Increased Peptide Stability Research Articles

Stapled Peptides: An Innovative and Ultimate Future Drug Offering a Highly Powerful and Potent Therapeutic Alternative.

Peptide-based therapeutics have traditionally faced challenges, including instability in the bloodstream and limited cell membrane permeability. However, recent advancements in α-helix stapled peptide modification techniques have rekindled interest in their efficacy. Notably, these developments ensure a highly effective method for improving peptide stability and enhancing cell membrane penetration. Particularly in the realm of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), the application of stapled peptide techniques has significantly increased peptide stability and has been successfully applied to many peptides. Furthermore, constraining the secondary structure of peptides has also been proven to enhance their biological activity. In this review, the entire process through which hydrocarbon-stapled antimicrobial peptides attain improved drug-like properties is examined. First, the essential secondary structural elements required for their activity as drugs are validated, specific residues are identified using alanine scanning, and stapling techniques are strategically incorporated at precise locations. Additionally, the mechanisms by which these structure-based stapled peptides function as AMPs are explored, providing a comprehensive and engaging discussion.

Multi-spectroscopic analysis and molecular simulations provide insights into the noncovalent interactions between the novel antimicrobial peptide Pup2 and Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG)

Antimicrobial peptide Pup2, due to high cost, shows restricted application value in food preservative, which may be improved by interacting with EGCG, characterized by good functional properties. This study aims to characterize a novel antimicrobial peptide-phenolic complex with activity against Staphylococcus aureus and investigate their interaction mechanism. Pup2 and Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) exhibited synergistic effects, resulting in a 4-fold and 8-fold decrease in the minimum inhibitory concentration, respectively. Furthermore, the Pup2/EGCG showed a synergistic damaging effect on the bacterial cell wall and membranes. Multi-spectroscopic analyses, which included UV, fluorescence, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy, showed that Pup2 and EGCG were non-covalently bound through hydrophobic interactions predominantly and assisted by hydrogen bonding. These interactions led to changes in the amino acid microenvironment of Pup2 and alterations in its secondary structure, with the α-helix content increasing from 3% to 26%. DSC similarly confirmed the occurrence of interactions and increased peptide stability. Additionally, molecular simulations further demonstrated hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding were the main binding forces between Pup2 and EGCG, resulting in the formation of a stable complex. This study helps to elucidate the interaction mechanism between antimicrobial peptide Pup2 and EGCG at the molecular level, while highlights the potential application of this complex as a more economical and effective natural antimicrobial preservative.

Harnessing the Therapeutic Potential and Biological Activity of Antiviral Peptides.

Peptides are ideal candidates for the development of antiviral therapeutics due to their specificity, chemical diversity and potential for highly potent, safe, molecular interventions. By restricting conformational freedom and flexibility, cyclic peptides frequently increase peptide stability. Viral targets are often very challenging as their evasive strategies for infectivity can preclude standard therapies. In recent years, several peptides from natural sources mitigated an array of viral infections. In parallel, short peptides derived from key viral proteins, modified with chemical groups such as lipids and cell-penetrating sequences, led to highly effective antiviral inhibitor designs. These strategies have been further developed during the recent COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Several anti-SARS-CoV-2 peptides are gaining ground in pre-clinical development. Overall, peptides are strong contenders for lead compounds against many life-threatening viruses and may prove to be the key to future efforts revealing viral mechanisms of action and alleviating their effects.

Lysine Stapling Screening Provides Stable and Low Toxic Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides Combating Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria In Vitro and In Vivo.

Cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) are promising for treatment of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria-caused infections. However, clinical application of CAMPs has been hampered mostly due to their poor proteolytic stability and hemolytic toxicity. Recently, lysine-stapled CAMPs developed by us had been proved to increase peptide stability in vitro without induction of hemolysis. Herein, the applicability of the lysine stapling strategy was further explored by using five natural or artificial CAMPs as model peptides. Lysine stapling screening was implemented to provide 13 cyclic analogues in total. Biological screening of these cyclic analogues showed that CAMPs with a better amphiphilic structure were inclined to exhibit improved antimicrobial activity, protease stability, and biocompatibility after lysine-stapling. One of the stapled analogues of BF15-a1 was found to have extended half-life in plasma, enhanced antimicrobial activity against clinically isolated MDR ESKAPE pathogens, and remained highly effective in combating MRSA infection in a mouse model.

