蜂毒肽类似物的合成和生物活性研究

Melittin(GIGAVLKVLTTGLPALISWIKRKRQQ-NH₂)是蜂毒中含26个氨基酸残基的多肽,具有抗菌和溶血等生物活性,是典型的阳离子抗菌肽.本文设计合成了蜂毒肽C端15残基肽片段(GLPALISWIKRKRQQ-NH₂)及其类似物(15残基).研究了Melittin及这些合成肽的抗菌活性、溶血活性、疏水性及二级结构.结果表明,合成的类似物的溶血活性明显降低,抗菌活性基本保留,且与其疏水性相关.类似物中与碱性氨基酸簇(KRKR)距离较远的残基的疏水性对其抗菌活性有较大的贡献.多肽溶血与抗菌机理不同.类似物的抗菌活性和溶血活性与其二级结构(α-螺旋结构)没有明显的相关性.     

抗菌肽SAMP1及其类似肽的构效关系

以人工合成抗菌肽1(Synthetic antimicrobial peptide 1, SAMP1)为研究模板, 采用氨基酸序列重排、 不同的带正电荷氨基酸残基和疏水性氨基酸残基取代等方法, 设计合成了8条SAMP1类似肽. 利用生物信息学软件预测了SAMP1及其类似肽的理化性质; 采用圆二色光谱(CD)技术测定其在不同环境下二级结构的变化; 采用噻唑蓝(MTT)法测定其抗菌活性; 通过红细胞溶血实验评估了这些多肽的溶血性. 结果表明, 大部分类似肽具有较低的溶血毒性和较高的广谱抗菌活性. CD光谱分析结果显示, 大部分类似肽二级结构以α螺旋和无规则卷曲为主, 在体积分数为50%的2,2,2-三氟乙醇(TFE)溶液中, α螺旋结构比例增加. 与母肽SAMP1相比, 经序列重排后得到的SAMP1-A1, SAMP1-A2和SAMP1-A3的抗菌活性变化不大, 但序列中正电荷氨基酸残基均匀分布的类似肽SAMP1-A2的溶血毒性增加. 用精氨酸(Arg)取代SAMP1序列中的赖氨酸(Lys)得到的类似肽SAMP1-A4的抗菌活性增强, 同时溶血毒性降低. 用疏水性较强的异亮氨酸(Ile)和缬氨酸(Val)取代SAMP1中的疏水性氨基酸残基, 得到的类似肽SAMP1-A5和SAMP1-A7的抗菌活性急剧降低; 用疏水性较弱的色氨酸(Trp)取代SAMP1中的疏水性氨基酸残基, 得到的类似肽SAMP1-A8的抗菌活性增强, 同时溶血毒性提高.     

具有高效抗真菌活性的β-氨基酸聚合物

通过模拟带有正电荷和两亲性结构的天然宿主防御肽(HDPs)，采用β-氨基酸N-硫代羧基酸酐(β-NTA)开环聚合方法，将不同比例正电荷单体N(α)-Z-DL-2,3-二氨基丙酸N-硫代羧基酸酐(DAP)和疏水性单体3-氨基-2-(苯基)丙酸N-硫代羧基酸酐(Ph)进行共聚，得到了系列两亲性β-氨基酸聚合物(DAP_xPh_y)₂₀。通过核磁共振氢谱仪(¹H-NMR)和凝胶渗透色谱仪(GPC)对其链长和结构进行表征。结果表明：(DAPx Phy)20聚合物具有高抗白色念珠菌活性，最低抑菌浓度(MIC)为1.56～12.5μg/mL，且该聚合物在200μg/mL质量浓度下未对人血红细胞和成纤维细胞造成明显毒性。     

