Formation mechanism of cross‐linking Maillard compounds in peptide–xylose systems

The formation mechanism of Maillard peptides was explored in Maillard reaction through diglycine/glutathione(GSH)/(Cys‐Glu‐Lys‐His‐Ile‐Met)–xlyose systems by heating at 120 °C for 30–120 min. Maximum fluorescence intensity of Maillard reaction products (MRPs) with an emission wavelength of 420~430 nm in all systems was observed, and the intensity values were proportional to the heating time. Taken diglycine/GSH–[¹³C₅]xylose systems as a control, it was proposed that the compounds with high m/z values of 379 and 616 have the high molecular weight (HMW) products formed by cross‐linking of peptides and sugar. In (Cys‐Glu‐Lys‐His‐Ile‐Met)–xylose system, the m/z value of HMW MRPs was not observed, which might be due to the weak signals of these products. According to the results of gel permeation chromatography, HMW MRPs were formed by Maillard reaction, especially in (Cys‐Glu‐Lys‐His‐Ile‐Met)–xylose system, the percentage of Maillard peptides reached 52.90%. It was concluded that Maillard peptides can be prepared through the cross‐linking of sugar and small peptides with a certain MW range. Copyright © 2012 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The analogs of oxytocin and D-homoarginine vasopressin with bulky substituted phenylalanine in position 2

Solid phase technique on p-methylbenzhydrylamine resin wasused for the synthesis of eight analogs of oxytocin and 8-D-homoarginine vasopressin with the non-coded amino acids L- or D-2,3,4,5,6-pentamethylphenylalanine and L- or D-4-phenylphenylalanine in position 2. The preparation of theabove mentioned non-coded amino acids is described as well.All eight analogs were found to be potent inhibitors ofoxytocin activity in the uterotonic in vitro test in theabsence of Mg²⁺ ions. In the uterotonic test invitro in the presence of Mg²⁺ and in the test invivo, their potency is strongly decreased or completelyabolished. The substances are also weak pressor inhibitors.The L or D configuration does not seem to influence theactivity significantly.     

Cyclization of a cell‐penetrating peptide via click‐chemistry increases proteolytic resistance and improves drug delivery

In this work we report synthesis and biological evaluation of a cell‐penetrating peptide (CPP), that is partly cyclized via a triazole bridge. Recently, beneficious properties have been reported for cyclized peptides concerning their metabolic stability and intracellular uptake. A CPP based on human calcitonin was used in this study, and side chain cyclization was achieved via copper catalyzed alkyne‐azide click reaction. Cell viability studies in several cell‐lines revealed no cytotoxic effects. Furthermore, efficient uptake in breast cancer MCF‐7 cells could be determined. Moreover, preliminary studies using this novel peptide as drug transporter for daunorubicin were performed. Copyright © 2016 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

酶法制备海洋活性肽及其功能活性研究进展

海洋生物活性肽(Marine biological active peptide)是从海洋生物中提取的具有优化机体代谢环境、有益于机体健康的一类多肽。酶法制备海洋生物活性肽是目前最常用的制备方法,是通过适当的蛋白酶水解海洋生物蛋白来制备生物活性肽的一种方法。海洋生物活性肽在降血压、抗氧化、抗凝血及抗菌等方面效果显著,对治疗和预防疾病具有巨大潜力。介绍海洋生物活性肽在酶解制备及其生物学功能方面国内外研究进展,为进一步开展海洋活性多肽研究提供参考。     

促卵泡激素结合片段通过P13K／Akt—cyclinD1通路抑制卵巢癌细胞增殖活性

目的：研究促卵泡激素（FSH）结合片段对卵巢上皮性细胞癌细胞株hey增殖活性的影响。方法：应用卵巢上皮性细胞癌细胞株hey作为实验对象,分别加入FSH、FSH结合片段、FSH＋FSH结合片段。用四甲基偶氮唑蓝（MTT）法检测卵巢癌hey细胞的生长状况,Westernblot检测cyclinD1、Akt、pAkt分子的表达。结果：FSH对卵巢癌hey细胞的生长有明显的促进作用,细胞生长活性提高21％。FSH结合片段对卵巢癌细胞的生长有明显抑制作用,对细胞平均抑制率为22％,且能下调cyclinD1的表达,在2．5×10^-9Mol／L达70％。FSH结合片段对FSH有竞争抑制作用,细胞抑制率为18％,能抑制FSH上调cyclinD1的作用,抑制率为61％。FSH能上调pAkt的表达,对Akt的袁达没有明显影响,在40mlU／ml的浓度时pAkt／Akt上调率达224％。FSH结合片段对Akt的表达没有明显影响,但能明显下调pAkt的表达,且呈时间依赖性（在15分钟时达66％）和剂量依赖性（在2．5×10^-9Mol／L达31％）。FSH结合片段能抑制FSH上调pAkt的作用,抑制率为80％。结论：FSH结合片段可通过抑制FSH诱导的P13FdAkt-cycl—inD1信号通路进而抑制上皮性卵巢癌hey细胞的增殖活性,     