Design of a Proteolytically Stable Sodium-Calcium Exchanger 1 Activator Peptide for In Vivo Studies.

The cardiac sodium–calcium exchanger (NCX1) is important for normal Na+- and Ca2+-homeostasis and cardiomyocyte relaxation and contraction. It has been suggested that NCX1 activity is reduced by phosphorylated phospholemman (pSer68-PLM); however its direct interaction with PLM is debated. Disruption of the potentially inhibitory pSer68-PLM-NCX1 interaction might be a therapeutic strategy to increase NCX1 activity in cardiac disease. In the present study, we aimed to analyze the binding affinities and kinetics of the PLM-NCX1 and pSer68-PLM-NCX1 interactions by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and to develop a proteolytically stable NCX1 activator peptide for future in vivo studies. The cytoplasmic parts of PLM (PLMcyt) and pSer68-PLM (pSer68-PLMcyt) were found to bind strongly to the intracellular loop of NCX1 (NCX1cyt) with similar K D values of 4.1 ± 1.0 nM and 4.3 ± 1.9 nM, but the PLMcyt-NCX1cyt interaction showed higher on/off rates. To develop a proteolytically stable NCX1 activator, we took advantage of a previously designed, high-affinity PLM binding peptide (OPT) that was derived from the PLM binding region in NCX1 and that reverses the inhibitory PLM (S68D)-NCX1 interaction in HEK293. We performed N- and C-terminal truncations of OPT and identified PYKEIEQLIELANYQV as the minimum sequence required for pSer68-PLM binding. To increase peptide stability in human serum, we replaced the proline with an N-methyl-proline (NOPT) after identification of N-terminus as substitution tolerant by two-dimensional peptide array analysis. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the half-life of NOPT was increased 17-fold from that of OPT. NOPT pulled down endogenous PLM from rat left ventricle lysate and exhibited direct pSer68-PLM binding in an ELISA-based assay and bound to pSer68-PLMcyt with a K D of 129 nM. Excess NOPT also reduced the PLMcyt-NCX1cyt interaction in an ELISA-based competition assay, but in line with that NCX1 and PLM form oligomers, NOPT was not able to outcompete the physical interaction between endogenous full length proteins. Importantly, cell-permeable NOPT-TAT increased NCX1 activity in cardiomyocytes isolated from both SHAM-operated and aorta banded heart failure (HF) mice, indicating that NOPT disrupted the inhibitory pSer68-PLM-NCX1 interaction. In conclusion, we have developed a proteolytically stable NCX1-derived PLM binding peptide that upregulates NCX1 activity in SHAM and HF cardiomyocytes.

STEM-28. NANOPARTICLES ENCAPSULATING A CONNEXIN43 MIMETIC PEPTIDE LIMIT GLIOMA STEM CELL SURVIVAL AND GLIOBLASTOMA PROGRESSION

Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive primary adult brain tumor in the US. The current treatment regimen for GBM still retains an alarmingly poor prognosis, with median survival of only 14.6 months. Failure to generate more effective treatment strategies is due to the infiltrative nature of GBM tumor cells, which hinders complete surgical resection, and cellular heterogeneity within GBM tumors, with a sub-population of glioma stem cells (GSCs) resistant to irradiation treatment and chemotherapeutic agents including temozolomide. As a result, all treated GBM patients will experience tumor recurrence, highlighting the need for novel approaches in targeting such refractory tumor cell populations to successfully treat GBM tumors and prevent recurrence. Using super resolution localization microscopy, we have identified that increased interaction of connexin43 (Cx43) with microtubules in GSCs confers tumorigenic behavior to these cells. We employed a Cx43 mimetic peptide named JM2 (juxtamembrane 2) that encompasses the microtubule binding sequence of the Cx43 carboxy-terminus. This peptide drug efficiently and specifically disrupts the interaction of Cx43 with microtubules and limits GSC survival, proliferation, and migration, without affecting normal human astrocytes. Next, we implemented the therapeutic strategy of JM2 encapsulation within biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) to reduce administration frequency and patient discomfort, and increase peptide stability and activity. We confirmed sustained release of JM2 from these poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid biodegradable NPs, and JM2 bioactivity through disruption of Cx43 interaction with microtubules. Administration of JM2-NPs inhibits GSC-derived neurosphere formation in vitro and patient GBM-derived organoid growth ex vivo. Finally, using an orthotopic xenograft brain tumor mouse model, we demonstrate in vivo that JM2-NPs significantly decrease the number of GSCs within brain tumors, and inhibit the formation of highly invasive GBM tumors. Our findings on generation of JM2-NPs to target GSC survival lays the foundation for future clinical trials in newly diagnosed GBM patients.

