In this paper, we investigate the coassembly of peptides derived from the central and C-terminal regions of the β-amyloid peptide (Aβ). In the preceding paper, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6b06000 , we established that peptides containing residues 17-23 (LVFFAED) from the central region of Aβ and residues 30-36 (AIIGLMV) from the C-terminal region of Aβ assemble to form homotetrame...

In this work, a modified version of the 44 amino acid human growth hormone-releasing hormone (hGHRH(1-44)) containing an N-terminal proline extension, a valine residue in position 14, and a C-terminus amidation (sequence: PYADAIFTNSYRKVVLGQLSARKLLQDIMSRQQGESNQERGARARL-NH2 ) has been identified in a confiscated product by liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). Investi...

conclusions this study provided conserved b-cell epitopes and peptides that can be useful for designing entry inhibitors and vaccines able to cover a global population, especially where genotype 5a is common. results differences in the probability of glycosylation in e1 and e2 regions were observed in this study. three conserved antigenic b-cell epitopes were predicted in the e2 regions and als...

Rhodnius prolixus, the principal Chagas disease vector, requires a blood meal to complete its moult cycle into the next stage. Allatotropins (ATs), a family of peptides first isolated from Manduca sexta, have been shown to regulate the biosynthesis of juvenile hormone, an insect growth and development hormone; however, ATs, being multimodal peptides, also exhibit myotropic effects on some insec...

The porcine cathelicidin PR-39 is a host defence peptide that plays a pivotal role in the innate immune defence of the pig against infections. Besides direct antimicrobial activity, it is involved in immunomodulation, wound healing and several other biological processes. In this study, the antimicrobial- and immunomodulatory activity of PR-39, and N- and C-terminal derivatives of PR-39 were tes...

Data mining was performed on 28 330 unique peptide tandem mass spectra for which sequences were assigned with high confidence. By dividing the spectra into different sets based on structural features and charge states of the corresponding peptides, chemical interactions involved in promoting specific cleavage patterns in gas-phase peptides were characterized. Pairwise fragmentation maps describ...

Prion diseases are marked by the cerebral accumulation of conformationally modified forms of the cellular prion protein (PrP(C)), known as PrP(res). The region comprising the residues 106-126 of human PrP seems to have a key role in this conformational conversion, because a synthetic peptide homologous with this sequence (PrP106-126) adopts different secondary structures in different environmen...

Previously designed cyclic peptide antagonist c[YYDEGLEE]-NH2 disrupts the interaction between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors (VEGFRs). It represents a promising tool in the fight against cancer and age-related macular degeneration. We described in this paper the optimization of the lead peptide by C-terminal modification. A new strategy for the synthesis of cyclic ...

The pp65(495-503) cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) epitope from cytomegalovirus (CMV) is universally recognized among CMV+ individuals who express an allele of the human leukocyte antigen A (HLA-A*0201). The relative binding affinity of the epitope to HLA-A*0201 is moderate, and its increased activity might prove beneficial in its use as a CTL epitope vaccine. A new approach to enhance the activity...

Fire ants are one of the world's most damaging invasive pests, with few means for their effective control. Although ecologically friendly alternatives to chemical pesticides such as the insecticidal fungus Beauveria bassiana have been suggested for the control of fire ant populations, their use has been limited due to the low virulence of the fungus and the length of time it takes to kill its t...