Screening, large-scale production and structure-based classification of cystine-dense peptides.

ABSTRACT: Peptides folded through interwoven disulfides display extreme biochemical properties and unique medicinal potential. However, their exploitation has been hampered by the limited amounts isolatable from natural sources and the expense of chemical synthesis. We developed reliable biological methods for high-throughput expression, screening and large-scale production of these peptides: 46 were successfully produced in multimilligram quantities, and >600 more were deemed expressible through stringent screening criteria. Many showed extreme resistance to temperature, proteolysis and/or reduction, and all displayed inhibitory activity against at least 1 of 20 ion channels tested, thus confirming their biological functionality. Crystal structures of 12 confirmed proper cystine topology and the ut

SUBMITTER: Correnti CE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5840021 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature