Normand Voyer

Insertional mutagenesis of a fungal biocontrol agent led to discovery of a rare cellobiose lipid with antifungal activity.

ABSTRACT Insertional mutagenesis was applied for the first time to a fungal biocontrol agent, Pseudozyma flocculosa, in an attempt to obtain mutants with altered antagonistic properties. Transformants were obtained via DNA-mediated transformation. Molecular analyses of the transformants revealed that multiple copies of the plasmid were integrated in tandem at one to many chromosomal loci. The transformants were screened for their biocontrol properties using standard bioassays, and the 160 tested transformants were classified into four groups: group I mutants (22 transformants) showed a stronger antagonistic effect than the wild type (WT) while those of group II (107 transformants) had a comparable antagonistic effect; group III mutants (17 transformants) had a decreased antagonistic effect relative to WT and group IV mutants (14 transformants) had lost their biocontrol properties. Culture extracts of the mutants (group IV) and WT were analyzed and compared for the presence of active metabolites which were then separated by solid-phase extraction and purified using conventional methods. Nuclear magnetic resonance experiments and analytical studies on a metabolite specifically produced by the WT revealed the presence of 2-(2′,4′-diacetoxy-5′-carboxy-pentanoyl) octadecyl cellobioside (flocculosin), a novel glycolipid with strong antifungal properties; the production of this compound would account for the biocontrol activity of P. flocculosa.

How far can a sodium ion travel within a lipid bilayer

Analogues of a synthetic ion channel made from a helical peptide were used to study the mechanism of cation translocation within bilayer membranes. Derivatives bearing two, three, four, and six crown ethers used as ion relays were synthesized, and their transport abilities across lipid bilayers were measured. The results showed that the maximum distance a sodium ion is permitted to travel between two binding sites within a lipid bilayer environment is 11 Å.

A conventient solid phase preparation of peptide substituted amides

Abstract The preparation of the title compounds by a solid phase procedure is reported. The method involves the incorporation of different amines at the C-terminal position of a peptide molecule by its nucleophilic displacement from the oxime resin. The method works well with primary aliphatic and aromatic amines but gives lower yields with deactivated or sterically hindered amines.

Exploiting Peptide Nanostructures To Construct Functional Artificial Ion Channels

Natural ion channel proteins possess remarkable properties that researchers could exploit to develop nanochemotherapeutics and diagnostic devices. Unfortunately, the poor stability, limited availability, and complexity of these structures have precluded their use in practical devices. One solution to these limitations is to develop simpler molecular systems through chemical synthesis that mimic the salient properties of artificial ion channels. Inspired by natural channel proteins, our group has developed a family of peptide nanostructures thatcreate channels for ions by aligning crown ethers on top of each other when they adopt an α-helical conformation. Advantages to this crown ether/peptide framework approach include the ease of synthesis, the predictability of their conformations, and the ability to fine-tune and engineer their properties. We have synthesized these structures using solid phase methods from artificial crown ether amino acids made from L-DOPA. Circular dichroism and FTIR spectroscopy studies in different media confirmed that the nanostructures adopt the predicted α-helical conformation. Fluorescence studies verified the crown ether stacking arrangement. We confirmed the channel activity by single-channel measurements using a modified patch-clamp technique, planar lipid bilayer (PLB) assays, and various vesicle experiments. From the results, we estimate that a 6 Å distance between two relays is ideal for sodium cation transport, but relatively efficient ion transport can still occur with an 11 Å distance between two crown ethers. Biophysical studies demonstrated that peptide channels operate as monomers in an equilibrium between adsorption at the surface and an active, transmembrane orientation. Toward practical applications of these systems, we have prepared channel analogs that bear a biotin moiety, and we have used them as nanotransducers successfully to detect avidin. Analogs of channel peptide nanostructures showed cytotoxicity against breast and leukemia cancer cells. Overall, we have prepared well-defined nanostructures with designed properties, demonstrated their transport abilities, and described their mechanism of action. We have also illustrated the advantages and the versatility of polypeptides for the construction of functional nanoscale artificial ion channels.

Synthesis, characterization and cytolytic activity of α-helical amphiphilic peptide nanostructures containing crown ethers

Many natural alpha-helical amphiphilic peptides are known to have lytic activity toward different cells. Herein, we describe the synthesis and the characterization of synthetic alpha-helical amphiphilic peptide nanostructures containing crown ethers, as well as the modulation of their cytolytic activity by adding different acidic dipeptide chains at the N- or C-terminus.

Conformational and orientation studies of artificial ion channels incorporated into lipid bilayers

The conformational and orientation studies in lipid bilayers of 21 amino acid peptides bearing six crown ethers are reported. The compounds were designed to form artificial ion channels by stacking the crown rings, and were shown to be functional in bilayer membranes. We used Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and CD spectropolarimetry to study the conformation of the peptides in solution and in lipid bilayers. These studies revealed that hexacrown peptides retain their alpha-helical conformation when incorporated in a lipid bilayer environment. Attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy was used to investigate the orientation of the peptides in a lipid bilayer. Results demonstrated that the peptides are not oriented at a fixed angle in membrane, but rather are in incorporation equilibrium between an active state parallel to the lipid chain and an inactive state adsorbed at the surface of the bilayer. From these results, we propose a model for the channel activity and the gating mechanism of these hexacrown peptides in bilayer membranes.

An expedient enantioselective synthesis of N-t-Boc-Protected Phenylsarcosine.

Herein we describe a novel approach to the asymmetric synthesis of N-t-Boc-phenylsarcosine. The synthesis involves the enantioselective deprotonation at the benzylic position of N-t-Boc-N-methylbenzylamine 2 using the chiral complex s-BuLi/(-) sparteine 1 followed by a stereoselective carboxylation.

Thermoregulated Optical Properties of Peptidic Pseudorotaxanes

Natural peptide spine and artificial crown ether are blended together to form a hybrid structure. A dicationic benzylammonium guest threads through the crown ether pendants and the resulting noncovalent, self-assembled pseudorotaxane complex, shown schematically in the picture, is both stable and has optical properties dependant on temperature.

Photochemical rearrangement of phenyl benzoate in the presence of cyclodextrins and amylose

Abstract The photorearrangement of phenyl benzoate in aqueous medium is changed in the presence of cyclodextrins or amylose; the ortho/para migration ratio is altered in favor of the para position.

Membrane disruption ability of facially amphiphilic helical peptides

A helical 14-residue peptide containing four polar, but uncharged, benzo-21-crown-7 side-chains aligned along one face induces significantly more vesicle leakage than analogous 21-mer or 7-mer peptides.