New stable backbone linker resins for solid-phase peptide synthesis

[reaction: see text] Two new 4-methoxybenzaldehyde backbone linker resins were developed for the solid-phase synthesis of peptides. The linkers are very stable during the cleavage of common protecting groups for amines (Fmoc, Boc) and carboxylic acids (Me, All, tBu) in peptide synthesis. Cleavage from the resin with refluxing TFA is sufficiently mild for peptides containing polar and nonpolar amino acids.     

Practical and Efficient Synthesis of Orthogonally Protected α‐2,3‐Diaminopropionic Acid (2,3‐Dap), 2,4‐Diaminobutanoic Acid (2,4‐Dab), and their N‐Methylated Derivatives

The synthesis of orthogonally protected Fmoc‐Dap/Dab (Boc/Z/Alloc)‐OH starting from Fmoc‐Asp/Glu has been described. The salient features of our synthetic strategy involved formation of Fmoc‐Asp/Glu‐5‐oxazolidinone acids, conversion of acid function to acyl azides, Curtius rearrangement, and hydrolysis of the oxazolidinone group.     

A novel strategy for the solid-phase synthesis of cyclic lipodepsipeptides

A rapid and efficient Fmoc solid-phase synthesis of cyclic lipodepsipeptide analogue 1 to antibiotic fusaricidin A is described. Our synthetic approach includes resin attachment of the first amino acid via side chain, successful use of combination of four quasi-orthogonal removable protecting groups, stepwise solid-phase synthesis of linear peptide analogue, lipid tail attachment followed by depsipeptide bond formation and on-resin head-to-tail cyclization. Undesired O→N acyl shift, which may occur during Fmoc removal, was successfully avoided by the incorporation of the lipid tail into the linear peptide precursor prior to on-resin depsipeptide bond formation and the ring closure.     

Orthogonally protected lanthionines: synthesis and use for the solid-phase synthesis of an analogue of nisin ring C

[structure: see text] Lanthionine, a thioether analogue of cystine, is a key component of the lantibiotics, a family of modified peptides bearing multiple thioether bridges resulting from posttranslational modifications between side chains. It is also used as a conformational constraint in medicinally active peptides. We have explored two synthetic routes to give lanthionine, orthogonally protected with Alloc/allyl and Fmoc groups. One route utilized a carbamate-protected iodoalanine that yielded a mixture of diastereoisomers, and one utilized a trityl-protected iodoalanine, formed via a Mitsunobu reaction, that gave the single desired lanthionine, in complete regio- and diastereoselectivity. We then used this orthogonally protected lanthionine in the solid-phase synthesis of an analogue of a fragment of nisin containing its ring C. The chemoselective deprotection of the allyl and Alloc groups of the incorporated lanthionine unit was followed by regio- and stereoselective cyclization on resin to give the desired lanthionine-bridged peptide.     

Trifluoroacetyl as an orthogonal protecting group for guanidines

The trifluoroacetyl moiety has been used as a new protecting group for guanidine functionality. The protecting group is easily cleaved under mild basic conditions and is complementary to the Boc, Cbz, and Ddpe protecting groups. The protecting group can be applied to peptide synthesis in solution as well as on a solid phase as it is orthogonal to a Boc and Cbz strategy and semiorthogonal to an Fmoc strategy.     

Synthesis of N′-substituted Ddz-protected hydrazines and their application in solid phase synthesis of aza-peptides

