Understanding Self-Assembly of Silica-Precipitating Peptides to Control Silica Particle Morphology.

The most advanced materials are those found in nature. These evolutionary optimized substances provide highest efficiencies, e.g., in harvesting solar energy or providing extreme stability, and are intrinsically biocompatible. However, the mimicry of biological materials is limited to a few successful applications since there is still a lack of the tools to recreate natural materials. Herein, such means are provided based on a peptide library derived from the silaffin protein R5 that enables rational biomimetic materials design. It is now evident that biomaterials do not form via mechanisms observed in vitro. Instead, the material's function and morphology are predetermined by precursors that self-assemble in solution, often from a combination of protein and salts. These assemblies act as templates for biomaterials. The RRIL peptides used here are a small part of the silica-precipitation machinery in diatoms. By connecting RRIL motifs via varying central bi- or trifunctional residues, a library of stereoisomers is generated, which allows characterization of different template structures in the presence of phosphate ions by combining residue-resolved real-time NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Understanding these templates in atomistic detail, the morphology of silica particles is controlled via manipulation of the template precursors.

A Solid Support-Based Synthetic Strategy for the Site-Selective Functionalization of Peptides with Organometallic Half-Sandwich Moieties.

The number of donor atoms available on peptides that can competitively coordinate to metal centers renders the site-selective generation of advanced metal-peptide conjugates in high purity a challenging venture. Herein, we present a transmetalation-based synthetic approach on solid support in which an imidazolium pro-ligand can be used to selectively anchor a range of transition metal half-sandwich complexes onto peptides in the presence of multiple coordinative motifs. Amenable to solid support, a range of N-terminus and/or lysine conjugated metal-peptide conjugates were obtained in high purity after cleavage from the resin. The metalated peptides were evaluated for their anticancer properties against human cancer cell lines. While no cytotoxic activity was observed, this platform has the potential to i) provide a pathway to site-selective peptide labelling, ii) be explored as a biorthogonal handle and/or iii) generate a new strategy for ligand design in transition metal catalysts.

Alum triggers infiltration of human neutrophils ex vivo and causes lysosomal destabilization and mitochondrial membrane potential-dependent NET-formation.

Aluminium salts have been used in vaccines for decades. However, the mechanisms underlying their adjuvant effect are still unclear. Neutrophils, the first immune cells at the injection site, can release cellular DNA together with granular material, so-called neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). In mice, NETs apparently play a role in aluminium hydroxide (alum)-adjuvant immune response to vaccines. Although no experimental data exist, this effect is assumed to be operative also in humans. As a first step to verify this knowledge in humans, we demonstrate that the injection of alum particles into human skin biopsies ex vivo leads to similar tissue infiltration of neutrophils and NET-formation. Moreover, we characterized the mechanism leading to alum-induced NET-release in human neutrophils as rapid, NADPH oxidase-independent process involving charge, phagocytosis, phagolysosomal rupture, Ca2+ -flux, hyperpolarization of the mitochondrial membrane, and mitochondrial ROS. Extracellular flow and inhibition experiments suggested that no additional energy from oxidative phosphorylation or glycolysis is required for NET-release. This study suggests a so far unappreciated role for neutrophils in the initial phase of immune responses to alum-containing vaccines in humans and provides novel insights into bioenergetic requirements of NET-formation.

Recent Advances in Peptide-Based Approaches for Cancer Treatment.

BACKGROUND: Peptide-based pharmaceuticals have recently experienced a renaissance due to their ability to fill the gap between the two main classes of available drugs, small molecules and biologics. Peptides combine the high potency and selectivity typical of large proteins with some of the characteristic advantages of small molecules such as synthetic accessibility, stability and the potential of oral bioavailability. METHODS: In the present manuscript we review the recent literature on selected peptide-based approaches for cancer treatment, emphasizing recent advances, advantages and challenges of each strategy. RESULTS: One of the applications in which peptide-based approaches have grown rapidly is cancer therapy, with a focus on new and established targets. We describe, with selected examples, some of the novel peptide-based methods for cancer treatment that have been developed in the last few years, ranging from naturally-occurring and modified peptides to peptidedrug conjugates, peptide nanomaterials and peptide-based vaccines. CONCLUSION: This review brings out the emerging role of peptide-based strategies in oncology research, critically analyzing the advantages and limitations of these approaches and the potential for their development as effective anti-cancer therapies.

