BEH.462/3.962J Molecular Principles of Biomaterials Spring 2003
Lecture 4: Degradable Materials with Biological Recognition (part II)
Last time: Biological recognition in vivo
Engineering biological recognition of biomaterials: adhesion/migration peptides
Today: Engineering biological recognition of biomaterials: enzymatic recognition and cytokine
signaling
Reading: S.E. Sakiyama-Elbert and J.A. Hubbell, ‘Functional Biomaterials: Design of Novel
biomaterials,’ Annu. Rev. Mater. Sci. 31, 183-201 (2001)
J.C. Schense et al., ‘Enzymatic incorporation of bioactive peptides into fibrin matrices
enhances neurite extension,’ Nat. Biotech. 18, 415-419 (2000)
Supplementary Reading: ‘The Extracellular Matrix,’ pp. 1124-1150, Molecular Biology of the Cell, Lodish et al.
Recognition of Biomaterials by Proteases: Engineering Enzyme-mediated degradation of
polymers
Basic concept: include peptide sequences in the polymer chain which are cleaved by enzymatic activity of serum
proteins/cellular secreted products (active breakdown) [hydrolysis active but slow...]
? Amide bond -(NH)-(CO)- provides natural hydrolytic mechanism for degradation, but breaks down very slowly in
physiological conditions
Remodeling enzymes in vivo:
1) binding of target by enzyme
2) specific site cleavage
? What is enzymatic cleavage used for in vivo?
1
(Reading Ch.1 4 Voet and Voet “Enzymatic catalysis”)
o Remodling ECM, migration of cells through matrix
o Removing functional groups from signaling molecules (phosphorylation/dephosphorylation)
? Utility in the design of biomaterials:
o Enzymatic cleavage can breakdown polymers more quickly than hydrolysis
o Polymers can be designed to be surface-eroding easily (enzyme can’t access interior)
o Degradation could be localized to tissue where enzyme is produced
Lecture 4 – Biological Recognition pt. 2 1 of 9
BEH.462/3.962J Molecular Principles of Biomaterials Spring 2003
Reminder of breakdown mechanisms:
Used for
biodegradable
hydrogels
Main mechanism
exploited in solid
polymers
(Ratner, Biomaterials Science)
(SLIDE)
Cell source
Cleavage of synthetic polymers by enzymes
Enzyme Native
function
Acts on Degradation
Mechanism
Result
Various bacteria lipases
protease
Polyesters,
polyesteramides
III Monomers or dimers
Tritirachium album (mold) Proteinase K Protease Poly(lactide) III Monomers or dimers
Mammalian cells esterases protease Poly(alkyl
cyanoacrylates)
polyesteramides
2
II Water-soluble
polymers
Mammalian cells Papain, pepsin proteases III Untested
Mammalian cells α-chymotrypsin Serine protease Aromatic peptides in
polyesteramides
3
(e.g. Ala, Val, Leu)
III Untested
Mammalian cells elastase protease Polyesteramides III untested
null Pepsin: protease from papaya
null Papain: main protease in gastric juice of stomach
null Chymotrypsin: digestive enzyme
null Mold and bacterial proteases not relevant in vivo, but make these polymers also of significant interest for
environmentally-friendly packaging
? Of interest in the use of biodegradable materials in environmentally-friendly packaging, but not a concern for in
vivo applications
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BEH.462/3.962J Molecular Principles of Biomaterials Spring 2003
o Data comparing in vitro and in vivo degradation rates indicates that enzymatic cleavage of most synthetic
polymers is negligible
o Polyesteramides have been synthesized with enzymatic recognition:
Enzymatic attack on polyesteramides
(SLIDE)
? Breakdown by mechanism III
? Enzymatic breakdown of polymers is fast relative to simple hydrolysis:
Polyesteramide breakdown by papain:
? What does papain do in vivo?
Esterase action on poly(alkyl cyanoacrylates
4
):
C≡N
C≡N
-(CH
2
-C-)
n
-
H
2
O
-(CH
2
-C-)
n
-
C=O
C=O
O
O
-
Poly(akyl cyanoacrylates):
R
formation of poly(2-cyanoacrylic acid)
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
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BEH.462/3.962J Molecular Principles of Biomaterials Spring 2003
? Breakdown by mechanism II
Mechanism: data on degradation of 250nm-diam. porous particles:
(SLIDE)
? What does esterase do in vivo?
Enzymatic activity in vivo on peptide sequences:
5,6
Cleavage Enzyme Functions in vivo Target amino acid sequences
Plasminogen activator
(urokinase or tissue-type
plasminogen activator) /
plasminogen → plasmin
Degradation of fibrin matrices,
angiogenesis, tumor progression;
urokinase can bind to cell surface
receptor
on fibrinogen: Arg
104
-Asp
105
, Arg
110
-Val
111
,
Lys
206
-Met207, Arg
42
-Ala
43
, Lys
130
-
Glu
131
, Lys
84
-Ser
85
, Lys
87
-Met
88
Matrix metalloproteinases
(soluble and cell-surface): e.g.