Hydrazine derivatives are of considerable scientific and industrial value. Substituted hydrazines are precursors for many compounds of great interest and importance, among them aza-peptides. (Aza-peptides are peptide analogues in which one or more of the α-carbons, bearing the side chain residues, has been replaced by a nitrogen atom.) Aza-amino acid residues conserve the pharmacophores necessary for biological activity while inducing conformational changes and increased resistance to proteolytic degradation. These properties make aza-peptides attractive tools for structure-activity relationship studies and drug design. We describe the synthesis of N′-substituted 2-(3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)propan-2-yloxycarbonyl (Ddz) protected hydrazines. A general approach for solid phase synthesis of aza-peptides has been developed based on the in-situ activation of the N-Ddz,N′-substituted hydrazines with phosgene, followed by introduction to the N-terminus of a resin-bound peptide. The Ddz-aza-amino building units include aliphatic, aromatic and functionalized side chains, protected for synthesis by the Fmoc strategy. Solid phase aza-peptide synthesis is demonstrated including selective mild deprotection of Ddz with Mg(ClO₄)₂ and coupling of the next amino acid with triphosgene. Ddz deprotection is orthogonal with the Fmoc and Boc protecting groups, making the solid phase Ddz-aza-peptide synthesis compatible with both the Fmoc and the Boc strategies. The Ddz-protected hydrazines have wide applications in the synthesis of substituted hydrazines and in the synthesis of aza containing peptidomimetics.     

Aryldithioethyloxycarbonyl (Ardec): a new family of amine protecting groups removable under mild reducing conditions and their applications to peptide synthesis

The development of phenyldithioethyloxycarbonyl (Phdec) and 2-pyridyldithioethyloxycarbonyl (Pydec) protecting groups, which are thiol-labile urethanes, is described. These new disulfide-based protecting groups were introduced onto the epsilon-amino group of L-lysine; the resulting amino acid derivatives were easily converted into N alpha-Fmoc building blocks suitable for both solid- and solution-phase peptide synthesis. Model dipeptide(Ardec)s were prepared by using classical peptide couplings followed by standard deprotection protocols. They were used to optimize the conditions for complete thiolytic removal of the Ardec groups both in aqueous and organic media. Phdec and Pydec were found to be cleaved within 15 to 30 min under mild reducing conditions: i) by treatment with dithiothreitol or beta-mercaptoethanol in Tris.HCl buffer (pH 8.5-9.0) for deprotection in water and ii) by treatment with beta-mercaptoethanol and 1,8-diazobicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) in N-methylpyrrolidinone for deprotection in an organic medium. Successful solid-phase synthesis of hexapeptides Ac-Lys-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-Lys(Ardec)-NH2 has clearly demonstrated the full orthogonality of these new amino protecting groups with Fmoc and Boc protections. The utility of the Ardec orthogonal deprotection strategy for site-specific chemical modification of peptides bearing several amino groups was illustrated firstly by the preparation of a fluorogenic substrate for caspase-3 protease containing the cyanine dyes Cy 3.0 and Cy 5.0 as FRET donor/acceptor pair, and by solid-phase synthesis of an hexapeptide bearing a single biotin reporter group.     

On-resin native chemical ligation for cyclic peptide synthesis

A novel cysteine derivative, N(alpha)-trityl-S-(9H-xanthen-9-yl)-l-cysteine [Trt-Cys(Xan)-OH] has been introduced for peptide synthesis, specifically for application to a new strategy for the preparation of cyclic peptides. The following steps were carried out to synthesize the cyclic model peptide cyclo(Cys-Thr-Abu-Gly-Gly-Ala-Arg-Pro-Asp-Phe): (i). side-chain anchoring of Fmoc-Asp-OAl via its free beta-carboxyl as a p-alkoxybenzyl ester to a solid support; (ii). stepwise chain elongation of the peptide by standard Fmoc/tBu solid-phase chemistry; (iii). removal of the N-terminal Fmoc group; (iv). coupling of Trt-Cys(Xan)-OH; (v). selective Pd(0)-promoted cleavage of the C-terminal allyl ester; (vi). coupling of the C-terminal residue, i.e., H-Phe-SBzl, preactivated as a thioester; (vii). selective removal of the N(alpha)-Trt and S-Xan protecting groups under very mild acid conditions; (viii). on-resin cyclization by native chemical ligation in an aqueous milieu; and (ix). final acidolytic cleavage of the cyclic peptide from the resin. The strategy was evaluated for three supports: poly[N,N-dimethacrylamide-co-poly(ethylene glycol)] (PEGA), cross-linked ethoxylate acrylate resin (CLEAR), and poly(ethylene glycol)-polystyrene (PEG-PS) graft resin supports. For PEGA and CLEAR, the desired cyclic product was obtained in 76-86% overall yield with initial purities of approximately 70%, whereas for PEG-PS (which does not swell nearly as well in water), results were inferior. Solid-phase native chemical ligation/cyclization methodology appears to have advantages of convenience and specificity, which make it promising for further generalization.     

