Exploring the Potentiality of Lactobacillus Cultures on the Production of Milk-Derived Bioactive Peptides with Antidiabetic Activity

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - In the study, ten different Lactobacillus cultures were considered for the study of ɑ-amylase, ɑ-glucosidase and pancreatic...     

抗病毒肽作为COVID-19潜在治疗药物的研究进展

随着新型冠状病毒(SARS-CoV-2)疫情的迅速蔓延,目前该疾病已发展成为世界范围流行病。世界卫生组织WHO在2020年2月11日将该疾病正式命名为Coronavirus disease(COVID-19)。新型冠状病毒肺炎严重威胁着人们的生命财产安全,安全高效抗病毒类药物的开发是目前亟需解决的重要问题。研究报道,很多抗病毒肽(Antiviral peptides,AVPs)显示出良好的抗病毒活性,结合当前临床抗新冠病毒乏力的情况,本文对冠状病毒感染过程以及抗病毒肽的潜在应用前景进行概述,以期为开发新型抗病毒药物提供新的思路。     

Selection of Antiviral Peptides Against Mink Enteritis Virus Using a Phage Display Peptide Library

Mink enteritis virus (MEV) causes high morbidity and mortality in mink worldwide, and there are no effective treatments. This study used a phage display library to find specific peptides capable of binding MEV and preventing its replication in F81 cells. After three rounds of biopanning, the phage enrichment was 117 times higher than that after the first round. Twelve phage clones that showed threefold higher MEV-binding affinity than controls were selected by ELISA. Following sequence analyses, the peptides RLNNRARIILRA and LAHKSRLYERHM were synthesized and used for antiviral experiments. MTT assays demonstrated that both peptides increased cell viability by >20 % at 100 μg/ml when pre-incubated with MEV. However, no effect was seen if the peptides were added 2 h after viral inoculation of cells, indicating that the antiviral activity is due to inhibition of viral attachment to the cell surface.     

Pulse Derived Bioactive Peptides as Novel Nutraceuticals: A Review

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - Bioactive peptides are short peptide fragments formed by amino acids joined by peptide bonds, can employ health enhancing effects in...     

Cullin3 - BTB Interface: A Novel Target for Stapled Peptides

Cullin3 (Cul3), a key factor of protein ubiquitination, is able to interact with dozens of different proteins containing a BTB (Bric-a-brac, Tramtrack and Broad Complex) domain. We here targeted the Cul3–BTB interface by using the intriguing approach of stabilizing the α-helical conformation of Cul3-based peptides through the “stapling” with a hydrocarbon cross-linker. In particular, by combining theoretical and experimental techniques, we designed and characterized stapled Cul3-based peptides embedding the helix 2 of the protein (residues 49–68). Intriguingly, CD and NMR experiments demonstrate that these stapled peptides were able to adopt the helical structure that the fragment assumes in the parent protein. We also show that some of these peptides were able to bind to the BTB of the tetrameric KCTD11, a substrate adaptor involved in HDAC1 degradation, with high affinity (~ 300–600 nM). Cul3-derived staple peptides are also able to bind the BTB of the pentameric KCTD5. Interestingly, the affinity of these peptides is of the same order of magnitude of that reported for the interaction of full-length Cul3 with some BTB containing proteins. Moreover, present data indicate that stapling endows these peptides with an increased serum stability. Altogether, these findings indicate that the designed stapled peptides can efficiently mimic protein-protein interactions and are potentially able to modulate fundamental biological processes involving Cul3.     

