Blocking of the PD-1/PD-L1 Interaction by a D-Peptide Antagonist for Cancer Immunotherapy.

Blockade of the protein-protein interaction between the transmembrane protein programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L1 has emerged as a promising immunotherapy for treating cancers. Using the technology of mirror-image phage display, we developed the first hydrolysis-resistant D-peptide antagonists to target the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway. The optimized compound (D) PPA-1 could bind PD-L1 at an affinity of 0.51 µM in vitro. A blockade assay at the cellular level and tumor-bearing mice experiments indicated that (D) PPA-1 could also effectively disrupt the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction in vivo. Thus D-peptide antagonists may provide novel low-molecular-weight drug candidates for cancer immunotherapy.

Total chemical synthesis of the site-selective azide-labeled [I66A]HIV-1 protease.

The first total chemical synthesis of the site-selective azide-labeled [I66A]HIV-1 protease is described by native chemical ligation. Chemical synthesis of azide-labeled proteins would provide useful protein tools for biochemical, biophysical or medical studies.

Chemical synthesis of a two-photon-activatable chemokine and photon-guided lymphocyte migration in vivo.

Chemokine-guided lymphocyte positioning in tissues is crucial for normal operation of the immune system. Direct, real-time manipulation and measurement of single-cell responses to chemokines is highly desired for investigating the cell biology of lymphocyte migration in vivo. Here we report the development of the first two-photon-activatable chemokine CCL5 through efficient one-pot total chemical synthesis in milligram scale. By spatiotemporally controlled photoactivation, we show at the single-cell level that T cells perceive the directional cue without relying on PI3K activities, which are nonetheless required for persistent migration over an extended period of time. By intravital imaging, we demonstrate artificial T-cell positioning in cutaneous tissues and lymph nodes. This work establishes a general strategy to develop high-quality photo-activatable protein agents through tailor-designed caging of multiple residues and highlights the potential of photo-activatable chemokines for understanding and potential therapeutic manipulation of cell positioning and position-controlled cell behaviours in vivo.

A new method for synthesis of peptide thioesters via irreversible N-to-S acyl transfer.

A new synthetic method for peptide thioesters is described using Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis (Fmoc-SPPS). This method employs a novel enamide motif to facilitate irreversible intramolecular N-to-S acyl migration, which can efficiently afford the desired peptide thioesters (3 h, 30 °C) under the final trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) cleavage conditions. The acyl-transfer-mediated approach for synthesis of peptide thioesters tolerated different C-terminal residues and was used to synthesize human C-C motif chemokine 11 (hCCL11) via native chemical ligation.

Synthesis of cyclic peptides and cyclic proteins via ligation of peptide hydrazides.

Intramolecular ligation of peptide hydrazides is reported to occur readily, causing the lactamization of fully unprotected peptides in an epimerization-free manner. This method relies on the routine procedures of Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis. It can be used to prepare cyclic peptides and cyclic proteins under simpler, mild conditions at lower costs.

Fmoc synthesis of peptide thioesters without post-chain-assembly manipulation.

An operationally simple method for the synthesis of peptide thioesters is developed using standard Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis procedures. The method relies on the use of a premade enamide-containing amino acid which, in the final TFA cleavage step, renders the desired thioester functionality through an irreversible intramolecular N-to-S acyl transfer.