热处理对海参溶菌酶C端多肽的抑菌活性和结构的影响

实验优化了重组蛋白C端多肽(SjLys-C)的E.coli Rosetta(DE3)pLysS表达系统,将重组质粒pET-32a(+)-SjLys-C转入有助于蛋白二硫键正确折叠的新表达宿主E.Coli Rosetta-GamiB(DE3)pLysS中.SDS-PAGE分析表明,重组蛋白SjLys-C在宿主中得到高效可溶表达.抑菌实验结果表明,重组蛋白SjLys-C具有较高的抑菌活性;经100℃处理40 min后,蛋白SjLys-C的抑菌活性提高.分子动力学(MD)模拟表明,SjLys-C蛋白具有高度的热稳定性,蛋白热处理后未变性,仍维持完整的三级结构.但在热处理过程中,SjLys-C多肽的氨基酸残基随温度变化发生内部结构的重排.其中C端区、N端区和活性区域(10~20)内氨基酸残基的柔性增加,蛋白整体构象展开,导致被包埋在内部的2个活性位点(Ser18,His48)暴露,并且它们之间的距离缩短;而活性区域(37~47)内氨基酸残基的构象调整,导致区域结构紧凑,使2个活性位点间的距离改变.     

螺旋型抗菌肽的疏水性对抗细菌与抗真菌活性的影响比较

α-螺旋型多肽HPRP-A1由15个氨基酸残基组成,来源于幽门螺杆菌核糖体蛋白L1的N端.本研究以HPRP-A1为模板,在其非极性面中心通过单个氨基酸定点取代的方法,形成一系列疏水性不同的多肽类似物,系统地研究疏水性对α-螺旋型多肽生物活性的影响.结果显示,多肽疏水性及所带净电荷对多肽生物活性起着重要的作用;HPRP-A1及疏水性相对较高的多肽类似物具有较好的广谱抗菌活性（包括革兰氏阳性菌、革兰氏阴性菌及真菌）,但也有相对较高的溶血活性;多肽的疏水性与所带净电荷的变化对多肽抗细菌活性与抗真菌活性所产生的影响有着相似的变化趋势和程度.这意味着多肽与细菌的作用机制和多肽与真菌的作用机制存在一定的相关性.多肽对细菌和真菌的抗菌活性存在特异性,为设计出具有临床应用前景的抗菌肽药物奠定了基础.     

净电荷对螺旋型抗癌肽生物活性的影响

以高活性两亲性α-螺旋型阳离子抗癌肽A12L/A20L(多肽P)为模板, 在其亲水面进行氨基酸定点取代, 获得了一系列带有不同净电荷的多肽类似物, 研究了净电荷对螺旋型抗癌肽生物活性的影响. 结果表明, 抗癌肽净电荷的改变对其溶血活性影响较小(最大差异为2倍), 而对抗癌活性和选择性的影响显著(最大差异为10倍). 抗癌肽P的净电荷最适范围为+7到+8, 分子间静电排斥作用的最佳数目为3~5个, 高于或低于此范围, 其抗癌活性和选择性均明显降低. 与人的正常细胞相比, 负电性的癌细胞膜对于抗癌肽的净电荷变化更敏感, 表明两亲性螺旋型抗癌肽针对癌细胞与正常细胞表现出良好的选择特异性.     

氨基酸席夫碱的合成及性质研究

合成了5种氨基酸席夫碱Sal-Gly(甘氨酸席夫碱)、Sal-Glu(谷氨酸席夫碱)、Sal-Met(甲硫氨酸席夫碱)、Sal-Tyr(酪氨酸席夫碱)、Sal-Arg(精氨酸席夫碱)及其金属锌离子配合物共10种化合物.用元素分析、核磁共振、红外光谱、紫外-可见光谱等手段对其组成的结构进行表征.以Sal-Tyr-Zn为主体,咪唑(1),1-甲基-咪唑(2),2-乙基-4-甲基咪唑(3),吡唑(4),4-碘苯胺(5),DABCO(1,4-重氮双环[2,2,2]辛烷)(6),邻苯二胺(7)和1,2-环己二胺(8)为客体,进行配位相互作用研究.选取大肠杆菌作为抑菌菌种,研究了氨基酸席夫碱的抑菌能力.结果表明,氨基酸席夫碱配体及金属锌配合物对大肠杆菌均有抑菌活性,配体的抗菌活性随氨基酸残基的增大而减小.金属锌配合物的抑菌活性大于其所对应的氨基酸席夫碱配体的抑菌活性,活性最大的则为Sal-Arg-Zn.     

