| 1. |
- Aaldering, L. J., et al.
(författare)
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Development of an Efficient G-Quadruplex-Stabilised Thrombin-Binding Aptamer Containing a Three-Carbon Spacer Molecule
- 2017
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Ingår i: ChemBioChem. - : Wiley-VCH Verlag. - 1439-4227 .- 1439-7633. ; 18:8, s. 755-763
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The thrombin-binding aptamer (TBA), which shows anticoagulant properties, is one of the most studied G-quadruplex-forming aptamers. In this study, we investigated the impact of different chemical modifications such as a three-carbon spacer (spacer-C3), unlocked nucleic acid (UNA) and 3′-amino-modified UNA (amino-UNA) on the structural dynamics and stability of TBA. All three modifications were incorporated at three different loop positions (T3, T7, T12) of the TBA G-quadruplex structure to result in a series of TBA variants and their stability was studied by thermal denaturation; folding was studied by circular dichroism spectroscopy and thrombin clotting time. The results showed that spacer-C3 introduction at the T7 loop position (TBA-SP7) significantly improved stability and thrombin clotting time while maintaining a similar binding affinity as TBA to thrombin. Detailed molecular modelling experiments provided novel insights into the experimental observations, further supporting the efficacy of TBA-SP7. The results of this study could provide valuable information for future designs of TBA analogues with superior thrombin inhibition properties.
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| 2. |
- Aboye, Teshome L., et al.
(författare)
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A Cactus-Derived Toxin-Like Cystine Knot Peptide with Selective Antimicrobial Activity
- 2015
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Ingår i: ChemBioChem. - : Wiley. - 1439-4227 .- 1439-7633. ; 16:7, s. 1068-1077
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Naturally occurring cystine knot peptides show a wide range of biological activity, and as they have inherent stability they represent potential scaffolds for peptide-based drug design and biomolecular engineering. Here we report the discovery, sequencing, chemical synthesis, three-dimensional solution structure determination and bioactivity of the first cystine knot peptide from Cactaceae (cactus) family: Ep-AMP1 from Echinopsis pachanoi. The structure of Ep-AMP1 (35 amino acids) conforms to that of the inhibitor cystine knot (or knottin) family but represents a novel diverse sequence; its activity was more than 500 times higher against bacterial than against eukaryotic cells. Rapid bactericidal action and liposome leakage implicate membrane permeabilisation as the mechanism of action. Sequence homology places Ec-AMP1 in the plant C6-type of antimicrobial peptides, but the three dimensional structure is highly similar to that of a spider neurotoxin.
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| 3. |
- Aisenbrey, Christopher, et al.
(författare)
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Specific Isotope Labeling of Colicin E1 and B Channel Domains For Membrane Topological Analysis by Oriented Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy
- 2008
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Ingår i: ChemBioChem. - : Wiley-VCH Verlagsgesellschaft. - 1439-4227 .- 1439-7633. ; 9:6, s. 944-951
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An approach is presented to selectively label the methionines of the colicin E1 and B channel domains, each about 200 residues in size, and use them for oriented solid-state NMR investigations. By combining site-directed mutagenesis, bacterial overexpression in a methionine auxotroph E. coli strain and biochemical purification, quantitative amounts of the proteins for NMR structural investigations were obtained. The proteins were selectively labeled with 15N at only one, or at a few, selected sites. Multidimensional heteronuclear correlation high-resolution NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry were used to monitor the quality of isotopic labeling. Thereafter the proteins were reconstituted into oriented phospholipid bilayers and investigated by proton-decoupled 15N solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The colicin E1 thermolytic fragment that carries a single 15N methionine within its hydrophobic helix 9 region exhibited 15N resonances that are characteristic of helices that are oriented predominantly parallel to the membrane surface at low temperature, and a variety of alignments and conformations at room temperature. This suggests that the protein can adopt both umbrella and pen-knife conformations.
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| 4. |
- Allert, M., et al.
