Fmoc-SPPS chemistry compatible approach for the generation of (glyco)peptide aryl thioesters

A new approach is described for the general Fmoc-based solid-phase synthesis of (glyco)peptide aryl thioesters. A peptide alkyl oxoester obtained by standard Fmoc-based chain elongation undergoes an O-to-S acyl shift, and is followed by alkyl thioester exchanges with a large excess of aryl thiol, affording the corresponding peptide aryl thioester. The newly developed methodology is useful for the chemical synthesis of post-translationally modified proteins because of its compatibility with standard Fmoc-SPPS conditions. In addition, the peptide aryl thioesters are essential intermediates for chemical synthesis of proteins by kinetically controlled convergent strategy.     

Application of a novel thioesterification reaction to the synthesis of chemokine CCL27 by the modified thioester method

Aryl thioesters of peptide segments were prepared by the conventional 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc) strategy using a novel N-alkyl cysteine (NAC)-assisted thioesterification reaction. The peptide carrying NAC at its C-terminus was prepared by the Fmoc strategy and converted to the aryl thioester by 4-mercaptophenylacetic acid (MPAA) treatment without significant side reactions. The peptide thioester was used for the efficient preparation of 95-amino acid (AA) chemokine CCL27 by an Ag(+)-free thioester method.     

Selenocysteine‐Mediated Native Chemical Ligation

C‐Terminal peptide thioesters are shown to react efficiently with peptide fragments containing an N‐terminal selenocysteine to give selenoproteins. In analogy to the native chemical ligation of thioesters and peptides containing N‐terminal cysteines, the selenol presumably attacks the thioester nucleophilically to give a selenoester intermediate that subsequently rearranges to give a native chemical bond. The utility of this procedure was demonstrated by the synthesis of a selenium‐containing derivative of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI) in which Cys³⁸ is replaced by selenocysteine. The artificial selenoprotein folds into a conformation similar to that of wild‐type BPTI and inhibits trypsin and chymotrypsin with unaltered affinity.     

Sequential peptide chemical ligation by the thioester method and extended chemical ligation

The sequential chemical ligation of peptide thioesters by a combination of the thioester method and extended chemical ligation using a photoremovable auxiliary, 2-mercapto-1-(2-nitrophenyl)ethyl group, is described. The thiazolidine ring was used as a protecting group for the N-terminal 1,2-aminoethanethiol moiety of the auxiliary in the middle peptide thioester. After the first thioester coupling, the thiazolidine ring was opened by treatment with O-methylhydroxylamine. Second coupling by extended chemical ligation followed by UV irradiation gave the target polypeptide.     

Application of Pac Ester in Thioester Method for the Synthesis of Cyclopentapeptides

Thioester method for the synthesis of cyclopeptides is improved by using Pac (Pac = phenacyl, CH2COC6Hs) ester as a protecting group of 3-mercaptopropionic acid. The Pac group is easy to be removed from C-terminal with zinc in acetic acid. The protected glycine thioester and peptide thioesters synthesized by the improved method, are easy to be purified, so the final linear peptides are pure enough for the following cyclization. Furthermore, this method is flexible for peptide chain elongation,either from C-termlnal or from N.terminal. So it is an efficient and practical method for synthesis of bioactive peptides. Two N-protected pentapeptide thioesters, Boc-Pro-Tyr-Leu-Ala-GIySCH2CH2COOPac and Boc-Ala-Tyr-Leu-Ala-Gly-SCH2CH2COOPac were synthesized by the improved thloester method.After deprotecting Pac ester with zinc in aqueous acetic acid and Boc group with trifluoroacetic acid in CH2C12, two free pentapeptide tldoesters were obtained. Ag^ -assisted cyclization in acetate buffered solution afforded two cyclic pentapeptides c(Pro-Tyr-Leu-Ala-Gly) and c(Ala-Tyr-Leu-Ala-Gly).Effects of different buffer pH, different Ag^ concentrations, etc. on the cyclization were studied.     

