Ligase-controlled cyclo-oligomerization of peptides

A biomimetic one-step ligase-catalyzed cyclo-oligomerization mediated by butelase 1, an Asn/Asp-specific ligase, is introduced that is time-, concentration-, length-, and sequence-dependent. This reaction yields cyclic mono-, di-, tri-, and tetramers from peptide precursors containing 3-15 amino acids ended with Asn and a His-Val tail. The cyclomonomers were favored when the peptide lengths were >9 amino acids. A turn-forming Pro residue at the P2 position favored the formation of higher-order cyclo-oligomers.Ministry of Education (MOE)Accepted versionWe thank National University Hospital of Singapore for providing the drug-resistant bacteria strains for the research purpose. This research was supported by Academic Research Grant Tier 3 (MOE2016-T3-1-003) from Singapore Minister of Education (MOE)

Immobilized peptide asparaginyl ligases enhance stability and facilitate macrocyclization and site-specific ligation

The recently discovered peptide asparaginyl ligases (PALs) from cyclotide-producing plants are efficient and versatile tools for protein and peptide engineering. Here, we report immobilization of two glycosylated PALs, butelase-1 and VyPAL2, using three different attachment methods and their applications for peptide engineering. We compared immobilization indirectly via noncovalent affinity capture using NeutrAvidin or concanavalin A agarose beads or directly via covalent coupling of free amines on the enzyme surface with the N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) ester attached on agarose beads. The catalytic efficiency of immobilized PALs correlated with the distance between the biocatalysts and the solid supports, and in turn, the mobility of enzymes and the accessibility of substrates. Compared to their soluble counterparts, the site separations of immobilized PALs retain higher activity after prolonged storage and confer reusability for over 100 runs with less than 10% activity loss. We also showed that the cyclization and ligation of peptides and proteins with varying shapes and sizes can be accelerated by providing higher concentration of reusable immobilized PALs. These advantages could be exploited for large-scale industrial applications and nanodevices.Ministry of Education (MOE)Accepted versionThis research was supported by Academic Research Grant Tier 3 (MOE2016-T3-1-003) from Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE)

A thioethylalkylamido (TEA) thioester surrogate in the synthesis of a cyclic peptide via a tandem acyl shift

The cyclic cystine-knot peptide, kalata B1, was synthesized by employing a novel Fmoc-compatible thioethylalkylamido (TEA) thioester surrogate via an N–S acyl shift followed by a thiol-thioester exchange reaction. TEA thioester surrogate is cost-effective, conveniently prepared in one-step with starting materials, readily available from commercial sources, and highly efficient in preparing peptide thioesters

Editorial: Food Proteomes: Beyond Their Nutritional Value

This Research Topic collects diverse studies focused on the in-depth characterization of dietary proteomes by evaluating their singular features, possible roles in health and disease conditions; as well as exploring the changes caused by industrial processing to food proteomes. Of note, characterization of dietary proteomes has been performed by using high throughput mass spectrometry strategies in all compiled studies.Support for this work was provided by Research and Education Council of the Comunidad de Madrid (2018-T1/BIO-10633) and Ministry of Science and Innovation, (PID2020-114885RB-C21), Spain. AS acknowledges a grant from the Talento Program 2018 of the Comunidad de Madrid. XG-P acknowledges grants from the Sara Borrell Program (CD19/00243) and Miguel Servet Program (CP21/00096), Carlos III Institute of Health, Spain, respectively awarded on the 2019 and 2021 calls

Selective bi-directional amide bond cleavage of N-methylcysteinyl peptide

A selective bi-directional peptide bond cleavage mediated by N-methylcysteine (MeCys) in Xaa-MeCys-Yaa peptides (Xaa and Yaa, non-cysteine residues) leading to thioesters and thiolactones is described. Rate and product analyses showed that an Nα-amide bond cleavage occurred at the Xaa-MeCys bond by an N–S acyl shift to generate an Xaa-S-(MeCys-Yaa) thioester at pH 1–5, whereas under strongly acidic conditions of H0 = –5, the MeCys-Yaa bond underwent a Cα-amide bond cleavage via an oxazolone intermediate, which was trapped by thiocresol (TC) as an Xaa-MeCys-TC thioester. This thioester was then transformed into an Xaa-MeCys-β-thiolactone at pH 4–5. Replacing MeCys by a Cys residue did not result in significant bi-directional peptide bond cleavage, which suggests that N-methylation in a MeCys residue is important for the N–S acyl shift reaction and formation of oxazolone. The isomerization of amides and thioesters was successfully used to prepare cyclic peptides

Consensus design and engineering of an efficient and high-yield peptide asparaginyl ligase for protein cyclization and ligation

