Total Synthesis and Conformational Study of Callyaerin A: Anti‐Tubercular Cyclic Peptide Bearing a Rare Rigidifying (Z)‐2,3‐ Diaminoacrylamide Moiety

The first synthesis of the anti‐TB cyclic peptide callyaerin A ( 1 ), containing a rare (Z)‐2,3‐diaminoacrylamide bridging motif, is reported. Fmoc‐formylglycine‐diethylacetal was used as a masked equivalent of formylglycine in the synthesis of the linear precursor to 1 . Intramolecular cyclization between the formylglycine residue and the N‐terminal amine in the linear peptide precursor afforded the macrocyclic natural product 1 . Synthetic 1 possessed potent anti‐TB activity (MIC₁₀₀=32 μm ) while its all‐amide congener was inactive. Variable‐temperature NMR studies of both the natural product and its all‐amide analogue revealed the extraordinary rigidity imposed by this diaminoacrylamide unit on peptide conformation. The work reported herein pinpoints the intrinsic role that the (Z)‐2,3‐diaminoacrylamide moiety confers on peptide bioactivity.     

Structure‐Based Approach To Improve a Small‐Molecule Inhibitor by the Use of a Competitive Peptide Ligand

Structural information about the target–compound complex is invaluable in the early stage of drug discovery. In particular, it is important to know into which part of the initial compound additional interaction sites could be introduced to improve its affinity. Herein, we demonstrate that the affinity of a small‐molecule inhibitor for its target protein could be successfully improved by the constructive introduction of the interaction mode of a competitive peptide. The strategy involved the discrimination of overlapping and non‐overlapping peptide–compound pharmacophores by the use of a ligand‐based NMR spectroscopic approach, INPHARMA. The obtained results enabled the design of a new compound with improved affinity for the platelet receptor glycoprotein VI (GPVI). The approach proposed herein efficiently combines the advantages of compounds and peptides for the development of higher‐affinity druglike ligands.     

Applications of Activity‐Based Protein Profiling (ABPP) and Bioimaging in Drug Discovery

Activity‐based protein profiling (ABPP) and bioimaging have been developed in recent years as powerful technologies in drug discovery. Specifically, both approaches can be applied in critical steps of drug development, such as therapy target discovery, high‐throughput drug screening and target identification of bioactive molecules. We have been focused on the development of various strategies that enable simultaneous activity‐based protein profiling and bioimaging studies, thus facilitating an understanding of drug actions and potential toxicities. In this Minireview, we summarize these novel strategies and applications, with the aim of promoting these technologies in drug discovery.     

Multitarget Drug Discovery for Alzheimer's Disease: Triazinones as BACE‐1 and GSK‐3β Inhibitors

Cumulative evidence strongly supports that the amyloid and tau hypotheses are not mutually exclusive, but concomitantly contribute to neurodegeneration in Alzheimer′s disease (AD). Thus, the development of multitarget drugs which are involved in both pathways might represent a promising therapeutic strategy. Accordingly, reported here in is the discovery of 6‐amino‐4‐phenyl‐3,4‐dihydro‐1,3,5‐triazin‐2(1H)‐ones as the first class of molecules able to simultaneously modulate BACE‐1 and GSK‐3β. Notably, one triazinone showed well‐balanced in vitro potencies against the two enzymes (IC₅₀ of (18.03±0.01) μM and (14.67±0.78) μM for BACE‐1 and GSK‐3β, respectively). In cell‐based assays, it displayed effective neuroprotective and neurogenic activities and no neurotoxicity. It also showed good brain permeability in a preliminary pharmacokinetic assessment in mice. Overall, triazinones might represent a promising starting point towards high quality lead compounds with an AD‐modifying potential.     

