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Role of Engineered Proteins as Therapeutic Formulations
Published in Peter Grunwald, Pharmaceutical Biocatalysis, 2019
Khushboo Gulati, Krishna Mohan Poluri
Cystine knot mini proteins (Knottins) are 30–50-amino-acid-long small proteins comprising a canonical cysteine knot. Structurally, knottins contain three antiparallel β-strands and are stabilized by three disulfide bonds arranged in a unique fashion. These bonds are formed between cys1 to cys 4, cys2 to cys5, and cys3 to cys6. The disulfide bond between cys3 to cys6 crosses a macrocycle formed by other two disulfide bonds and a backbone peptide bond. Together, these bonds form a cystine knot structure. Such a structure is responsible for higher thermal, chemical, and proteolytic stability of knottins. Cyclotides are a class of cystine knot proteins that undergo head to tail cyclization due to the presence of an extra loop in their structural architecture. Both knottins and cyclotides serve as promising candidates for potential therapeutic applications. External loops of both knottins and cyclotides make them amenable to various amino acid substitutions and also to the addition of various amino acids, rendering them structurally stable (Moore et al., 2012).
An exploration on the toxicity mechanisms of phytotoxins and their potential utilities
Published in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 2022
Huiling Chen, Harpreet Singh, Neha Bhardwaj, Sanjeev K. Bhardwaj, Madhu Khatri, Ki-Hyun Kim, Wanxi Peng
Apart from these main phytotoxin groups, several other families of phytotoxins have significant phytotoxicology: glucosinolates, coumarins, phenolics and tannins, cyclotides, and cyanotoxins. Glucosinolates are phytotoxic molecules that consist of a β-thioglucose moiety, a sulfonated oxime, and an amino acid–derived side chain. They are distributed in plant tissues from families such as Brassicaceae, Capparaceae, Tovariaceae, and Caricaceae. Cyclotides are plant-derived mini-proteins that are exceptionally stable and have a wide range of biological activities, but their principal function is thought to be plant defense. Their putative defense-related activities are insecticidal, anthelmintic, molluscicidal, cytotoxic, and antimicrobial. They are thought to be plant defense agents based on their toxicity to various organisms, including insects, helminths, and mollusks.