Solid-Phase Total Synthesis of Bacitracin A

An efficient solid-phase method for the total synthesis of bacitracin A is reported. This work was undertaken in order to provide a general means of probing the intriguing mode of action of the bacitracins and exploring their potential for use against emerging drug-resistant pathogens. The synthetic approach to bacitracin A involves three key features: (1) linkage to the solid support through the side chain of the L-asparaginyl residue at position 12 (L-Asn(12)), (2) cyclization through amide bond formation between the alpha-carboxyl of L-Asn(12) and the side chain amino group of L-Lys(8), and (3) postcyclization addition of the N-terminal thiazoline dipeptide as a single unit. To initiate the synthesis, Fmoc L-Asp(OH)-OAllyl was attached to a PAL resin. The chain of bacitracin A was elaborated in the C-to-N direction by sequential piperidine deprotection/HBTU-mediated coupling cycles with Fmoc D-Asp(OtBu)-OH, Fmoc L-His(Trt)-OH, Fmoc D-Phe-OH, Fmoc L-Ile-OH, Fmoc D-Orn(Boc)-OH, Fmoc L-Lys(Aloc)-OH, Fmoc L-Ile-OH, Fmoc D-Glu(OtBu)-OH, and Fmoc L-Leu-OH. The allyl ester and allyl carbamate protecting groups of L-Asn(12) and L-Lys(8), respectively, were simultaneously and selectively removed by treating the peptide-resin with palladium tetrakis(triphenylphosphine), acetic acid, and triethylamine. Cyclization was effected by PyBOP/HOBT under the pseudo high-dilution conditions afforded by attachment to the solid support. After removal of the N-terminal Fmoc group, the cyclized peptide was coupled with 2-[1'(S)-(tert-butyloxycarbonylamino)-2'(R)-methylbutyl]-4(R)-carboxy-Delta(2)-thiazoline (1). The synthetic peptide was deprotected and cleaved from the solid support under acidic conditions and then purified by reverse-phase HPLC. The synthetic material exhibited an ion in the FAB-MS at m/z 1422.7, consistent with the molecular weight calculated for the parent ion of bacitracin A (MH(+) = C(73)H(84)N(10)O(23)Cl(2), 1422.7 g/mol). It was also indistinguishable from authentic bacitracin A by high-field (1)H NMR and displayed antibacterial activity equal to that of the natural product, thus confirming its identity as bacitracin A. The overall yield for the solid-phase synthesis was 24%.     

Solid-supported synthesis of cryptand-like macrobicyclic peptides

A straightforward method for the solid-supported synthesis of cryptand-like bicyclic peptides (1-5) on a backbone amide linker has been described. For the branching, two novel easily available building blocks, viz. N-(4-methoxytrityl)-N-(2-nitrobenzenesulfonyl)-protected N,N-bis(2-aminoethyl)-beta-alanine (6) and N-(9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl) protected iminodiacetic acid monoallyl ester (7), have been employed. The key steps of the synthesis are as follows: (i) stepwise coupling of one amino acid and 6 to the secondary amino group of the linker; (ii) removal of the 2-nitrobenzenesulfonyl group and SPPS by the Fmoc chemistry, using 7 as the penultimate and tert-butoxycarbonyl (Boc) protected glycine as the last amino acid; (iii) removal of the 4-methoxytrityl protection and subsequent SPPS by the Fmoc chemistry; (iv) removal of the allyl and Fmoc groups, followed by cyclization; and (v) removal of the Boc and tert-butyl groups, followed by cyclization. Final cleavage from the support and removal of benzyl-derived protecting groups gives the desired bicyclic products.     

