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Aim: DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV are essential bacterial enzymes, and in the fight against bacterial resistance, they are important targets for the development of novel antibacterial drugs. Results: Building from our first generation of 4,5,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[ d]thiazole-based DNA gyrase inhibitors, we designed and prepared an optimized series of analogs that show improved inhibition of DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV from Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, with IC50 values in the nanomolar range. Importantly, these inhibitors also show improved antibacterial activity against Gram-positive strains. Conclusion: The most promising inhibitor, 29, is active against Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium and S. aureus wild-type and resistant strains, with minimum inhibitory concentrations between 4 and 8 μg/ml, which represents good starting point for development of novel antibacterials.

Affinity chromatography based on bacterial immunoglobulin (Ig)-binding proteins represents the cornerstone of therapeutic antibody downstream processing. However, there is a pressing need for more robust affinity ligands that would withstand the harsh column sanitization conditions, while still displaying high selectivity for antibodies. Here, we report the development of linear peptide IgG ligands, identified from combinatorial phage-display library screens. The lead peptide was shown to compete with staphylococcal protein A for the IgG Fc region. Trimming analysis and alanine scanning revealed the minimal structural requirements of the peptide for Fc binding, and the minimized peptide GSYWYQVWF recognized all human IgG subtypes. Mutation of glutamine located at the nonessential position 6 to aspartate led to the optimized peptide GSYWYDVWF with 18-fold higher affinity (KD app. 0.6 μM) compared to the parent peptide. When coupled to paramagnetic beads or a chromatographic matrix, the optimized ligand was...

International audience; Enterococcus faecium D-aspartate ligase (Aslfm) is a peptide bond-forming enzyme that is involved in the peptidoglycan assembly pathway. It catalyzes the ATP-dependent ligation of the β-carboxylate of D-Asp to the ε-amino group of L-Lys in the nucleotide precursor UDP- MurNAc-pentapeptide. The enzyme is of interest as a target of new, potential, narrow-spectrum antibiotics directed against multiresistant E. faecium. The kinetic mechanism of Aslfm has not been fully characterized. To determine it, a progress curve analysis of Aslfm catalytic process using pyruvate kinase/lactate dehydrogenase ATPase detection assay was performed. With an inspection of the shape of measured progress curves and the results of specific qualitative experiments, the Aslfm reaction mechanism was singled out. The proposed Aslfm kinetics reaction scheme was evaluated by fitting the parameters of the corresponding differential equations to progress curves using the computer program ENZO. The complete kinetic analysis result is consistent with the substrate binding order 1) ATP, 2) D-Asp, and 3) UDP-MurNAc-pentapeptide. The analysis suggests that slowly establishing non-productive equilibria between the free and ATP-bound enzyme with the participating pentapeptide are responsible for initial reaction burst followed by a steady-state period before the complete depletion of the reactant added in the lowest concentration.

BACKGROUND Development of new recombinant biotechnology products has greatly expanded in the field of modern pharmacy and medicine. Since biological recombinant molecules are sensitive, simple or composed proteins, their function is heavily dependent on their structure. In addition to their efficacy, biological medicinal products could show side effects such as immunogenicity. Therefore, detection and characterization of protein structural variants is essential during development and quality control of therapeutic proteins that might trigger immunogenic response in organism. METHODS This article includes proposed detection and characterization of aggregated, as well as other modified forms of monoclonal antibodies (mAb), by using selected chromatographic and spectrometric methods. Additionally, selected mAb's aggregates and modified structural variants of monoclonal antibodies were subjected to the immature monocyte-derived dendritic cells' (DC) examination experiment for monitoring of activated DC cells in order to determine potential immunogenicity of mAb structural variants. Furthermore, potential innate immunogenic response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) cultures to mAb aggregates was also evaluated by measuring pro-inflammatory cytokine response during early exposure of PBMCs to different mAb samples and by determining the effect of mAb aggregates on PBMC proliferation during long-term cultures. RESULT AND CONCLUSION All developed and proposed analytical methods and immunological in vitro DC and PBMC assays, could be used as platform for complementary analytical characterization and determination of potential for immunogenicity for all biopharmaceutical products which contain monoclonal antibodies as active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Aims/Introduction Acute glucose fluctuations during the postprandial period pose great risk for cardiovascular complications and thus represent an important therapeutic approach in type 2 diabetes. In the present study, screening of peptide libraries was used to select peptides with an affinity towards mammalian intestinal alpha-glucosidase as potential leads in antidiabetic agent development. Materials and Methods Three phage-displayed peptide libraries were used in independent selections with different elution strategies to isolate target-binding peptides. Selected peptides displayed on phage were tested to compete for an enzyme-binding site with known competitive inhibitors, acarbose and voglibose. The four best performing peptides were synthesized. Their binding to the mammalian alpha-glucosidase and their effect on enzyme activity were evaluated. Results Two linear and two cyclic heptapeptides with high affinity towards intestinal alpha-glucosidase were selected. Phage-displayed as well as synthetic peptides bind into or to the vicinity of the active site on the enzyme. Both cyclic peptides inhibited enzyme activity, whereas both linear peptides increased enzyme activity. Conclusions Although natural substrates of glycosidase are polysaccharides, in the present study we successfully isolated novel peptide modulators of alpha-glucosidase. Modulatory activity of selected peptides could be further optimized through peptidomimetic design. They represent promising leads for development of efficient alpha-glucosidase inhibitors.

Ligands selected from phage-displayed random peptide libraries tend to be directed to biologically relevant sites on the surface of the target protein. Consequently, peptides derived from library screenings often modulate the target protein’s activity in vitro and in vivo and can be used as lead compounds in drug design and as alternatives to antibodies for target validation in both genomics and drug discovery. This review discusses the use of phage display to identify membrane receptor modulators with agonistic or antagonistic activities. Because isolating or producing recombinant membrane proteins for use as target molecules in library screening is often impossible, innovative selection strategies such as panning against whole cells or tissues, recombinant receptor ectodomains, or neutralizing antibodies to endogenous binding partners were devised. Prominent examples from a two-decade history of peptide phage display will be presented, focusing on the design of affinity selection experiments, methods for improving the initial hits, and applications of the identified peptides.

Bacteriophages have been exploited as cloning vectors and display vehicles for decades owing to their genetic and structural simplicity. In bipartite display setting, phage takes on the role of a handle to which two modules are attached, each endowing it with specific functionality, much like the Swiss army knife. This concept offers unprecedented potential for phage applications in nanobiotechnology. Here, we compare common phage display platforms and discuss approaches to simultaneously append two or more different (poly)peptides or synthetic compounds to phage coat using genetic fusions, chemical or enzymatic conjugations, and in vitro noncovalent decoration techniques. We also review current reports on design of phage frameworks to link multiple effectors, and their use in diverse scientific disciplines. Bipartite phage display had left its mark in development of biosensors, vaccines, and targeted delivery vehicles. Furthermore, multifunctionalized phages have been utilized to template assembly of inorganic materials and protein complexes, showing promise as scaffolds in material sciences and structural biology, respectively.