取代喹啉类化合物抗菌活性的3D-QSAR研究及分子设计

通过比较分子力场分析方法(Co MFA)研究取代喹啉类化合物对金黄色葡萄球菌抑菌活性(p M)的三维定量结构-活性相关(3D-QSAR)。12个化合物建立了预测模型,7个化合物作为验证集(含模板分子)。训练集的Co MFA模型显示立体场、静电场对生物活性贡献依次为49.8%、50.2%。该模型的交叉验证相关系数R2cv=0.650,非交叉验证相关系数R2=0.918,对测试集中的7个化合物的生物活性进行了预测,显示出较强的稳定性和良好的预测能力。通过分析Co MFA三维等势图发现,在取代喹啉类化合物抑菌机理中,R4取代基的强吸电性起主要作用,其次是其他取代基的疏水性作用。应用上述规律进行分子设计,获得了3个在理论上具有较高抑菌活性的新的取代喹啉衍生物,期待实验的验证。     

抗菌肽IB-367的固相合成与抑菌活性

采用固相合成方法,以Rink Amide树脂为载体,Fmoc保护氨基酸为原料,经苯并三唑-1-四甲基六氟磷酸酯(HBTU)/N,N-二异丙基乙胺(DIEA)缩合,三氟乙酸/苯甲硫醚/乙二硫醇/苯甲醚裂解体系脱除保护基制得IB-367线性肽(4); 4经双氧水氧化制得IB-367一环肽(5); 5经碘乙醇溶液氧化合成抗菌肽IB-367(6),收率34.1%,纯度＞95.0%,其结构经MS(ESI)和氨基酸组成分析确证。抑菌活性研究结果表明：6对大肠杆菌和金黄色葡萄球菌的最小抑菌浓度为5.0 μg·mL^-1。     

亮氨酰-tRNA合成酶的限制性酶解及活性片段的研究

大肠杆菌亮氨酰-tRNA合成酶(LeuRS)经胰蛋白酶限制性酶解,被切去约6k分子量肽段,产生一96k片段。该片段具有与天然酶相同的氨基酸活化反应的动力学常数,但丧失氨酰化活性、tRNA~(Leu)结合活性等由tRNAL~(Leu)参与的一系列活性。N-末端分析表明切去的6k肽段系LeuRS C端部分,该部分是LeuRS结合tRNAL~(Leu)所必需的。本文表明LeuRS的氨基酸活化和氨酰化这两种活性是相互独立并分别处于酶分子不同的结构域。LeuRS C端部分可能是tRNA~(Leu)的结合部分。     

Molecular dynamics study of the solvation of an alpha-helical transmembrane peptide by DMSO

A 10-ns molecular dynamics study of the solvation of a hydrophobic transmembrane helical peptide in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is presented. The objective is to analyze how this aprotic polar solvent is able to solvate three groups of amino acid residues (i.e., polar, apolar, and charged) that are located in a stable helical region of a transmembrane peptide. The 25-residue peptide (sMTM7) used mimics the cytoplasmic proton hemichannel domain of the seventh transmembrane segment (TM7) from subunit a of H(+)-V-ATPase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The three-dimensional structure of peptide sMTM7 in DMSO has been previously solved by NMR spectroscopy. The radial and spatial distributions of the DMSO molecules surrounding the peptide as well as the number of hydrogen bonds between DMSO and the side chains of the amino acid residues involved are extracted from the molecular dynamics simulations. Analysis of the molecular dynamics trajectories shows that the amino acid side chains are fully embedded in DMSO. Polar and positively charged amino acid side chains have dipole-dipole interactions with the oxygen atom of DMSO and form hydrogen bonds. Apolar residues become solvated by DMSO through the formation of a hydrophobic pocket in which the methyl groups of DMSO are pointing toward the hydrophobic side chains of the residues involved. The dual solvation properties of DMSO cause it to be a good membrane-mimicking solvent for transmembrane peptides that do not unfold due to the presence of DMSO.     

