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A series of N- and C-terminal modifications of the monomeric proline-rich antimicrobial peptide, Chex1-Arg20, was
obtained via different chemical strategies using Fmoc/tBu solid-phase peptide synthesis in order to study their effects on a
panel of Gram-negative bacteria. In particular, C-terminal modifications with hydrazide or alcohol functions extended
their antibacterial activity from E. coli and K. pneumoniae to other Gram-negative species, A. baumannii and
P. aeruginosa. Furthermore, these analogues did not show cytotoxicity towards mammalian cells. Hence, such
modifications may aid in the development of more potent proline-rich antimicrobial peptides with a greater spectrum
of activity against Gram-negative bacteria than the parent peptide.
Manuscript received: 8 April 2015.
Manuscript accepted: 21 May 2015.
Published online: 12 June 2015.
Introduction
Increasing resistance to conventional antibiotics has led to a
higher incidence of multi-drug resistant bacterial infections and
has inspired the search for new antimicrobial agents.[1] With
their broad spectrum activity and various modes of actions,
antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have emerged as possible
alternatives to conventional antibiotics.[2] In addition, prolinerich antimicrobial peptides (PrAMPs), a major family of insect
AMPs, display the ability to penetrate bacterial cell membranes,
inhibit intracellular components, and stimulate immunomodulation.[3] Additionally, PrAMPs show multi-modal action, such
as ribosome inhibition,[4] protein biosynthesis,[5] and bacterial
membrane disruption (W. Li, N. OBrien-Simpson, J. Tailhades,
N. Pantarat, R. Dawson, E. Reynolds, F. Separovic, M. A.
Hossain, J. D. Wade, unpubl. data). An important consequence
of this diverse PrAMP activity is that target pathogens are either
unable or less able to develop resistance, a feature not shared
with conventional antibiotics.[6]
The PrAMP, A3-APO, was rationally designed based on
native insect peptides and it displays potent and broad activity
against Gram-negative bacteria.[7] The pharmacokinetics of
A3-APO has been investigated in vivo, and several degradation fragments have been identified including the major
metabolite, the monomer Chex1-Arg20.[8] The monomer
showed similar activity to the parent peptide when studied
against b-lactam and fluoroquinolone-resistant clinical
Journal compilation CSIRO 2015
isolates of Enterobacteriaceae.[9] Both A3-APO and Chex1Arg20 were assessed for their ability to induce bacterial
resistance upon repeated incubation of E. coli and K. pneumoniae strains in sub-lethal concentrations. While no resistant
E. coli phenotype emerged to either peptide, after 10 passages
the K. pneumoniae became resistant to the monomer but not
the dimer.[10]
To some extent, AMPs generally show lower potency and are
less stable compared with conventional antibiotics. One approach
to improve their stability or activity is by masking both N- and
C-termini for protection against amino- and carboxypeptidases.
Generally, the N-terminus of peptides is a favourable position for
chemical modification as this can be readily achieved using
various N-terminal groups following automated solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS).[11] The N-acetyl group is the most commonly used moiety to prevent aminopeptidase cleavage as well as
the poly-Pro sequence which could confer additional stability to
the sequence from degradation. A variety of other groups have
been employed for modification such as fatty acetylation[12] and
N,N,N 0 ,N 0 -tetramethylguanidinylation,[13] the latter of which
resulted in a significant improvement of antibacterial activity
against target pathogens. Alternatively, native peptides normally
bear free carboxylic acids or occasionally an amide at the
C-terminus. Additional C-terminal chemical modifications
include hydrazination which has resulted in the production
of potent antifungal activity.[14] Peptaibols (peptides with a
www.publish.csiro.au/journals/ajc
1374
W. Li et al.
H2N
NH
HN
c, d
HN aan
O 2
NH2
N
H
O
NH
H2N
HN
e, d
Pbf
H
N
NH
HN aa n
N
3 H
O
NH
HN
Fmoc
a, b
H2N
NH2
O
Rink amide
Fmoc aa n
N
H
HN
Rink amide
O
f, d
HN aan
N
H
O
NH2
4O
H2N
NH
HN
g, d
N aa
N
N
NH2
N
H
Fig. 1. General conditions for the synthesis of N-terminal modified peptides: (a) 20 % piperidine in DMF, 10 min; (b) Fmoc-AA-OH (4 equiv.),
HCTU (3.8 equiv.), DIPEA (4 equiv.), 1 h; (c) acetic anhydride, DIPEA, DMF; (d) TFA/anisole/TIPS (95 : 3 : 2), 2 h; (e) butyric acid, EDCI,
triethylamine; (f) valeric acid, EDCI, triethylamine; and (g) HBTU, NMM.
