title: Small peptide inhibitors of smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase.
abstract: The pentapeptide Ser-Asn-Val-Phe-Ala-OBzl has been identified as the smallest inhibitory peptide of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) derived from the primary sequence of the light chain phosphorylation site. The specific contributions of individual amino acid side chains and backbone elements of this pentapeptide toward the stabilization of the enzyme-inhibitor (E-I) complex have been evaluated. The potency of these peptides as inhibitors of MLCK has been enhanced by the incorporation of synthetic nonnatural amino acids into the sequence. Finally, it has been demonstrated that these peptide sequences could be converted into pseudopeptides with synthetic nonpeptide subunits designed to mimic peptide bonds, and that certain pseudopeptides retained the high-affinity inhibition of the parent pentapeptides.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Research, Schering-Plough Research, Bloomfield, New Jersey 07003.
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Gaeta
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Lehman de Gaeta
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Kogan
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Or
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Czarniecki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002645:Chickens; D007700:Kinetics; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000201:enzymology*; D009219:Myosin-Light-Chain Kinase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D009842:Oligopeptides; D009219:Myosin-Light-Chain Kinase