Influence of methylation of the histidine ring of [Sar1]angiotensin II on conformation and biological activity.

[Sar1His(1-Me)6]ANG II and [Sar1His(3-Me)6]ANG II were synthesized by the solid-phase method and purified by reversed-phase HPLC. 1H-NMR spectroscopy at 400 MHz demonstrated the presence of two major conformers for both peptides in DMSO, representing cis and trans isomers (ratio 1:3 and 1:4, respectively) due to restricted rotation at the His-Pro bond. The contractile activities of these peptides in the rat isolated uterus assay were < 0.1 and 27% of that of ANG II, respectively. The bioactivities of these analogues were mirrored in their NMR spectra: the inactive analogue [Sar1His(1-Me)6]ANG II showed perturbations of the Sar and His residues which were not present for [Sar1His(3-Me)6]ANG II and the reference agonist [Sar1]ANG II. The high activity of the analogue methylated at His N3 suggests that an ionizable imidazole proton is not an absolute requirement for expression of biological activity by angiotensin ligands, and that the imidazole group in the molecule may function in an ion dipole-based mechanism when an intramolecular proton transfer (charge relay) mechanism is not available. The biological activity of the ligand appears to depend on the degree of proton transfer from Tyr-OH to the imidazole acceptor, wherein complete (formal) proton transfer represents 100% activity.

Design, synthesis, and characterization of a protein sequencing reagent yielding amino acid derivatives with enhanced detectability by mass spectrometry.

We report the design, chemical synthesis, and structural and functional characterization of a novel reagent for protein sequence analysis by the Edman degradation, yielding amino acid derivatives rapidly detectable at high sensitivity by ion-evaporation mass spectrometry. We demonstrate that the reagent 3-[4'(ethylene-N,N,N-trimethylamino)phenyl]-2-isothiocyanate is chemically stable and shows coupling and cyclization/cleavage yields comparable to phenylisothiocyanate, the standard reagent in chemical sequence analysis, under conditions typically encountered in manual or automated sequence analysis. Amino acid derivatives generated with this reagent were detectable by ion-evaporation mass spectrometry at the subfemtomole sensitivity level at a pace of one sample per minute. Furthermore, derivatives were identified by their mass, thus permitting the rapid and highly sensitive determination of the molecular nature of modified amino acids. Derivatives of amino acids with acidic, basic, polar, or hydrophobic side chains were reproducibly detectable at comparable sensitivities. The polar nature of the reagent required covalent immobilization of polypeptides prior to automated sequence analysis. This reagent, used in automated sequence analysis, has the potential for overcoming the limitations in sensitivity, speed, and the ability to characterize modified amino acid residues inherent in the chemical sequencing methods that are currently used.

Importance of the N-terminal domain of the type I angiotension II antagonist [Sar1,Ile8]ANG II for receptor blockade.

Analogues of the Type I angiotensin (ANG) antagonist, [Sar1,Ile8]ANG II, in which the N-terminal dipeptide was modified were synthesized by the solid phase method and purified by reversed-phase HPLC. Antagonist potencies (pA2) of the peptides were determined on the rat isolated uterus using ANG II as the agonist. Substitution of the Arg residue occupying position 2 of [Sar1,Ile8]ANG II (pA2 8.1) by Gly, Ala, Nle, Phe, Pro or Sar reduced the antagonist potency to pA2 = 7.0, 6.8, 6.7, 6.8, 5.8 and 5.3, respectively. Deletion of the N-terminal Sar residue in these same peptides gave pA2 = 6.8, 5.7, 5.5, 5.9, 6.1 and 7.5, respectively. The characteristically long duration of action of [Sar1,Ile8] was absent for all of these analogues including (des1, Sar2, Ile8]ANG II. These findings demonstrate that the antagonist potencies of Type I angiotensin antagonists for smooth muscle receptors, and also the long duration of action, are dependent on the location of positive charges within the peptide and on the conformation of the molecule in determining favorable electrostatic interactions with the receptor. A model is proposed in which the two positively charged loci on the angiotensin molecule (N-terminus and Arg) interact with two corresponding anionic binding sites on the smooth muscle receptor. The possibility that the prolonged duration of action of [Sar1, Ile8]ANG II results from binding to a different site on the angiotensin receptor from that occupied by ANG II is discussed in relation to the present findings.