Cerebellar developmental deficits underlie neurodegenerative disorder spinocerebellar ataxia type 23.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 23 (SCA23) is a late‐onset neurodegenerative disorder characterized by slowly progressive gait and limb ataxia, for which there is no therapy available. It is caused by pathogenic variants in PDYN, which encodes prodynorphin (PDYN). PDYN is processed into the opioid peptides α‐neoendorphin and dynorphins (Dyn) A and B; inhibitory neurotransmitters that function in pain signaling, stress‐induced responses and addiction. Variants causing SCA23 mostly affect Dyn A, leading to loss of secondary structure and increased peptide stability. PDYN R212W mice express human PDYN containing the SCA23 variant p.R212W. These mice show progressive motor deficits from 3 months of age, climbing fiber (CF) deficits from 3 months of age, and Purkinje cell (PC) loss from 12 months of age. A mouse model for SCA1 showed similar CF deficits, and a recent study found additional developmental abnormalities, namely increased GABAergic interneuron connectivity and non‐cell autonomous disruption of PC function. As SCA23 mice show a similar pathology to SCA1 mice in adulthood, we hypothesized that SCA23 may also follow SCA1 pathology during development. Examining PDYN R212W cerebella during development, we uncovered developmental deficits from 2 weeks of age, namely a reduced number of GABAergic synapses on PC soma, possibly leading to the observed delay in early phase CF elimination between 2 and 3 weeks of age. Furthermore, CFs did not reach terminal height, leaving proximal PC dendrites open to be occupied by parallel fibers (PFs). The observed increase in vGlut1 protein—a marker for PF‐PC synapses—indicates that PFs indeed take over CF territory and have increased connectivity with PCs. Additionally, we detected altered expression of several critical Ca2+ channel subunits, potentially contributing to altered Ca2+ transients in PDYN R212W cerebella. These findings indicate that developmental abnormalities contribute to the SCA23 pathology and uncover a developmental role for PDYN in the cerebellum.

The Effects of Lipidation on a TAT-Containing Peptide-Based Inhibitor of PSD-95

Stability and cell permeability are critical parameters in the development of peptide therapeutics. Conjugation to fatty acids and cell-penetrating peptides, such as TAT (YGRKKRRQRRR), are established strategies to increase peptide stability and permeation, respectively. Here, we prepared lipidated analogues of a potent TAT-containing dimeric peptide-based inhibitor of the intracellular scaffolding protein PSD-95, an emerging drug target in ischaemic stroke. Lipidation increased peptide stability in vitro and in vivo. Combining both lipidation and conjugation to TAT improved brain/plasma ratios, but caused acute toxic effects due to the potent haemolytic activity of the TAT-lipid moiety.

Abstract 982: Functionally important hotspot interfaces between immune-oncology targets PD-1 and PD-L1 and between Hippo pathway targets YAP2 and tight junction protein ZO-1 are identified using a protein-protein interaction technique optimized with novel dye chemistries