Sequence
Chex1-Arg20 analogue
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Chex-RPDKPRPYLPRPRPPRPVRNH2
Ac-RPDKPRPYLPRPRPPRPVRNH2
Bu-RPDKPRPYLPRPRPPRPVRNH2
Va-RPDKPRPYLPRPRPPRPVRNH2
Gu-RPDKPRPYLPRPRPPRPVRNH2
Chex-RPDKPRPYLPRPRPPRPVROH
Chex-RPDKPRPYLPRPRPPRPVRNHNH2
Chex-RPDKPRPYLPRPRPPRPVRol
Monomer
Ac-monomer
Bu-monomer
Va-monomer
Gu-monomer
Monomer-acid
Monomer-hydrazide
Monomer-alcohol
Yield [%]
MWcalc
MWmeas
40
38
54
16
46
42
52
31
2475.0
2391.8
2419.9
2433.9
2447.9
2476.0
2490.0
2462.0
2476.8
2392.8
2420.4
2434.4
2448.7
2479.9
2491.0
2465.7
1375
O
H
H2N N
b, c, d
HN aan
O
H
N N
H
HN aan
Cl
Pbf
Cl
Pbf
NH
Pbf
H
N
HO
HN
NH
Pbf
b, c, d
Fmoc
N
H
N
H
H
N
NH
HN
NH
OH
NHO
2
HN
HN
H
N
H
N
HN aan
NHO
2
NHO
Boc
Cl
O
N NH2
H
N
H
O
HN
Boc
H
N
e, i
O
aa n
N
H
O
O
HN aan
N
H
OH
NH2O
8
Fmoc
N
H
OH
Fig. 2. General conditions for the synthesis of C-terminal modified peptides: (a) hydrazine monohydrate (2 equiv.), triethylamine (3 equiv.); (b) 20 %
piperidine in DMF, 10 min; (c) Fmoc-AA-OH (4 equiv.), HCTU (3.8 equiv.), DIPEA (4 equiv.), 1 h; (d) 1-aminocyclohexanecarboxylic acid (1.5 equiv.),
HCTU (1.4 equiv.), DIPEA (4 equiv.), 1 h; (e) TFA/anisole/TIPS (95 : 3 : 2), 2 h; (f) NaNO2, pH 3, 158C, 15 min, then adjust to pH 8; (g) 9, 2 % DBU in DMF,
r.t., 12 h; (h) Fmoc-Val-OH (6 equiv.), DIC (3 equiv.), DMAP (0.3 equiv.), DMF/CH2Cl2 (1 : 1), 12 h; and (i) PBS, pH 7.4, 1 h.
Pbf
H
N
NH
Pbf
1) IBCF/NMM
DME,15C
HN
Fmoc
N
H
OH
O
2) NaBH4/H2O
20C
H
N
NH
HN
Fmoc
N
H
OH
obtained by Fmoc-arginine pre-activation with isobutyl chloroformate (IBCF) followed by NaBH4 reduction in an organic/
aqueous solution (Fig. 3). Then, the arginine-b-amino-alcohol
was anchored to 2-chlorotrityl chloride resin by its amine
function in a one pot reaction following Fmoc removal. Afterwards, the free hydroxyl function was acylated with the following N-Fmoc-protected amino acid. Further elongation by
standard Fmoc/tBu SPPS strategy gave the solid-anchored
isopeptide (Fig. 2 lower). To generate peptide 8, ON acylintramolecular transfer was performed in phosphate buffered
saline (PBS) at pH 7.4 for 1 h. However, no retention time change
was observed on reversed-phase-HPLC (RP-HPLC), which
made monitoring of the reaction difficult. As the iso-dipeptide
(ester bond) is sensitive to basic pH condition, 2 M NaOH was
added to the reaction and no mass deletion on matrix-assisted
laser desorptionionisation-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS)
was observed. Therefore, ON intramolecular transfer might
already have occurred during the TFA cleavage or under the
acidic conditions of RP-HPLC analysis. All peptides were
subjected to comprehensive chemical characterisation, including
analytical RP-HPLC and MALDI-time-of-flight/electrospray
ionisation (MALDI-TOF/ESI) MS to confirm their purity and
moderate yields (Fig. 4).
Antimicrobial Activity
As nosocomial pathogens are an increasing public health hazard,
we tested analogues 29, including the monomer amide 1
1376
W. Li et al.
2392.809
(a)
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
35.00 40.00
m/z
Minutes
2420.363
(b)
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
35.00
40.00
1800
2000
2200
2400
2600
2800
Minutes
m/z
2434.355
(c)
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
35.00 40.00
1800
2000
2200
2400
2600
2800
Minutes
m/z
2448.743
(d)
1800
2000
2200
2400
2600
2800
3000
m/z
2479.888
(e)
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400 2600 2800 3000 3200 3400
m/z
Minutes
(f)
2490.992
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
1800
2000
2200
2400
2600
2800
3000
m/z
Minutes
2465.777
(g)
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
Minutes
30.00
2000 2100 2200 2300 2400 2500 2600 2700 2800 2900
m/z
Fig. 4. RP-HPLC and MALDI-TOF/ESI MS for peptides: (a)(g) Ac-monomer 2 monomeralcohol 8, respectively. Analysis condition: Phenomenex C18 column (WIDEPORE 3.6u XB-C18,
150 4.6 nm); buffer A, 0.1 % aq. TFA; buffer B, 0.1 % TFA in acetonitrile; gradient, buffer B
1030 % in 30 min.