Plant legumains are Asn/Asp-specific endopeptidases (AEPs) that have diverse functions in plants. Peptide asparaginyl ligases (PALs) are a special legumain subtype that primarily catalyze peptide bond formation rather than hydrolysis. PALs are versatile protein engineering tools but are rarely found in nature. To overcome this limitation, here we describe a two-step method to design and engineer a high-yield and efficient recombinant PAL based on commonly found AEPs. We first constructed a consensus sequence derived from 1,500 plant legumains to design the evolutionarily stable legumain conLEG that could be produced in E. coli with 20-fold higher yield relative to that for natural legumains. We then applied the LAD (ligase-activity determinant) hypothesis to exploit conserved residues in PAL substrate-binding pockets and convert conLEG into conPAL1-3. Functional studies showed that conLEG is primarily a hydrolase, whereas conPALs are ligases. Importantly, conPAL3 is a super-efficient and broadly active PAL for protein cyclization and ligation.Ministry of Education (MOE)Nanyang Technological UniversityPublished versionThis research was supported by the Academic Research Grant Tier 3 (MOE2016-T3-1-003) from the Singapore Ministry of Education and Nanyang Technological University

A Thioethylalkylamido (TEA) Thioester Surrogate in the Synthesis of a Cyclic Peptide via a Tandem Acyl Shift

The cyclic cystine-knot peptide, kalata B1, was synthesized by employing a novel Fmoc-compatible thioethylalkylamido (TEA) thioester surrogate via an N–S acyl shift followed by a thiol-thioester exchange reaction. TEA thioester surrogate is cost-effective, conveniently prepared in one-step with starting materials, readily available from commercial sources, and highly efficient in preparing peptide thioesters

Immobilization and intracellular delivery of circular proteins by modifying a genetically incorporated unnatural amino acid

Backbone-cyclic proteins are of great scientific and therapeutic interest owing to their higher stability over their linear counterparts. Modification of such cyclic proteins at a selected site would further enhance their versatility. Here we report a chemoenzymatic strategy to engineer site-selectively modified cyclic proteins by combining butelase-mediated macrocyclization with the genetic code expansion methodology. Using this strategy, we prepared a cyclic protein which was modified with biotin or a cell-penetrating peptide at a genetically incorporated noncanonical amino acid, making the cyclization-stabilized protein further amenable for site-specific immobilization and intracellular delivery. Our results point to a new avenue to engineering novel cyclic proteins with improved physicochemical and pharmacological properties for potential applications in biotechnology and medicine

Butelase 1 is an Asx-specific ligase enabling peptide macrocyclization and synthesis

Proteases are ubiquitous in nature, whereas naturally occurring peptide ligases, enzymes catalyzing the reverse reactions of proteases, are rare occurrences. Here we describe the discovery of butelase 1, to our knowledge the first asparagine/aspartate (Asx) peptide ligase to be reported. This highly efficient enzyme was isolated from Clitoria ternatea, a cyclic peptide-producing medicinal plant. Butelase 1 shares 71% sequence identity and the same catalytic triad with legumain proteases but does not hydrolyze the protease substrate of legumain. Instead, butelase 1 cyclizes various peptides of plant and animal origin with yields greater than 95%. With Kcat values of up to 17 s(-1) and catalytic efficiencies as high as 542,000 M(-1) s(-1), butelase 1 is the fastest peptide ligase known. Notably, butelase 1 also displays broad specificity for the N-terminal amino acids of the peptide substrate, thus providing a new tool for C terminus-specific intermolecular peptide ligations.Accepted versio

Butelase-mediated cyclization and ligation of peptides and proteins

Enzymes that catalyze efficient macrocyclization or site-specific ligation of peptides and proteins can enable tools for drug design and protein engineering. Here we describe a protocol to use butelase 1, a recently discovered peptide ligase, for high-efficiency cyclization and ligation of peptides and proteins ranging in size from 10 to >200 residues. Butelase 1 is the fastest known ligase and is found in pods of the common medicinal plant Clitoria ternatea (also known as butterfly pea). It has a very simple C-terminal-specific recognition motif that requires Asn/Asp (Asx) at the P1 position and a dipeptide His–Val at the P1′ and P2′ positions. Substrates for butelase-mediated ligation can be prepared by standard Fmoc (9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl) chemistry or recombinant expression with the minimal addition of this tripeptide Asn–His–Val motif at the C terminus. Butelase 1 achieves cyclizations that are 20,000 times faster than those of sortase A, a commonly used enzyme for backbone cyclization. Unlike sortase A, butelase is traceless, and it can be used for the total synthesis of naturally occurring peptides and proteins. Furthermore, butelase 1 is also useful for intermolecular ligations and synthesis of peptide or protein thioesters, which are versatile activated intermediates necessary for and compatible with many chemical ligation methods. The protocol describes steps for isolation and purification of butelase 1 from plant extract using a four-step chromatography procedure, which takes ~3 d. We then describe steps for intramolecular cyclization, intermolecular ligation and butelase-mediated synthesis of protein thioesters. Butelase reactions are generally completed within minutes and often achieve excellent yields.NRF (Natl Research Foundation, S’pore)Accepted versio