Synthesis and biological activity profiles of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) analogs.

Several analogs of the atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) were synthesized by the solid-phase method using the acetamidomethyl (Acm) group for sulfhydryl protection. The compounds were tested in a receptor binding assay using bovine adrenal zona glomerulosa cell membranes and in the rat diuresis/natriuresis assay. Substitution of tyrosine in position 116 of ANF(101-126) and of the analog [3-Mpr105]ANF(105-126)(3-Mpr = 3-mercaptopropionic acid) did not alter the biological activity profiles and, therefore, these two analogs in radioiodinated form will be useful for enzymatic degradation and clearance studies. Replacement of 3-mercaptopropionic acid with 2-mercaptopropionic acid in [3-Mpr105]ANF(105-126) resulted in an analog with very low potency in both assay systems, presumably as a consequence of the steric bulk and/or local conformational restriction produced by the methyl group attached to the alpha-carbon in position 105. The analog [3-Mpr105,Nva109]ANF(105-126)(Nva = norvaline) showed very low affinity in the receptor binding assay but displayed considerable diuretic/natriuretic activity. The obtained biological activity profiles suggest that in comparison with other ANF peptides the des-amino ANF(105-126) analogs may have a somewhat longer half-life in vivo, or alternatively, may indicate a more complex situation of ANF receptor or binding site heterogeneity.

Importance of the N-terminal domain of the type II angiotensin antagonist sarmesin for receptor blockade.

Analogues of the competitive angiotensin antagonist [Sar1,Tyr(ME)4]angiotensin II (sarmesin) with modifications at the N-terminus have been prepared by the solid-phase method and purified by reversed-phase HPLC. Substitution of the Sar1 residue of sarmesin with N,N-dimethyl-Gly, N-ethyl-Gly, aminoisobutyric, (methylamino)isobutyric, aminocaproic, and oxamic acids gave analogues that had the following respective antagonist activities (pA2) in the rat isolated uterus assay: less than 6, 6.9, 5.5, 6.0, less than 6, and 5.3. The additional substitution of Ile for Phe at the C-terminus of the latter four peptides gave pA2 values of 7.1, 5.1, less than 5, and 5. Substitution of the Arg2 residue of sarmesin with Nle or Sar abolished antagonist activity. These data emphasize the stringent and discriminating structural requirements in the N-terminal domain of sarmesin that endow this analogue with its antagonist properties and suggest the presence of defined steric constraints in this region of the molecule during receptor blockade.

Structure-activity relationships for the competitive angiotensin antagonist [sarcosine,O-methyltyrosine4]angiotensin II (sarmesin).

Analogues of the competitive angiotensin antagonist [Sar1,Tyr(Me)4]ANG II (sarmesin) in which the sarcosine-1, O-methyltyrosine-4, and phenylalanine-8 residues were modified have been synthesized by the solid-phase method. The agonist and antagonist potencies of the 23 peptides synthesized were determined in the rat isolated uterus assay. At position 1, replacement of Sar with Asp, Ala, or Pro gave inactive analogues, and deletion of the N-terminal amino acid produced inactive heptapeptides for all analogues investigated. At position 4, substitution of Tyr with Tyr(Et), D-Tyr, D-Phe, Ile, Thr, or Hyp resulted in inactive analogues, whereas substitution of Phe gave a potent competitive antagonist (pA2 = 7.9), which retained significant agonist activity (22%). For position 8, [Sar1,Tyr(Me)4,Ile8]ANG II and [Sar1,Phe4,Ile8]ANG II were weaker antagonists (pA2 = 6.6 and 6.7, respectively) than [Sar1,Ile8]ANG II (pA2 apparent = 8.1) and, moreover, were reversible competitive antagonists. These findings demonstrate that the structural requirements for receptor blockade by sarmesin are remarkably stringent--modifications at positions 1, 4, and 8 markedly reduce the antagonist activity of this peptide.

