SummaryExcessive mitochondrial fission is associated with the pathology of a number of neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, inhibitors of aberrant mitochondrial fission could provide important research tools in addition to potential leads for drug development. Using a rational approach, we designed a novel and selective peptide inhibitor, P110, of excessive mitochondrial fission. P110 inhibits Drp1 enzyme activity and blocks Drp1/Fis1 interaction in vitro and in cultured neurons, whereas it has no effect on the interaction between Drp1 and other mitochondrial adaptors, as demonstrated by co-immunoprecipitation. Furthermore, using a model of Parkinson's disease (PD) in culture, we demonstrated that P110 is neuroprotective by inhibiting mitochondrial fragmentation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and subsequently improving mitochondrial membrane potential and mitochondrial integrity. P110 increased neuronal cell viability by reducing apoptosis and autophagic cell death, and reduced neurite loss of primary dopaminergic neurons in this PD cell culture model. We also found that P110 treatment appears to have minimal effects on mitochondrial fission and cell viability under basal conditions. Finally, P110 required the presence of Drp1 to inhibit mitochondrial fission under oxidative stress conditions. Taken together, our findings suggest that P110, as a selective peptide inhibitor of Drp1, might be useful for the treatment of diseases in which excessive mitochondrial fission and mitochondrial dysfunction occur.

Summary Mitochondria are dynamic organelles, remodeling and exchanging contents during cyclic fusion and fission. Genetic mutations of mitofusin (Mfn) 2 interrupt mitochondrial fusion and cause the untreatable neurodegenerative condition, Charcot Marie Tooth disease type 2A (CMT2A). It has not been possible to directly modulate mitochondrial fusion, in part because the structural basis of mitofusin function is incompletely understood. Here we show that mitofusins adopt either a fusion-constrained or fusion-permissive molecular conformation directed by specific intramolecular binding interactions, and demonstrate that mitofusin-dependent mitochondrial fusion can be regulated by targeting these conformational transitions. Based on this model we engineered a cell-permeant minipeptide to destabilize fusion-constrained mitofusin and promote the fusion-permissive conformation, reversing mitochondrial abnormalities in cultured fibroblasts and neurons harboring CMT2A gene defects. The relationship between mitofusin conformational plasticity and mitochondrial dynamism uncovers a central mechanism regulating mitochondrial fusion whose manipulation can correct mitochondrial pathology triggered by defective or imbalanced mitochondrial dynamics.

Natural endogenously occurring peptides exhibit desirable medicinal properties, but are often limited in application by rapid proteolysis and inadequate membrane permeability. However, editing naturally occurring peptide sequences to develop peptidomimetic analogs created a promising class of therapeutics that can augment or inhibit molecular interactions. Here, we discuss a variety of chemical modifications, including L to D isomerization, cyclization, and unnatural amino acid substitution, as well as design strategies, such as attachment to cell-penetrating peptides, which are used to develop peptidomimetics. We also provide examples of approved peptidomimetics and discuss several compounds in clinical trials.

Protein-protein interactions are essential for almost all intracellular and extracellular biological processes. Regulation of protein-protein interactions is one strategy to regulate cell fate in a highly selective manner. Specifically, peptides are ideal candidates for inhibition of protein-protein interactions because they can mimic a protein surface to effectively compete for binding. Additionally, peptides are synthetically accessible and can be stabilized by chemical modifications. In this review, we survey screening and rational design methods for identifying peptides to inhibit protein-protein interactions, as well as methods for stabilizing peptides to effectively mimic protein surfaces. In addition, we discuss recent applications of peptides to regulate protein-protein interactions for both basic research and therapeutic purposes.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in a variety of age-related diseases including multiple cardiovascular disorders. However, translation of ROS scavengers (anti-oxidants) into the clinic has not been successful. These anti-oxidants grossly reduce total levels of cellular ROS including ROS that participate in physiological signaling. In this review, we challenge the traditional anti-oxidant therapeutic approach that targets ROS directly with novel approaches that improve mitochondrial functions to more effectively treat cardiovascular diseases.

