) at a high rate and several proteins, such as calf thymus histone, human plasma fibrinogen, milk caseins, and gelatin. Among the substrates tested, substance P showed the highest affinity (Km = 0.22 mM) for the purified enzyme. Depending on conditions, clinically applicable chlorhexidine levels (3.2 mmol/liter, or 0.2%) strongly activated (up to fourfold) the hydrolysis of SAAPFNA by whole cells and the purified CTLP. The hydrolysis of NSP by whole cells and purified CTLP was slightly inhibited by chlorhexidine. The results demonstrated the versatility and the effectiveness of the outer membrane of T. denticola in occasioning a rapid breakdown and inactivation of human bioactive peptides and other peptidolytic catalyses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Sperm immobilizing activity of a synthetic bioactive peptide 20-44 of 37-kDa cationic antimicrobial protein (CAP37) of human neutrophils.

We have previously reported that human sperm coincubated with human peripheral blood neutrophils in the presence of complement (C)-fixing antisperm antibody (ASA)-positive sera are rapidly internalized and degraded within the neutrophil phagolysosome. However, the mechanism by which motile sperm are processed within the phagolysosome is unknown. Various spermicidal/antimicrobial proteins contained in azurophilic granules that can be secreted into the phagolysosome may play a role in sperm disposal. In this study, we examined the expression of a 37-kDa cationic antimicrobial protein (CAP37) during sperm phagocytosis and the effect of its synthetic bioactive fragment, Peptide 20-44 (P20-44), on sperm motility, acrosomal integrity, and mitochondrial functionality. CAP37 expression by neutrophils undergoing ASA- and C-dependent sperm phagocytosis was increased as measured by flow cytometry. Exposure of motile sperm to a cationic P20-44, the bioactive antimicrobial fragment of CAP37, resulted in the loss of sperm motility without disruption of the acrosomal membrane. The sperm immobilizing activity (SIA) of P20-44 was modulated by the length of incubation, the concentration of the peptide, and the pH of the assay medium. SIA induced by P20-44 was partially reversible and was unaffected by the presence of anionic heparin or seminal plasma. Similar to the antimicrobial activity of P20-44, the SIA was also dependent on the presence of a disulfide bond between cysteine residues at positions 26 and 42 and was inhibited by Lipid A. However, the mechanism of action of P20-44 on sperm is not totally dependent on the molecule's cationicity, because five other cationic antimicrobial peptides had no detectable effect on sperm viability. Thus, the mechanism of action of P20-44 on human sperm is different from its cationic antibactericidal effect. These findings established that motile human sperm are sensitive to CAP37 or its synthetic bioactive peptide and suggested that this protein could play a role in neutrophil-mediated immune destruction of sperm in the female genital tract. P20-44 of CAP37 may be useful in investigating the regulation of human sperm motility and to construct "hybrid peptides" with enhanced potency as a component of vaginal contraceptive that could doubly be effective by killing infectious agents and inhibiting sperm transport.

Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides↗

Three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship for several bioactive peptides searched by a convex hull-comparative molecular field analysis approach.

Three-dimensional (3D) convex hulls are computed for theoretically generated structures of a group of 18 bioactive tachykinin peptides. The number of peptides treated as a training set is 14, whereas that treated as a test set is four. The frequency of atoms of the same atomic type lying at the vertices of all the hulls computed for all the structures in a structural set is counted. Vertex atoms with non-zero frequency counted are collected together as a set of commonly exposed groups. These commonly exposed atoms are then treated as a set of correspondences for aligning all the other 13 structures in a structural set against a common template, which is the structure of the most potent peptide in the set using the FIT module of the SYBYL 6.6 program. Each aligned structural set is then analyzed by the comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) module using the C.3 probe having a charge of +1.0. The corresponding cross-validated r2 values range from -0.99 to 0.57 for a number of 73 structural sets studied. The comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) module within the SYBYL 6.6 package is also used to analyze some of these aligned structural sets. Although the CoMSIA results are in accord with those of CoMFA, it is also found that the CoMFA results of several structural sets can be improved somewhat for conformations of the structures in the sets that are adjusted by constraint energy minimization and then constraint molecular dynamics simulation runs using distance constraints derived from some commonly exposed groups determined for them. This result further implies that the convex hull-CoMFA is a feasible approach to screen the bioactive conformations for molecules of this class.

