Controlling morphology of peptide‐based soft structures by covalent modifications

Control of gross morphology of soft matter remains an area of continued interest. Towards this goal, this paper describes conjugation of mannose residues and introduction of thiol functionalities to diphenylalanine (FF) dipeptide, a fibrillating motif from amyloid‐β peptide, as covalent modifiers of its solution‐phase self‐assembly process. It was found that covalent attachment of a single mannose residue to FF leads to the retention of tubular structures, whereas the conjugation of two mannose units, linked through a Lys residue, resulted in a dramatic change from tubular morphology to spherical structures. However, a similar switch to spherical objects could be achieved by introducing a thiol residue in the mono‐mannosylated FF dipeptide. Interestingly, these glycopeptides also exhibited interaction with concanavalin A, thereby providing an indirect evidence for the availability of mannose units for the process of lectin‐carbohydrate interaction in the self‐organized state. Copyright © 2012 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Targeting epigenetic modifications as a potential therapeutic option for diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of visual impairment in adults of working age (20–65 years) in developed countries. The metabolic memory phenomena (persistent effect of a glycemic insult even after retrieved) associated with it has increased the risk of developing the complication even after the termination of the glycemic insult. Hence, the need for finding early diagnosis and treatment options has been of great concern. Epigenetic modifications which generally occur during the beginning stages of the disease are responsible for the metabolic memory effect. Therefore, the therapy based on the reversal of the associated epigenetic mechanism can bring new insight in the area of early diagnosis and treatment mechanism. This review discusses the diabetic retinopathy, its pathogenesis, current treatment options, need of finding novel treatment options, and different epigenetic alterations associated with DR. However, the main focus is emphasized on various epigenetic modifications particularly DNA methylation which are responsible for the initiation and progression of diabetic retinopathy and the use of different epigenetic inhibitors as a novel therapeutic option for DR.