Publication Abstract from PubMed
A cyclic peptide, Tyr-Lys-c[-Lys-Thr-Glu(betaAla)-]-Val, incorporating a beta-Ala lactam side chain linker and designed to target the PDZ domains of the postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95), has been synthesized and structurally characterized by NMR while free and bound to the PDZ1 domain of PSD-95. While bound, the lactam linker of the peptide makes a number of unique contacts outside the canonical PDZ binding motif, providing a novel target for PDZ-domain specificity as well as producing a 10-fold enhancement in binding affinity. Additionally, the cyclization greatly enhances the enzymatic stability, increasing the duration that the peptide inhibits the association between PSD-95 and glutamate receptors, effectively inhibiting the clustering of kainate receptors for over 14 hr after application. Highly specific regulation of kainate receptor action may provide a novel route for treatment of drug addiction and epilepsy.
Targeting specific PDZ domains of PSD-95; structural basis for enhanced affinity and enzymatic stability of a cyclic peptide.,Piserchio A, Salinas GD, Li T, Marshall J, Spaller MR, Mierke DF Chem Biol. 2004 Apr;11(4):469-73. PMID:15123241[1]
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
