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Tuning peptoid secondary structure with pentafluoroaromatic functionality: a new design paradigm for the construction of discretely folded peptoid structures.

Peptoids, or oligomers of N-substituted glycine, are an important class of non-native polymers whose close structural similarity to natural alpha-peptides and ease of synthesis offer significant advantages for the study of biomolecular interactions and the development of biomimetics. Peptoids that are N-substituted with alpha-chiral aromatic side chains have been shown to adopt either helical or "threaded loop" conformations, depending upon solvent and oligomer length. Elucidation of the factors that impact peptoid conformation is essential for the development of general rules for the design of peptoids with discrete and novel structures. Here, we report the first study of the effects of pentafluoroaromatic functionality on the conformational profiles of peptoids. This work was enabled by the synthesis of a new, alpha-chiral amine building block, (S)-1-(pentafluorophenyl)ethylamine (S-2), which was found to be highly compatible with peptoid synthesis (delivering (S)-N-(1-(pentafluorophenyl)ethyl)glycine oligomers). The incorporation of this fluorinated monomer unit allowed us to probe both the potential for pi-stacking interactions along the faces of peptoid helices and the role of side chain electrostatics in peptoid folding. A series of homo- and heteropeptoids derived from S-2 and non-fluorinated, alpha-chiral aromatic amide side chains were synthesized and characterized by circular dichroism (CD) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Enhancement of pi-stacking by quadrupolar interactions did not appear to play a significant role in stabilizing the conformations of heteropeptoids with alternating fluorinated and non-fluorinated side chains. However, incorporation of (S)-N-(1-(pentafluorophenyl)ethyl)glycine monomers enforced helicity in peptoids that typically exhibit threaded loop conformations. Moreover, we found that the incorporation of a single (S)-N-(1-(pentafluorophenyl)ethyl)glycine monomer could be used to selectively promote looped or helical structure in this important peptoid class by tuning the electronics of nearby heteroatoms. The strategic installation of this monomer unit represents a new approach for the manipulation of canonical peptoid structure and the construction of novel peptoid architectures.

Amides↗

Characterization of a phosphorylated peptide and peptoid and peptoid-peptide hybrids by mass spectrometry.

Nano-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (nano-ES-MS/MS) was used to record collision-induced dissociation (CID) spectra of a set of peptoid-peptide hybrids and the complete peptoid derived from the phosphopeptide Ac-pTyr-Glu-Thr-Leu-NH(2) (1). The presence of B and Y''-type fragment ions in the tandem mass spectra of the protonated molecular ions [M + H](+) allowed confirmation of sequence similar to mass spectrometric sequence analysis in peptides. In the isomeric peptoid compounds studied, one or several amino acid residues were replaced by peptoid residues (N-substituted glycine residues), which resulted in characteristic tandem mass spectra with differently increased relative abundances of Y''-and B-type fragment ions. The increment of a particular Y''-ion was directly correlated to the position of a peptoid residue present. In addition to these increased peak intensities, other characteristic peaks were also observed compared with the spectrum of reference peptide 1. When a peptoid phosphotyrosine was incorporated, the presence of this residue was apparent from the occurrence of a relatively intense peak at m/z 187 representing the positively charged side-chain of phosphotyrosine, which was almost absent in the spectrum of the reference peptide 1. Since the threonine side-chain had to be translated into the homo peptoid analog this substitution was apparent from the presence of [M + H](+) and fragment ions 14 mass units higher than observed in the spectrum of the reference phosphopeptide 1. The presence of an NLeu peptoid residue could be confirmed by the specific fragmentation of the immonium ion showing an intense peak in its tandem mass spectrum at m/z 57, which results from the loss of an neutral imine molecule leading to a positively charged [C(4)H(9)](+) ion. By means of these mass spectrometric characteristics, all isomeric peptoid compounds could be distinguished from each other and characterized. The methods used appear to be very useful in future studies of peptoids and peptoid-peptide hybrids.

Amino Acids↗

Peptoid oligomers with alpha-chiral, aromatic side chains: sequence requirements for the formation of stable peptoid helices.