Protein-protein interactions sequester enzymes close to their substrates. Protein kinase C (PKC) is one example of a ubiquitous signaling molecule with effects that are dependent upon localization. Short peptides derived from interaction sites between each PKC isozyme and its receptor for activated C kinase act as highly specific inhibitors and have become available as selective drugs in basic research and animal models of human diseases, such as myocardial infarction and hyperglycemia. Whereas the earlier inhibitory peptides are highly specific, we believe that peptides targeting additional interactions between PKC and selective substrates will generate even more selective tools that regulate different functions of individual isozymes. Here, we discuss the methodologies and applications for identifying selective regulators of PKC. The evolution of rational drug designThe process of drug discovery has evolved from a series of serendipitous findings to a more systematic search accompanied by rationally designed molecules. The evolution of this process is best illustrated by the discovery of aspirin. The benefit of willow leaves in reducing pain and inflammation was first described by the Babylonians nearly 4000 years ago and later prescribed as a medication by Hippo-crates [1]. Two millennia later, salicylic acid was purified to reduce side-effects associated with other components in the plant extract, and by the end of the 19th century, this substance was sold by Bayer as acetylsalicylic acid under the name aspirin [1]. The mechanism of action of aspirin and the targets of aspirin, the cyclo-oxygenase enzymes (see Glossary), were discovered 80 years later [2], and the crystal structure of this enzyme was solved as recently as 1994 [3,4]. The ability to use automated high-throughput screens of thousands of molecules and the development of more advanced nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X-ray crystallography and molecular dynamic simulation techniques resulted in more systematic searches of new drugs and directed small molecule design based on threedimensional information of proteins bound with their ligands. These two seemingly incongruent approaches (unbiased search vs rational design) are in fact complementary, leading to the current approach to drug discovery.Structural information on drug-protein interactions identifies binding pockets for small molecules in the protein targets and provides measurements of the forces that govern the binding of these small molecules to their protein. This has facilitated the rational design of drugs that mimic or compete with these interactions. However, many crucial signaling events in the cell occur in multiprotein complexes and involve multiple protein-protein interactions. Identification of drugs that interfere with these protein-protein interactions has proven difficult because the interaction sites between two proteins constitute large, flat surfaces rather than small hydrophobic pockets. Nevertheless, protein-protein interactions are crucial in signal transducti...

Mitochondria form a dynamic network governed by a balance between opposing fission and fusion processes. Because excessive mitochondrial fission correlates with numerous pathologies, including neurodegeneration, the mechanism governing fission has become an attractive therapeutic strategy. However, targeting fission is a double-edged sword as physiological fission is necessary for mitochondrial function. Fission is trigged by Drp1 anchoring to adaptors tethered to the outer mitochondrial membrane. We designed peptide P259 that distinguishes physiological from pathological fission by specifically inhibiting Drp1′s interaction with the Mff adaptor. Treatment of cells with P259 elongated mitochondria and disrupted mitochondrial function and motility. Sustained in vivo treatment caused a decline in ATP levels and altered mitochondrial structure in the brain, resulting in behavioral deficits in wild-type mice and a shorter lifespan in a mouse model of Huntington’s disease. Therefore, the Mff-Drp1 interaction is critical for physiological mitochondrial fission, motility, and function in vitro and in vivo. Tools, such as P259, that differentiate physiological from pathological fission will enable the examination of context-dependent roles of Drp1 and the suitability of mitochondrial fission as a target for drug development.

BackgroundThe transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) mediates cellular responses to pain, heat, or noxious stimuli by calcium influx; however, the cellular localization and function of TRPV1 in the cardiomyocyte is largely unknown. We studied whether myocardial injury is regulated by TRPV1 and whether we could mitigate reperfusion injury by limiting the calcineurin interaction with TRPV1.Methods and ResultsIn primary cardiomyocytes, confocal and electron microscopy demonstrates that TRPV1 is localized to the mitochondria. Capsaicin, the specific TRPV1 agonist, dose‐dependently reduced mitochondrial membrane potential and was blocked by the TRPV1 antagonist capsazepine or the calcineurin inhibitor cyclosporine. Using in silico analysis, we discovered an interaction site for TRPV1 with calcineurin. We synthesized a peptide, V1‐cal, to inhibit the interaction between TRPV1 and calcineurin. In an in vivo rat myocardial infarction model, V1‐cal given just prior to reperfusion substantially mitigated myocardial infarct size compared with vehicle, capsaicin, or cyclosporine (24±3% versus 61±2%, 45±1%, and 49±2%, respectively; n=6 per group; P<0.01 versus all groups). Infarct size reduction by V1‐cal was also not seen in TRPV1 knockout rats.Conclusions TRPV1 is localized at the mitochondria in cardiomyocytes and regulates mitochondrial membrane potential through an interaction with calcineurin. We developed a novel therapeutic, V1‐cal, that substantially reduces reperfusion injury by inhibiting the interaction of calcineurin with TRPV1. These data suggest that TRPV1 is an end‐effector of cardioprotection and that modulating the TRPV1 protein interaction with calcineurin limits reperfusion injury.