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Peptides as Biochemical Tools and Modulators of Biological Activity
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Peptides as Biochemical Tools and Modulators of Biological Activity

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2024 | Viewed by 7269

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Annamaria Aloisio

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University “Magna Græcia”, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Interests: peptides; phage display; cancer-related membrane receptors; signaling pathways; cell metabolism; leukemia; mesenchymal stem cells; osteoblastic differentiation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences will focus on the selection, identification and functional/biochemical characterization of peptides for studying or modulating peptide–protein interactions in stem cell research and in different cancer types. Linear or cyclic peptides can be derived from natural sources, the phage display selection method and synthetic chemical modifications strategies. Compared to other pharmaceutics, peptides are smaller in size and easy to synthetize and modify, with high tissue penetration, low immunogenicity and low production costs. Peptides with high binding affinity and specificity for a disease-associated protein, being mainly expressed on the cell surface, are commonly used as biochemical tools for targeting, diagnosis and monitoring in different contexts.

Interestingly, cell-penetrating peptides are an amenable tool for stem cell and tissue engineering; for example, they have been reported to play a crucial role in osteogenic differentiation from mesenchymal stem cells.

The identification and characterization of peptides able to modulate target protein activities are helpful for developing alternative therapeutic strategies in solid and hematological tumors. In particular, current monitoring and therapeutic strategies in oncology include the functionalization of anticancer peptides to nanocarriers to improve affinity and specificity binding, as well as for the targeted delivery of imaging agents and/or anticancer drugs.

Led by Dr. Annamaria Aloisio, who is assisted by our Topical Advisory Panel Member Dr. Nancy Nisticò (University "Magna Græcia" of Catanzaro), this Special Issue focuses on the identification and characterization of natural or synthetic peptides showing modulated biological activities (antibacterial, antiviral, immunomodulatory and anticancer properties) with potential applications in tissue regeneration and targeted drug delivery strategies. Original research articles and reviews on these and related topics are welcome for this Special Issue.

Dr. Annamaria Aloisio
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • peptides
  • phage display
  • stem cells
  • mesenchymal stromal cells
  • cancer
  • leukemia
  • tumor targeting
  • drug delivery

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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8 pages, 3407 KiB  
Communication
Screening Peptide-Binding Partners for GenX via Phage Display
by Kameron Burton, Samaneh Ghadami, Kristen Dellinger, Bo Wang and Ming Dong
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(5), 2686; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052686 - 26 Feb 2024
Viewed by 692
Abstract
Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), such as GenX, are a class of highly stable synthetic compounds that have recently become the focus of environmental remediation endeavors due to their toxicity. While considerable strides have been made in PFAS remediation, the diversity of these [...] Read more.
Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), such as GenX, are a class of highly stable synthetic compounds that have recently become the focus of environmental remediation endeavors due to their toxicity. While considerable strides have been made in PFAS remediation, the diversity of these compounds, and the costs associated with approaches such as ion exchange resins and advanced oxidation technologies, remain challenging for widespread application. In addition, little is known about the potential binding and impacts of GenX on human proteins. To address these issues, we applied phage display and screened short peptides that bind specifically to GenX, with the ultimate goal of identifying human proteins that bind with GenX. In this study we identified the amino acids that contribute to the binding and measured the binding affinities of the two discovered peptides with NMR. A human protein, ankyrin-repeat-domain-containing protein 36B, with matching sequences of one of the peptides, was identified, and the binding positions were predicted by docking and molecular dynamics simulation. This study created a platform to screen peptides that bind with toxic chemical compounds, which ultimately helped us identify biologically relevant molecules that could be inhibited by the GenX, and also provided information that will contribute to future bioengineered GenX-binding device design. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Peptides as Biochemical Tools and Modulators of Biological Activity)
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23 pages, 2660 KiB  
Article
Characterization and Classification In Silico of Peptides with Dual Activity (Antimicrobial and Wound Healing)
by María Trejos, Yesid Aristizabal, Alberto Aragón-Muriel, José Oñate-Garzón and Yamil Liscano
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(17), 13091; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241713091 - 23 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1025
Abstract
The growing challenge of chronic wounds and antibiotic resistance has spotlighted the potential of dual-function peptides (antimicrobial and wound healing) as novel therapeutic strategies. The investigation aimed to characterize and correlate in silico the physicochemical attributes of these peptides with their biological activity. [...] Read more.
The growing challenge of chronic wounds and antibiotic resistance has spotlighted the potential of dual-function peptides (antimicrobial and wound healing) as novel therapeutic strategies. The investigation aimed to characterize and correlate in silico the physicochemical attributes of these peptides with their biological activity. We sourced a dataset of 207 such peptides from various peptide databases, followed by a detailed analysis of their physicochemical properties using bioinformatic tools. Utilizing statistical tools like clustering, correlation, and principal component analysis (PCA), patterns and relationships were discerned among these properties. Furthermore, we analyzed the peptides’ functional domains for insights into their potential mechanisms of action. Our findings spotlight peptides in Cluster 2 as efficacious in wound healing, whereas Cluster 1 peptides exhibited pronounced antimicrobial potential. In our study, we identified specific amino acid patterns and peptide families associated with their biological activities, such as the cecropin antimicrobial domain. Additionally, we found the presence of polar amino acids like arginine, cysteine, and lysine, as well as apolar amino acids like glycine, isoleucine, and leucine. These characteristics are crucial for interactions with bacterial membranes and receptors involved in migration, proliferation, angiogenesis, and immunomodulation. While this study provides a groundwork for therapeutic development, translating these findings into practical applications necessitates additional experimental and clinical research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Peptides as Biochemical Tools and Modulators of Biological Activity)
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Review

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35 pages, 2363 KiB  
Review
Peptide-Based Agents for Cancer Treatment: Current Applications and Future Directions
by Nguyễn Thị Thanh Nhàn, Tohru Yamada and Kaori H. Yamada
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(16), 12931; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241612931 - 18 Aug 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5123
Abstract
Peptide-based strategies have received an enormous amount of attention because of their specificity and applicability. Their specificity and tumor-targeting ability are applied to diagnosis and treatment for cancer patients. In this review, we will summarize recent advancements and future perspectives on peptide-based strategies [...] Read more.
Peptide-based strategies have received an enormous amount of attention because of their specificity and applicability. Their specificity and tumor-targeting ability are applied to diagnosis and treatment for cancer patients. In this review, we will summarize recent advancements and future perspectives on peptide-based strategies for cancer treatment. The literature search was conducted to identify relevant articles for peptide-based strategies for cancer treatment. It was performed using PubMed for articles in English until June 2023. Information on clinical trials was also obtained from ClinicalTrial.gov. Given that peptide-based strategies have several advantages such as targeted delivery to the diseased area, personalized designs, relatively small sizes, and simple production process, bioactive peptides having anti-cancer activities (anti-cancer peptides or ACPs) have been tested in pre-clinical settings and clinical trials. The capability of peptides for tumor targeting is essentially useful for peptide–drug conjugates (PDCs), diagnosis, and image-guided surgery. Immunomodulation with peptide vaccines has been extensively tested in clinical trials. Despite such advantages, FDA-approved peptide agents for solid cancer are still limited. This review will provide a detailed overview of current approaches, design strategies, routes of administration, and new technological advancements. We will highlight the success and limitations of peptide-based therapies for cancer treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Peptides as Biochemical Tools and Modulators of Biological Activity)
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