Synthetic α-Helical Peptides as Potential Inhibitors of the ACE2 SARS-CoV-2 Interaction.
Chembiochem
; 23(17): e202200372, 2022 09 05.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1929772
ABSTRACT
During viral cell entry, the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 binds to the α1-helix motif of human angiotensin-converting enzymeâ
2 (ACE2). Thus, alpha-helical peptides mimicking this motif may serve as inhibitors of viral cell entry. For this purpose, we employed the rigidified diproline-derived module ProM-5 to induce α-helicity in short peptide sequences inspired by the ACE2 α1-helix. Starting with Ac-QAKTFLDKFNHEAEDLFYQ-NH2 as a relevant section of α1, a series of peptides, N-capped with either Ac-ßHAsp-[ProM-5] or Ac-ßHAsp-PP, were prepared and their α-helicities were investigated. While ProM-5 clearly showed a pronounced effect, an even increased degree of helicity (up to 63 %) was observed in sequences in which non-binding amino acids were replaced by alanine. The binding affinities of the peptides towards the spike protein, as determined by means of microscale thermophoresis (MST), revealed only a subtle influence of the α-helical content and, noteworthy, led to the identification of an Ac-ßHAsp-PP-capped peptide displaying a very strong binding affinity (KD =62â
nM).
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2
/
COVID-19 Drug Treatment
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Chembiochem
Journal subject:
Biochemistry
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Cbic.202200372
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