An expedient synthesis of peptidyl N-alkylamides by "HOPE" strategy

We have developed an expedient approach,"HOPE"(hybrid orthogonal protocol with ease) strategy for the synthesis of peptidyl N-alkylamides.This new strategy was characterized by following points:incorporating Boc and Fmoc protocols together on Merrifield resin,removal of SPG(side-chain protecting groups) without the damage of linker structure on the resin,and the ammonolysis of linker as the last step could achieve the introducing N-alkylamide structure into C-terminal and releasing product from resin-support simultaneously.In present work,eight peptidylamides with different alkylsubstitution at C-terminal were conveniently synthesized by HOPE strategy.     

On-resin cyclization of a head-to-tail cyclopeptide using an allyldimethylsilyl polystyrene resin pre-loaded by metathesis

Here, we report the solid-phase synthesis of a 17-mer cyclopeptide which is expected to have anti-angiogenic properties. The peptidic synthesis is performed on an allyldimethylsilyl polystyrene support loaded by metathesis with a conveniently functionalized d-Tyrosine amino acid. The linear peptide was assembled by standard Fmoc chemistry and on-resin cyclization was enabled after selective deprotection of the C-terminal group with 2% hydrazine/DMF at room temperature. Final cleavage was realized under mild acidic conditions allowing to obtain a cyclopeptide under partially protected form.     

Hydrazine hydrate: A new reagent for Fmoc group removal in solid phase peptide synthesis

In solid-phase peptide synthesis using the Fmoc/tBu strategy (SPPS-Fmoc/tBu), an orthogonal protection scheme of amino acids is used; specifically, the alpha-amine group is protected by the 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (Fmoc) group, which is removed by weak bases, while side chains are protected by groups that are acid labile. We demonstrated that hydrazine hydrate is an efficient reagent for eliminating the Fmoc group in SPPS-Fmoc/tBu. First, experimental conditions were established for Fmoc group removal from Fmoc-Val-OH in solution. It was determined that the Fmoc group was completely removed with 16% hydrazine hydrate in DMF after 60?min at rt. Second, SPPS-Fmoc/tBu using hydrazine hydrate for Fmoc group removal was standardized. The Fmoc group removal was completed using 16% hydrazine hydrate in DMF for 10?min at rt (twice). When the reaction of Fmoc group removal was microwave-assisted, the reaction only required 30?s to efficiently remove the Fmoc group in SPPS-Fmoc/tBu. The method reported here can be routinely used, and it is equivalent to conventional SPPS-Fmoc/tBu methodologies where 4-methylpiperidine or piperidine is used.     

A new approach to the chemical synthesis of keto-proteins

To increase the versatility of protein-conjugation, an orthogonal protection strategy is described, which enables the efficient synthesis of keto-proteins bearing a reactive ketone functionality using Boc, Fmoc, and chemical ligation methodologies. A 1,3-dithiolane group was used to protect the ketone function of levulinate- and pyruvate-derivatized peptides during solid-phase synthesis, acidolytic cleavage, and purification. When required, the 1,3-dithiolane group could be cleanly removed using aqueous silver or mercuric solutions to regenerate the reactive keto-protein at ambient temperature. The liberated keto-protein was chemoselectively conjugated in situ to an aminooxy-derivatized monodisperse polymer.     

Conversion of NGurethane protected arginine to ornithine in peptide solid phase synthesis

It is shown that Di-Adoc or Boc as guanidino protecting groups do not prevent the acylation and the subsequent conversion of arginine to ornithine in Fmoc solid phase peptide synthesis.     

