Characterization and Evaluation of Key Sites in the Peptide Inhibitor of TAB1/p38α Interaction

May 22, 2018

Title

Characterization and Evaluation of Key Sites in the Peptide Inhibitor of TAB1/p38α Interaction

Author

Yujun Pei, Qingyang Wang, Jiyan Zhang, Yinhan Guo, Jiannan Feng

Year

2017

Journal

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics

Abstract

A combination of computation techniques and peptide mutants have been used to determine the binding site and amino acid residues on the inhibitor peptide that are critical for binding to Mitogen-activated protein kinase 14 (p38α). In our previous research work, the functional peptide, named as PT5, target to p38α, was obtained based on the theoretical complex structure of p38α and [transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-activated protein kinase 1 (TAK1)-binding protein 1] (TAB1). Based on the computer-guided ab initio modeling method, the inhibitor peptide PT5 and its mutants were modeled. Furthermore, the 3-D complex structures of PT5 or its mutants and p38α were constructed using molecular docking and dynamics simulation methods. The key residues in the peptide PT5 involved in binding interaction to p38α were predicted. According to the 3-D theoretical complex structure PT5/ p38α, the interaction binding mode between PT5 and p38α was analyzed using distance geometry technology. Mutants of the peptide PT5 was used to evaluate the bio-function when the critical residues were mutated. The mutant experimental results identified the key residues in PT5, i.e. Thr11and Asp12 and determined the core sequence of PT5 binding to p38α. Based on the results, optimized peptides compounds could be developed for treating myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in clinical.

Instrument

J-715

Keywords

Circular dichroism, Secondary structure, Protein-protein interactions, Biochemistry