Stabilization of biologically relevant structural motifs has been a long-standing challenge. Here we show that atropisomeric dominant rotors can stabilize rare 3-helices in macrocycles. The target molecules were prepared using solid-phase peptide synthesis and subjected to extensive structural analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPassive membrane permeability is an important property in drug discovery and biological probe design. To elucidate the cell-penetrating ability of oxadiazole-containing (Odz) peptides, we employed the Chloroalkane Penetration Assay. The present study demonstrates that Odz cyclic peptides can be highly cell-penetrant depending on the position of specific side chains and the chloroalkane tag.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhile peptide macrocycles with rigidified conformations have proven to be useful in the design of chemical probes of protein targets, conformational flexibility and rapid interconversion can be equally vital for biological activity and favorable physicochemical properties. This study introduces the concept of "structural pin", which describes a hydrogen bond that is largely responsible for stabilizing the entire macrocycle backbone conformation. Structural analysis of macrocycles using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), molecular modelling and X-ray diffraction indicates that disruption of the structural pin can drastically influence the conformation of the entire ring, resulting in novel states with increased flexibility.
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