Thiazolides,a New Class of Antiviral Agents Effective against Rotavirus Infection,Target Viral Morphogenesis,Inhibiting Viroplasm Formation

Rotaviruses, nonenveloped viruses presenting a distinctive triple-layered particle architecture enclosing a segmented double-stranded RNA genome, exhibit a unique morphogenetic pathway requiring the formation of cytoplasmic inclusion bodies called viroplasms in a process involving the nonstructural viral proteins NSP5 and NSP2. In these structures the concerted packaging and replication of the 11 positive-polarity single-stranded RNAs take place to generate the viral double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) genomic segments. Rotavirus infection is a leading cause of gastroenteritis-associated severe morbidity and mortality in young children, but no effective antiviral therapy exists. Herein we investigate the antirotaviral activity of the thiazolide anti-infective nitazoxanide and reveal a novel mechanism by which thiazolides act against rotaviruses. Nitazoxanide and its active circulating metabolite, tizoxanide, inhibit simian A/SA11-G3P[2] and human Wa-G1P[8] rotavirus replication in different types of cells with 50% effective concentrations (EC₅₀s) ranging from 0.3 to 2 μg/ml and 50% cytotoxic concentrations (CC₅₀s) higher than 50 μg/ml. Thiazolides do not affect virus infectivity, binding, or entry into target cells and do not cause a general inhibition of viral protein expression, whereas they reduce the size and alter the architecture of viroplasms, decreasing rotavirus dsRNA formation. As revealed by protein/protein interaction analysis, confocal immunofluorescence microscopy, and viroplasm-like structure formation analysis, thiazolides act by hindering the interaction between the nonstructural proteins NSP5 and NSP2. Altogether the results indicate that thiazolides inhibit rotavirus replication by interfering with viral morphogenesis and may represent a novel class of antiviral drugs effective against rotavirus gastroenteritis.     

生物活性肽自动查询预测系统

论述了运用生物信息学方法和计算机技术,快速从由蛋白酶模拟酶解蛋白质而产生的大量未知生物活性的系列肽中,预测有生物活性的肽,以实现生物活性肽功能的预测。主要建立了生物活性肽数据库,应用已有生物活性肽作为序列比对的标准,实行大量未知生物活性的系列肽自动无人值守的和已知生物活性的肽序列比对查询,以发现新物种中包括动物和植物的具有新的生物活性的功能肽。应用该软件系统AQS成功地预测并发现了造血细胞增殖肽、成骨细胞生长肽以及高血压押制肽。     

Ultradeep Pyrosequencing and Molecular Modeling Identify Key Structural Features of Hepatitis B Virus RNase H,a Putative Target for Antiviral Intervention

Last-generation nucleoside/nucleotide analogues are potent against hepatitis B virus (HBV) and have a high barrier to resistance. However, delayed responses have been observed in patients previously exposed to other drugs of the same class, long-term resistance is possible, and cure of infection cannot be achieved with these therapies, emphasizing the need for alternative therapeutic approaches. The HBV RNase H represents an interesting target because its enzyme activity is essential to the HBV life cycle. The goal of our study was to characterize the structure of the HBV RNase H by computing a 3-dimensional molecular model derived from E. coli RNase H and analyzing 2,326 sequences of all HBV genotypes available in public databases and 958,000 sequences generated by means of ultradeep pyrosequencing of sequences from a homogenous population of 73 treatment-naive patients infected with HBV genotype D. Our data revealed that (i) the putative 4th catalytic residue displays unexpected variability that could be explained by the overlap of the HBx gene and has no apparent impact on HBV replicative capacity and that (ii) the C-helix-containing basic protrusion, which is required to guide the RNA/DNA heteroduplex into the catalytic site, is highly conserved and bears unique structural properties that can be used to target HBV-specific RNase H inhibitors without cross-species activity. The model shows substantial differences from other known RNases H and paves the way for functional and structural studies as a prerequisite to the development of new inhibitors of the HBV cell cycle specifically targeting RNase H activity.     

MORC3 Is a Target of the Influenza A Viral Protein NS1

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Tuber Storage Proteins as Potential Precursors of Bioactive Peptides: An In Silico Analysis

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - In silico analysis was used to evaluate storage proteins from plant tubers as potential precursors of bioactive peptides after simulated...     

