Minimization of Synthetic Polymer Ligands for Specific Recognition and Neutralization of a Toxic Peptide.
Synthetic polymer ligands (PLs) that recognize and neutralize specific biomacromolecules have attracted attention as stable substitutes for ligands such as antibodies and aptamers. PLs have been reported to strongly interact with target proteins and can be prepared by optimizing the combination and relative proportion of functional groups, by molecular imprinting polymerization, and/or by affinity purification. However, little has been reported about a strategy to prepare PLs capable of specifically recognizing a peptide from a group of targets with similar molecular weight and amino acid composition. In this study, we show that such PLs can be prepared by minimization of molecular weight and density of functional units. The resulting PLs recognize the target toxin exclusively and with 100-fold stronger affinity from a mixture of similar toxins. The target toxin is neutralized as a result. We believe that the minimization approach will become a valuable tool to prepare "plastic aptamers" with strong affinity for specific target peptides.
Department of Chemical Engineering, Kyushu University , 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
Haejoo
H
Lee
Department of Chemical Engineering, Kyushu University , 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
Yu
Y
Hoshino
Department of Chemical Engineering, Kyushu University , 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
Yusuke
Y
Wada
Department of Chemical Engineering, Kyushu University , 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
Yuka
Y
Arata
Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology , Nagatsuta 4259, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan.
Atsushi
A
Maruyama
Department of Chemical Engineering, Kyushu University , 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
Yoshiko
Y
Miura
D008024:Ligands; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010455:Peptides / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013379:Substrate Specificity
D008024:Ligands; D010455:Peptides; D011108:Polymers