Efficient synthesis of a side-chain extended diaminodiacid for solid-phase synthesis of peptide disulfide bond mimics

Solid-phase incorporation of diaminodiacids is one of the most effective approaches for synthesis of peptide disulfide bond mimics. One of a limitation of current diaminodiacid toolbox is that only four-atom linkage mimics are available that may not fully meet the activity optimization requirement. In this work, we developed a new diaminodiacid that contains a five-atom thioether (C–C–S–C–C) bridge for the first time. With this diaminodiacid in hand, we successfully obtained oxytocin containing new disulfide bond mimic by solid phase peptide synthesis.     

Efficient synthesis of hydrocarbon-bridged diaminodiacids through nickel-catalyzed reductive cross-coupling

Solid-phase incorporation of pre-prepared diaminodiacids has been established as an efficient strategy for the chemical synthesis of peptide disulfide bond mimics. Hydrocarbon-bridged diaminodiacids represent one important category of diaminodiacids but they remain difficult to synthesize. In the present work, we reported the use of newly-developed nickel catalyzed reductive cross-coupling reaction to efficiently synthesize diaminodiacids with hydrocarbon bridges. Through optimization of the reaction conditions, the yield of the hydrocarbon bridge formation reached about 50%, even when the reaction was scaled up to the gram level. Subsequently, using our recently developed Dmab/ivDde protecting group system, we obtained a new hydrocarbon-bridged diaminodiacid that are suitable for metal-free deprotection conditions. We demonstrated the utility of this Dmab/ivDde protected hydrocarbon-bridged diaminodiacid in the synthesis of a disulfide surrogate of oxytocin.     

Liquid and solid phase syntheses of orthogonally protected α-hydrazinoacid derivatives

The first solid phase synthesis of chiral α-hydrazinoacids has been developed. This synthesis was achieved by the preparation of solid supported-N-alkyloxycarbonyl-aminophthalimides used as acidic partners in the Mitsunobu protocol involving α-hydroxyesters. Two different final trans-protection steps of the phthaloyl group, developed first in liquid phase, result in efficient releases of orthogonally bis-protected or fully tris-protected hydrazine derivatives. A comparison between liquid and solid phase syntheses is outlined: even if the overall yields are sometimes rather higher by the liquid phase synthesis, the on-resin protocol is much more rapid and convenient than the liquid protocol.     

The concept of internal solubilization in peptide synthesis: ethylene glycol-based protecting groups

A novel, ethylene glycol-based protecting group is designed and synthesized for use in solid phase peptide synthesis. Ether and ester type protected amino acids are prepared. The acid stability of the new protecting group showed complete Fmoc/t-Bu compatibility. The new derivatives are tested in solid phase peptide synthesis, with a ‘difficult’ sequence to examine the disruption of peptide aggregation.     

Diastereoselective synthesis of homologous bicyclic lactams--potential building blocks for peptide mimics

Bicyclic lactams serve as building blocks for the synthesis of conformationally restricted peptides. A route to these building blocks is described. They can serve as cis- and trans-peptide bond surrogates. Due to the de novo synthesis, both enantiomeric forms of these products can be produced. Key steps are a lipase-catalyzed saponification of oximes and a highly diastereoselective cyclization utilizing phenylselenyl bromide. In addition, attachment to a solid support has been achieved.     

Solid phase synthesis of peptide-siRNA conjugates containing disulfide bond unit

A disulfide-modified nucleoside was designed and synthesized. After loading the modified nucleoside on controlled pore glass (CPG), solid phase synthesis strategy was used to prepare peptide-oligonucleotide conjugates (N-3') containing disulfide bond unit. The 3'-sense strand peptide-siRNA conjugate (Ⅶ) maintained good gene silencing activity, while that of the 3'-antisense strand conjugate decreased somewhat. And the sense strand off-target effect of Ⅶ decreased remarkably.     

A new protecting group for tryptophan in solid-phase peptide synthesis which protects against acid-catalyzed side reactions and facilitates purification by HPLC

The indole nucleus of Z-Trp-OBzl is modified by acylation of the indole nitrogen using Boc-N-methyl butyric acid followed by catalytic hydrogenation and introduction of the Fmoc group. The resulting derivative, Fmoc-Trp(Boc-Nmbu)-OH, is incorporated into peptide chains via solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). After assembly of the peptide chain, the Boc group is cleaved by treatment with TFA. The peptide is isolated with the tryptophan residue modified with a cationic 4-(N-methylamino) butanoyl group, which improves the solubility of the peptide during HPLC purification. On treatment of the purified peptide at pH 9.5, the Nmbu group undergoes an intramolecular cyclization reaction; this results in the fully deprotected peptide and N-methylpyrrolidone.     

