A Novel Vasoactive Proline-Rich Oligopeptide from the Skin Secretion of the Frog Brachycephalus ephippium

PLoS One. 2015 Dec 14;10(12):e0145071. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145071. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Proline-rich oligopeptides (PROs) are a large family which comprises the bradykinin-potentiating peptides (BPPs). They inhibit the activity of the angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) and have a typical pyroglutamyl (Pyr)/proline-rich structure at the N- and C-terminus, respectively. Furthermore, PROs decrease blood pressure in animals. In the present study, the isolation and biological characterization of a novel vasoactive BPP isolated from the skin secretion of the frog Brachycephalus ephippium is described. This new PRO, termed BPP-Brachy, has the primary structure WPPPKVSP and the amidated form termed BPP-BrachyNH2 inhibits efficiently ACE in rat serum. In silico molecular modeling and docking studies suggest that BPP-BrachyNH2 is capable of forming a hydrogen bond network as well as multiple van der Waals interactions with the rat ACE, which blocks the access of the substrate to the C-domain active site. Moreover, in rat thoracic aorta BPP-BrachyNH2 induces potent endothelium-dependent vasodilatation with similar magnitude as captopril. In DAF-FM DA-loaded aortic cross sections examined by confocal microscopy, BPP-BrachyNH2 was found to increase the release of nitric oxide (NO). Moreover, BPP-BrachyNH2 was devoid of toxicity in endothelial and smooth muscle cell cultures. In conclusion, the peptide BPP-BrachyNH2 has a novel sequence being the first BPP isolated from the skin secretion of the Brachycephalidae family. This opens for exploring amphibians as a source of new biomolecules. The BPP-BrachyNH2 is devoid of cytotoxicity and elicits endothelium-dependent vasodilatation mediated by NO. These findings open for the possibility of potential application of these peptides in the treatment of endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular diseases.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / chemical synthesis
  • Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / metabolism*
  • Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • Animals
  • Anura / metabolism*
  • Aorta, Thoracic / cytology
  • Catalytic Domain
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Nitric Oxide / metabolism
  • Oligopeptides / chemistry
  • Oligopeptides / metabolism*
  • Oligopeptides / pharmacology
  • Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / chemistry
  • Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / metabolism
  • Proline / chemistry
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Structure, Secondary
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Skin / metabolism*

Substances

  • Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Oligopeptides
  • Nitric Oxide
  • Proline
  • Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A

Grants and funding

The authors would like to thank Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, 552676/2011-0 process number), Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Piauí (FAPEPI, payment of scholarships to students) for the financial support and Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (EMBRAPA) for the facilities, structure mass spectrometry and peptide synthesis. Daniel D. R. Arcanjo acknowledges the CAPES Foundation (Bolsista CAPES-PDSE – Processo nº BEX 2883/15-5) for the financial support. S. Comerma-Steffensen acknowledges the CDCH-UCV and the Aarhus University for their support. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.