The achiral backbone of oligo-N-substituted glycines or "peptoids" lacks hydrogen-bond donors, effectively preventing formation of the regular, intrachain hydrogen bonds that stabilize peptide alpha-helical structures. Yet, when peptoids are N-substituted with alpha-chiral, aromatic side chains, oligomers with as few as five residues form stable, chiral, polyproline-like helices in either organic or aqueous solution. The adoption of chiral secondary structure in peptoid oligomers is primarily driven by the steric influence of these bulky, chiral side chains. Interestingly, peptoid helices of this class exhibit intense circular dichroism (CD) spectra that closely resemble those of peptide alpha-helices. Here, we have taken advantage of this distinctive spectroscopic signature to investigate sequence-related factors that favor and disfavor stable formation of peptoid helices of this class, through a comparison of more than 30 different heterooligomers with mixed chiral and achiral side chains. For this family of peptoids, we observe that a composition of at least 50% alpha-chiral, aromatic residues is necessary for the formation of stable helical structure in hexameric sequences. Moreover, both CD and 1H-13C HSQC NMR studies reveal that these short peptoid helices are stabilized by the placement of an alpha-chiral, aromatic residue on the carboxy terminus. Additional stabilization can be provided by the presence of an "aromatic face" on the helix, which can be patterned by positioning aromatic residues with three-fold periodicity in the sequence. Extending heterooligomer chain length beyond 12-15 residues minimizes the impact of the placement, but not the percentage, of alpha-chiral aromatic side chains on overall helical stability. In light of these new data, we discuss implications for the design of helical, biomimetic peptoids based on this structural motif.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Peptoid - peptide hybrids that bind Syk SH2 domains involved in signal transduction.

Peptoid-peptide hybrids are oligomeric peptidomimetics that contain one or more N-substituted glycine residues. In these hybrids, the side chains of one or several amino acids are "shifted" from the alpha-carbon atom to the amide nitrogen atom. A library of phosphorylated peptoid-peptide hybrids derived from the sequence pTyr-Glu-Thr-Leu was synthesized and tested for binding to the tandem SH2 domain of the protein tyrosine kinase Syk. A considerable influence of the side chain position was observed. Compounds 19-21, 24, and 25 comprising a peptoid NpTyr and/or NGlu residue did not show any binding. Compounds 22, 23, and 26 containing an NhThr (hThr=homothreonine) and/or NLeu peptoid residue showed binding with IC(50) values that were only five to eight times higher than that of the tetrapeptide lead compound 18. These data show that side chain shifting is possible with retention of binding capacity, but only at the two C-terminal residues of the tetramer. This method of a peptoid scan using peptoid-peptide hybrids appears to be very useful to explore to what extent a peptide sequence can be transformed into a peptoid while retaining its affinity.

Animals↗

Aqueous solubility and membrane interactions of hydrophobic peptides with peptoid tags.

Lysine tagging of hydrophobic peptides of parent sequence KKAAALAAAAALAAWAALAAAKKKK-NH(2) has been shown to facilitate their synthesis and purification through water solubilization, yet not impact on the intrinsic properties of the hydrophobic core sequence with respect to its insertion into membranes in an alpha-helical conformation. However, due to their positively charged character, such peptides often become bound to phospholipid head groups in membrane surfaces, which inhibits their transbilayer insertion and/or prevents their transport across cellular bilayers. We sought to develop more neutral peptides of membrane-permeable character by replacing most Lys residues with uncharged peptoid [N-(R)glycyl] residues, which might similarly confer water solubility while retaining membrane-interactive properties of the hydrophobic core. Several "peptoid-tagged" derivatives of the parent peptide were prepared with varying peptoid content, with five of the six Lys residues replaced with peptoids Nala and/or Nval. Conformations of these peptides measured by circular dichroism spectroscopy demonstrated that these water-soluble peptides retain the alpha-helix structure in micelles (lysophosphatidylcholine and sodium dodecyl sulfate) notwithstanding the known helix-breaking capacity of the peptoid tags. Blue shifts in Trp fluorescence spectra and quenching experiments with acrylamide confirmed that peptoid-tagged peptides insert spontaneously into micellar membranes. Results suggest that upon introduction of uncharged tags, the interaction between the membrane and the peptides is dominated by the hydrophobicity of the peptide core rather than the electrostatic interactions between the Lys and the head groups of the lipids. The overall findings indicate that peptoid residues are effective surrogates for Lys as uncharged water-solubilizing tags and, as such, provide a potentially valuable feature of design of membrane-interactive peptides.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Effects of including an N-terminal insertion region and arginine-mimetic side chains in helical peptoid analogues of lung surfactant protein B.