Algorithms↗

A comparative molecular field analysis study on several bioactive peptides using the alignment rules derived from identification of commonly exposed groups.

A 3D convex hull computation algorithm designed by us previously is used as a tool to align a series of structures randomly generated for eleven bioactive tachykinin peptides. There are 10 random structures generated for each peptide. A random structure is selected for each peptide to form a structural set of eleven structures. The total number of structural sets generated is 100. The convex hull computation algorithm is applied to each peptide structure generated. We count the frequency of atoms lying on the vertices of each hull computed. Vertices of the same atom type are gathered together as a set of commonly exposed atoms for a structural set generated. Structures are then aligned by treating the set of commonly exposed atoms as a set of correspondences using the FIT option of the SYBYL 6.4 program. All the structure sets are also aligned by using the coordinates of the backbone C alpha atoms as a set of correspondences through the same program. It is found that while a smaller degree of structural similarity for structures aligned by the convex hull alignment rule is detected, the overall SYBYL comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) statistics computed for the aligned structures using the alignment rule is better than that computed for the aligned structures using the C alpha atoms alignment rule. A similar conclusion is drawn for a subset of structures selected and probed by a different type of atoms using the SYBYL CoMFA program. These results indicate that computation of 3D convex hulls is a feasible way that one can use to align structures generated for highly flexible molecules of this kind.

Algorithms↗

Kahalalides: Bioactive Peptides from a Marine Mollusk Elysia rufescens and Its Algal Diet Bryopsis sp.(1).

In addition to the previously reported bioactive kahalalide F six new peptides are described. Six of these, including kahalalide F, are cyclic depsipeptides, ranging from a C(31) tripeptide to a C(75) tridecapeptide isolated from a sacoglossan mollusk, Elysiarufescens. The mollusk feeds on a green alga, Bryopsis sp., which has also been shown to elaborate some of these peptides in smaller yields, in addition to an acyclic analog of F, kahalalide G. The bioassay results of antitumor, antiviral, antimalarial, and OI (activity against AIDS opportunistic infections) tests are reported.

Journal Article↗

Bioactive peptides from marine sources: pharmacological properties and isolation procedures.

Marine organisms represent a valuable source of new compounds. The biodiversity of the marine environment and the associated chemical diversity constitute a practically unlimited resource of new active substances in the field of the development of bioactive products. In this paper, the molecular diversity of different marine peptides is described as well as information about their biological properties and mechanisms of action is provided. Moreover, a short review about isolation procedures of selected bioactive marine peptides is offered. Novel peptides from sponges, ascidians, mollusks, sea anemones and seaweeds are presented in association with their pharmacological properties and obtainment methods.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Transgenic expression in tobacco of a poly-proctolin construct leading to production of the bioactive peptide.

Short peptides can be expressed in plants using synthetic genes encoding multiple copies of the peptide spaced by dibasic endoproteolytic cleavage sites. A synthetic gene encoding an array of repeated copies of proctolin, a very well characterized insect myotropic peptide, spaced by Arg residues, was synthesized and expressed in tobacco plants. The successful production of bioactive proctolin from the precursor in transgenic plants was demonstrated by immunoblot, HPLC, mass spectrometry and a bioassay based on the contraction of isolated cockroach hindgut. These results suggest that in planta, as in animals and yeasts, endopeptidases of the serine proteases family may be involved in precursor processing.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Recombinant antibodies in bioactive peptide design.