Silica particles with a quercetin-R5 peptide conjugate are taken up into HT-29 cells and translocate into the nucleus.

Intracellular delivery of bioactive polyphenols is currently evaluated as a protective strategy for cells under pharmaceutical stress. To this end, the 20mer R5 peptide from the marine diatom C. fusiformis was N-terminally modified with a quercetin derivative. This polyphenol-peptide conjugate was used to generate homogeneous silica particles under biomimetic conditions that are efficiently taken up by eukaryotic cells without being cytotoxic. However, not only was accumulation in the cytoplasm of living cells observed via electron and fluorescence microscopy but also translocation into the nucleus. The latter was only seen when the quercetin-peptide conjugate was present within the silica particles and provides a novel targeting option for silica particles to nuclei.

Ovalbumin Epitope SIINFEKL Self-Assembles into a Supramolecular Hydrogel.

Here we show that the well-known ovalbumin epitope SIINFEKL that is routinely used to stimulate ovalbumin-specific T cells and to test new vaccine adjuvants can form a stable hydrogel. We investigate properties of this hydrogel by a range of spectroscopic and imaging techniques demonstrating that the hydrogel is stabilized by self-assembly of the peptide into nanofibres via stacking of ß-sheets. As peptide hydrogels are known to stimulate an immune response as adjuvants, the immunoactive properties of the SIINFEKL peptide may also originate from its propensity to self-assemble into a hydrogel. This finding requires a re-evaluation of this epitope in adjuvant testing.

Chemical Synthesis of Peptides Containing Site-Specific Advanced Glycation Endproducts.

In nature, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids can nonenzymatically react with sugars and sugar degradation products to give rise to a diverse range of modifications, known as advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs). These AGEs typically occur at lysine and arginine residues of long-lived proteins, such as collagen, and can modify the structure and function of the native protein. AGEs accumulate during the normal aging process, and AGE formation is dramatically accelerated with diabetes. AGEs have also been implicated in a wide range of debilitating conditions including cardiovascular, renal failure, and neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, there is an ongoing interest in studying the role of AGEs in different aspects of these disorders. Typically, glycated proteins are prepared using nonspecific in vitro incubation techniques. However, this method results in a complex mixture of products which is then employed without further purification. In order to determine the effect of individual AGEs in a peptide sequence, in this Account, we highlight our synthetic methods for site-specifically introducing five frequently occurring AGEs, namely, Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML), Nε-(carboxyethyl)lysine (CEL), pyrraline, glyoxal-lysine dimer (GOLD), and methylglyoxal-lysine dimer (MOLD) into collagen peptides. Both a collagen model peptide (CMP) and the telopeptide region of human type I α1 collagen (CTP) were chosen due to being prone to glycation and cross-linking in vivo. For the preparation of the AGE-modified collagen peptides, we investigated both the initial preparation of AGE building blocks in solution followed by incorporation into Fmoc-SPPS, as well as an on-resin method whereby AGEs were selectively introduced by modification of the side-chain of an unprotected resin-bound lysine. Both of our synthetic methods enabled the site-specifically modified AGE-containing collagen peptides to be obtained in high purity and yield. In addition, the on-resin method had the added advantage of requiring fewer synthetic steps. We then evaluated the impact of the specific AGEs on the properties of the native protein and found that the AGE modifications protected against proteolytic digestion, enhanced copper binding at physiological pH, and, for the cross-linking AGEs, disrupted the triple helical structure of CMPs. Overall these synthetic methods offered a new strategy for preparing peptides site-specifically modified by AGEs, which can be applied to other peptidic systems, thereby enabling further insights into the biochemical consequences of AGEs.

A peptide hydrogel derived from a fragment of human cardiac troponin C.