Surfactant protein B (SP-B) is one of two helical, amphipathic proteins critical for the biophysical functioning of lung surfactant (LS) and hence is an important therapeutic protein. This small, complex 79mer has three internal disulfide bonds and homodimerizes via another disulfide bridge. A helical, amphipathic 25mer from the amino terminus (SP-B(1-25)) exhibits surface-active properties similar to those of full-length, synthetic SP-B. In previous work, we created helical, non-natural mimics of SP-B(1-25) based on sequence-specific peptoid 17mers and demonstrated their biomimetic surface activity. Like SP-B(1-25), the peptoids were designed to adopt helical structures with cationic and nonpolar faces. Here, we compare the surface activities of six different helical peptoid analogues of SP-B(1-25) to investigate the importance of mimicking its N-terminal insertion domain as well as its two arginine residues, both thought to be important for the peptide's proper function. Although the peptoid analogues of SP-B(1-25) studied here share many similar features and all functionally mimic SP-B(1-25) to some degree, it is notable that small differences in their sequences and side chain chemistries lead to substantial differences in their observed interactions with a lipid film. A peptoid comprising a hydrophobic, helical insertion region with aromatic side chains shows more biomimetic surface activity than simpler peptoids, and even better activity, by comparison to natural LS, than SP-B(1-25). However, the substitution of lysine-like side chains for arginine-like side chains in the peptoid has little effect on biomimetic surface activity, indicating that interactions of the guanidino groups with lipids may not be critical for the function of these SP-B mimics.

Arginine↗

A combinatorial approach to the discovery of efficient cationic peptoid reagents for gene delivery.

A family of N-substituted glycine oligomers (peptoids) of defined length and sequence are shown to condense plasmid DNA into small particles, protect it from nuclease degradation, and efficiently mediate the transfection of several cell lines. The oligomers were discovered by screening a combinatorial library of cationic peptoids that varied in length, density of charge, side-chain shape, and hydrophobicity. Transfection activity and peptoid-DNA complex formation are shown to be highly dependent on the peptoid structure. The most active peptoid is a 36-mer that contains 12 cationic aminoethyl side chains. This molecule can be synthesized efficiently from readily available building blocks. The peptoid condenses plasmid DNA into uniform particles 50-100 nm in diameter and mediates the transfection of a number of cell lines with efficiencies greater than or comparable to DMRIE-C, Lipofectin, and Lipofectamine. Unlike many cationic lipids, peptoids are capable of working in the presence of serum.

3T3 Cells↗

Helices in peptoids of alpha- and beta-peptides.

Peptoids of alpha- and beta-peptides (alpha- and beta-peptoids) can be obtained by shifting the amino acid side chains from the backbone carbon atoms of the monomer constituents to the peptide nitrogen atoms. They are, therefore, N-substituted poly-glycines and poly-beta-alanines, respectively. Due to the substituted nitrogen atoms, the ability for hydrogen bond formation between peptide bonds gets lost. It may be very interesting to see whether such non-natural oligomers could be regarded as foldamers, which fold into definite backbone conformers. In this paper, we provide a complete overview on helix formation in alpha- and beta-peptoids on the basis of systematic theoretical conformational analyses employing the methods of ab initio molecular orbital (MO) theory. It can be shown that the alpha- and beta-peptoid structures form helical structures with both trans and cis peptide bonds despite the missing hydrogen bonds. Obviously, the conformational properties of the backbone are more important for folding than the possibility of hydrogen bonding. There are close relationships between the helices of alpha-peptoids and poly-glycine and poly-proline helices of alpha-peptides, whereas the helices of beta-peptoids correspond to the well-known helical structures of beta-peptides as, for instance, the 3(1)-helix of beta-peptides with 14-membered hydrogen-bonded rings. Thus, alpha- and beta-peptoids enrich the field of foldamers and may be used as useful tools in peptide and protein design.