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is important in many immune and inflammatory processes. GM-CSF binds to specific cellular receptors which belong to a recently described supergene family. These receptors are potential targets for pharmacologic design, and such design depends on a molecular understanding of ligand-receptor interactions. One approach to dissecting out critical intermolecular interactions is to develop analogs of specific interaction sites of potential importance. Monoclonal antibodies have been employed for these purposes in prior studies. Here we present application of recombinant antibody technology to the development of analogs of a site on GM-CSF bound by a neutralizing anti-GM-CSF monoclonal antibody. Polyclonal antisera with high titer neutralizing activity against human GM-CSF were developed in BALB/c mice. Purified immunoglobulins were prepared and used to immunize syngeneic mice. Anti-anti-GM-CSF was developed which demonstrated biological antagonist activity against GM-CSF-dependent cellular proliferation. RNA was extracted from spleen cells of mice with biologically active anti-anti-GM-CSF, cDNA synthesized, and polymerase chain reaction performed with primers specific for murine kappa light chain V regions. Polymerase chain reaction products were cloned into the pDABL vector and an expression library developed. This was screened with anti-GM-CSF neutralizing mAb 126.213, and several binding clones isolated. One clone (23.2) which inhibited 126.213 binding to GM-CSF was sequenced revealing a murine kappa light chain of subgroup III. Comparison of the 23.2 sequence with the human GM-CSF sequence revealed only weak sequence similarity of specific complementarity determining regions (CDRs) with human GM-CSF. Structural analysis revealed potential mimicry of specific amino acids in the CDR I, CDR II and FR3 regions of 23.2 with residues on the B and C helices of GM-CSF. A synthetic peptide analog of the CDR I was bound by 126.213, specifically antagonized GM-CSF binding to cells and blocked GM-CSF bioactivity. These studies indicate the feasibility of using recombinant antibody libraries as sources of interaction site analogs.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structural and thermodynamic characterization of a bioactive peptide model of apolipoprotein E: side-chain lactam bridges to constrain the conformation.

Apolipoprotein E plays a critical role in plasma lipoprotein clearance. A peptide model of a highly conserved domain of this protein has been shown to increase low-density lipoprotein binding to fibroblast cell surface receptors. To distinguish between two potential structures--one essentially alpha-helical and nonamphiphilic, the other an amphiphilic pi-helix--synthetic side-chain lactam constraints have been incorporated into model peptides in order to restrict conformational flexibility favoring either the alpha- or pi-helix. Here we provide CD and 1H NMR data suggesting that the more biologically active, putatively alpha-helical peptide indeed contains two alpha-helical domains separated by a central bend. Whereas previous studies (Osapay & Taylor, 1992; Felix et al., 1988) indicated stabilization of alpha-helices by cross-links between the i and i + 4 residues, the current paper demonstrates that cross-links between the i and i + 3 residues also stabilize the helix. Indeed, the stabilization afforded by these cross-links is approximately 1 kcal/mol, similar to that reported for peptides cross-linked between the i and i + 4 residues, and derives exclusively from a loss of entropy of the unfolded state. The presence of the alpha-helical structure appears to correlate well with biological activity. This study provides initial insight into the bioactive structure of this domain of apo E and suggests strategies as to how peptides can be conformationally constrained to enhance their stability and biological function.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Functional diversity of bioactive peptides in the nervous system itself: "how the brain may understand".

The interactions involving cells of the nervous system are a complex form of intercellular communication. Biosynthesis of peptide hormones or active neuropeptides is generally through a precursor which provides increased product choices as a function of the processing pathway. Proteolytic processing as well as other molecular modifications lead to a wide range of mature products which may vary in different tissues even though they are derived from the same precursor. Also the same neuropeptide may exhibit different bioactivities for different target cells. Finally, by means of collective packaging in secretory organelles, a cell may be able by synergism to further broaden its biologic effects. In these ways, what is seen as added complication in the CNS, may be from the point of view of the cell, a successful attempt to increase its survival ability to adapt and influence its bioenvironment.

Animals↗

Rational design of aggregation-resistant bioactive peptides: reengineering human calcitonin.

A high propensity to aggregate into intractable deposits is a common problem limiting the production and use of many peptides and proteins in a wide range of biotechnological and pharmaceutical applications. Many therapeutic polypeptides are frequently abandoned at an early stage in their development because of problems with stability and aggregation. It has been shown recently that parameters describing the physicochemical properties of polypeptides can be used as predictors of protein aggregation. Here we demonstrate that these and similar tools can be applied to the rational redesign of bioactive molecules with a significantly reduced aggregation propensity without loss of physiological activity. This strategy has been exemplified by designing variants of the hormone calcitonin that show a significantly reduced aggregation propensity, yet maintain, or even increase, their potency when compared to the current therapeutic forms. The results suggest that this approach could be used successfully to enhance the solubility and efficacy of a wide range of other peptide and protein therapeutics.