The human cardiac troponin C peptide fragment H-V(9)EQLTEEQKNEFKAAFDIFVLGA(31)-OH, which covers helix-A in the native protein, self-assembles into ß-sheet fibrils in solution. These fibrils further entangle to give a hydrogel. This peptide may therefore serve as a template for development of novel biomaterials.

Intermolecular Peptide Cross-Linking by Using Diaminodicarboxylic Acids.

Synthetic methods aimed at preparing peptides cross-linked by diaminodiacids remain an important chemical challenge. These cross-links are known to play a crucial role on the activity, structural stability, and folding of the host peptides and proteins. Recent developments in the syntheses of such systems have led to intriguing advances in the understanding of intermolecular side-chain cross-linking and the role that these structural motifs play in the biochemistry of proteins. Herein we provide an overview of the existing synthetic methodology that has been developed to effect protein cross-linking using diaminodiacids.

On resin synthesis and cross-linking of collagen peptides containing the advanced glycation end-product pyrraline via Maillard condensation.

Glycation and its products cause a host of pathological conditions but their exact roles are yet to be determined. Pyrraline, a key product of glycation, and a novel pyrraline-derived cross-link have been incorporated into collagenous peptides via Maillard condensations performed on resin-bound peptide sequences.

Diabetes-induced alterations in tissue collagen and carboxymethyllysine in rat kidneys: Association with increased collagen-degrading proteinases and amelioration by Cu(II)-selective chelation.

Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) comprise a group of non-enzymatic post-translational modifications of proteins and are elevated in diabetic tissues. AGE-modification impairs the digestibility of collagen in vitro but little is known about its relation to collagen-degrading proteinases in vivo. N(ε)-carboxymethyllysine (CML) is a stable AGE that forms on lysyl side-chains in the presence of glucose, probably via a transition metal-catalysed mechanism. Here, rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes and non-diabetic controls were treated for 8weeks with placebo or the Cu(II)-selective chelator, triethylenetetramine (TETA), commencing 8weeks after disease induction. Actions of diabetes and drug treatment were measured on collagen and collagen-degrading proteinases in kidney tissue. The digestibility and CML content of collagen, and corresponding levels of mRNAs and collagen, were related to changes in collagen-degrading-proteinases. Collagen-degrading proteinases, cathepsin L (CTSL) and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) were increased in diabetic rats. CTSL-levels correlated strongly and positively with increased collagen-CML levels and inversely with decreased collagen digestibility in diabetes. The collagen-rich mesangium displayed a strong increase of CTSL in diabetes. TETA treatment normalised kidney collagen content and partially normalised levels of CML and CTSL. These data provide evidence for an adaptive proteinase response in diabetic kidneys, affected by excessive collagen-CML formation and decreased collagen digestibility. The normalisation of collagen and partial normalisation of CML- and CTSL-levels by TETA treatment supports the involvement of Cu(II) in CML formation and altered collagen metabolism in diabetic kidneys. Cu(II)-chelation by TETA may represent a treatment option to rectify collagen metabolism in diabetes independent of alterations in blood glucose levels.

Physicochemical studies on the copper(II) binding by glycated collagen telopeptides.

Emerging evidence indicates that levels of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) correlate with age- and diabetes-related organ damage and may play a causative role in such damage. Increased chelation of Cu(II) ions appears to play an important role in this process, however, the precise relationship between formation of AGEs and accumulation of Cu(II) is yet to be determined. The interaction between AGEs and Cu(II) has been investigated using a collagenous peptide that has been site-specifically modified by a key AGE. Potentiometric titration showed that introduction of this AGE increased the capacity of the host-peptide to bind Cu(II). This result was confirmed by mass spectrometric characterisation of the AGE-modified peptide-Cu(II) system.

Synthesis of monolysyl advanced glycation endproducts and their incorporation into collagen model peptides.

The synthesis of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs), CML, CEL, and pyrraline and their incorporation into collagen model peptides is reported. AGEs are modified amino acids that form on proteins such as collagen and are thought to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of many diseases, particularly diabetes. The synthesis and incorporation of these compounds into synthetic peptides is a key step in developing model systems with which to investigate AGE-modified proteins.