Animals↗

Helical peptoid mimics of magainin-2 amide.

A series of peptoid oligomers were designed as helical, cationic, and facially amphipathic mimics of the magainin-2 amide antibacterial peptide. We used circular dichroism spectroscopy to determine the conformation of these peptoids in aqueous buffer and in the presence of bacterial membrane-mimetic lipid vesicles, composed of a 7:3 mol ratio of POPE:POPG. We found that certain peptoids, which displayed characteristically helical CD in buffer and lipid vesicles, exhibit selective (nonhemolytic) and potent antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In contrast, peptoids that exhibit weak CD, reminiscent of that of a peptide random coil, were ineffective antibiotics. In a manner similar to the natural magainin peptides, we find a correlation between peptoid lipophilicity and hemolytic propensity. We observe that a minimum length of approximately 12 peptoid residues may be required for antibacterial activity. We also see evidence that a helix length between 24 and 34 A may provide optimal antibacterial efficacy. These results provide the first example of a water-soluble, structured, bioactive peptoid.

Amides↗

Hydrophobicity and helicity of membrane-interactive peptides containing peptoid residues.

Peptoid (N-alkylglycyl) residues in peptides have been studied in a variety of applications, but their behavior in membrane environments has not been systematically investigated. We have synthesized a series of membrane-interactive peptides of prototypic structure KKAAAXAAAAAXAAWAAXAAAKKKK-amide, where X corresponds to the peptoid residues Nala (= sarcosine), Nval, Nile, Nleu, Nphe, and Ntrp. Investigation of their relative hydrophobic character by high-performance liquid chromatography indicated an order of hydrophobicity Ntrp > Nphe > Nleu > Nile > Nval > Nala-largely parallel to the relative scale for these side-chains in natural amino acids, although all values were significantly more "hydrophilic" than their amino acid correspondents. Conformations of peptoid-containing peptides measured by circular dichroism spectroscopy were unordered in the presence of SDS micelles but helical for peptides with X = the corresponding amino acids, suggesting a general helix-breaking tendency for the peptoid residues. However, peptides were able to form helical structures in the solvent n-butanol, indicating that this conformation is possible if peptides became inserted into micellar phases. The latter notion was confirmed by increasing hydrophobic content of the peptides by embedding peptoid Nala residues in Leu-rich rather than Ala-rich sequences, which promoted peptide insertion and helical structure in micelles. The overall results suggest that judicious interspersing of amino acid and peptoid residues in peptide sequences can produce hydrophobic water-soluble materials with membrane-partitioning capacity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Combinatorial discovery process yields antimicrobial peptoids.

N-alkylated glycine trimers are generically referred to as peptoids. The identification of antimicrobial peptoids from a statistically unbiased diverse combinatorial chemistry library led to the design of the optimization peptoid library that we describe in this manuscript. This optimization library was designed using structural information from the most active peptoids in the unbiased library. Screening of the optimization library for antimicrobial activity identified a single pool of peptoids with activity against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The active peptoids from this pool were active against drug sensitive and drug resistant organisms and represent novel antibacterial compounds.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Effects of Pro --> peptoid residue substitution on cell selectivity and mechanism of antibacterial action of tritrpticin-amide antimicrobial peptide.

