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Protein Chemical Synthesis Combined with Mirror‐Image Phage Display Yields d ‐Peptide EGF Ligands that Block the EGF–EGFR Interaction
Author(s) -
DíazPerlas Cristina,
Varese Monica,
Guardiola Salvador,
SánchezNavarro Macarena,
García Jesús,
Teixidó Meritxell,
Giralt Ernest
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
chembiochem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.05
H-Index - 126
eISSN - 1439-7633
pISSN - 1439-4227
DOI - 10.1002/cbic.201900355
Subject(s) - epidermal growth factor , phage display , peptide , protease , epidermal growth factor receptor , receptor , chemistry , peptide library , biochemistry , peptide sequence , gene , enzyme
The epidermal growth factor (EGF) pathway, being overactive in a number of cancers, is a good target for clinical therapy. Although several drugs targeting the EGF receptor (EGFR) are on the market, tumours acquire resistance very rapidly. As an alternative, small molecules and peptides targeting EGF have been developed, although with moderate success. Herein, we report the use of mirror‐image phage display technology to discover protease‐resistant peptides with the capacity to inhibit the EGF–EGFR interaction. After the chemical synthesis of the enantiomeric protein d ‐EGF, two phage‐display peptide libraries were used to select binding sequences. The d versions of these peptides bound to natural EGF, as confirmed by surface acoustic waves (SAWs). High‐field NMR spectroscopy showed that the best EGF binder, d ‐PI_4, interacts preferentially with an EGF region that partially overlaps with the receptor binding interface. Importantly, we also show that d ‐PI_4 efficiently disrupts the EGF–EGFR interaction. This methodology represents a straightforward approach to find new protease‐resistant peptides with potential applications in cancer therapy.