Stereochemical studies of the monocyclic agouti-related protein (103-122) Arg-Phe-Phe residues: conversion of a melanocortin-4 receptor antagonist into an agonist and results in the discovery of a potent and selective melanocortin-1 agonist.
The agouti-related protein (AGRP) is an endogenous antagonist of the centrally expressed melanocortin receptors. The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) is involved in energy homeostasis, food intake, sexual function, and obesity. The endogenous hAGRP protein is 132 amino acids in length, possesses five disulfide bridges at the C-terminus of the molecule, and is expressed in the hypothalamus of the brain. We have previously reported that a monocyclic hAGRP(103-122) peptide is an antagonist at the melanocortin receptors expressed in the brain. Stereochemical inversion from the endogenous l- to d-isomers of single or multiple amino acid modifications in this monocyclic truncated hAGRP sequence resulted in molecules that are converted from melanocortin receptor antagonists into melanocortin receptor agonists. The Asp-Pro-Ala-Ala-Thr-Ala-Tyr-cyclo[Cys-Arg-DPhe-DPhe-Asn-Ala-Phe-Cys]-Tyr-Ala-Arg-Lys-Leu peptide resulted in a 60 nM melanocortin-1 receptor agonist that is 100-fold selective versus the mMC4R, 1000-fold selective versus the mMC3R, and ca. 180-fold selective versus the mMC5R. In attempts to identify putative ligand-receptor interactions that may be participating in the agonist induced stimulation of the MC4R, selected ligands were docked into a homology molecular model of the mMC4R. These modeling studies have putatively identified hAGRP ligand DArg111-mMC4RAsn115 (TM3) and the hAGRP DPhe113-mMC4RPhe176 (TM4) interactions as important for agonist activity.
Joseph
Christine G
CG
Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
Wang
Xiang S
XS
Scott
Joseph W
JW
Bauzo
Rayna M
RM
Xiang
Zhimin
Z
Richards
Nigel G
NG
Haskell-Luevano
Carrie
C
D054369:Agouti-Related Protein; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D051379:Mice; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D044102:Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 1 / Q000819:agonists*; D044105:Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 4 / Q000819:agonists / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*
C515198:AGRP protein, human; D054369:Agouti-Related Protein; C515199:Agrp protein, mouse; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D044102:Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 1; D044105:Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 4