1377
Table 2. Antibacterial activity, MIC (lM), against Gram-negative nosocomial pathogens and cytotoxicity (lM) against HEK-293 ATCC CRL-1573
and H-4-II-E ATCC CRL-1548 of PrAMP monomer (Chex1-Arg20) analogues
No activity was observed against Gram-positive, S. aureus ATCC 29213, and E. faecalis ATCC 29212
Peptide number E. coli ATCC 29222 K. pneumoniae ATCC 13883 A. baumannii ATCC 19606 P. aeruginosa ATCC 47085
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
2.6 0.7
3.6 0.1
6.5 2.6
5.6 1.8
5.8 2.2
6.7 1.3
4.0 1.5
1.6 0.1
0.8 0.0
2.0 0.2
2.2 0.4
2.1 0.0
1.5 0.4
2.0 0.1
1.7 0.1
1.2 0.3
Conclusion
In summary, various chemical synthesis strategies were
employed to produce a variety of N- or C-terminal analogues of
the potent PrAMP monomer, Chex1-Arg20. The N-terminal
modifications did not alter the antibacterial activity of Chex1Arg20. However, compared with natural C-terminal carboxyl
and carboxamide moieties, the hydrazide or alcohol C-terminal
modifications broadened the spectrum of activity of Chex1Arg20 while retaining the level of efficacy against Gramnegative bacterial strains. Furthermore, none of these broader
spectrum and potent Chex1-Arg20 analogues displayed cytotoxicity in the presence of mammalian cell lines. These results
bode well for the further development of next-generation analogues of Chex1-Arg20 as potential novel antibiotics.
Methods
Peptide Synthesis
The peptides were synthesised by Fmoc/tBu solid-phase methods.[20] Peptide chains 15 assemblies were carried out on a
CEM Liberty microwave-assisted synthesizer using TentaGel
Rink amide resins (RAM). Standard Fmoc-chemistry was used
throughout with a 4-fold molar excess of the Fmoc-protected
amino acids in the presence of 4-fold (2-(6-chloro-1Hbenzotriazole-1-yl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethylaminium hexafluorophosphate (HCTU) and 8-fold N,N-diisopropylethylamine
(DIPEA). Final N-terminal modifications were obtained by
incubating the N-terminally deprotected peptides with 10 equiv.
acetic anhydride/DIPEA for 2, 4 equiv. butyric acid/1-ethyl-3(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDCI)/triethylamine
for 3, 4 equiv. valeric acid/EDCI/triethylamine for 4, and
10 equiv. HBTU/N-methylmorpholine (NMM) for 5.
The assembly of peptide chains 68 was carried out by
using hydrazide or N-Fmoc-amino acid alcohol functionalised
2-chlorotrityl chloride resin followed by manual standard Fmoc/
tBu SPPS. The peptides were cleaved from the solid support
resin with TFA in the presence of anisole and triisopropylsilane
(TIPS) as scavenger (ratio 95 : 3 : 2) for 2 h at room temperature
(r.t.). After cleavage, the resin was removed by filtration, the
filtrate was concentrated under a stream of nitrogen, and the
peptide products were precipitated in ice-cold diethyl ether,
washed and centrifuged three times. The peptides were then
purified with moderate yield by RP-HPLC in water and acetonitrile with 0.1 % TFA. The final products were monitored
and characterised by RP-HPLC and MALDI-TOF MS. 1H and
13
C NMR spectra were obtained at room temperature using an
.100
.100
.100
.100
.100
.100
52.5 9.5
68.3 1.9
56.3 4.5
.100
96.3 3.2
82.0 5.0
64.7 2.1
.100
28.9 2.7
35.3 5.2
Cytotoxicity
HEK-293
H-4-II-E
.100
.100
.100
.100
.100
.100
.100
.100
.100
.100
.100
.100
.100
48.1 3.4
.100
.100
1378
References
[1] K. Gammon, Nature 2014, 509, S10. doi:10.1038/509S10A
[2] H. Jenssen, P. Hamill, R. E. W. Hancock, Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 2006,
19, 491. doi:10.1128/CMR.00056-05
[3] (a) L. Otvos, Jr, J. Pept. Sci. 2005, 11, 697. doi:10.1002/PSC.698
(b) W. Li, J. Tailhades, N. OBrien-Simpson, F. Separovic, L. Otvos, Jr,
M. A. Hossain, J. D. Wade, Amino Acids 2014, 46, 2287. doi:10.1007/
S00726-014-1820-1
W. Li et al.