Interaction of DDSDEEN peptide with N-CAM protein. Possible mechanism enhancing neuronal differentiation

Peptides. 2008 Dec;29(12):2232-42. doi: 10.1016/j.peptides.2008.09.008. Epub 2008 Sep 21.

Abstract

DDSDEEN chromatin peptide, after dansylation, was studied for its ability to bind N-CAM protein. The binding causes a quenching of the Dns-peptide fluorescence emission. Dose- and time-dependent binding of Dns-peptide with N-CAM has been shown. Fluorescence quenching is completely lost if the Dns-peptide is subjected to carboxypeptidase digestion. Moreover the undansylated peptide pEDDSDEEN competes with the DnsDDSDEEN peptide for the binding with the N-CAM protein. The Dns-peptide-N-CAM bond has been related to the peptide biological activity probably involved in the promotion of neuronal differentiation. An attempt to recognize a possible N-CAM binding site for Dns-peptide was performed by alignment of N-CAM from various sources with some sequences that have been previously reported as binding sites for the pEDDSDEEN and DDSDEEN peptides. Interestingly, the alignment of N-CAM from various sources with the peptides WHPREGWAL and WFPRWAGQA recognizes on rat and human N-CAM a unique sequence that could be the specific binding site for chromatin peptide: WHSKWYDAK. This sequence is present in fibronectin type-III domain of N-CAM. In addition molecular modeling studies indicate the N-CAM sequence WHSKWYDAK as, probably, the main active site for DnsDDSDEEN (or pEDDSDEEN) peptide ligand. Accordingly the binding experiments show a high affinity between WHSKWYDAK and DnsDDSDEEN peptides.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Binding Sites
  • Carboxypeptidases A / metabolism
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Humans
  • Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
  • Mice
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules / chemistry
  • Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules / metabolism*
  • Neurons / physiology
  • Oligopeptides / chemistry
  • Oligopeptides / metabolism*
  • Protein Binding
  • Rats
  • Sequence Analysis, Protein

Substances

  • Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules
  • Oligopeptides
  • aspartyl-aspartyl-seryl-aspartyl-glutamyl-glutamyl-asparagine
  • Carboxypeptidases A