(författare)
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Noncovalent binding of a reaction intermediate by a designed helix-loop-helix motif - Implications for catalyst design
- 2003
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Ingår i: ChemBioChem. - : Wiley. - 1439-4227 .- 1439-7633. ; 4:4, s. 306-318
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In our search for a catalyst for the transamination reaction of asparatic acid to form oxaloacetate, twenty-five forty-two-residue sequences were designed to fold into helix-loop-helix dimers and form binding sites for the key intermediate along the reaction pathway, the aldimine. This intermediate is formed from aspartic acid and the cofactor pyridoxal phosphate. The design of the binding sites followed a strategy in which exclusively noncovalent forces were used for binding the aldimine. Histidine residues were incorporated to catalyse the rate-limiting 1,3 proton transfer reactions that converts the aldimine into the ketimine, an intermediate that is subsequently hydrolysed to form oxaloacetate and pyridoxamine phosphate. The two most efficient catalysts, T-4 and T-16, selected from the pool of sequences by a simple screening procedure, were shown by CD and NMR spectroscopies to bind the aldimine intermediate with dissociation constants in the millimolar range. The mean residue ellipticity of T-4 in aqueous solution at pH 7.4 and a concentration of 0.75 mM was -18 500 deg cm-2 dmol-1. Upon addition of 6 mM L-aspartic acid and 1.5 mM pyridoxal phosphate to form the aldimine, the mean residue ellipticity changed to -19 900 deg cm2 dmol-1. The corresponding mean residue ellipticities of T-16 were -21 200 deg cm2 dmol-1 and -24 000 deg cm2 dmol-1. These result show that the helical content increased in the presence of the aldimine, and that the folded polypeptides bound the aldimine. The 1H NMR relaxation time of the imine CH proton of the aldimine was affected by the presence of T-4 as was the 31P NMR resonance linewidth. The catalytic efficienceis of T-4 and T-16 were compared to that of imidazole and found to be more than three orders of magnitude larger. The designed binding sites were thus shown to be capable of binding the aldimine in close proximity to His residues, by noncovalent forces, into conformations that proved to be catalytically active. The results show the first time the design of well-defined catalytic sites that bind a reaction intermediate with enzyme-like affinities under equilibrium conditions and represent an important advance in de novo catalyst design.
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| 5. |
- Andersson, LK, et al.
(författare)
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Multifunctional folded polypeptides from peptide synthesis and site-selective self-functionalization - Practical scaffolds in aqueous solution
- 2002
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Ingår i: ChemBioChem. - 1439-4227 .- 1439-7633. ; 3:8, s. 741-751
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The site selectivity of His-mediated lysine and ornithine side-chain acylation in a designed four-helix bundle protein scaffold was mapped by reaction of several polypeptides with one equivalent of mono-p-nitrophenyl fumarate in aqueous solution at pH 5.9 and room temperature followed by an analysis of the degrees and sites of acylation. Integration of the HPLC chromatograms of the acylated polypeptides and trypsin cleavage followed by mass spectrometry analysis of the tryptic fragments provided the experimental evidence. Based on these and previously published results a strategy was developed for the site-selective and stepwise incorporation of three residues into a folded polypeptide in aqueous solution at room temperature. The first substituent was incorporated by reaction of a 1.7-fold excess of the corresponding active ester with the polypeptide at pH 5.9, the second substituent was introduced in a 3-fold excess after the pH value was raised to 8, and the third substituent was incorporated by reaction of a 10-fold excess with the polypeptide at pH 5.9. No intermediate steps of purification were taken and the overall yield was 30% or more. Examples of the substituents included are carbohydrates, an enzyme inhibitor, a fumarate, and an acetate group. The introduction of different substituents into three individually addressable positions in a stepwise, efficient, and controllable reaction demonstrates that designed folded polypeptides are practically useful scaffolds that can be functionalized by using very simple chemistry in aqueous solution. Predicted applications include designed receptors, biosensors, and molecular devices.
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| 6. |
- Balliu, Aleksandra, et al.
(författare)
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Conjugation of a Dipicolyl Chelate to Polypeptide Conjugates Increases Binding Affinities for Human Serum Albumin and Survival Times in Human Serum
- 2017
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Ingår i: ChemBioChem. - : Wiley. - 1439-4227 .- 1439-7633. ; 18:14, s. 1408-1414
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The affinity for human serum albumin (HSA) of a series of 2–5 kDa peptides covalently linked to 3,5-bis[[bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amino]methyl]benzoic acid, a dipicolyl chelator with micromolar affinity for Zn2+, was found by surface plasmon resonance to increase in the presence of 1 μm ZnCl2 at physiological pH. The dependence on polypeptide hydrophobicity was found to be minor, thus suggesting that the conjugates bound to the metal-binding site and not to the fatty-acid-binding site. The affinity of the conjugates increased strongly with the positive charge of the polypeptides, thus implicating the negatively charged protein surface surrounding the metal-binding site. The survival times of the peptides in human serum were extended as a consequence of stronger binding to HSA, thus suggesting that Zn2+-chelating agents might provide a general route to increased survival time of peptides in serum in therapeutic and diagnostic applications without significantly increasing their molecular weights.
