Halogenase-Assisted Alkyne/Aryl Bromide Sonogashira Coupling for Ribosomally Synthesized Peptides.

We describe the enzymatic bromination of ribosomally synthesized peptides and develop protocols for Sonogashira coupling of peptidic aryl bromides with a panel of alkynes. Using this workflow, entirely new chemical handles are introduced onto ribosomal peptides, including but not limited to terminal alkynes, which enable further diversification via alkyne-azide click chemistry. Regiospecific enzymatic installation of the aryl bromide circumvents genetic code expansion and passivation of other reactive handles on the peptide chain, representing the applicability of biocatalysts in peptide modification chemistry.

Disordered regions in proteusin peptides guide post-translational modification by a flavin-dependent RiPP brominase.

To biosynthesize ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs), enzymes recognize and bind to the N-terminal leader region of substrate peptides which enables catalytic modification of the C-terminal core. Our current understanding of RiPP leaders is that they are short and largely unstructured. Proteusins are RiPP precursor peptides that defy this characterization as they possess unusually long leaders.