title: Identification of antiviral mimetic peptides with interferon alpha-2b-like activity from a random peptide library using a novel functional biopanning method.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To screen for interferon (IFN) alpha-2b mimetic peptides with antiviral activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Selecting IFN receptor-binding peptides from a phage-display heptapeptide library using a novel functional biopanning method. This method was developed to identify peptides with activity against vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) inducing cytopathic effects on WISH cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixteen positive clones were obtained after 3 rounds of functional selection. Ten clones were picked from these positive clones according to the results of phage ELISA and were sequenced. The amino acid sequences homologous to IFN alpha-2b were defined by residues AB loop 31-37, BC loop 68-74, C helix 93-99, CD loop 106-112, D helix 115-121, DE loop 132-138, and E helix 143-161. Two of the peptides, designated clones T3 and T9, aligned with the IFNAR2-binding domains (AB loop and E helix), were synthesized and designated as IR-7 and KP-7, respectively. Both KP-7 and IR-7 were found to compete with GFP/IFN alpha-2b for receptor binding and mimicked the antiviral activity of IFN alpha -2b cooperatively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Two IFN alpha-2b mimetic peptides with antiviral activity were derived from a phage-display heptapeptide library using a novel functional selection method.
authors.affiliation: College of pharmaceutical Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 30071, China.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Jia-Qi
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Peng-Wei
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000276:immunology*; D002460:Cell Line; D005562:Formazans / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018716:Molecular Mimicry / Q000187:drug effects*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019151:Peptide Library; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts / Q000378:metabolism; D014721:Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D005562:Formazans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D019151:Peptide Library; D010455:Peptides; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; C079782:MTT formazan