Autocrine‐Based Selection of Drugs That Target Ion Channels from Combinatorial Venom Peptide Libraries

Animal venoms represent a rich source of pharmacologically active peptides that interact with ion channels. However, a challenge to discovering drugs remains because of the slow pace at which venom peptides are discovered and refined. An efficient autocrine‐based high‐throughput selection system was developed to discover and refine venom peptides that target ion channels. The utility of this system was demonstrated by the discovery of novel Kv1.3 channel blockers from a natural venom peptide library that was formatted for autocrine‐based selection. We also engineered a Kv1.3 blocker peptide (ShK) derived from sea anemone to generate a subtype‐selective Kv1.3 blocker with a long half‐life in vivo.     

The Evolving Role of Chemical Synthesis in Antibacterial Drug Discovery

The discovery and implementation of antibiotics in the early twentieth century transformed human health and wellbeing. Chemical synthesis enabled the development of the first antibacterial substances, organoarsenicals and sulfa drugs, but these were soon outshone by a host of more powerful and vastly more complex antibiotics from nature: penicillin, streptomycin, tetracycline, and erythromycin, among others. These primary defences are now significantly less effective as an unavoidable consequence of rapid evolution of resistance within pathogenic bacteria, made worse by widespread misuse of antibiotics. For decades medicinal chemists replenished the arsenal of antibiotics by semisynthetic and to a lesser degree fully synthetic routes, but economic factors have led to a subsidence of this effort, which places society on the precipice of a disaster. We believe that the strategic application of modern chemical synthesis to antibacterial drug discovery must play a critical role if a crisis of global proportions is to be averted.     

Living Radical Polymerization as a Tool for the Synthesis of Polymer‐Protein/Peptide Bioconjugates

Combinations of synthetic and natural macromolecules offer a route to new functional materials. While biological and polymer chemistry may not be natural bedfellows, many researchers are focusing their attention on the benefits of combining these fields. Recent advances in living radical polymerization have provided methods to build tailor‐made macromolecular moieties using relatively simple processes. This has led to a plethora of block copolymers, end‐functional polymers and polymers with a whole range of biological recognition abilities. This review covers work carried out until late 2006 combining living radical polymerization with proteins and peptides in the rapidly‐expanding field of bioconjugation.

     

New Modalities for Challenging Targets in Drug Discovery

Our ever‐increasing understanding of biological systems is providing a range of exciting novel biological targets, whose modulation may enable novel therapeutic options for many diseases. These targets include protein–protein and protein–nucleic acid interactions, which are, however, often refractory to classical small‐molecule approaches. Other types of molecules, or modalities, are therefore required to address these targets, which has led several academic research groups and pharmaceutical companies to increasingly use the concept of so‐called “new modalities”. This Review defines for the first time the scope of this term, which includes novel peptidic scaffolds, oligonucleotides, hybrids, molecular conjugates, as well as new uses of classical small molecules. We provide the most representative examples of these modalities to target large binding surface areas such as those found in protein–protein interactions and for biological processes at the center of cell regulation.     

Efficacious Anticancer Drug Delivery Mediated by a pH‐Sensitive Self‐Assembly of a Conserved Tripeptide Derived from Tyrosine Kinase NGF Receptor

We present herein a short tripeptide sequence (Lys–Phe–Gly or KFG) that is situated in the juxtamembrane region of the tyrosine kinase nerve growth factor (Trk NGF) receptors. KFG self‐assembles in water and shows a reversible and concentration‐dependent switching of nanostructures from nanospheres (vesicles) to nanotubes, as evidenced by dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The morphology change was associated with a transition in the secondary structure. The tripeptide vesicles have inner aqueous compartments and are stable at pH 7.4 but rupture rapidly at pH≈6. The pH‐sensitive response of the vesicles was exploited for the delivery of a chemotherapeutic anticancer drug, doxorubicin, which resulted in enhanced cytotoxicity for both drug‐sensitive and drug‐resistant cells. Efficient intracellular release of the drug was confirmed by fluorescence‐activated cell sorting analysis, fluorescence microscopy, and confocal microscopy.     

