An Iron-Catalyzed Protein Desulfurization Method Reminiscent of Aquatic Chemistry.

One pillar of protein chemical synthesis based on the application of ligation chemistries to cysteine is the group of reactions enabling the selective desulfurization of cysteine residues into alanines. Modern desulfurization reactions use a phosphine as a sink for sulfur under activation conditions involving the generation of sulfur-centered radicals. Here we show that cysteine desulfurization by a phosphine can be effected efficiently by micromolar concentrations of iron under aerobic conditions in hydrogen carbonate buffer, that is using conditions that are reminiscent of iron-catalyzed oxidation phenomena occurring in natural waters.

Tidbits for the synthesis of bis(2-sulfanylethyl)amido (SEA) polystyrene resin, SEA peptides and peptide thioesters.

Protein total chemical synthesis enables the atom-by-atom control of the protein structure and therefore has a great potential for studying protein function. Native chemical ligation of C-terminal peptide thioesters with N-terminal cysteinyl peptides and related methodologies are central to the field of protein total synthesis. Consequently, methods enabling the facile synthesis of peptide thioesters using Fmoc-SPPS are of great value.

Exploration of an imide capture/N,N-acyl shift sequence for asparagine native peptide bond formation.

Imide capture of a C-terminal peptidylazide with a side-chain thioacid derivative of an N-terminally protected aspartyl peptide leads to the formation of an imide bond bringing the two peptide ends into close proximity. Unmasking of the N(α) protecting group and intramolecular acyl migration results in the formation of a native peptide bond to asparagine.

Bis(2-sulfanylethyl)amino native peptide ligation.

The reaction of a peptide featuring a bis(2-sulfanylethyl)amino (SEA) group on its C-terminus with a cysteinyl peptide in water at pH 7 and 37 °C leads to the chemoselective and regioselective formation of a native peptide bond. This method called SEA ligation enriches the native peptide ligation repertoire available to the peptide chemist. Preparation of an innovative solid support which allows the straightforward synthesis of peptide SEA fragments using standard Fmoc/tert-butyl solid phase peptide synthesis procedures is also described.

Assembly/disassembly of drug conjugates using imide ligation.

A strategy is described that allows the easy assembly and controlled disassembly of drug conjugates. Imide ligation, that is, the reaction of a peptide thioacid with an azidoformate, is used for conjugate assembly. The imide bond participates also with an endopeptidase-triggered cyclization-based disassembly mechanism.

Selective cleavage of an azaGly peptide bond by copper(II). Long-range effect of histidine residue.

Several reports have highlighted the interest of replacing Gly, a frequent amino acid within bioactive peptides, by azaGly (Agly) to improve their stability, activity or for the design of prodrugs. Because metal catalysis is increasingly used for tailoring peptide molecules, we have studied the stability of Agly peptides in the presence of metal ions. In this study, we show that Cu(II), unlike other metal ions such as Fe(II), Fe(III), Pd(II), or Pt(II), induces the cleavage of Agly peptides at room temperature and pH 7.

Synthesis of peptide-protein conjugates using N-succinimidyl carbamate chemistry.

Peptide-protein conjugates are useful tools in different fields of research as, for instance, the development of vaccines and drugs or for studying biological mechanisms, to cite only few applications. N-Succinimidyl carbamate (NSC) chemistry has been scarcely used in this area. We show that unprotected peptides, featuring one lysine residue within their sequences, can be converted in good yield into NSC derivatives by reaction with disuccinimidylcarbonate (DSC).