Enhanced binding to and killing of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro by melittin when linked with a novel targeting peptide screened from phage display

A random phage 12‐mer peptide library and a whole‐cell subtractive biopanning protocol against HepG2 cells were used to select a novel peptide‐specific binding to hepatocellular carcinoma cells. As a result, peptide SLSLITMLKISR (AM‐2) was screened as a novel homing peptide to hepatocellular carcinoma cells, tested by immunofluorescence and immunochemistry assays. Subsequently, peptide AM‐2 was linked to melittin by A(EAAAK)2A, and the antitumor effect of this ligation product was detected by MTT assay, fluorescence‐activated cell sorting, and scanning electron microscopy methods. Results of cell growth inhibition tests confirmed that the affinity of melittin was increased after being incorporated into AM‐2, and AM‐2‐melittin specifically targeted and killed HepG2 cells in vitro. Thus, AM‐2 is a valuable ligand for tumor targeting, which leads to increased binding and killing effect of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro when ligated to melittin, and AM‐2‐melittin has a clinical potential application as target agents for the treatment of human hepatocellular carcinoma. Copyright © 2013 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Screening and identification of a targeting peptide to hepatocarcinoma from a phage display peptide library

Ligands specific to cell surface receptors have been heavily investigated in cancer research. Phage display technology is a powerful tool in this field and may impact clinical issues including functional diagnosis and targeted drug delivery. In this study, a hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (HepG2) and a normal hepatocyte line (L-02) were used to carry out subtractive screening in vitro with a phage display-7 peptide library. After four rounds of panning, there was an obvious enrichment for the phages specifically binding to the HepG2 cells, and the output/input ratio of phages increased about 976-fold (from 0.3x10(-7) to 292.8x10(-7)). A group of peptides capable of binding specifically to the hepatoma cells were obtained, and the affinity of these peptides to the targeting cells and tissues was studied. Through a cell-based ELISA, immunocytochemical staining, immunohistochemical staining, and immunofluorescence, the S1 phage and synthetic peptide HCBP1 (sequence FQHPSFI) were shown to bind to the tumor cell surfaces of two hepatoma cell lines and biopsy specimens, but not to normal hepatocytes, other different cancer cells, or nontumor liver tissues. In conclusion, the peptide HCBP1 may be a potential candidate for targeted drug delivery in therapy of hepatoma cancer.     

A novel peptide specifically targeting ovarian cancer identified by in vivo phage display

Discovery of peptide ligands that can target human ovarian cancer and deliver chemotherapeutics offers new opportunity for cancer therapy. The advent of phage‐displayed peptide library facilitated the screening of such peptides. In vivo screening that set in a microanatomic and functional context was applied in our study, and a novel peptide WSGPGVWGASVK targeting ovarian cancer was isolated. The phage clone PC3‐1 displaying peptide WSGPGVWGASVK can gain effective access to accumulate in the tumor sites after intravenous injection while reducing its accumulation in normal organs. Positive immunostaining of PC3‐1 was located in both sites of tumor cells and tumor blood vessels, which resulted in a diffuse binding pattern through the tumor. In vitro study results confirmed the capability of peptide WSGPGVWGASVK binding to and being internalized by both tumor cells and angiogenic endothelial cells. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that the peptide bound to SKOV3 cells with Kd value of 5.43 ± 0.4 μM. Taken together, it suggested that peptide WSGPGVWGASVK is a lead candidate for delivering therapeutics to penetrate into tumors. Copyright © 2013 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In vitro panning of a targeting peptide to hepatocarcinoma from a phage display peptide library

Phage display technology has been used as a powerful tool in the discovery of ligands specific to receptor(s) on the surface of a cancer cell and could also impact clinical issues including functional diagnosis and cell-specific drug delivery. After three rounds of in vitro panning and two rounds of reverse absorption, a group of phages capable of addressing BEL-7402 enormously were obtained for further analysis. Through a cell-based ELISA, immunofluorescence, FACS, and in vivo binding study, WP05 (sequence TACHQHVRMVRP) was demonstrated to be the most effective peptide in targeting four kinds of liver cancer cell lines (BEL-7402, BEL-7404, SMMC-7721, and HepG2), but not the normal liver cell line HL-7702. In conclusion, the peptide WP05 which was screened by in vitro phage display technology was proved to be a targeting peptide to several common hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines.     