To investigate the effect of Pro --> peptoid residue substitution on cell selectivity and the mechanism of antibacterial action of Pro-containing beta-turn antimicrobial peptides, we synthesized tritrpticin-amide (TP, VRRFPWWWPFLRR-NH(2)) and its peptoid residue-substituted peptides in which two Pro residues at positions 5 and 9 are replaced with Nleu (Leu peptoid residue), Nphe (Phe peptoid residue), or Nlys (Lys peptoid residue). Peptides with Pro --> Nphe (TPf) or Pro --> Nleu substitution (TPl) retained antibacterial activity but had significantly higher toxicity to mammalian cells. In contrast, Pro --> Nlys substitution (TPk) increased the antibacterial activity but decreased the toxicity to mammalian cells. Tryptophan fluorescence studies indicated that the bacterial cell selectivity of TPk is closely correlated with a preferential interaction with negatively charged phospholipids. Interestingly, TPk was much less effective at depolarizing of the membrane potential of Staphylococus aureus and Escherichia coli spheroplasts and causing the leakage of a fluorescent dye entrapped within negatively charged vesicles. Furthermore, confocal laser-scanning microscopy showed that TPk effectively penetrated the membrane of both E. coli and S. aureus and accumulated in the cytoplasm, whereas TP and TPf did not penetrate the cell membrane but remained outside or on the cell membrane. These results suggest that the bactericidal action of TPk is due to inhibition of the intracellular components after penetration of the bacterial cell membrane. In addition, TPK with Lys substitution effectively depolarized the membrane potential of S. aureus and E. coli spheroplasts. TPK induced rapid and effective dye leakage from bacterial membrane-mimicking liposomes and did not penetrate the bacterial cell membranes. These results suggested that the ability of TPk to penetrate the bacterial cell membranes appears to involve the dual effects that are related to the increase in the positive charge and the peptide's backbone change by peptoid residue substitution. Collectively, our results showed that Pro --> Nlys substitution in Pro-containing beta-turn antimicrobial peptides is a promising strategy for the design of new short bacterial cell-selective antimicrobial peptides with intracellular mechanisms of action.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structural and spectroscopic studies of peptoid oligomers with alpha-chiral aliphatic side chains.

Substantial progress has been made in the synthesis and characterization of various oligomeric molecules capable of autonomous folding to well-defined, repetitive secondary structures. It is now possible to investigate sequence-structure relationships and the driving forces for folding in these systems. Here, we present detailed analysis by X-ray crystallography, NMR, and circular dichroism (CD) of the helical structures formed by N-substituted glycine (or "peptoid") oligomers with alpha-chiral, aliphatic side chains. The X-ray crystal structure of a N-(1-cyclohexylethyl)glycine pentamer, the first reported for any peptoid, shows a helix with cis-amide bonds, approximately 3 residues per turn, and a pitch of approximately 6.7 A. The backbone dihedral angles of this pentamer are similar to those of a polyproline type I peptide helix, in agreement with prior modeling predictions. This crystal structure likely represents the major solution conformers, since the CD spectra of analogous peptoid hexamers, dodecamers, and pentadecamers, composed entirely of either (S)-N-(1-cyclohexylethyl)glycine or (S)-N-(sec-butyl)glycine monomers, also have features similar to those of the polyproline type I helix. Furthermore, this crystal structure is similar to a solution NMR structure previously described for a peptoid pentamer comprised of chiral, aromatic side chains, which suggests that peptoids containing either aromatic or aliphatic alpha-chiral side chains adopt fundamentally similar helical structures in solution, despite distinct CD spectra. The elucidation of detailed structural information for peptoid helices with alpha-chiral aliphatic side chains will facilitate the mimicry of biomolecules, such as transmembrane protein domains, in a distinctly stable form.

Circular Dichroism↗

Probing the structural requirements of peptoids that inhibit HDM2-p53 interactions.

Many cellular processes are controlled by protein-protein interactions, and selective inhibition of these interactions could lead to the development of new therapies for several diseases. In the area of cancer, overexpression of the protein, human double minute 2 (HDM2), which binds to and inactivates the protein p53, has been linked to tumor aggressiveness and drug resistance. In general, inhibition of protein-protein interactions with synthetic molecules is challenging and currently remains a largely uncharted area for drug development. One strategy to create inhibitors of protein-protein interactions is to recreate the three-dimensional arrangement of side chains that are involved in the binding of one protein to another, using a nonnatural scaffold as the attachment point for the side chains. In this study, we used oligomeric peptoids as the scaffold to begin to develop a general strategy in which we could rationally design synthetic molecules that can be optimized for inhibition of protein-protein interactions. Structural information on the HDM2-p53 complex was used to design our first class of peptoid inhibitors, and we provide here, in detail, the strategy to modify peptoids with the appropriate side chains that are effective inhibitors of HDM2-p53 binding. While we initially tried to develop rigid, helical peptoids as HDM2 binders, the best inhibitors were surprisingly peptoids that lacked any helix-promoting groups. These results indicate that starting with rigid peptoid scaffolds may not always be optimal to develop new inhibitors.