Abstract Protein-protein interactions are thought to be the next frontier in drug discovery. However, there are several well-known challenges facing development of protein-protein interaction (PPI) inhibitors that lead to slow development in the field, including difficulty identifying PPIs and difficulty designing small molecule inhibitors of relatively flat, featureless PPIs. We address these difficulties with the development of a novel method of discovering PPI hotspots, called protein painting. This technique relies on non-covalent labeling of solvent- accessible protein surfaces using small molecular dyes optimized for protein binding. The dyes block access to trypsin cleavage sites, allowing for digestion only of undyed interface regions following denaturation of the protein complex. Interface regions can be identified using mass spectrometry and used as target sequences for drug development. Here we introduce new dye chemistries and elucidate their mechanism of protein binding for the first time. This allows for rapid identification of functionally-relevant hotspots without the need to screen many dye chemistries to optimize surface coverage of the protein complex. We applied this method to elucidate functional hotspots for immmuno-oncology targets PD-1 and PD-L1 and Hippo pathway targets YAP2 and tight junction protein ZO-1. To further functionally validate the hotspot regions identified, we focused on the case study of PD-1 and PD-L1. We discovered a hotspot of PD-1 Lys 78 in the protein-protein interface, and rationally designed a series of 8 peptide inhibitors to target this hotspot. The most active peptide YRCMISYGGADYKRITV derived from PD-L1 disrupted the PD-1/PD-L1 complex with an IC50 of 5.07 µM. The predicted binding site of this peptide on PD-1 overlaps the binding site of therapeutic anti-PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab; crystal structures of pembrolizumab and PD-1 show hydrogen bonding between the antibody and our identified hotspot Lys 78. Furthermore, we prepared a cyclized analog peptide CYRAMISYGGADYKRITC by disulfide bond stapling to increase peptide stability and found that this did not significantly reduce inhibitor potency, with an IC50 of 8.02 µM. Taken together, this data suggests a specific region of PD-1 found within the larger PD-1/PD-L1 interface that may serve as a target for development of next generation small molecule PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors. By focusing drug discovery efforts against only the PPI hotspot regions, we may accelerate drug development against these difficult targets. Citation Format: Amanda Still, Douglass Dey, Rachel Carter, Angela Dailing, Mikell Paige, Lance Liotta, Alessandra Luchini. Functionally important hotspot interfaces between immune-oncology targets PD-1 and PD-L1 and between Hippo pathway targets YAP2 and tight junction protein ZO-1 are identified using a protein-protein interaction technique optimized with novel dye chemistries [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 982.

Heterologous expression of a broad-spectrum chimeric antimicrobial peptide in Lactococcus lactis: Its safety and molecular modeling evaluation

Over the last decade, global increase in antibiotic consumption is a major concern in the word. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) known as potential alternative and were considered as a safe antimicrobial agent. However, current approaches for production and purification of AMPs are costly and time-consuming. Here we show that heterologous expression of a chimeric peptide was successfully developed in Lactococcus lactis as a safe and cost-effective recombinant protein expression platform. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of His-tag purified peptide was determined against a broad spectrum of human pathogenic bacteria consistence of Gram-positive, Gram-negative and resistance strains in deferent range from 7.24 ± 0.4 to 156.24 ± 3.0 μg/mL. Furthermore, our results showed that the peptide was not toxic to HEK and HeLa cells and even at concentrations as high as 250 μg/mL exhibited minimal hemolysis against RBCs. Additional characteristics such as thermal, protease and 50% human plasma stability were determined for cLFchimera. Molecular modeling analysis demonstrated that fusion of His-tag to the C-terminal of chimeric peptide increased peptide stability during 10 ns simulation in water. Overall, the chimeric peptide has a considerable antibacterial activity with low hemolysis, low or none in toxicity and good temperature resistance and also high stability in serum. We anticipate the established expression system could be developed and used more effectively in probiotic strains in future studies.

Hydrocarbon Stapled Antimicrobial Peptides

Antimicrobial peptides are promising candidates for anti-infective pharmaceuticals. Unfortunately, because of their low proteolytic and chemical stability, their usage is generally narrowed down to topical formulations. Until now, numerous approaches to increase peptide stability have been proposed. One of them, peptide hydrocarbon stapling, a modification based on stabilizing peptide secondary structure with a side-chain covalent hydrocarbon bridge, have been successfully applied to many peptides. Moreover, constraining secondary structure of peptides have also been proven to increase their biological activity. This review article describes studies on hydrocarbon stapled antimicrobial peptides with respect to improved drug-like properties.

