Suhas Ramesh

Silencing potential of viral derived RNAi constructs in Tomato leaf curl virus -AC4 gene suppression in tomato

We investigated viral gene suppression in an infected tomato, by transforming it with RNA inhibition (RNAi) constructs derived from same viral gene. To develop RNAi constructs, conserved sequences ranging from 21 to 200 nt of the viral target AC4 gene of various viruses causing the tomato leaf curl disease were chosen. The double-stranded (ds)RNA producing constructs carry the sense and antisense portions of these sequences and are separated by different introns behind a constitutive promoter. We compared the levels of suppression of the viral target gene by transforming four different RNAi constructs with varied arm length of dsRNA. Gene silencing levels of the viral target gene were found to be directly proportional to the arm length of the dsRNA. We observed that dsRNA derived from longer arm-length constructs generating a pool of siRNAs that were more effective in targeting gene silencing. After transformation, one of the RNAi construct having a 21 nt arm-length produced aberrant phenotypes. These phenotypic anomalies may be due to unintended (‘off-target’) host transcript silencing. The unintended host transcript silencing showed modest reversion in the presence of the viral target gene. The findings presented here suggest that the arm length of dsRNA capable of producing a pool of diced siRNAs is more efficient in gene silencing, the effect of off-targeting siRNA is minimized in a pool, and off-targeting silencing can be minimized in the presence of target gene.

Short AntiMicrobial Peptides (SAMPs) as a class of extraordinary promising therapeutic agents.

The emergence of multidrug resistant bacteria has a direct impact on global public health because of the reduced potency of existing antibiotics against pathogens. Hence, there is a pressing need for new drugs with different modes of action that can kill microorganisms. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) can be regarded as an alternative tool for this purpose because they are proven to have therapeutic effects with broad‐spectrum activities. There are some hurdles in using AMPs as clinical candidates such as toxicity, lack of stability and high budgets required for manufacturing. This can be overcome by developing shorter and more easily accessible AMPs, the so‐called Short AntiMicrobial Peptides (SAMPs) that contain between two and ten amino acid residues. These are emerging as an attractive class of therapeutic agents with high potential for clinical use and possessing multifunctional activities. In this review we attempted to compile those SAMPs that have exhibited biological properties which are believed to hold promise for the future. Copyright

Synthesis, 68Ga-radiolabeling, and preliminary in vivo assessment of a depsipeptide-derived compound as a potential PET/CT infection imaging agent.

Noninvasive imaging is a powerful tool for early diagnosis and monitoring of various disease processes, such as infections. An alarming shortage of infection-selective radiopharmaceuticals exists for overcoming the diagnostic limitations with unspecific tracers such as 67/68Ga-citrate or 18F-FDG. We report here TBIA101, an antimicrobial peptide derivative that was conjugated to DOTA and radiolabeled with 68Ga for a subsequent in vitro assessment and in vivo infection imaging using Escherichia coli-bearing mice by targeting bacterial lipopolysaccharides with PET/CT. Following DOTA-conjugation, the compound was verified for its cytotoxic and bacterial binding behaviour and compound stability, followed by 68Gallium-radiolabeling. µPET/CT using 68Ga-DOTA-TBIA101 was employed to detect muscular E. coli-infection in BALB/c mice, as warranted by the in vitro results. 68Ga-DOTA-TBIA101-PET detected E. coli-infected muscle tissue (SUV = 1.3–2.4) > noninfected thighs (P = 0.322) > forearm muscles (P = 0.092) > background (P = 0.021) in the same animal. Normalization of the infected thigh muscle to reference tissue showed a ratio of 3.0 ± 0.8 and a ratio of 2.3 ± 0.6 compared to the identical healthy tissue. The majority of the activity was cleared by renal excretion. The latter findings warrant further preclinical imaging studies of greater depth, as the DOTA-conjugation did not compromise the TBIA101s capacity as targeting vector.

Solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS), C-terminal vs. side-chain anchoring: a reality or a myth

AbstractHere we review the strategies for the solid-phase synthesis of peptides starting from the side chain of the C-terminal amino acid. Furthermore, we provide experimental data to support that C-terminal and side-chain syntheses give similar results in terms of purity. However, the stability of the two bonds that anchor the peptide to the polymer may determine the overall yield and this should be considered for the large-scale production of peptides. In addition, resins/linkers which do not subject to side reactions can be preferred for some peptides.

Peptides conjugated to silver nanoparticles in biomedicine – a “value-added” phenomenon

Nanotechnology is gaining impetus in the present century and particularly the use of nanoparticles (NPs), whose properties are significantly different from the larger matter. These have found wider and potential applications in the fields of medicine, energy, cosmetics, environment and biomedicine. Among the NPs, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are of particular interest for scientists and technologists due to their unique physico-chemical and biological properties. Besides, AgNPs by themselves also possess broad-spectrum microbial activity, which has further expanded their application in both academia and industries. On the other hand, research and drug discovery in the field of peptides is surging. Chemistry and biology of peptides have seen a renaissance in this century as many of the peptide-based therapeutics have entered the market and many more are in the different phases of clinical trials. To fuel this, peptides have also found numerous applications in nanotechnology. Taking advantage of these two scenarios, namely, AgNPs and peptides, conjugation of these entities have emerged as a powerful technique and have opened the doors for a new revolution. Keeping this motivation in mind, we here present a mini-review on the combined concept of AgNPs and peptides.

Microreactors for peptide synthesis: looking through the eyes of twenty first century !!!

The twenty first century has witnessed several advances in synthetic chemistry, among them microreactors. It is expected that these devices will have a considerable impact on synthetic organic chemistry since they offer a wide range of applications in various fields. Perhaps the synthesis of peptides deserves mention in this regard as these molecules are emerging as therapeutics and offer several advantages over the so-called small molecules. This minireview does not aim to address microreactors in detail, but explains various peptide synthesis methods that involve microfluidic techniques, highlighting the need for further improvement and expansion of microdevices/microreactors.

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Antimicrobial Peptides

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are emerging as one of the unsurpassed therapeutic tools to treat various devastating diseases that are affecting millions of lives. Conventional synthesis of peptides requires longer times, and hence automated microwave technology could be regarded as an alternative implement which offers advantages like less reaction times and higher yields. In this sense, we herein describe a methodology to prepare AMPs through solid-phase peptide synthesis under microwave conditions. We have used LL37 as an example to discuss the synthetic protocol including the difficulties involved in the preparation of so-called long and difficult peptides and also remedial procedures to overcome these obstacles.

Chapter 15:Cyclic Peptides as Privileged Structures

There is increasing interest in the use of peptide drugs as therapeutics. In comparison to small molecules, peptides can be more specific, less toxic and do not accumulate in organs. Cyclic peptides are often more beneficial than their linear counterparts due to conformational rigidity. They are also often more stable to exopeptidases and even endopeptidases because of flexible cyclic backbone. Literature encompasses several cyclic peptides that show diverse biological activities. Out of these, we have selected the so-called “privileged structures” among cyclic peptides, viz. diketopiperazines, benzodiazepines and cyclotides, for our discussion in this chapter, with a summary of their structure, function and therapeutic activities.

Chemical Platforms for Peptide Vaccine Constructs.

Knowledge of the sequences and structures of proteins from pathogenic microorganisms has been put to great use in the field of protein chemistry for the development of peptide-based vaccines. These vaccine constructs include chemically tailored, shorter peptidic fragments that can induce high immunogenicity, thus shunning the allergenic and nonimmunogenic part of the antigens. Based on this concept, several different chemistries have been pursued to obtain novel platforms onto which antigenic epitopes can be tethered, with the aim to achieve a higher antibody response. In this regard, here we attempt to summarize the chemical strategies developed for the presentation of peptide epitopes.