Novel peptides selected to bind vascular endothelial growth factor target the receptor-binding site.

Peptides that inhibit binding of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to its receptors, KDR and Flt-1, have been produced using phage display. Libraries of short disulfide-constrained peptides yielded three distinct classes of peptides that bind to the receptor-binding domain of VEGF with micromolar affinities. The highest affinity peptide was also shown to antagonize VEGF-induced proliferation of primary human umbilical vascular endothelial cells. The peptides bind to a region of VEGF known to contain the contact surface for Flt-1 and the functional determinants for KDR binding. This suggests that the receptor-binding region of VEGF is a binding "hot spot" that is readily targeted by selected peptides and supports earlier assertions that phage-derived peptides frequently target protein-protein interaction sites. Such peptides may lead to the development of pharmacologically useful VEGF antagonists.

Crystal structure of the complex between VEGF and a receptor-blocking peptide.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a specific and potent angiogenic factor and, therefore, a prime therapeutic target for the development of antagonists for the treatment of cancer. As a first step toward this goal, phage display was used to generate peptides that bind to the receptor-binding domain (residues 8-109) of VEGF and compete with receptor [Fairbrother, W. J., Christinger, H. W., Cochran, A. G., Fuh, G., Keenan, C. J., Quan, C., Shriver, S. K., Tom, J. Y. K., Wells, J. A., and Cunningham, B. C. (1999) Biochemistry 38, 17754-17764]. The crystal structure of VEGF in complex with one of these peptides was solved and refined to a resolution of 1.9 A. The 20-mer peptide is unstructured in solution and adopts a largely extended conformation when bound to VEGF. Residues 3-8 form a beta-strand which pairs with strand beta6 of VEGF via six hydrogen bonds. The C-terminal four residues of the peptide point away from the growth factor, consistent with NMR data indicating that these residues are flexible in the complex in solution. In contrast, shortening the N-terminus of the peptide leads to decreased binding affinities. Truncation studies show that the peptide can be reduced to 14 residues with only moderate effect on binding affinity. However, because of the extended conformation and the scarcity of specific side-chain interactions with VEGF, the peptide is not a promising lead for small-molecule development. The interface between the peptide and VEGF contains a subset of the residues recognized by a neutralizing Fab fragment and overlaps partially with the binding site for the Flt-1 receptor. The location of the peptide-binding site and the hydrophilic character of the interactions with VEGF resemble more the binding mode of the Fab fragment than that of the receptor.

Vascular clearance and organ uptake of G- and F-actin in the rat.

This study comparatively evaluated the kinetics of removal and organ distribution of circulating G- and F-actin. Both F- and G-actin were cleared in two phases (fast component with a t1/2 of 3-5 min and a slow component with a t1/2 of hours). There was no effect of dose on either the fast- or slow-compartment clearance kinetics at the doses tested (5-100 micrograms/100 g body wt). However, at the same challenging dose of F- and G-actin, more F-actin was removed during the rapid phase. Although the time constants (Tfast) for F- and G-actin removal from the vasculature during the initial rapid phase were the same, during the slow phase the time constants (Tslow) for removal of F-actin were less (P < 0.001) than that of G-actin. The fraction of F-actin removed during the rapid phase ranged from 33 to 63% and was significantly greater (P < 0.01) than the fraction of G-actin removed during this phase (10-33%). The liver was the main organ of localization, and autoradiographic studies of liver tissue demonstrated that G-actin monomers were removed by Kupffer cells, whereas F-actin was predominantly removed by hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells. In vivo endotoxin activation of Kupffer cells enhanced the rate of G-actin removal and increased liver localization of G-actin but had no effect on F-actin removal. This further supports a role for Kupffer cells in the clearance of G-actin. These studies therefore demonstrate that F- and G-actin clearance mechanisms are different. G-actin removal, presumably mediated by its binding to vitamin D binding protein, is accomplished by Kupffer cells, whereas F-actin removal at the same doses is due mainly to hepatic endothelial cell uptake.

Injections of calmidazolium chloride into the ipsilateral medial vestibular nucleus or fourth ventricle reduce spontaneous ocular nystagmus following unilateral labyrinthectomy in guinea pigs.

The effects of three injections (0.5-4.5 h post-operation) of 1-[bis-(p-chlorophenyl)methyl]-3-[2,4-dichloro-beta-(2,4- dichlorobenzyloxy)phenethyl]-imidazolium chloride (calmidazolium chloride, R24571), into the ipsilateral medial vestibular nucleus or fourth ventricle, on vestibular compensation for unilateral labyrinthectomy was studied in guinea pigs. R24571, a calmodulin antagonist and inhibitor of several Ca(2+)-dependent enzymes, caused a significant reduction in the average frequency of spontaneous ocular nystagmus (spontaneous nystagmus) during the first 53 h following unilateral labyrinthectomy (n = 5), compared with vehicle-injected animals (n = 5). Although a statistical analysis was not performed on the yaw head tilt and roll head tilt data because of the large variability between animals over the 53-h period of compensation, most R24571-treated animals had less yaw head tilt (4/4 animals) and roll head tilt (4/5 animals) at 9-11 h post-labyrinthectomy than the average values for the vehicle groups at that time. The decrease in the frequency of spontaneous nystagmus following R24571 treatment was not associated with general ataxia or sedation. These results are consistent with recent biochemical studies in suggesting that intracellular pathways associated with Ca2+ may be involved in the neuronal mechanisms of vestibular compensation following unilateral labyrinthectomy.