A carbamoyl-protective group for tyrosine that facilitates purification of hydrophobic synthetic peptides

The Boc-N-methyl-N-[2-(methylamino)ethyl]carbamoyl group (Boc-Nmec) is reported as a new side chain-protective group for tyrosine in Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis. Tyrosine is incorporated into the peptide as Fmoc-Tyr(Boc-Nmec)-OH by standard coupling methods. During the cleavage of the peptide from the resin with TFA the Boc group is simultaneously cleaved while the cationic N-methyl-N-[2-(methylamino)ethyl]carbamoyl group remains attached to the tyrosine residue, thereby increasing the solubility of the peptide. After purification of the peptide, the Nmec protective group can be cleaved under neutral or mild alkaline conditions via an intramolecular cyclization reaction.     

Biological tuning of synthetic tactics in solid-phase synthesis: application to A beta(1-42)

The beta-amyloid(1-42) sequence has long been recognized as a challenging target for solid-phase peptide synthesis. We found that the known disaggregating role of Met-35 sulfoxide could be capitalized during stepwise solid-phase assembly of the A beta(1-42) peptide chain to mitigate on-resin peptide chain aggregation, a presumed major source of synthetic difficulties. Furthermore, we demonstrate a hitherto-unreported on-resin reduction of the sulfoxide "aggregation protecting group" to allow for standard cleavage protocols, obviating a separate solution-phase sulfoxide reduction step.     

Peptide synthesis under application of the 2-(p-diphenyl)-isopropyloxycarbonyn (Dpoc)-amino protection groups

The 2-(p-diphenyl)-isopropyloxycarbonyl (Dpoc) residue has been chosen for the selective protection of α-amino groups in the synthesis of peptides containing additional acid-labile protecting residues. It is easily introduced into amino-acids by reacting either the mixed carbonate I or the azide III with esters or salts of amino-acids. It is split by dilute acetic acid and other weakly acidic reagents at rates which permit a selective cleavage in the presence of other acid-labile protecting groups, especially those derived from t-butanol A number of peptide syntheses have been carried out with the new group either in the conventional manner or by the solid-phase method. No effects due to steric hindrance, as observed previously with the N-trityl residue, are encountered. The application of the Nα-Dpoc group to solid-phase peptide synthesis permits the use of a new combination of protecting groups in which the side chains of trifunctional amino-acids are blocked by acid-labile residues that can be easily split in the final step of the synthesis.     

Raising the bar on-bead: Efficient on-resin synthesis of α-conotoxin LvIA

α4/7-Conotoxin LvIA is an isoform-selective inhibitor of the α3β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. An efficient strategy for the synthesis of this toxin is critical to advancing its utility as a probe for receptor function and as a potential pharmaceutical lead target. On-resin methods for peptide synthesis offer potential synthetic advantages; however, strategies for on-resin formation of multiple disulfides have historically been low-yielding. Here, we harness the reactivity of the Allocam protecting group and employ a 3-amino acid spacer strategy to synthesize α4/7-conotoxin LvIA via three different on-resin strategies, each of which results in an isolated yield higher than previous fully on-resin approaches.     

Solid phase library synthesis of cyclic depsipeptides: aurilide and aurilide analogues

A solid-phase combinatorial synthesis approach toward the cyclic depsipeptide aurilide (1) and related analogues is described. The peptide moiety 2 was assembled on trityl linker-functionalized SynPhase Crowns using an Fmoc strategy. Optimization of the tetrapeptide assembly 5 was carried out using parallel multiple synthesis and LC/MS analysis. The aliphatic moiety 3a was coupled with the solid-supported 2 using DIC/HOBt. Following deprotection and cleavage of linear precursor 26, macrocyclization was achieved under high dilution conditions. Removal of the methylthiomethyl protecting group provided aurilide (1) in 11% overall yield. Synthesis of a combinatorial library of aurilide derivatives 4 was accomplished with a similar protocol using the TranSort technique.