Benzothiazoles↗

Stabilization of an isolated helical capping box in solution by hydrophobic interactions: evidence from the NMR study of bioactive peptides from the C-terminus of human C5a anaphylatoxin.

Synthetic analogues of the C-terminal portion of C5a were designed and found to be agonists of the C5a receptor [J. A. Ember et al. (1992) Jounral of Immunology, Vol. 148, p. 3165]. Nuclear magnetic resonance experiments were carried out to determine the solution conformation of the most potent analogue, the peptide C5a 65-74 (Tyr65, Phe67) (Tyr65-Ser66-Phe67-Lys68-Asp69-Met70 -Gln71- Leu72-Gly73-Arg74). Medium-range nuclear Overhauser effects (NOEs) were observed for residues 65-70 of this C5a peptide, suggesting that this region adopts a folded conformation in a significant population of the solution conformational ensemble. Quantitative analyses of (3)J(NH-alphaH) coupling constants and sequential NOE cross peaks gave an estimated helical population of 65% in the region Ser66-Met70. Additional evidence supporting the presence of a helical turn includes reduced amide-proton temperature coefficients and lowered (3)J(NH-alphaH) coupling constants in the region of Phe67-Met70. Conformational behavior of this C5a analogue peptide was studied using molecular modeling incorporating observed NOEs as constraints. The side chains of Tyr65, Phe67, and Met70 consistently form a hydrophobic cluster in all the model structures. The side chains of residues Ser66 and Asp69 can form reciprocal hydrogen bonds with the backbone NH groups of these two residues, indicating that residues Ser66-Phe67-Lys68-Asp69 (or SFKD) form a helix-stabilizing capping box (E. T. Harper and G. D. Rose (1993) Biochemistry, Vol. 32, p. 7605; H. X. Zhou et al. (1994) Proteins: Structure, Function and Genetics, Vol. 18, p. 1] even within the single turn of helical structure found in the analogue C5a peptide. A comparison of nmr results obtained for the analogue peptide and the natural decapeptide C5a 65-74 (Ile65-Ser66-His67-Lys68-Asp-69- Met70-Gln71-Leu72-Gly73-Arg74) indicated that incorporation of residues Tyr65 and Phe67 helps stabilize an isolated capping box involving residues Ser66-Asp69 in the C5a peptides through more extensive hydrophobic/aromatic interactions between residues Tyr65, Phe67, and Met70 in the analogue peptide C5a 65-74 (Tyr65, Phe67). These results constitute the first experimental demonstration of hydrophobic determinants in helical capping-box interactions, proposed recently by a statistical analysis of protein structures [J. W. Seale et al. (1994) Protein Science, Vol. 3, pp. 1741-1745]. The stabilized helical turn may also account for the greater potency of the analogue peptide C5a65-74 (Tyr65, Phe67) in receptor-binding assays.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Hemoglobin as a source of endogenous bioactive peptides: the concept of tissue-specific peptide pool.

Scattered literature data on biologically active hemoglobin-derived peptides are collected in the form of tables. Respective structure-functional correlations are analyzed and the general conclusion is reached that hemoglobin fragments must have a profound physiological function. Evidence is presented that generation of hemoglobin fragments starts inside the erythrocytes. At that stage alpha- and beta-globin chains of hemoglobin predominantly give rise to relatively long peptides containing ca. 30 amino acid residues. The primary proteolysis is followed by the next degradation step coupled with excretion of newly formed shorter peptides form red blood cells. Both the primary and the secondary proteolysis products are subjected to further stepwise C- and N-terminal chain shortening, giving rise to families of closely related peptides that are actually found in animal tissue extracts. The possible sites of primary proteolysis are compared with the positions of the exposed secondary structure elements within the monomeric alpha- and beta-globins as well as the tetrameric hemoglobin. Two tentative schemes are proposed for hemoglobin degradation, one of which starts at the globin loops exposed on the surface of the tetramer and the other, at monomeric globins where more sites are available for the action of proteases. The concept of a "tissue-specific peptide pool" is formulated, describing a novel system of peptidergic regulation, complementary to the conventional hormonal and neuromodulatory systems. According to that description, hemoglobin is only a single example, although an important one, of a vast number of functional proteins providing their proteolytically derived fragments for maintaining the tissue homeostasis.

Adult↗