Selection and characterization of colorectal cancer cell-specific peptides

To develop a novel peptide probe for imaging detection of colorectal cancer, a 12-mer phage display library was used to select peptides that bind specifically to the human colorectal cancer cell line Caco-2. After four rounds of panning, four phage clones that bound specifically to the Caco-2 cells were selected. The phage clone SP-2 had a particularly high affinity and specificity for Caco-2 cells. This clone was identified using a series of methods. The peptide SP-2 that was displayed on phage SP-2 exhibited a high specificity to Caco-2 cells. Thus, the peptide SP-2 could be a candidate probe for the detection of colorectal cancer.     

Selection and Characterization of a Peptide Specifically Targeting to Gastric Cancer Cell Line SGC-7901 Using Phage Display

Peptides selected from phage display have great potential to become probes for the imaging detection of the cancer. To develop the peptide probe for diagnosis of GC, a 12-mer phage display library was used to select peptides that bind specifically to the human GC cell line SGC-7901. After four rounds of in vitro selection, five phage clones that bound specifically to the SGC-7901 cells were selected. The phage clone GP-5 had a particularly high affinity and specificity for SGC-7901 cells. This clone was identified using a series of methods. The peptide GP-5 that was displayed on phage GP-5 exhibited high specificity to SGC-7901 cells and gastric tissues. Thus, the peptide GP-5 displays excellent potential for imaging detection of human gastric cancer.     

Screening and Identification of a Specific Binding Peptide to Ovarian Cancer Cells from a Phage-Displayed Peptide Library

To select specific binding peptides for imaging and detection of human ovarian cancer. The phage 12-mer peptide library was used to select specific phage clones to ovarian cancer cells. After four rounds of biopanning, the binding specificity of randomly selected phage clones to ovarian cancer cells was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). DNA sequencing and homology analysis were performed on specifically bound phages. The binding ability of the selected peptides to SKOV3 cells was confirmed by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. After four rounds of optimized biological panning, phage recovery was 34-fold higher than that of the first round, and the specific phage clones bound to SKOV3 cells were significantly enriched. A total of 32 positive phage clones were preliminarily identified by ELISA from 54 randomly selected clones, and the positive rate was 59.3%. S36 was identified as the clone with best affinity to SKOV3 cells via fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. A representative clone of OSP2, S36 is expected to be an effective probe for diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer.

     

Novel p16 binding peptide development for p16‐overexpressing cancer cell detection using phage display

Protein p^16INK4a (p16) is a well‐known biomarker for diagnosis of human papillomavirus (HPV) related cancers. In this work, we identify novel p16 binding peptides by using phage display selection method. A random heptamer phage display library was screened on purified recombinant p16 protein‐coated plates to elute only the bound phages from p16 surfaces. Binding affinity of the bound phages was compared with each other by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), fluorescence imaging technique, and bioinformatic computations. Binding specificity and binding selectivity of the best candidate phage‐displayed p16 binding peptide were evaluated by peptide blocking experiment in competition with p16 monoclonal antibody and fluorescence imaging technique, respectively. Five candidate phage‐displayed peptides were isolated from the phage display selection method. All candidate p16 binding phages show better binding affinity than wild‐type phage in ELISA test, but only three of them can discriminate p16‐overexpressing cancer cell, CaSki, from normal uterine fibroblast cell, HUF, with relative fluorescence intensities from 2.6 to 4.2‐fold greater than those of wild‐type phage. Bioinformatic results indicate that peptide ‘Ser‐His‐Ser‐Leu‐Leu‐Ser‐Ser’ binds to p16 molecule with the best binding score and does not interfere with the common protein functions of p16. Peptide blocking experiment shows that the phage‐displayed peptide ‘Ser‐His‐Ser‐Leu‐Leu‐Ser‐Ser’ can conceal p16 from monoclonal antibody interaction. This phage clone also selectively interacts with the p16 positive cell lines, and thus, it can be applied for p16‐overexpressing cell detection. Copyright © 2015 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In vitro screening of ovarian tumor specific peptides from a phage display peptide library

To develop more biomarkers for diagnosis and therapy of ovarian cancer, a 12-mer phage display library was used to isolate peptides that bound specifically to the human ovarian tumor cell line SK-OV-3. After five rounds of in vitro screening, the recovery rate of phages showed a 69-fold increase over the first round of washings and a group of phage clones capable of binding to SK-OV-3 cells were obtained. A phage clone named Z1 with high affinity and specificity to SK-OV-3 cells was identified in vitro. More importantly, the synthetic biotin-labeled peptide, ZP1 (=SVSVGMKPSPRP), which corresponded to the sequence of the inserted fragment of Z1, demonstrated a high specificity to SK-OV-3 cells especially when compared to other cell lines (A2780 and 3T3). ZP1 might therefore be a biomarker for targeting drug delivery in ovarian cancer therapy.     

