Peptides, selective binding

Three endogenous opioids have been identified enkephalins, dynorphins and beta-endorphins. These opioid peptides selectively bind to the seven transmembrane GPCRs delta (8), kappa (k), and mu (p). Although dynorphin binds predominately to the k receptor, P-endorphines and enkephalins bind to p and 8 opioid receptors. It is important to note that the analgesia induced by opioids is mediated predominately throngh the p opioid receptor. In vitro studies have shown a decrease in the immnne function and proliferation following p-endorphin administration in rodents (Ray and Cohn 1999) and that the immunosuppressive effects by P-endorphins are steroid-independent (Berkenbosch et al. 1984 Nelson et al. 2000). 

If attachment of a particular constituent is incompatible with peptide synthesis, or detrimental to self-assembly, an alternative approach would be to add a functional group that selectively binds this molecule. After synthesis and self-assembly of the peptide, the difficult molecule could be introduced to the binding site included on the peptide. 

Hansen, P., Andersson, L., and Lindeberg, G., Purification of cysteine-containing synthetic peptides via the selective binding of the a-amino group to immobilised Cu2+ and Ni2+ ions, /. Chromatogr. A, 723, 51, 1996. 

Figure 16.4 Graph depicting the percentage of lysine residues among peptides that bind to the indicated monoclonal antibodies. The peptides were isolated after affinity selection (biopanning) from a phage-displayed combinatorial peptide library. The peptides are grouped as to whether they are susceptible to formalin fixation, resulting in a loss of immunoreactivity.

Several experimental approaches can be employed to determine the pool sizes of polymerised and non-polymerised actin. Firstly, the enzyme DNAse I is inhibited by monomeric (G) actin, but not by polymerised (F) actin. Secondly, polymerised actin can be directly visualised by use of fluorescent derivatives of phalloidin, a cyclic peptide isolated from the toadstool Amanita phalloides that selectively binds to polymerised actin with high affinity. 

Al-formyl peptides rapidly bind to neutrophils (1-4). The association rate may be monitored by sampling a reaction mixture at selected times (4) or by continuous analysis of the reaction (3). 

Tomeiro M, Still WC. Sequence-selective binding of peptides in water by a synthetic receptor molecule. J Am Chem Soc 1995 117 5887-5888. 

Detection of thrombus is another clinically important goal. Contrast enhancement of vascular thrombosis has been achieved with a microbubble having a small peptide covalently attached to its surface that selectively binds to the GPIIb/llla fibrinogen receptor expressed on the surface of activated platelets that attach to thrombi. 

Thus, for both the terminal diammonium and dicarboxylate substrates, selective binding by the appropriate receptors describes a linear recognition process based on length complementarity in a ditopic binding mode. Important biological species, such as polyamines, amino acid and peptide diamines, and dicarboxylates [4.18] may also be bound selectively. Recognition is achieved by multiple coordination to metal ions in dinuclear bis-macrocyclic coreceptors that complex selectively complementary bis-imidazole substrates of compatible length [4.21]. 

The antibiotics are compounds secreted by microbes that enhance the permeability of membranes to cations. One class functions by binding a metal to give a liposoluble complex that can then pass across the membrane. Examples are valinomycin, a cyclic peptide that binds K+ selectively, and monensin which binds Na+. These too are oxygen-donor ligands, and will be discussed in the following section. They function as antibiotics because they allow the concentrations of a cation across membranes to become equalized, and so cause the collapse of the membrane potential. 

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