Fibroblast Collagenase (MMP I)
Facilitate cell migration Type I collagen: Gly
775
-Ile
776
In smaller peptides: Gly-Leu or Gly Ile
bonds
Elastase Elastin remodeling Poly(Ala) sequences
REFS for MMP: (REF J. Biol. Chem. 256, 9511 (1981); J. Biol. Chem. 264, 393 (1989); J. Biol.l Chem. 266, 6747 (1991))
Note that proteases often have complementary protease inhibitors:
e.g. plasminogen activators inhibited by plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (a serine protease inhibitor)
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BEH.462/3.962J Molecular Principles of Biomaterials Spring 2003
Examples of peptide sequences used to allow enzymatic cleavage in biomaterials
(Work led by J. West and J.A. Hubbell
7-9
)
recognition by collagenase: -Ala-Pro-Gly-/-Leu-
recognition by plasmin: -Val-Ala-/-Asn-
recognition by elastase: -Ala-Ala-Ala-Ala-Ala- (polyalanine sequence)
Example: poly(ethylene glycol) networks: acrylate-APGL-PEG-LGPA-acrylate (ON BOARD)
Acrylate endgroups
PEG
collagenase sequence
photopolymerization
=
=
-APGL-
-CH
2
CH
2
O-
collagenase
-APGL-
collagenase
peptides
network structure formed by stitching together short strings of acrylate endgroups
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BEH.462/3.962J Molecular Principles of Biomaterials Spring 2003
null Initially, swelling of network increases and wet weight goes up as first cross-links are broken, then as
chains are freed and begin to diffuse out, weight goes down
degradation rate of network depends on collagenase concentration (from Mann et al.):
? note that these are hydrogels which has a major impact on the degradation rate…
? degradation rate is controlled by enzyme concentration and is selective for the enzyme targeted
Any examples tested in vivo?
Recognition of Biomaterials by Cytokine Resceptors: Engineering growth and differentiation
of cells on biomaterials via cytokine peptides
10-12
? Growth factors small proteins (ca. 50 aa)
? Can be immobilized to polymer chains present at surfaces of biomaterials much like adhesion peptides and
presented to receptors of cells
? Many growth factors signal by DIMERIZATION and autophosphorylation
null Again, spatial distribution may be key in controlling signaling
null Cytokines immobilized in close proximity may favor signaling
(Lodish Fig. 20-32)
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BEH.462/3.962J Molecular Principles of Biomaterials Spring 2003
? INTERNALIZATION: used to down-regulate signals
null Immobilized cytokines may show more potent signaling due to lack of this down-regulation pathway
? One of the first examples- Griffith lab work with epidermal growth factor immobilized on star polymers:
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BEH.462/3.962J Molecular Principles of Biomaterials Spring 2003
? A second example, immobilized insulin (Ito):
null This data interestingly shows several biophysical effects:
o PEG-insulin not as good as free insulin
null Steric interference
o PAA-insulin better than free insulin
null Multivalent
o Surface-immobilized PAA-insulin better than all above
null Lack of internalization/signal downregulation?
null
? Issues faced in incorporation of cytokines in biomaterials:
null Protein stability (rugged, but not as good as peptides- may significant secondary structure to worry about
null Steric interference of tether/surface with receptor binding
? Growth factors that have been studied in biomaterials:
null EGF
null Insulin (Y. Ito)
null TGF-β (West)
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BEH.462/3.962J Molecular Principles of Biomaterials Spring 2003
References
1. Voet & Voet. in Biochemistry.
2. Paredes, N., Rodriguez, G. A. & Puiggali, J. Synthesis and characterization of a family of biodegradable
poly(ester amide)s derived from glycine. Journal of Polymer Science, Part A: Polymer Chemistry 36, 1271-1282
(1998).
3. Fan, Y., Kobayashi, M. & Kise, H. Synthesis and biodegradability of new polyesteramides containing peptide
linkages. Polymer Journal 32, 817-822 (2000).
4. O, S. C. & Birkinshaw, C. Hydrolysis of poly (n-butylcyanoacrylate) nanoparticles using esterase. Polymer
Degradation and Stability 78, 7-15 (2002).
5. Ekblom, P. & Timpl, R. Cell-to-cell contact and extracellular matrix. A multifaceted approach emerging. Curr Opin
Cell Biol 8, 599-601 (1996).
6. Chapman, H. A. Plasminogen activators, integrins, and the coordinated regulation of cell adhesion and migration.
Curr Opin Cell Biol 9, 714-24 (1997).
7. Mann, B. K., Gobin, A. S., Tsai, A. T., Schmedlen, R. H. & West, J. L. Smooth muscle cell growth in
photopolymerized hydrogels with cell adhesive and proteolytically degradable domains: synthetic ECM analogs
for tissue engineering. Biomaterials 22, 3045-51 (2001).
8. West, J. L. & Hubbell, J. A. Polymeric biomaterials with degradation sites for proteases involved in cell migration.
Macromolecules 32, 241-244 (1999).
9. Gobin, A. S. & West, J. L. Cell migration through defined, synthetic ECM analogs. Faseb J 16, 751-3 (2002).
10. Ito, Y. Tissue engineering by immobilized growth factors. Materials Science and Engineering C 6, 267-274 (1998).
11. Ito, Y. Regulation of cell functions by micropattern-immobilized biosignal molecules. Nanotechnology 9, 200-204
(1998).
12. Kuhl, P. R. & Griffith-Cima, L. G. Tethered epidermal growth factor as a paradigm for growth factor-induced
stimulation from the solid phase. Nat Med 2, 1022-7 (1996).
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