Unveiling a VEGF-mimetic peptide sequence in the IQGAP1 protein

• Published in: Molecular bioSystems 2017-07, Vol.13 (8), p.1619-1629
• Main Authors: Capasso, Domenica, Di Gaetano, Sonia, Celentano, Veronica, Diana, Donatella, Festa, Luisa, Di Stasi, Rossella, De Rosa, Lucia, Fattorusso, Roberto, D'Andrea, Luca D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Angiogenesis Inducing Agents - chemical synthesis; Angiogenesis Inducing Agents - pharmacology; Animals; Aorta - cytology; Aorta - drug effects; Aorta - metabolism; Caspase 3 - genetics; Caspase 3 - metabolism; Cell Line, Transformed; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; Endothelial Cells - cytology; Endothelial Cells - drug effects; Endothelial Cells - metabolism; Gene Expression Regulation; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells - cytology; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells - drug effects; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells - metabolism; Humans; Molecular Mimicry; Neovascularization, Physiologic - drug effects; Peptides - chemical synthesis; Peptides - pharmacology; Protein Conformation, alpha-Helical; ras GTPase-Activating Proteins - chemistry; Swine; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A - chemistry; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A - pharmacology; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 - genetics; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 - metabolism; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 - genetics; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 - metabolism
• ISSN: 1742-206X; 1742-2051
• DOI: 10.1039/c7mb00190h

The ability to modulate angiogenesis by chemical tools has several important applications in different scientific fields. With the perspective of finding novel proangiogenic molecules, we searched peptide sequences with a chemical profile similar to that of the QK peptide, a well described VEGF mimetic peptide. We found that residues 1617-1627 of the IQGAP1 protein show molecular features similar to those of the QK peptide sequence. The IQGAP1-derived synthetic peptide was analyzed by NMR spectroscopy and its biological activity was characterized in endothelial cells. These studies showed that this IQGAP1-derived peptide has a biological activity similar to that of VEGF and could be considered as a novel tool for reparative angiogenesis.