9-Fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-based solid-phase synthesis of peptide α-thioesters

Peptide thioesters play a key role in convergent protein synthesis strategies such as native chemical ligation, traceless Staudinger ligation, and Ag(+) -mediated thioester ligation. The Boc-based solid-phase synthesis provides a very reliable access to peptide thioesters. However, the acid lability of many peptide modifications and the requirements of most parallel peptide synthesizers call for the milder Fmoc-based solid-phase synthesis. The Fmoc-based synthesis of peptide thioesters is more cumbersome and typically proceeds with lower yields than the synthesis of peptide acids and peptide amides. The success of native chemical ligation and related technologies has sparked intensive research effort devoted to the development of new methods. The recent progress in this rapidly expanding field is reviewed.     

Fmoc solid-phase synthesis of peptide thioesters using an intramolecularn,S-acyl shift

[reaction: see text] We describe the Fmoc solid-phase synthesis of peptide thioesters based on the alkylation of the safety-catch sulfonamide linker with a protected 2-mercaptoethanol derivative. The thioester is generated on the solid phase after the peptide chain assembly as a consequence of an intramolecular N,S-acyl shift. Depending on the stability of the spacer separating the sulfonamide linker from the resin toward TFA, treatment of the peptidyl resin with TFA led to a soluble or supported deprotected thioester.     

Platinum(IV)-mediated nitrile-sulfimide coupling: a route to heterodiazadienes

Pt(IV)-mediated addition of the sulfimide Ph2S = NH and the mixed sulfide/sulfimides o- and p-[PhS(=NH)](PhS)-C6H4 by the S=NH group to the metal-bound nitriles in the platinum(IV) complexes [PtCl4(RCN)2] proceeds smoothly at room temperature in CH2Cl2 and results in the formation of the heterodiazadiene compounds [PtCl4[NH=C(R)N=SR'Ph]2] (R' = Ph, R = Me, Et, CH2Ph, Ph; R' = o- and p-(PhS)C6H4; R = Et). While trans-[PtCl4(RCN)2] (R = Et, CH2Ph, Ph) reacting with Ph2S=NH leads exclusively to trans-[PtCl4[NH=C(R)N=SPh2]2], cis/trans-[PtCl4(MeCN)2] leads to cis/trans mixtures of [PtCl4[NH=C(Me)N=SPh2]2] and the latter have been separated by column chromatography. Theoretical calculations at both HF/HF and MP2//HF levels for the cis and trans isomers of [PtCl4[NH=C(Me)N=SMe2]2] indicate a higher stability for the latter. Compounds trans-[PtCl4[E-NH=C(R)N=SPh2]2] (R = Me, Et) and cis-[PtCl4[E-NH=C(Me)N=SPh2][Z-NH=C(Me)N=SPh2]] have been characterized by X-ray crystallography. The complexes [PtCl4[NH=C(R)N=SPh2]2] undergo hydrolysis when treated with HCl in nondried CH2Cl2 to achieve the amidines [PtCl4[NH=C(NH2)R]2] the compound with R = Et has been structurally characterized) and Ph2SO. The heterodiazadiene ligands, formed upon Pt(IV)-mediated RCN/sulfimide coupling, can be liberated from their platinum(IV) complexes [PtCl4[NH=C(R)N=SR'Ph]2] by reaction with Ph2PCH2CH2PPh2 (dppe) giving free NH=C(R)=SR'Ph and the dppe oxides, which constitutes a novel route for such rare types of heterodiazadienes whose number has also been extended. The hybrid sulfide/sulfimide species o- and p-[PhS(=NH)](PhS)C6H4 also react with the Pt(II) nitrile complex [PtCl2(MeCN)2] but the coupling--in contrast to the Pt(IV) species--gives the chelates [PtCl2[M-I=C(Me)N=S(Ph)C6H4SPh]]. The X-ray crystal structure of [PtCl2[M-I=C(Me)N=S(Ph)C6H4SPh-o]] reveals the bond parameters within the metallacycle and shows an unusual close interaction of the sulfide sulfur atom with the platinum.     