New approach to synthesis of peptide immunomimetic of benzo[a]pyrene

A novel approach to discovery of the peptide with an internal immunological image of carcinogen is suggested in this work. The hybridomas producing monoclonal antibodies (mAb) B2 against benzo[a]pyrene and benz[a]antracene were prepared. Polyclonal Ab against benzo[a]pyrene (Bp) and benz[a]antracene (Ba), antracene, chrysene, and pyrene were also prepared. We identified the related peptide-presenting phage specificity binding to mAT B2 and polyclonal Ab against Bp from 12 large random peptide libraries using phage display method. ICR mice were immunized with specific binding of positive phage clone for studying its immunogenicity. The Bp antibodies were found in the blood serum. All positive phage clones carried the sequence. Thus, the unique peptide with an internal immunological image of Bp may be the new candidate for anticarcinogenic vaccine.     

Targeting of hepatocellular carcinoma with glypican‐3‐targeting peptide ligand

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a common malignancy. The carcinoma cells express glypican‐3 (GPC‐3) on the cell membrane. GPC‐3 is also expressed in melanoma cells. Therefore, GPC‐3 might be a potential target for tumor imaging or therapy. Here, proteomic mass spectrometry was used to identify peptides that target GPC‐3‐expressing tumors. A mammalian expression vector expressing a FLAG‐GPC‐3 fusion protein was cloned for immunoprecipitation. With the use of liposomes, the vector was transfected into HepG2 (HepG2/FLAG‐GPC‐3) and HEK 293 cells, and the transfected cell lines were selected with geneticin. HepG2/FLAG‐GPC‐3 cells were used for immunoprecipitation of FLAG‐GPC‐3 fusion protein. Seven peptide candidates (L1–L7) were selected for GPC‐3‐targeting ligands by mass spectrometric analysis. The L5 peptide with 14 amino acids (Arg‐Leu‐Asn‐Val‐Gly‐Gly‐Thr‐Tyr‐Phe‐Leu‐Thr‐Thr‐Arg‐Gln) showed selective binding to the GPC‐3‐expressing tumor cells, as did a shortened L5 peptide (L5‐2) with seven amino acids (Tyr‐Phe‐Leu‐Thr‐Thr‐Arg‐Gln). These peptide ligands have potential as targeting moieties to GPC‐3‐expressing tumors for diagnostic and/or therapeutic purposes. Copyright © 2011 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

HWGMWSY, an unanticipated polystyrene binding peptide from random phage display libraries

Phage display is a powerful technique for the discovery of peptide ligands that bind to various targets; however, ambiguous results often appear. Peptide HWGMWSY has been isolated repeatedly in our laboratory and by other research groups dealing with different protein and nonprotein targets, which led to a hypothesis that it may be a target-unrelated peptide interacting with polystyrene plastic surfaces. We compared binding properties and amplification rate of phage clone displaying the peptide HWGMWSY, a previously confirmed plastic binding clone WHWRLPS, and a control phage clone ASVQERK. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and a phage elution assay confirmed that phage clone HWGMWSY binds to polystyrene. Surface plasmon resonance measurements on the other hand excluded the possibility of binding to bovine serum albumin, a common blocking agent in phage display experiments. Amplification rates of the above-noted phage clones were not statistically different. We therefore conclude that phage clone HWGMWSY was isolated in different selection procedures as a result of its affinity to polystyrene.     

Screening and identification of a specific peptide binding to cervical cancer cells from a phage-displayed peptide library

Objectives

To screen and identify the probe markers specifically binding to human cervical cancer, a phage-displayed 12-mer peptide library was used for biopanning of SiHa cells.

