Editorial: Peptides Targeting Protein-Protein Interactions: Methods and Applications

Proteins perform a myriad of crucial roles in biological systems that depend mainly on the interaction with one or more proteins. Many physiological and pathological conditions are regulated by recognition and association among proteins. Therefore, the development of molecules able to modulate these protein-protein interactions (PPIs) open the way towards novel drugs, diagnostics and molecular tools for chemical biology and therapeutic applications. Peptides represent a class of compounds well suited for protein recognition and, of course, to modulate protein-protein interactions. More, considering the pharmaceutical field peptides are the best candidate to fill the gap between small molecule drugs and protein therapeutics. This Research Topic aims to provide an overview of the current state and recent advances of the field. To that end, it includes both review and original research contributions that highlight promising and compelling computational tools developed to design bioactive peptides/peptidomimetics as well as successful examples of peptides, which targeting a protein-protein recognition site, are able to modulate a biological response or bind to a specific protein.