One‐Pot/Sequential Native Chemical Ligation Using N‐Sulfanylethylanilide Peptide

N‐Sulfanylethylanilide (SEAlide) peptides were developed with the aim of achieving facile synthesis of peptide thioesters by 9‐fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (Fmoc)‐based solid‐phase peptide synthesis (Fmoc SPPS). Initially, SEAlide peptides were found to be converted to the corresponding peptide thioesters under acidic conditions. However, the SEAlide moiety was proved to function as a thioester in the presence of phosphate salts and to participate in native chemical ligation (NCL) with N‐terminal cysteinyl peptides, and this has served as a powerful protein synthesis methodology. The reactivity of a SEAlide peptide (anilide vs. thioester) can be easily tuned with or without the use of phosphate salts. This interesting property of SEAlide peptides allows sequential three‐fragment or unprecedented four‐fragment ligation for efficient one‐pot peptide/protein synthesis. Furthermore, dual‐kinetically controlled ligation, which enables three peptide fragments simultaneously present in the reaction to be ligated in the correct order, was first achieved using a SEAlide peptide. Beyond our initial expectations, SEAlide peptides have served in protein chemistry fields as very useful crypto‐peptide thioesters. DOI 10.1002/tcr.201200007     

Fmoc solid-phase synthesis of peptide thioesters by masking as trithioortho esters

[reaction: see text] Total chemical synthesis of proteins by chemoselective ligation relies on C-terminal peptide thioesters as building blocks. Their preparation by standard Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis is made difficult by the lability of thioesters to aminolysis by the secondary amines used for removal of the Fmoc group. Here we present a novel backbone amide linker (BAL) strategy for their synthesis in which the thioester functionality is masked as a trithioortho ester throughout the synthesis.     

Facile peptide thioester synthesis via solution-phase tosylamide preparation

Preparation of peptide thioester is essential for native chemical ligation and block condensation. Our novel methodology involves conversion of the carboxylic acid of a peptide into a thioester using p-toluenesulfonyl isocyanate, followed by alkylation, then thiol substitution. Our methodology can also be used for the preparation of glycopeptide thioesters. Furthermore, it is possible to carry out the reaction as a sequential peptide chemical ligation.     

Fmoc-based synthesis of peptide alpha-thioesters using an aryl hydrazine support

C-Terminal peptide thioesters are key intermediates in the synthesis/semisynthesis of proteins and of cyclic peptides by native chemical ligation. They are prepared by solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) or biosynthetically by protein splicing techniques. Until recently, the chemical synthesis of C-terminal alpha-thioester peptides by SPPS was largely restricted to the use of Boc/Benzyl chemistry due to the poor stability of the thioester bond to the basic conditions required for the deprotection of the N(alpha)-Fmoc group. In the present work, we describe a new method for the SPPS of C-terminal thioesters using Fmoc/t-Bu chemistry. This method is based on the use of an aryl hydrazine linker, which is totally stable to conditions required for Fmoc-SPPS. When the peptide synthesis has been completed, activation of the linker is achieved by mild oxidation. This step converts the acyl hydrazine group into a highly reactive acyl diazene intermediate which reacts with an alpha-amino acid alkyl thioester (H-AA-SR) to yield the corresponding peptide alpha-thioester in good yield. This method has been successfully used to prepare a variety of peptide thioesters, cyclic peptides, and a fully functional Src homology 3 (SH3) protein domain.     

Major impact of N-methylation on cytotoxicity and hydrolysis of salan Ti(IV) complexes: sterics and electronics are intertwined

A series of Ti(IV) complexes containing diamino bis(phenolato) "salan" type ligands with NH coordination were prepared, and their hydrolysis and cytotoxicity were analyzed and compared to the N-methylated analogues. Substituting methyl groups on the coordinative nitrogen donor of highly active and stable Ti(IV) salan complexes with H atoms has two main consequences: the hydrolysis rate increases and the cytotoxic activity diminishes. In addition, the small modification of a single replacement of Me with H leads to a different major hydrolysis product, where a dinuclear Ti(IV) complex with two bridging oxo ligands is obtained, as characterized by X-ray crystallography, rather than a trinuclear cluster. A partial hydrolysis product containing a single oxo bridge was also crystallographically analyzed. Investigation of a series of complexes with NH donors of different steric and electronic effects revealed that cytotoxicity may be restored by fine tuning these parameters even for complexes of low stability.     

