From Nature to Lab: Discovering Anti-Cancer Peptides

FROM NATURE TO LAB: DISCOVERING ANTI- CANCER PEPTIDES

A H B L A B

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In a r e c e n t i n v e s t i g a t i o n , s c i e n t i s t s f r o m t h e AHB L a b found novel peptides with anti- cancer potential. According to a study published in Nature

C o mm u n i c a t i o n s , i t w a s s h o w n t h a t c y c l i c p e p t i d e s particularly l ink to chains of ubiquitin proteins, which are widely utilised as a “ death tag” for d a m a g e d p r o t e i n s . T h e p r o t e a s o m e t h e n br e a k s d o w n the damaged proteins after marking them.

Be f o r e n o w , T e c hn i o n r e s e a r c h e r s c r e a t e d a s t r a t e g y for altering the ubiquitin processes. They chose to t r y a d i r e c t i n t e r v e n t i o n i n t h e ub i q u i t i n c h a i n r a t h e r than affecting the activity of enzymes that influence these pathways.

Peptide Types

A p e p t i d e i s a n a m i n o a c i d ( AA) c h a i n l e s s t h a n 5 0 amino acids long and you can stabilize by disulfide bonds. Although they have adequate b i o c h e m i c a l a n d t h e r a p e u t i c d i ff e r e n c e s , t h e y a r e sufficiently different from small molecules and macromolecules in size. By using logical approaches, they can create peptides that p r e c i s e l y b i n d t o a n d c o n t r o l p r o t e i n i n t e r a c t i o n s of interest, such as those involving oncogenic p r o t e i n s . T h e t h r e e m a i n p r o c e ss e s t h a t p r o d u c e peptides are as follows:

(a) ) Natural or bioactive peptides,

(b)) Genetic or recombinant l ibraries used to synthesize modified peptides,

(c) ) P e p t i d e s p r o d u c e d f r o m c h e m i c a l l i b r a r i e s .