A solid-phase synthesis of three aza-, iminoaza- and reduced aza-peptides from the same precursor

Using the Boc-strategy, a step-by-step synthesis on the PAM solid supportof three aza-, iminoaza- and reduced aza-peptide homologues is described.From the same hydrazinocarbonyl peptide-PAM precursor, the coupling ofeither a Boc-amino acid or a Boc-amino aldehyde gives rise to an aza-peptideor an iminoaza-peptide containing theC-CO-NH-N-CO-NH-C orC-CH=N-N-CO-NH-C surrogate of the peptide motif, respectively. In situreduction of the latter by NaBH₃CN leads to a reducedaza-peptide containing theC-CH₂-NH-N-CO-NH-C moiety. The key step synthesis of thehydrazinocarbonyl peptide-PAM precursor is carried out by coupling on thegrowing peptide chain the N-Boc-aza-amino acid chloride obtained by theaction of triphosgene on the corresponding N-Boc-hydrazine. Thesemodifications have been introduced in position 1-2 of the YLGYLEQLLRbenzodiazepine-like decapeptide     

Conformational disturbance induced by AzPro/Pro substitution in peptides

Consequences inherent to the substitution ofaza-proline (AzPro) for proline in the octapeptideTTSAPTTS, representative of the tandem repeat motifpresent in the peptide backbone of MUC5AC mucin, wereanalysed in terms of conformational perturbation andO-glycosylation aptitude. In DMSO solution, weobserved the same tendency previously noted inAzPro-tripeptide models, i.e. AzPro prevents-turn formation in which it would occupy thei+1 position, and therefore behaves quite oppositeto Pro, whereas both AzPro and Pro can support a-turn in the i+2 position with a cisdisposition of the preceding tertiary amide function.The former structural modifications do not preventO-glycosylation to take place at the same specificsite, but it occurs at a reduced rate.     

Tr-Noe and MD studies of Leishmania gp63 SRYD-containing sequences bound to anti-SRYD monoclonal antibody

Summary The I²⁵⁰ ASRYDQL²⁵⁷ synthetic octapeptide of theLeishmania major surface glycoprotein gp63, which efficiently inhibits parasite attachment to the macrophage receptors and mimics antigenically and functionally the RGDS sequence of fibronectin, was studied by 2D TR-NOESY in the presence of an anti-SRYD monoclonal antibody (mAbSRYD) that recognizes both SRYD-containing peptides and the cognate protein on intact parasites. Molecular modeling was performed using distance constraints obtained from TR-NOEs. The bound structure was compared with that of the free peptide in DMSO solution and with the crystal structure of the RYD fragment of the OPG2 Fab, an antireceptor antibody that mimics an RGD cell adhesion site.     

Conformational and antigenic properties of SRYD-containing peptide analogues of Leishmania gp63 adhesion site

Summary The antigenicity and conformational properties of the Ser-Arg-Tyr-Asp (SRYD) segment (252–255) of the major surface glycoprotein ofLeishmania, gp63, which plays a key role in the parasite-macrophage attachement, are presented. It was found that the antibody recognition, using anti-IASRYDQL antibodies, of the SRYD-containing analogues, Ac-SRYD-NH₂ (1), ANIASRYD-NH₂ (2), Ac-SRYD (3), SRYD (4) and ANIASRYD (5), is rather similar. The structure of the SRYD moiety in analogues 1 and 2 is characterized by the presence of a type I -turn, stabilized by the formation of a hydrogen bonding between the C-terminaltrans-carboxamide proton and the Arg-CO and an ionic bridge between arginine and aspartic acid side chains, while the conformation of compounds 3, 4 and 5 is stabilized by an ionic bridge between the arginine side chain and the C-terminal carboxylate group. A common structural motif involving the arginine side chain in an ionic interaction is identified in all the SRYD analogues, which may explain the observed similarities in the antibody recognition of the reported peptides.     

Wetting of nonconserved residue‐backbones: A feature indicative of aggregation associated regions of proteins

Aggregation is an irreversible form of protein complexation and often toxic to cells. The process entails partial or major unfolding that is largely driven by hydration. We model the role of hydration in aggregation using “Dehydrons.” “Dehydrons” are unsatisfied backbone hydrogen bonds in proteins that seek shielding from water molecules by associating with ligands or proteins. We find that the residues at aggregation interfaces have hydrated backbones, and in contrast to other forms of protein–protein interactions, are under less evolutionary pressure to be conserved. Combining evolutionary conservation of residues and extent of backbone hydration allows us to distinguish regions on proteins associated with aggregation (non‐conserved dehydron‐residues) from other interaction interfaces (conserved dehydron‐residues). This novel feature can complement the existing strategies used to investigate protein aggregation/complexation. Proteins 2016; 84:254–266. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Effects of natural resistance-associated macrophage protein 1 and toll-like receptor 2 gene polymorphisms on post-weaning piglet survivability

Predicting resistance or susceptibility to infectious diseases on the basis of the genotypes of animals regarding disease or immune related genes could be important in animal production. We evaluated the potential influence of the genetic polymorphisms of four immune related genes, porcine beta defensin 4, interferon-induced GTP-binding protein Mx1, natural resistance-associated macrophage protein 1 (Nramp1), and Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) on post-weaning piglet survivability in farms. We selected a single SNP that satisfied the criteria of non-synonymous substitutions and the minor allele frequency >0.1 from each gene, and performed PCR–RFLP. Distributions of allele and genotype frequencies of the SNPs were, in general, significantly different among the five breeds (Berkshire, Yorkshire, Duroc, Landrace, and Korean native pigs. Initially, 371 randomly collected Yorkshire × Landrace F1 piglets consisting of post-weaning survival (n = 185) and non-survival groups (n = 186) were genotyped for the selected SNPs. For the Nramp1 and TLR2 SNPs, genotype frequencies were significantly different between the two groups (P < 0.05). To confirm the results, additional animals that were collected in a different time-period were genotyped for the Nramp1 (n = 390) and TLR2 (n = 240) SNPs. The results using the combined samples (n = 761) were consistent with the initial analysis (P < 0.01), suggesting that the genetic polymorphisms of Nramp1 and TLR2 affect post-weaning piglet survivability. The relative risks, i.e. odds ratios, between the beneficial and non-beneficial genotypes to piglet survivability were 4.88 and 29.65 for the Nramp1 and TLR2 SNPs, respectively.     

A scaffoldless technique for self-generation of three-dimensional keratinospheroids on liquid crystal surfaces

We describe a new scaffold-free three-dimensional (3D) cell culture model using cholesteryl ester based lyotropic liquid crystal (LC) substrates. Keratinocytes were deposited randomly on the LC surface where they self-assembled into 3D microtissues or keratinospheroids. The cell density required to form spheroids was optimized. We investigated cell viability using dead/live cell assays. The adhesion characteristics of cells within the microtissues were determined using histological sectioning and immunofluorescence staining. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to characterize the biochemistry of the keratinospheroids. We found that both cells and microtissues could migrate on the LC surface. The viability study indicated approximately 80% viability of cells in the microtissues up to 20 days of culture. Strong intercellular adhesion was observed in the stratification of the multi-layered microspheroids using field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and histochemical staining. The cytoskeleton and vinculins of the cells in the microtissues were expressed diffusely, but the microtissues were enriched with lipids and nucleic acids, which indicates close resemblance to the conditions in vivo. The basic 3D culture model based on LC may be used for cell and microtissue migration studies in response to cytochemical treatment.     

Tualang Honey Improves Human Corneal Epithelial Progenitor Cell Migration and Cellular Resistance to Oxidative Stress In Vitro

Stem cells with enhanced resistance to oxidative stress after in vitro expansion have been shown to have improved engraftment and regenerative capacities. Such cells can be generated by preconditioning them with exposure to an antioxidant. In this study we evaluated the effects of Tualang honey (TH), an antioxidant-containing honey, on human corneal epithelial progenitor (HCEP) cells in culture. Cytotoxicity, gene expression, migration, and cellular resistance to oxidative stress were evaluated. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that HCEP cells were holoclonal and expressed epithelial stem cell marker p63 without corneal cytokeratin 3. Cell viability remained unchanged after cells were cultured with 0.004, 0.04, and 0.4% TH in the medium, but it was significantly reduced when the concentration was increased to 3.33%. Cell migration, tested using scratch migration assay, was significantly enhanced when cells were cultured with TH at 0.04% and 0.4%. We also found that TH has hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) scavenging ability, although a trace level of H₂O₂ was detected in the honey in its native form. Preconditioning HCEP cells with 0.4% TH for 48 h showed better survival following H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress at 50 µM than untreated group, with a significantly lower number of dead cells (15.3±0.4%) were observed compared to the untreated population (20.5±0.9%, p<0.01). Both TH and ascorbic acid improved HCEP viability following induction of 100 µM H₂O₂, but the benefit was greater with TH treatment than with ascorbic acid. However, no significant advantage was demonstrated using 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxaldehyde, a compound that was found abundant in TH using GC/MS analysis. This suggests that the cellular anti-oxidative capacity in HCEP cells was augmented by native TH and was attributed to its antioxidant properties. In conclusion, TH possesses antioxidant properties and can improve cell migration and cellular resistance to oxidative stress in HCEP cells in vitro.