A direct route for the preparation of Fmoc/OtBu protected iodotyrosine

Herein the synthesis of an Fmoc/O^tBu orthogonally protected iodotyrosine derivative is reported. This has been achieved via a simple two-step process in an overall 58% yield from commercially available Fmoc-Tyr(^tBu)-OH. The Fmoc/O^tBu orthogonally protected iodotyrosine was also shown to be amenable to Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling to deliver a novel bi-aryl tyrosine derivative.     

Racemization in stepwise solid-phase peptide synthesis at elevated temperatures

The present work is an attempt to assess racemization in stepwise solid-phase peptide synthesis at elevated temperatures (SPPS-ET), a high-speed approach in which peptide elongation occurs at 55-75 °C. This attempt was based on the notion that a high propensity for this side reaction would hamper employment of this alternative approach and would dampen interest in its further development. Simple peptide models were synthesized using customized protocols for classical SPPS or SPPS-ET. Systematic analyses of the resulting crude peptides by reversed-phase HPLC, ion-exchange HPLC, capillary electrophoresis and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry revealed low diastereomeric byproduct contents. These results indicate that, from the standpoint of racemization, classical SPPS and SPPS-ET protocols were equivalent. Therefore, further studies employing SPPS-ET protocols are justified.     

An improved procedure for the preparation of aminomethyl polystyrene resin and its use in solid phase (peptide) synthesis

2-Aminoethanol was used to successively replace hydrazine in the preparation of aminomethyl polystyrene resin thereby facilitating purification and by-product removal. The syntheses of the polypeptides ACP (65-74) and oxytocin demonstrated that the use of aminomethyl polystyrene resin prepared in this manner was equal to or better than that prepared using the hydrazine method.     

Microwave irradiation and COMU: a potent combination for solid-phase peptide synthesis

Here we demonstrate the compatibility of Oxyma-based uronium-type coupling reagent COMU with microwave-assisted peptide synthesizers. Consistent with previous reports, COMU displayed higher efficiency than benzotriazole classical immonium salts HATU and HBTU in the demanding synthesis of the Aib derivative of Leu-Enkephalin pentapeptide and did not yield Oxyma-based byproducts. Thus, the combination of microwave irradiation and COMU resulted in a similar performance in considerably shorter time to that achieved by manual synthesis.     

Solid-phase peptide synthesis in water. Part 3: A water-soluble N-protecting group, 2-[phenyl(methyl)sulfonio]ethoxycarbonyl tetrafluoroborate, and its application to solid phase peptide synthesis in water

Chemical synthesis of peptides has been performed in various organic solvents, but the safe disposal of organic solvents is now an important environmental issue. Our aim is to be able to perform solid-phase peptide synthesis in water. For this, we have designed a new water-soluble N-protecting group, 2-[phenyl(methyl)sulfonio]ethoxycarbonyl (Pms), and have studied its introduction onto amino acids. Pms-amino acids were prepared by treating 2-(phenylthio)ethoxycarbonyl amino acids with methyl iodide in the presence of silver tetrafluoroborate. Because sulfur-containing amino acids, such as Met and Cys, were modified by the reaction, we designed a new reagent, 2-[phenyl(methyl)sulfonio]ethyl-4-nitrophenyl carbonate, to introduce the Pms group on amino acids. This reagent is a stable crystalline material and its introduction onto amino acids (including sulfur-containing amino acids) was successful. The solid-phase synthesis of Leu- and Met-enkephalin amides using Pms-protected amino acids was successfully achieved in water.     

Automated solid-phase synthesis of protected oligosaccharides containing beta-mannosidic linkages

For automated oligosaccharide synthesis to impact glycobiology, synthetic access to most carbohydrates has to become efficient and routine. Methods to install "difficult" glycosidic linkages have to be established and incorporated into the overall synthetic concept. Described here is the first automated solid-phase synthesis of oligosaccharides containing the challenging beta-mannosidic linkage. Carboxybenzyl mannoside building blocks proved effective beta-mannosylation agents and resulted in excellent conversion and good to moderate selectivities. [(Triisopropylsilyl)oxy]-methyl ether (Tom), served as an orthogonal, minimally intrusive, and readily cleavable protecting group for the elongation of the C3 position of mannose. The desired oligosaccharide products were readily separated from by-products containing unwanted stereoisomers using reverse-phase HPLC. The methods described here expand the scope of carbohydrates currently accessible by automation as many oligosaccharides of biological interest contain beta-mannosidic linkages.     