Cottonseed Meal Bioactive Peptides as an Alternative to Antibiotic Growth Promoters in Broiler Chicks

The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of bioactive peptides derived from enzymatic hydrolysis of cottonseed meal (CSBP) compared with zinc bacitracin, as an antibiotic growth promoter (AGP), on productive traits, serum lipid profile, and ileal microbial population in broiler chickens. A total number of 240-day-old broiler chicks (Ross 308) were allocated into 4 treatments, replicated 5 times based on a completely randomized design. The dietary treatments included a basal diet serving as control group, basal diet?+?40 mg/kg zinc bacitracin as AGP group, and the basal diet supplemented with 15 or 20 g/kg CSBP substituting equal quantity of maize and soybean meal. Performance traits, including daily weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and livability were recorded. At the end of the study, serum lipid parameters, ileal microbial population, and economical indices were determined. The results indicated that feed intake and FCR increased (P?<?0.05) in birds receiving 20 g/kg CSBP over the entire period (1–35 days), but there was no significant effect of CSBP on body weight, although numerically higher than the control group. However, the antibiotic group showed a significant increase (P?<?0.05) in body weight and feed intake. Livability, European Production Efficiency Factor (EPEF), and European Broiler Index (EBI) significantly improved in broiler chickens fed antibiotic and 15 g/kg CSBP supplement (P?<?0.05). Adding 20 g/kg of CSBP to the diet significantly increased serum triglycerides and decreased low-density lipoproteins (LDL) compared to the control and antibiotic groups on day 35. The relative weight of abdominal fat and LDL to HDL ratio were significantly lower for CSBP and antibiotic treatments than the control group (P?<?0.05). Supplementation of antibiotic and both graded levels of CSBP decreased the ileum population of Escherichia coli (P?<?0.05). The current findings suggest that including CSBP in broiler diets may benefit production through improving growth rate of broilers and balancing gut microbiota population. In addition, CSBP could be considered as a potential alternative to antibiotics in an AGP free production system.

     

Hepatitis C Virus Non-structural Protein 3 (HCV NS3): A Multifunctional Antiviral Target

Hepatitis C virus non-structural protein 3 contains a serine protease and an RNA helicase. Protease cleaves the genome-encoded polyprotein and inactivates cellular proteins required for innate immunity. Protease has emerged as an important target for the development of antiviral therapeutics, but drug resistance has turned out to be an obstacle in the clinic. Helicase is required for both genome replication and virus assembly. Mechanistic and structural studies of helicase have hurled this enzyme into a prominent position in the field of helicase enzymology. Nevertheless, studies of helicase as an antiviral target remain in their infancy.     

Early Viral Entry Assays for the Identification and Evaluation of Antiviral Compounds

Cell-based systems are useful for discovering antiviral agents. Dissecting the viral life cycle, particularly the early entry stages, allows a mechanistic approach to identify and evaluate antiviral agents that target specific steps of the viral entry. In this report, the methods of examining viral inactivation, viral attachment, and viral entry/fusion as antiviral assays for such purposes are described, using hepatitis C virus as a model. These assays should be useful for discovering novel antagonists/inhibitors to early viral entry and help expand the scope of candidate antiviral agents for further drug development.     

Comprehensive Proteomics Analysis of Stressed Human Islets Identifies GDF15 as a Target for Type 1 Diabetes Intervention

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Characterization of the Antiviral Activity for Influenza Viruses M1 Zinc Finger Peptides

We sought to investigate the cellular uptake and antiviral activity for the M1 zinc finger peptides derived from influenza A and influenza B viruses in vitro. No cellular uptake was detected by fluorescent microscopy for the synthetic zinc finger peptides. When flanked to a cell permeable peptide Tp10, the zinc finger recombinant proteins were efficiently internalized by MDCK cells. However, no antiviral activity was detected against homologous or heterologous virus infections for the synthetic peptides or the Tp10-flanked recombinant proteins, regardless treated with or without Zn²⁺. Nevertheless, MDCK cell constitutively expressing the M1 zinc finger peptides in cell nuclei potently inhibited replication of homologous, but not heterologous influenza viruses. Adenoviral vector delivered M1 zinc finger peptides also exhibited potent antiviral activity against homologous viruses challenge. Transduction at 100 PFU dose of recombinant adenovirus efficiently protected 99% of the cells from 100 TCID₅₀ of different virus infections for both peptides. These results brought new insight to the antiviral researches against influenza virus infections.