Results

After four rounds of whole-cell subtraction biopanning, the phage recovery was 21-fold higher (from 3.9 × 10^?5 to 8.3 × 10^?4) than that of the first round, and specific phage clones were significantly enriched. 57 randomly selected phage clones were tested by ELISA, and 36 phage clones were identified as positive clones. After sequencing of positive clones, six different peptide sequences were obtained and CSP3 showed best affinity and specificity to SiHa cells via immunofluorescence assay.

Conclusions

Peptide, CSP3, bound to SiHa cells specifically and sensitively. It may be a potential candidate for molecular imaging detection and targeting therapy of cervical cancer.

     

噬菌体展示技术筛选bFGF模拟短肽

目的：通过噬菌体展示技术筛选得到与FGFR结合的bFGF模拟短肽,为bFGF肽类抑制剂的研发提供实验基础。方法：以Balb/c 3T3细胞为靶标,以COS-7细胞作消减,对噬菌体随机七肽库进行4轮生物淘洗,再采用ELISA检测单克隆噬菌体对Balb/c 3T3亲和性和特异性,选取阳性克隆进行DNA测序分析。结果：从富集的噬菌体中获得12个阳性克隆,获得一组疏水性七肽及共同基序PR。结论：利用肽类新药开发的重要工具--噬菌体展示技术,得到2段bFGF的受体结合模拟肽,可望作为bFGF抑制剂的先导肽。     

Cell adhesion and invasion inhibitory effect of an ovarian cancer targeting peptide selected via phage display in vivo

Organ-specific metastasis is of great importance since most of the cancer deaths are caused by spread of the primary cancer to distant sites. Therefore, targeted anti-metastases therapies are needed to prevent cancer cells from metastasizing to different organs. The phage clone pc3-1 displaying peptide WSGPGVWGASVK selected by phage display had been identified which have high binding efficiency and remarkable cell specificity to SK-OV-3 cells. In the present work, the effects of selected cell-binding phage and cognate peptide on the cell adhesion and invasion of targeted cells were investigated. Results showed that the adhesive ability of SK-OV-3 to extracellular matrix was inhibited by pc3-1 and peptide WSGPGVWGASVK, and pc3-1 blocked SK-OV-3 cells attachment more effective than the cognate peptide. The peptide WSGPGVWGASVK suppressed the cell number of SK-OV-3 that attached to HUVECs monolayer up to 24% and could block the spreading of the attaching cells. Forthermore, the cognate peptide could inhibit the invasion of SK-OV-3 significantly. The number of invaded SK-OV-3 cells and invaded SK-OV-3-activated HUVECs pretreated with peptide WSGPGVWGASVK was decreased by 24.3% and 36.6%, respectively. All these results suggested that peptide WSGPGVWGASVK might possess anti-metastasis against SK-OV-3 cells.     

IgY‐binding peptide screened from a random peptide library as a ligand for IgY purification

Chicken egg yolk immunoglobulin (IgY) is a functional substitute for mammalian IgG for antigen detection. Traditional IgY purification methods involve multi‐step procedures resulting in low purity and recovery of IgY. In this study, we developed a simple IgY purification system using IgY‐specific peptides identified by T7 phage display technology. From disulfide‐constrained random peptide libraries constructed on a T7 phage, we identified three specific binding clones (Y4‐4, Y5‐14, and Y5‐55) through repeated biopanning. The synthetic peptides showed high binding specificity to IgY‐Fc and moderate affinity for IgY‐Fc (K_d: Y4‐4 = 7.3 ± 0.2 μM and Y5‐55 = 4.4 ± 0.1 μM) by surface plasmon resonance analysis. To evaluate the ability to purify IgY, we performed immunoprecipitation and affinity high‐performance liquid chromatography using IgY‐binding peptides; the result indicated that these peptides can be used as affinity ligands for IgY purification. We then used a peptide‐conjugated column to purify IgY from egg yolks pre‐treated using an optimized delipidation technique. Here, we report the construction of a cost‐effective, one‐step IgY purification system, with high purity and recovery. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Peptide Science published by European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Identification of a novel peptide ligand of human vascular endothelia growth factor receptor 3 for targeted tumour diagnosis and therapy

Human vascular endothelia growth factor receptor 3 (VEGFR-3) is up-regulated in a variety of human cancers. It is a potentially rational target for drug delivery. To identify novel ligands with specific binding capabilities to VEGFR-3, we screened a phage display peptide library and found a consensus motif of the peptides which is displayed by the positive phages CSDxxHxWC (x is any amino acid). The phage displaying peptide CSDSWHYWC (designated as P1) exhibited the highest affinity to VEGFR-3 in phage ELISA and the chemically synthesized P1 could bind to VEGFR-3 specifically in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the flow cytometry assay and immunofluorescence showed that the FITC labelled P1 could bind to VEGFR-3 positive carcinoma cells with specificity. Our study suggests that P1 may be a homing peptide for treatment of tumours.     