Structure-desensitization relationships of angiotensin analogues in the rat isolated uterus.

The desensitizing potencies of angiotensin II (ANG II) analogues modified at positions 1, 2, 4, 7, and 8 have been examined in the rat isolated uterus assay by determining the time of recovery of the half-maximal concentration (EC50) response to angiotensin II after treatment of the tissues with a high dose (10(-5) M) of each analogue for 2 min. The magnitude of the desensitization effect was substituent dependent in the following manner: position 1, sarcosine (Sar) greater than Asp greater than des-Asp; position 2, Arg greater than Sar; position 4, Tyr greater than Tyr(Me) approximately Phe; position 7, 3,4-dehydroproline (Dpr) greater than Pro greater than thioproline (Tpr) greater than Sar; position 8, Ile greater than D-Trp greater than Ala greater than Phe. The "additivity" rule applied to these structure-desensitization relationships and the most potent desensitizer, requiring 3 h for reestablishment of the EC50 response, was [Sar1, Dpr7, Ile8]-ANG II. The desensitizing potencies of these analogues did not correlate with agonist or antagonist activities and demonstrated that the angiotensin-mediated tissue desensitization process has unique structural determinants. Methylation or elimination of the tyrosine hydroxyl group of strong desensitizers virtually eliminated the desensitization effect, implicating the phenoxyl moiety in the mechanism of desensitization. The initial phase of recovery of angiotensin responsiveness after desensitization by several analogues appeared to obey first-order kinetics. The results are discussed in the contexts of both one- and two-site receptor models.

Synthesis and biological activities of analogues of angiotensins II and III containing O-methyltyrosine and D-tryptophan.

Analogues of angiotensin II and III (ANG II and ANG III) in which the tyrosine and/or phenylalanine residues were substituted have been synthesized by the solid-phase method and purified by (carboxymethyl)cellulose chromatography and reversed-phase HPLC. The antagonist and agonist potencies of these peptides were determined in the rat isolated uterus assay. [Sar1,Tyr(Me)4]ANG II, [Tyr(Me)3]ANG III, [Sar1,D-Trp4]ANG II, [D-Trp3]ANG III, [Sar1,D-Trp8]ANG II, [D-Trp7]ANG III, [Sar1,Tyr(Me)4,Ile8]ANG II, [Tyr(Me)3,Ile7]ANG III, [Sar1,D-Trp4,Ile8]ANG II, [D-Trp3,Ile7]ANG III, [Sar1,Tyr(Me)4,D-Trp8]ANG II, and [Tyr(Me)3,D-Trp7]ANG III had antagonist activities (pA2) respectively of 8.1, less than 6, less than 6, less than 6, (7.7), (6.7), 7.2, less than 6, less than 6, less than 6, 7.1, and less than 6. The agonist activity of each peptide was less than 0.1% of that of ANG II. Analogues in which only the Phe residue was substituted were not readily reversible in the bioassay, whereas analogues in which only the Tyr residue or both the Tyr and Phe residues were substituted were reversible antagonists. Peptides that were twice substituted had lower antagonist activities than peptides having a single aromatic residue substitution. Substitution of the Tyr residue in ANG II, but not ANG III, provides a new route for the synthesis of potent and competitive angiotensin antagonists. Differences in the biological properties of ANG II and ANG III analogues substituted at the Tyr residue suggest different binding/conformation requirements for the two endogenous ligands at angiotensin receptors in smooth muscle.