Altered secondary structure of Dynorphin A associates with loss of opioid signalling and NMDA-mediated excitotoxicity in SCA23.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 23 (SCA23) is caused by missense mutations in prodynorphin, encoding the precursor protein for the opioid neuropeptides α-neoendorphin, Dynorphin (Dyn) A and Dyn B, leading to neurotoxic elevated mutant Dyn A levels. Dyn A acts on opioid receptors to reduce pain in the spinal cord, but its cerebellar function remains largely unknown. Increased concentration of or prolonged exposure to Dyn A is neurotoxic and these deleterious effects are very likely caused by an N-methyl-d-aspartate-mediated non-opioid mechanism as Dyn A peptides were shown to bind NMDA receptors and potentiate their glutamate-evoked currents. In the present study, we investigated the cellular mechanisms underlying SCA23-mutant Dyn A neurotoxicity. We show that SCA23 mutations in the Dyn A-coding region disrupted peptide secondary structure leading to a loss of the N-terminal α-helix associated with decreased κ-opioid receptor affinity. Additionally, the altered secondary structure led to increased peptide stability of R6W and R9C Dyn A, as these peptides showed marked degradation resistance, which coincided with decreased peptide solubility. Notably, L5S Dyn A displayed increased degradation and no aggregation. R6W and wt Dyn A peptides were most toxic to primary cerebellar neurons. For R6W Dyn A, this is likely because of a switch from opioid to NMDA- receptor signalling, while for wt Dyn A, this switch was not observed. We propose that the pathology of SCA23 results from converging mechanisms of loss of opioid-mediated neuroprotection and NMDA-mediated excitotoxicity.

Computational design of drug candidates for influenza A virus subtype H1N1 by inhibiting the viral neuraminidase-1 enzyme.

It is critical to seek potential alternative treatments for H1N1 infections by inhibiting neuraminidase-1 enzyme. One of the viable options for inhibiting the activity of neuraminidase- 1 is peptide drug design. In order to increase peptide stability, cyclization is necessary to prevent its digestion by protease enzyme. Cyclization of peptide ligands by formation of disulfide bridges is preferable for designing inhibitors of neuraminidase-1 because of their high activity and specificity. Here we designed ligands by using molecular docking, drug scan and dynamics computational methods. Based on our docking results, short polypeptides of cystein-arginine-methionine-tyrosine- -proline-cysteine (CRMYPC) and cysteine-arginine-aspargine- phenylalanine-proline-cysteine (CRNFPC) have good residual interactions with the target and the binding energy ΔGbinding of -31.7402 and -31.0144 kcal mol-1, respectively. These values are much lower than those of the standards, and it means that both ligands are more accessible to ligand-receptor binding. Based on drug scan results, both of these ligands are neither mutagenic nor carcinogenic. They also show good oral bioavailability. Moreover, both ligands show relatively stable molecular dynamics progression of RMSD vs. time plot. However, based on our metods, the CRMYPC ligand has sufficient hydrogen bonding interactions with residues of the active side of neuraminidase-1 and can be therefore proposed as a potential inhibitor of neuraminidase-1.

Modified connexin43 mimetic peptide shows higher efficacy in reducing retinal ganglion cell loss and vessel leak after retinal ischemia

AbstractPurpose Optic neuropathy is associated with retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss leading to optic nerve damage and visual impairment. Transient block of connexin43 (Cx43) hemichannels by mimetic peptides (MP) after retinal ischemia has been shown to inhibit uncontrolled hemichannel opening and may provide improved RGC survival. However, high hydrophilicity and poor peptide stability can limit efficient delivery in a clinical setting. This study evaluated the efficacy of modified Cx43MP using a retinal ischemia reperfusion rat model.Methods Retinal ischemia was created in the left eye (120 mmHg for 60 min) with the right eye serving as a control and Cx43MP formulations were injected intravitreally. Evan’s blue dye was injected intraperitoneally 4 h after reperfusion to visualize vessel leak using confocal microscopy. Retinal whole mounts were also labeled with Cx43, GFAP and Brn3a antibodies to quantify Cx43 and RGC densities.Results Intravitreal injection of native and modified Cx43MP resulted in significantly reduced Cx43 levels compared to untreated eyes 8 h after ischemia, with Cx43MP containing two C12‐lipoamino acid groups reducing Cx43 counts almost down to baseline level. A similar trend was seen for RCG counts with the modified Cx43MP resulting in >93% RCG survival after 28 days compared to <70% for untreated eyes. Vessel leak was also noticeably reduced in Cx43MP treated eyes.Conclusion C12‐lipoamino acid conjugation to Cx43MP increased peptide stability and may have also resulted in better tissue permeability, improving the overall efficacy of Cx43MP. Modified Cx43MP may therefore offer a clinically relevant treatment option for optic neuropathies.