Computational resources and tools for antimicrobial peptides

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), as evolutionarily conserved components of innate immune system, protect against pathogens including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. In general, AMPs are relatively small peptides (<10 kDa) with cationic nature and amphipathic structure and have modes of action different from traditional antibiotics. Up to now, there are more than 19 000 AMPs that have been reported, including those isolated from nature sources or by synthesis. They have been considered to be promising substitutes of conventional antibiotics in the quest to address the increasing occurrence of antibiotic resistance. However, most AMPs have modest direct antimicrobial activity, and their mechanisms of action, as well as their structure–activity relationships, are still poorly understood. Computational strategies are invaluable assets to provide insight into the activity of AMPs and thus exploit their potential as a new generation of antimicrobials. This article reviews the advances of AMP databases and computational tools for the prediction and design of new active AMPs. Copyright © 2016 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structural and functional evolution of three cardiac natriuretic peptides

Natriuretic peptides (NPs) are a group of hormones playing important roles in cardiovascular and osmoregulatory systems in vertebrates. Among the NP subtypes, atrial NP (ANP), B-type NP (BNP), and ventricular NP (VNP) are circulating hormones expressed exclusively in the heart (cardiac NPs). The constitution of cardiac NPs is variable among species of vertebrates. In order to understand the evolutionary and functional significance of such variation, we performed a systematic survey of cardiac NP cDNAs in nine taxonomically diverse teleosts inhabiting environments of varying salinity. The discovery of the coexistence of the ANP, BNP, and VNP genes in the eel and rainbow trout suggested that the ancestral teleost had all three cardiac NPs. As the VNP cDNA was undetectable in ayu and six species of Neoteleostei, it is possible that VNP was lost before the divergence of Osmeroidei. The ANP gene was also undetectable in the medaka. Thus, only the BNP gene is universal in species examined in the present study. Synthetic medaka BNP preferentially activated two medaka GC-A-type receptors, suggesting that the three cardiac NPs share the same receptor. However, the regulation of BNP expression may be the most strict because ATTTA repeats in the 3'-untranslated region and the dibasic motif in the ring are conserved among teleosts and tetrapods. Linkage analyses in the rainbow trout located ANP, BNP, and VNP genes on the same chromosome, which suggested the generation of the VNP gene by tandem duplication as observed with ANP and BNP genes. If the duplication occurred before the divergence of tetrapods and teleosts, VNP may exist in the tetrapod lineage.     

促胰岛素释放肽和GLP-1类似物研究进展

近年来,从细菌、真菌等低等生物和爬行类、哺乳类等高等动物的体内,都发现存在着结构和功能相关、相似的促胰岛素释放肽或GLP-1类似物.目前国内外研究都在密切关注胰高血糖素样肽-1(glucagonl-ikepeptide-1,G LP-1)和G LP-1类似物等胰高血糖素家族肽,对其进行基因工程高效表达或通过组合化学方法修饰、改造,从而设计治疗Ⅱ型糖尿病的多肽类药物.但是,从天然生物体内,尤其是最近从两栖类动物皮肤分泌液中和响尾蛇毒素中发现了大量能稳定促进胰岛素释放的生物活性肽,却还没有受到足够的重视,它们将很可能为筛选和开发出安全、高效、半衰期长的治疗Ⅱ型糖尿病新药物提供全新的思路和广阔的前景.     

Light- and electron-microscopic immunocytochemistry of peptidergic neurons innervating thoracico-abdominal neurohaemal areas in the blowfly

Summary Ventral thoracic neurosecretory cells (VTNCs) of the blowflies, Calliphora erythrocephala and C. vomitoria, innervating thoracic neuropil and the dorsal neural sheath of the thoracico-abdominal ganglion have been shown to be immunoreactive to a variety of mammalian peptide antisera. In the neural sheath the VTNC terminals form an extensive neurohaemal network that is especially dense over the abdominal ganglia. The same areas are invaded by separate, ut overlapping serotonin-immunoreactive (5-HT-IR) projections derived from neuronal cell bodies in the suboesophageal ganglion. Immunocytochemical studies with different antisera, applied to adjacent sections at the lightmicroscopic level, combined with extensive cross-absorption tests, suggest that the perikarya of the VTNCs contain co-localized peptides related to gastrin/cholecystokinin (CCK), bovine pancreatic polypeptide (PP), Met- and Leuenkephalin and Met-enk-Arg⁶-Phe⁷ (Met-enk-RF). Electron-microscopic immunogold-labeling shows that some of the terminals in the dorsal sheath react with several of the individual peptide antisera, whilst others with similar cytology are non-immunoreactive. In the same region, separate terminals with different cytological characteristics contain 5-HT-IR. Both 5-HT-IR and peptidergic terminals are localized outside the cellular perineurium beneath the acellular permeable sheath adjacent to the haemocoel. Hence, we propose that various bioactive substances may be released from thoracic neurosecretory neurons into the circulating haemolymph to act on peripheral targets. The same neurons may also interact by synaptic or modulatory action in the CNS in different neuropil regions of the thoracic ganglion.     

Chemical modifications of tryptophan residues in peptides and proteins

Chemical protein modifications facilitate the investigation of natural posttranslational protein modifications and allow the design of proteins with new functions. Proteins can be modified at a late stage on amino acid side chains by chemical methods. The indole moiety of tryptophan residues is an emerging target of such chemical modification strategies because of its unique reactivity and low abundance. This review provides an overview of the recently developed methods of tryptophan modification at the peptide and protein levels.