Protonation‐Driven Membrane Insertion of a pH‐Low Insertion Peptide

The pH‐low insertion peptide (pHLIP) inserts into membranes and forms a transmembrane (TM) α‐helix in response to slight acidity, and has shown great potential for cancer diagnosis and treatment. As a lead, pHLIP is challenging to optimize because the mechanism of its pH‐dependent membrane interactions is not completely understood. Within pHLIP there are multiple D/E residues which could sense the pH change, the particular role played by each of them in the protonation‐driven insertion process is not clear. The precise location of the TM helix within the pHLIP sequence is also unknown. In this work, solid‐state NMR spectroscopy is used to address these central questions. Tracing backbone conformations revealed that the TM helix spans from A10 to D33 with a break at T19 to P20. Residue‐specific pK_a values of D31, D33, D25, and D14 were determined to be 6.5, 6.3, 6.1, and 5.8, respectively, and define the sequence of protonations which lead to insertion. Furthermore, possible intermediate states which disrupt membranes at pH 6.4 were proposed based on tryptophan fluorescence quenching and NMR data.     

Synthesis of a Natural Product‐Like Compound Collection through Oxidative Cleavage and Cyclization of Linear Peptides

Massive efforts in molecular library synthesis have strived for the development of synthesis methodology which systematically delivers natural product‐like compounds of high spatial complexity. Herein, we present a conceptually simple approach that builds on the power of solid‐phase peptide synthesis to assemble precursor peptides (oligomers) designed to undergo oxidative cascade reactions. By harnessing the structural side‐chain diversity and inherent stereochemical features offered by readily available amino acids (monomers), a proof‐of‐concept collection of 54 skeletally and stereochemically diverse compounds was generated, and selected compounds were elaborated into isoform‐selective metalloprotease inhibitors.     

An αv‐RGD Integrin Inhibitor Toolbox: Drug Discovery Insight,Challenges and Opportunities

There is a requirement for efficacious and safe medicines to treat diseases with high unmet need. The resurgence in αv‐RGD integrin inhibitor drug discovery is poised to contribute to this requirement. However, drug discovery in the αv integrin space is notoriously difficult due to the receptors being structurally very similar as well as the polar zwitterionic nature of the pharmacophore. This Review aims to guide drug discovery research in this field through an αv inhibitor toolbox, consisting of small molecules and antibodies. Small‐molecule αv tool compounds with extended profiles in αvβ1, 3, 5, 6 and 8 cell adhesion assays, with key physicochemical properties, have been collated to assist in the selection of the right tool for the right experiment. This should also facilitate an understanding of partial selectivity profiles of compounds generated in different assays across research institutions. Prospects for further αv integrin research and the critical importance of target validation are discussed, where increased knowledge of the selectivity for individual RGD αv integrins is key. Insights into the design of small‐molecule RGD chemotypes for topical or oral administration are provided and clinical findings on advanced molecules are examined.     

Solid‐Phase Parallel Synthesis of Functionalised Medium‐to‐Large Cyclic Peptidomimetics through Three‐Component Coupling Driven by Aziridine Aldehyde Dimers

The first solid‐phase parallel synthesis of macrocyclic peptides using three‐component coupling driven by aziridine aldehyde dimers is described. The method supports the synthesis of 9‐ to 18‐membered aziridine‐containing macrocycles, which are then functionalized by nucleophilic opening of the aziridine ring. This constitutes a robust approach for the rapid parallel synthesis of macrocyclic peptides.     

化合物库的组合技巧和组合合成

从化合物库的组合技巧和组合合成方法两个方面探讨了组合化学及其在药物开发中的应用。     

生物催化与新药研究和开发

生物催化具有条件温和、效率高、选择性强、副产物少等特点,因此生物催化在新药的研究和开发中得到广泛的应用;此外,利用生物技术对生物催化剂进行改造优化,将使其能够更好地应用于新颖的生产工艺。本文对此领域的进展作一简单介绍和概述。