Ad-hoc modifications of cyclic mimetics of SOCS1 protein: Structural and functional insights

Suppressors of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) protein, a negative regulator of the Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway, possesses a small kinase inhibitory region (KIR) involved in the inhibition of JAK kinases. Several studies showed that mimetics of KIR-SOCS1 can be potent therapeutics in several disorders (e.g., neurological, autoimmune or cardiovascular diseases). In this work, starting from a recently identified cyclic peptidomimetic of KIR-SOCS1, icPS5(Nal1), to optimize the peptide structure and improve its biological activity, we designed novel derivatives, containing crucial amino acids substitutions and/or modifications affecting the ring size. By combining microscale thermophoresis (MST), Circular Dichroism (CD), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and computational studies, we showed that the cycle size plays a key role in the interaction with JAK2 and the substitution of native residues with un-natural building blocks is a valid tool to maintain low-micromolar affinity toward JAK2, greatly increasing their serum stability. These findings contribute to increase the structural knowledge required for the recognition of SOCS1/JAK2 and to progress towards their conversion into more drug-like compounds.