Novel des-fatty acyl-polymyxin B derivatives with Pseudomonas aeruginosa-specific antimicrobial activity

Polymyxin B (PMB) is a cationic cyclic decapeptide antibiotic with a fatty acyl (FA) modification at the α-amino group of Dab1 (Dab: L-α,γ-diaminobutyric acid). In this study, which is part of a series of PMB structure-activity relationship investigations focused on identifying clinically useful peptide antibiotics, we synthesized ten des-FA PMB derivatives whose N-terminal moieties were changed to basic or hydrophilic amino acids. The antimicrobial and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) binding activities of these synthetic analogs were tested. The analogs showed more potent antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) compared with the PMB nonapeptide. In particular, [Ser2-Dap3]-PMB(2-10), Guanyl-[Thr2-Dab3]-PMB(2-10), Guanyl-[Dab1-Thr2-Dab3]-PMB(1-10), and N(α,γ)-diguanyl-[Dap3]-PMB(3-10) had antimicrobial activity equivalent to PMB. In LPS binding assays, the displacement curves shifted in a manner proportional to the number of positive charges available to bind to Escherichia coli (E. coli) and P. aeruginosa. Furthermore, peptides with basic side chains were comparable to PMB in binding activity assays against E. coli and P. aeruginosa. The acute toxicities of the peptides were evaluated by intravenously administering the peptides to mice through the tail vein. The toxicities of [Ser2-Dap3]-PMB(2-10), [Dap3]-PMB(3-10), and [Ser3]-PMB(3-10) were lower that of PMB (LD??, 4.8 μmol/kg).     

TAC-scaffolded tripeptides as artificial hydrolytic receptors: a combinatorial approach toward esterase mimics

In this report, we present the first library of tripodal synthetic receptor molecules containing three different, temporarily N-terminal protected peptide arms capable of performing hydrolytic reactions. To construct this library, the orthogonally protected triazacyclophane (TAC)-scaffold was used in the preparation of a split-mix library of 19 683 resin bound tripodal receptor molecules. For the construction of the peptide arms, three different sets of amino acids were used, each focused on one part of the catalytic triad as found in several families of hydrolytic enzymes. Therefore, in the sets of amino acids used to assemble these tripeptides, basic (containing His and Lys), nucleophilic (containing Ser and Cys), or acidic (containing Asp and Glu) amino acid residues were present. In addition, nonfunctional hydrophobic amino acid residues were introduced. Possible unfavorable electrostatic interactions of charged N-termini or their acetylation during screening were circumvented by trifluoroacetylation of the N-terminal amines. Screening was performed with a known esterase substrate, 7-acetoxycoumarin, which upon hydrolysis gave the fluorescent 7-hydroxycoumarin, leading to fluorescence of beads containing a hydrolytically active synthetic receptor. Although many synthetic receptors contain catalytic triad combinations, apparently, only a few showed hydrolytic activity. Sequence analysis of the active receptors showed that carboxylate-containing amino acids are frequently found in the acidic arm and that substrate cleavage is mediated by lysine (noncatalytic) or histidine (catalytic) residues. Kinetic analysis of resynthesized receptors showed that catalysis depended on the number of histidine residues and was not assisted by significant substrate binding.     

Solution structures of human LL-37 fragments and NMR-based identification of a minimal membrane-targeting antimicrobial and anticancer region

