Highly Constrained Bicyclic Scaffolds for the Discovery of Protease-Stable Peptides via mRNA Display.

Highly constrained peptides such as the knotted peptide natural products are promising medicinal agents because of their impressive biostability and potent activity. Yet, libraries of highly constrained peptides are challenging to prepare. Here, we present a method which utilizes two robust, orthogonal chemical steps to create highly constrained bicyclic peptide libraries.

Peptide library approach to uncover phosphomimetic inhibitors of the BRCA1 C-terminal domain.

Many intracellular protein-protein interactions are mediated by the phosphorylation of serine, and phosphoserine-containing peptides can inhibit these interactions. However, hydrolysis of the phosphate by phosphatases, and the poor cell permeability associated with phosphorylated peptides has limited their utility in cellular and in vivo contexts. Compounding the problem, strategies to replace phosphoserine in peptide inhibitors with easily accessible mimetics (such as Glu or Asp) routinely fail.

Peptide and peptide library cyclization via bromomethylbenzene derivatives.

Cyclization confers several advantages to peptides, cumulatively serving to make them more drug-like. In this protocol, cyclic peptides are generated via bis-alkylation of cysteine-containing peptides using α,α'-dibromo-m-xylene. The reactions are robust and high yielding.