Reverse proteolysis promoted by in situ generated peptide ester fragments

In this contribution we describe a general synthesis concept for the in situ preparation of protease specific reactants using methyl thioesters as universal precursors. The precursor esters are readily available by standard synthesis procedures and can be used directly as reactants for protease-mediated peptide coupling reactions. Alternatively, they can serve as initial building blocks for the in situ preparation of various types of substrate mimetics. The synthesis of the latter is achieved by a one-pot spontaneous transthioesterification reaction of the parent thioester (Y-(Xaa)(n)-SMe-->Y-(Xaa)(n)-SR; R: CH(2)CH(2)COOH, CH(2)C(6)H(5), C(6)H(4)NHC(:NH)NH(2)), which proceeds efficiently in both a sequential manner and parallel to the subsequent enzymatic reaction. The resulting substrate mimetics act as efficient acyl donor components and show the typical behavior of substrate mimicry enabling irreversible reactions with originally nonspecific acyl moieties. Neither a workup of the substrate mimetic intermediate nor changes of the reaction conditions during the whole synthesis process are required. Model peptide syntheses using trypsin, alpha-chymotrypsin, and V8 protease as the biocatalysts proved the function of the approach and illustrated its synthetic value for protease-mediated reactions and the compatibility of the approach with state-of-the-art solid-phase peptide ester synthesis methods.     

Peptide thioester formation using standard Fmoc-chemistry

A highly efficient and simple Fmoc-based preparation of peptide ^αthioesters is presented. After Fmoc/t-butyl solid-phase synthesis on 2-chlorotrityl resin the C-terminal carboxylic group of the protected peptide is directly converted to the corresponding thioester. The method leads to very high yields, shows a low level of epimerization and can be easily applied also for the preparation of long peptide ^αthioesters as demonstrated for the 41 amino acid N-terminal fragment of pro-neuropeptide Y (proNPY 1-40).     

Facile, fmoc-compatible solid-phase synthesis of peptide C-terminal thioesters

A short route to peptide C-terminal thioesters was developed that does not require the use of special linkers or resins and is compatible with standard Fmoc chemistry. Following conventional solid-phase peptide synthesis, an excess of Me(2)AlCl and EtSH in dichloromethane cleaves peptides from Wang or Pam resins to give the corresponding thioesters directly in good yield and purity.     

Tandem thiol switch synthesis of peptide thioesters via N-S acyl shift on thiazolidine

An efficient "thiol switch" approach for the synthesis of peptide thioesters via an acid-catalyzed N-S acyl shift and a thioester exchange reaction in tandem with concurrent removal of protecting groups is described. This method employs novel 2-(thiomethyl)thiazolidine (TMT)-anchored resins and is fully compatible with Fmoc chemistry.     

Solid-phase synthesis of peptide and glycopeptide thioesters through side-chain-anchoring strategies

An efficient new strategy for the synthesis of peptide and glycopeptide thioesters is described. The method relies on the side-chain immobilization of a variety of Fmoc-amino acids, protected at their C-termini, on solid supports. Once anchored, peptides were constructed using solid-phase peptide synthesis according to the Fmoc protocol. After unmasking the C-terminal carboxylate, either thiols or amino acid thioesters were coupled to afford, after cleavage, peptide and glycopeptide thioesters in high yields. Using this method a significant proportion of the proteinogenic amino acids could be incorporated as C-terminal amino acid residues, therefore providing access to a large number of potential targets that can serve as acyl donors in subsequent ligation reactions. The utility of this methodology was exemplified in the synthesis of a 28 amino acid glycopeptide thioester, which was further elaborated to an N-terminal fragment of the glycoprotein erythropoietin (EPO) by native chemical ligation.     

Synthesis of thiazolidine thioester peptides and acceleration of native chemical ligation

Thiazolidine thioester peptides were synthesized by reacting bis(2-sulfanylethyl)amido peptides with glyoxylic acid at pH 1. A significant increase in Native Chemical Ligation (NCL) rate was observed with thiazolidine thioesters compared to 3-mercaptopropionic acid-thioester analogues. The method is of particular interest for accelerating valine-cysteine peptide bond formation.     

Protein thioester synthesis enabled by sortase

Proteins containing a C-terminal thioester are important intermediates in semisynthesis. Currently there is one main method for the synthesis of protein thioesters that relies upon the use of engineered inteins. Here we report a simple strategy, utilizing sortase A, for routine preparation of recombinant proteins containing a C-terminal (α)thioester. We used our method to prepare two different anthrax toxin cargo proteins: one containing an (α)thioester and another containing a D-polypeptide segment situated between two protein domains. We show that both variants can translocate through protective antigen pore. This new method to synthesize a protein thioester allows for interfacing of sortase-mediated ligation and native chemical ligation.