To understand the structure and activity relationship of human LL-37, a series of peptide fragments was designed. The N-terminal fragment, LL-37(1-12), was not active, while the C-terminal fragment, LL-37(13-37), killed Escherichia coli, as well as drug-sensitive and drug-resistant cancer cells. A 13-residue core antibacterial and anticancer peptide, corresponding to residues 17-29 of LL-37, was identified based on total correlated spectroscopy by trimming nonessential regions (TOCSY-trim). Because LL-37 acts on bacterial membranes, three-dimensional structures of its fragments were determined in micelles by NMR, including structural refinement by natural abundance 15N and 13C chemical shifts. Aromatic-aromatic interactions in the N-terminal fragment were proposed to be essential for LL-37 aggregation. The LL-37 core peptide adopts a similar structure in the micelles of SDS or dioctanoyl phosphatidylglycerol. This structure is retained in the C-terminal fragment LL-37(13-37) and very likely in intact LL-37 based on peptide-aided signal assignments. The higher antibacterial activity of the LL-37 core peptide than aurein 1.2 was attributed to additional cationic residues. To achieve selective membrane targeting, D-amino acids were incorporated into LL-37(17-32). While the D-peptide showed similar antibacterial activity to the L-diastereomer, it lost toxicity to human cells. Structural analysis revealed hydrophobic defects in the new amphipathic structure of the D-peptide, leading to a much shorter retention time on a reversed-phase HPLC column. It is proposed that hydrophobic defects as a result of incoherent hydrophobic packing provide a structural basis for the improvement in cell selectivity of the LL-37 fragment.     

Rationally Designed α‐Helical Broad‐Spectrum Antimicrobial Peptides with Idealized Facial Amphiphilicity

A series of 12‐amino acid peptide analogs is designed using point mutation strategy based on an α‐helical peptide template. The first mutation in the series, KL12, has an idealized facial amphiphilicity. Subsequent mutations are performed to increase hydrophobic or cationic contents. Idealized facial amphiphilicity show enhanced antimicrobial activity and selectivity against most of the tested microbes. Increasing hydrophobic contents further enhance antimicrobial potency; however, selectivity of the most hydrophobic analog is impaired due to non‐specific interactions with mammalian cell membrane. This study demonstrates that facial amphiphilicity and hydrophobic content are strongly correlated with antimicrobial activity and selectivity of antimicrobial peptides.     

Solid phase synthesis and opioid receptor binding properties of presumable dermorphin precursor derivatives.

Presumable dermorphin precursor peptide derivatives comprised of 35 amino acids and their fragments, which are based on the amino acid sequence determined by recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) techniques, were synthesized by the solid phase method. A 35-residue peptide amide containing L-Ala2-dermorphin sequence at the N-terminus (1) as well as its D-Ala2 isomer (2) and the C-terminal 20-residue peptide amide were found to be unexpectedly stable against aminopeptidase M digestion and in rat brain membrane fractions mixture, suggesting that the C-terminal Glu-rich moiety of 1 and 2 serves to protect from enzymatic breakdown. In the opioid receptor binding assay, 2 showed 40 and 25-fold higher affinities than 1 for mu and delta-receptors, respectively. The N-terminal 15-residue peptide fragment of 2 showed greatly increased affinities for both receptors, being one half of those of dermorphin, whereas that of 1 showed low affinities. Opioid receptor binding properties of these synthetic peptides may be useful in investigation of the processing to dermorphin.     

Structure‐guided RP‐HPLC chromatography of diastereomeric α‐helical peptide analogs substituted with single amino acid stereoisomers

An α‐helical model peptide (Ac‐EAEKAAKE‐X‐EKAAKEAEK‐amide) was used as a template to examine the efficacy of conventional reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography (RP‐HPLC) in separating peptide analogs with single substitutions (at position X) of diasteromeric amino acids Ile, allo‐Ile, d ‐Ile and d ‐allo‐Ile. We compared differences in peptide retention behavior on a C₈ column and a C₁₈ column at different temperatures. We demonstrated how subtle differences in peptide secondary structure affected by the different substitutions of amino acids with identical overall hydrophobicity enabled effective resolution of these peptide analogs. We also demonstrated the ability of RP‐HPLC to separate Ile‐ and allo‐Ile‐substituted analogs of a 26‐residue α‐helical antimicrobial peptide (AMP), with the substitution site towards the C‐terminus of the α‐helix. These peptides show different values of antibacterial activity and hemolytic activity, and different selectivity against bacteria and human cells. Our results underline the ability of RP‐HPLC to resolve even difficult diasteromeric peptide mixtures as well as its value in monitoring very subtle hydrophobicity changes in de novo‐designed AMP. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.