Calorimetry↗

Conformational analyses of somatostatin-related cyclic hexapeptides containing peptoid residues.

We report the conformational analysis by 1H NMR in DMSO and computer simulations involving distance geometry and molecular dynamics simulations of a series of peptoid analogues of the cyclic hexapeptide c[Phe11-Pro6-Phe7-d-Trp8-Lys9-Thr10] (1). The proline residue in compound 1 is replaced with the peptoid residues N-benzylglycine (Nphe) (compound 2), N-(S)-alpha-methylbenzylglycine [(S)-beta-MeNphe] (compound 3), and N-(R)-alpha-methylbenzylglycine [(R)-beta-MeNphe] (compound 4). The peptoid analogues 2 and 4 exhibit potent binding activities to the hsst2 receptor, while the binding affinities to the hsst5 and to the hsst3 receptors are reduced compared to that of the parent compound 1. Compound 3 shows reduced binding activities to the hsst2, hsst3, and hsst5 receptors compared to compound 1. The results of in vivo assays indicate that these compounds inhibit the growth hormone release but do not affect the insulin release. These peptoid-containing analogues show two sets of NMR signals corresponding to cis and trans conformations of the peptide bond between Phe11 and Nxaa6. We demonstrate that the backbone conformation and the orientation of the relevant side chains of compound 1 are maintained in the cis isomers of the peptoid analogues which adopt a type VI beta-turn centered around residues 11 and 6 and a type II' beta-turn with d-Trp in the i+1 position. The enhanced selectivity of the peptoid-containing analogues compared to compound 1 and the results of the conformational analysis suggest that the presence of a conformationally constrained hydrophobic group in position 6 in complementary topology to the Phe11 side chain enhances selective binding to the hsst2 receptor.

Computer Simulation↗

Characterization of novel antimicrobial peptoids.

Peptoids differ from peptides in that peptoids are composed of N-substituted rather than alpha-carbon-substituted glycine units. In this paper we report the in vitro and in vivo antibacterial activities of several antibacterial peptoids discovered by screening combinatorial chemistry libraries for bacterial growth inhibition. In vitro, the peptoid CHIR29498 and some of its analogues were active in the range of 3 to 12 microg/ml against a panel of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria which included isolates which were resistant to known antibiotics. Peptoid antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus was rapid, bactericidal, and independent of protein synthesis. beta-Galactosidase and propidium iodide leakage assays indicated that the membrane is the most likely target of activity. Positional isomers of an active peptoid were also active, consistent with a mode of action, such as membrane disruption, that does not require a specific fit between the molecule and its target. In vivo, CHIR29498 protected S. aureus-infected mice in a simple infection model.

Animals↗

Solid Phase Synthesis of beta-Peptoids: N-Substituted beta-Aminopropionic Acid Oligomers.

A solid-phase organic synthesis method has been developed for the preparation of N-substituted-beta-aminopropionic acid oligomers or beta-peptoids 1. Treatment of polymer-bound 4-(benzyloxy)benzyl acrylate 2 with primary amines afforded N-substituted beta-alanines 3. Polymer loadings and product conversions were determined by direct cleavage of resin-bound materials and measurement by (1)H NMR with an internal standard. The NMR method was used to establish loading of all resin-bound intermediates including acrylic acid. Acylation with acryloyl chloride followed by Michael addition of primary amines to the acrylamide allowed preparation of di-beta-peptoids. By a linear set of seven reactions, trimeric N-benzyl-beta-aminopropionic acid was prepared in 67% overall yield. Single-bead FT-IR microspectroscopy was used to acquire spectra of the resin bound mono-beta-peptoids, di-beta-peptoids, and acrylamide intermediates. A combinatorial library of defined mixtures of tri-beta-peptoids was prepared by mixing equimolar amounts of the mono-beta-peptoid resins and carrying them through two sequences of the acylation-Michael addition. The identity of a sample mixture was determined by LC-MS analysis of the cleavage product.

Journal Article↗