Isolation of a mycoplasma-specific binding peptide from an unbiased phage-displayed peptide library

An important goal in medicine is the development of methods for cell-specific targeting of therapeutic molecules to pathogens or pathogen-infected cells. However, little progress has been made in cell-specific targeting of bacterially infected cells. Using a phage display approach, we have isolated a 20-mer peptide that binds to Mycoplasma arginini infected pancreatic beta-cells in tissue culture. This peptide binds to M. arginini infected beta-cells 200 times better than a control phage and is specific for the infected cells. Furthermore, transferring the M. arginini contamination to another cell line renders the newly infected cell line susceptible to peptide binding. Immunolocalization experiments suggest that the peptide is binding to M. arginini adhered to the cell surface. The free synthetic peptide retains its binding in the absence of the phage vehicle and tetramerization of the peptide increases its affinity for the infected cells. Efforts have been made to use this peptide to eliminate Mycoplasma from infected cell lines using ferromagnetic beads coated with the selected peptide. A ten-fold reduction of infection was accomplished with one fractionation via this approach. Our results suggest that this peptide, isolated from an unbiased selection, may be of utility for the detection and reduction of Mycoplasma infection in cultured cells. Furthermore, a general implication of our findings is that phage display methods may be useful for identifying peptides that target a broad array of other biological pathogens in a specific fashion.     

A polystyrene binding target-unrelated peptide isolated in the screening of phage display library

Phage display is a powerful methodology for the identification of peptide ligands binding to any desired target. However, the selection of target-unrelated peptides (TUPs) appears as a huge problem in the screening of phage display libraries through biopanning. The phage-displayed peptide TLHPAAD has been isolated both in our laboratory and by another reserach group on completely different screening targets prompting us to hypothesize that it may be a potential TUP. In the current study, we analyzed the binding characteristics and propagation rate of phage clone displaying TLHPAAD peptide (SW-TUP clone). The results of ELISA experiment and phage recovery assay provided strong support for the notion that SW-TUP phage binds to polystyrene with a significantly higher affinity than control phage clones. Furthermore, this polystyrene binding was demonstrated to occur in a concentration- and pH-dependent mode. Characterization of the propagation profile of phage clones within a specified time course revealed no statistically significant difference between the amplification rate of SW-TUP and control phages. Our findings lead us to the conclusion that SW-TUP phage clone with the displayed peptide TLHPAAD is not a true target binder and its selection in biopanning experiments results from its bidning affinity to the polystyrene surface of the solid phase.     

Targeting bladder tumor cells in vivo and in the urine with a peptide identified by phage display

Bladder cancer is one of the most common tumors of the genitourinary tract. Here, we use phage display to identify a peptide that targets bladder tumor cells. A phage library containing random peptides was screened for binding to cells from human bladder tumor xenografts. Phage clones were further selected for binding to a bladder tumor cell line in culture. Six clones displaying the consensus sequence CXNXDXR(X)/(R)C showed selective binding to cells from primary human bladder cancer tissue. Of these, the CSNRDARRC sequence was selected for further study as a synthetic peptide. Fluorescein-conjugated CSNRDARRC peptide selectively bound to frozen sections of human bladder tumor tissue, whereas only negligible binding to normal bladder tissue was observed. When the fluorescent peptide was introduced into the bladder lumen, in a carcinogen-induced rat tumor model, it selectively bound to tumor epithelium. Moreover, when the peptide was intravenously injected into the tail vein, it homed to the bladder tumor but was not detectable in normal bladder and control organs. Next, we examined whether the peptide can detect tumor cells in urine. The fluorescent peptide bound to cultured bladder tumor cells but not to other types of tumor cell lines. Moreover, it bound to urinary cells of patients with bladder cancer, while showing little binding to urinary cells of patients with inflammation or healthy individuals. The CSNRDARRC peptide may be useful as a targeting moiety for selective delivery of therapeutics and as a diagnostic probe for the detection of bladder cancer.