Substrate Specificity of Platypus Venom L-to-D-Peptide Isomerase

The L-to-D-peptide isomerase from the venom of the platypus (Ornithorhyncus anatinus) is the first such enzyme to be reported for a mammal. In delineating its catalytic mechanism and broader roles in the animal, its substrate specificity was explored. We used N-terminal segments of defensin-like peptides DLP-2 and DLP-4 and natriuretic peptide OvCNP from the venom as substrates. The DLP analogues IMFsrs and ImFsrs (srs is a solubilizing chain; lowercase letters denote D-amino acid) were effective substrates for the isomerase; it appears to recognize the N-terminal tripeptide sequence Ile-Xaa-Phe-. A suite of 26 mutants of these hexapeptides was synthesized by replacing the second residue (Met) with another amino acid, viz. Ala, alpha-aminobutyric acid, Ile, Leu, Lys, norleucine, Phe, Tyr, and Val. It was shown that mutant peptides incorporating norleucine and Phe are substrates and exhibit L- or D-amino acid isomerization, but mutant peptides that contain residues with shorter, beta-branched or long side chains with polar terminal groups, viz. Ala, alpha-aminobutyric acid, Ile, Val, Leu, Lys, and Tyr, respectively, are not substrates. It was demonstrated that at least three N-terminal amino acid residues are absolutely essential for L-to-D-isomerization; furthermore, the third amino acid must be a Phe residue. None of the hexapeptides based on LLH, the first three residues of OvCNP, were substrates. A consistent 2-base mechanism is proposed for the isomerization; abstraction of a proton by 1 base is concomitant with delivery of a proton by the conjugate acid of a second base.

In vivo pharmacology of MMP2200 a delta/mu opioid glycopeptide

Opioid analgesics work primarily through the mu opioid receptor and are associated with significant side effects. The delta opioid receptor represents an alternative target for analgesic drug development. We have modified the structure of endogenous enkephalin peptides through substitution of D-amino acids and addition of carbohydrates to increase peptide stability and blood-brain barrier transport. This approach has allowed us to characterize the efficacy and side effect profiles of several lead compounds in mouse models of nociception, addiction and physical dependence, respiratory depression and GI transit. The delta/mu glycopeptide MMP2200 demonstrated superior potency to morphine following intraperitoneal administration with antinociceptive A50 values (95% CI) of 2.31 (1.85–2.88) μmol/kg and 13.67 (11.21–16.66) μmol/kg, respectively. The highly mu selective LYM-147 produced extraordinary potency with an A50 value of 0.76 (0.56-1.04) μmol/kg. The mu selective agonists produced stereotypic circling, increased locomotor activity and greater levels of physical dependence compared to equieffective antinociceptive doses of MMP2200. We are currently assessing the effects on GI transit and respiratory depression. These delta/mu glycopeptides may have a more favorable therapeutic profile than mu selective agonists.

Interactions of VIP, secretin and PACAP(1-38) with phospholipids: a biological paradox revisited.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), secretin and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide(1-38)(PACAP(1-38)) are widely distributed amphipathic mammalian neuropeptides that exert diverse biological effects in target tissues located distant from their site of release. However, the half-life of exogenously-administered VIP, secretin and PACAP(1-38) in the bloodstream is relatively short (minutes) due to rapid degradation and inactivation. This seemingly paradoxical behavior suggests the presence of an innate system(s) that protects the peptides from degradation in vivo. To this end, VIP, secretin and PACAP(1-38) express distinct biophysical properties that once released may protect them from degradation in biological fluids. They self-aggregate at low (nanomolar) concentrations and interact avidly with biomimetic phospholipid monolayers and bilayers at physiological concentrations. The latter evokes conformational transition of the VIP, secretin and PACAP(1-38) molecules from predominantly random coil in aqueous solution to alpha-helix, the preferred peptide conformation for receptor interaction, in phospholipids. These features increase peptide stability and amplify bioactivity in vivo. Collectively, these data suggest the presence of an endogenous targeted delivery platform for VIP, secretin and PACAP(1-38). This innate system may constitute a novel molecular recognition paradigm that could also apply to other amphipathic neuropeptides. Importantly, the distinct behavior of VIP, secretin and PACAP(1-38) in the presence of phospholipids could be exploited to develop novel, long-acting therapeutic formulations of these peptides.