Protection of the indole nucleus of tryptophan in solid-phase peptide synthesis with a dipeptide that can be cleaved rapidly at physiological pH

The synthesis of a new derivative of tryptophan Fmoc-Trp(Boc-Sar-Sar)-OH is described. Fmoc-Trp(Boc-Sar-Sar)-OH is introduced into peptides by solid-phase peptide synthesis and during treatment with TFA at the end of the synthesis, the Boc group is cleaved and the peptide is obtained with the indole nucleus modified with the sarcosinyl-sarcosinyl (Sar-Sar) moiety. This modification will introduce a cationic charge that improves the solubility of the peptide during HPLC purification. The Sar-Sar moiety is cleaved upon exposure to physiological pH. The Boc-Sar-Sar group might, therefore, also find use in the design of pro-drugs of indole-containing compounds.     

Discovery,structure, and chemical synthesis of disulfide-rich peptide toxins and their analogs

Disulfide bond-rich peptide toxins are promising scaffolds for the development of medicinal peptides because they possess a rigid 3D structure formed by multiple disulfide bonds. In this review, we discussed recent advances in the discovery, structural elucidation and chemical synthesis of disulfide-rich peptide toxins and their analogs.     

Selectively protected galactose derivatives for the synthesis of branched oligosaccharides

Synthesis and characterization of several new anomerically pure galactose derivatives, based on simple and effective protective group manipulations of benzyl β-d-galactopyranoside, are reported. The monosaccharides described contain selectively protected/deprotected hydroxyl functionalities at their 1,2,3,4- and 6-positions rendering them useful as building blocks for construction of branched oligosaccharides.     

A novel peptide from Apis mellifera and solid-phase synthesis of its analogue

A novel peptide designated secapin-1,was purified and characterized from Apis mellifera.The molecular weight of 25 amino acid peptide secapin-1 was found to be 2821.5625 Da by ESI-FTICR-MS.It showed high identity to secapin.The sequence of secapin-1 was determined to be YIINVPPRCPPGSKFVKNKCRVIVP by automatic Edman degradation.A disulfide bond was formed between Cys⁹ and Cys²⁰ residues.In addition,an analogue of secapin-1 was synthesized by solid phase peptide synthesis method.The synthesis product was successfully purified and identified to homogeneity by using a combination of SEC,IEC,and RP-HPLC techniques.     

Enantioselective approach to indolizidine and quinolizidine scaffolds. Application to the synthesis of peptide mimics

An enantioselective approach to substituted indolizidine and quinolizidine frameworks has been developed. Key steps of the synthesis are the enantioselective, palladium-catalyzed N-allylation of an imide, the nucleophilic allylation of an acyliminium ion and a ring closing metathesis. This general strategy has been applied to the synthesis of indolizidine peptide mimics, starting from a chiral imide derived from l-aspartic acid. It was observed that the preexisting stereogenic center of this substrate has a moderate influence on the stereoselectivity of the electrophilic allylation, which is mainly determined by the sense of chirality of the catalyst.     

A convenient solid phase synthesis of S-palmitoyl transmembrane peptides

S-Palmitoylated peptides are important tools as models for integral membrane proteins to study peptide-lipid interactions. Herein, we report a convenient solid phase synthesis of S-palmitoyl transmembrane peptides. The highly acid labile S-(4-methoxytrityl) group is preferred over the S-(tert-butylsulfanyl) group for protection of the cysteine side chain since the latter gives rise to quantitative desulfurization during on-resin deprotection. The resulting free thiol function is modified with palmitic acid via a carbodiimide-mediated coupling and the title compounds are obtained in good yields and purity.     

THAL, a sterically unhindered linker for the solid-phase synthesis of acid-sensitive protected peptide acids

The 5-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3,4-ethylenedioxythienyl alcohol (THAL, Thiophene Acid Labile) is described as a new linker for the solid-phase synthesis of peptide carboxylic acids. It is based on the electron-rich 3,4-ethylenedioxythenyl (EDOTn) moiety and allows the obtention of free and tert-butyl-protected peptides by cleavage with 90% and 0.5% TFA, respectively. This very high acid lability makes it useful for the synthesis of sensitive peptides. Free and tert-butyl-protected Leu-enkephalins have been synthesized as models to demonstrate the utility of the linker.