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| 7. |
- Balliu, Aleksandra, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring Non-obvious Hydrophobic Binding Pockets on Protein Surfaces : Increasing Affinities in Peptide–Protein Interactions
- 2017
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Ingår i: ChemBioChem. - : Wiley. - 1439-4227 .- 1439-7633. ; 18:14, s. 1396-1407
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A 42-residue polypeptide conjugated to a small-molecule organic ligand capable of targeting the phosphorylated side chain of Ser15 was shown to bind glycogen phosphorylase a (GPa) with a KD value of 280 nm. The replacement of hydrophobic amino acids by Ala reduced affinities, whereas the incorporation of l-2-aminooctanoic acid (Aoc) increased them. Replacing Nle5, Ile9 and Leu12 by Aoc reduced the KD value from 280 to 27 nm. “Downsizing” the 42-mer to an undecamer gave rise to an affinity for GPa an order of magnitude lower, but the undecamer in which Nle5, Ile9 and Leu12 were replaced by Aoc showed a KD value of 550 nm, comparable with that of the parent 42-mer. The use of Aoc residues offers a convenient route to increased affinity in protein recognition as well as a strategy for the “downsizing” of peptides essentially without loss of affinity. The results show that hydrophobic binding sites can be found on protein surfaces by comparing the affinities of polypeptide conjugates in which Aoc residues replace Nle, Ile, Leu or Phe with those of their unmodified counterparts. Polypeptide conjugates thus provide valuable opportunities for the optimization of peptides and small organic compounds in biotechnology and biomedicine.
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| 8. |
- Battisti, U. M., et al.
(författare)
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Serendipitous Identification of a Covalent Activator of Liver Pyruvate Kinase
- 2023
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Ingår i: ChemBioChem. - : Wiley. - 1439-4227 .- 1439-7633. ; 24:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Enzymes are effective biological catalysts that accelerate almost all metabolic reactions in living organisms. Synthetic modulators of enzymes are useful tools for the study of enzymatic reactions and can provide starting points for the design of new drugs. Here, we report on the discovery of a class of biologically active compounds that covalently modifies lysine residues in human liver pyruvate kinase (PKL), leading to allosteric activation of the enzyme (EC50=0.29 μM). Surprisingly, the allosteric activation control point resides on the lysine residue K282 present in the catalytic site of PKL. These findings were confirmed by structural data, MS/MS experiments, and molecular modelling studies. Altogether, our study provides a molecular basis for the activation mechanism and establishes a framework for further development of human liver pyruvate kinase covalent activators.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Bergquist, Helen, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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Structure-Specific Recognition of Friedreich’s Ataxia (GAA)n Repeats by Benzoquinoquinoxaline Derivatives
- 2009
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Ingår i: ChemBioChem. - : Wiley. - 1439-4227 .- 1439-7633. ; 10:16, s. 2629-2637
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Expansion of GAA triplet repeats in intron 1 of the FXN gene reduces frataxin expression and causes Friedreich's ataxia. (GAA)nrepeats form non-B-DNA structures, including triple helix H-DNA and higher-order structures (sticky DNA). In the proposed mechanisms of frataxin gene silencing, central unanswered questions involve the characterization of non-B-DNA structure(s) that are strongly suggested to play a role in frataxin expression. Here we examined (GAA)nbinding by triplex-stabilizing benzoquinoquinoxaline (BQQ) and the corresponding triplex-DNA-cleaving BQQ-1,10-phenanthroline (BQQ-OP) compounds. We also examined the ability of these compounds to act as structural probes for H-DNA formation within higher-order structures at pathological frataxin sequences in plasmids. DNA-complex-formation analyses with a gel-mobility-shift assay and sequence-specific probing of H-DNA-forming (GAA)nsequences by single-strand oligonucleotides and triplex-directed cleavage demonstrated that a parallel pyrimidine (rather than purine) triplex is the more stable motif formed at (GAA)nrepeats under physiologically relevant conditions.
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