Functional examination of novel kisspeptin phosphinic peptides

PLoS One. 2018 Apr 3;13(4):e0195089. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195089. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Kisspeptins acting on their cognate G protein-coupled receptor, kisspeptin receptor, play important roles in the suppression of cancer cell metastasis and regulation of the reproductive system, and therefore are important for therapeutic intervention. All native functional human kisspeptins (kisspeptin-54, kisspsptin-14 and kisspeptin-13) share the 10 amino acids of kisspeptin-10 at their C-terminus (45-54). However, they are inactivated rapidly by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) through the cleavage of the peptide bond between glycine51 and leucine52, which limits their clinical applications. Development of MMP-resistant analogues of kisspeptins may provide better therapeutic outputs. In the present study, two kisspeptin phosphinic peptides were designed and synthesized, and their ability to induce phosphorylation of ERK1/2 through kisspeptin receptor and their inhibition on MMP-2 and MMP-9 whose activity correlates with cancer metastasis were assessed. The results showed that one analogue, phosphinic kisspeptin R isomer (PKPR), exhibited kisspeptin receptor-agonistic activity and also inhibitory activity on MMP-2, indicating that PKPR may serve as a lead for the further development of kisspeptin analogues for therapeutic purpose.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Chemistry Techniques, Synthetic
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Kinetics
  • Kisspeptins / chemical synthesis*
  • Kisspeptins / isolation & purification
  • Kisspeptins / metabolism*
  • Matrix Metalloproteinases / metabolism
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / metabolism
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 / metabolism
  • Phosphorylation
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Transport
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / metabolism

Substances

  • Kisspeptins
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3
  • Matrix Metalloproteinases

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81373469) (http://www.nsfc.gov.cn/) and the Research Development Fund of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (http://www.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/) to ZL. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.