1.Synthesis of the very acid-sensitive Fmoc-Cys(Mmt)-OH and its application in solid-phase peptide synthesis.
Barlos K1, Gatos D, Hatzi O, Koch N, Koutsogianni S. Int J Pept Protein Res. 1996 Mar;47(3):148-53.
S-4-methoxytrityl cysteine was synthesized and converted into the corresponding Fmoc-Cys(Mmt)-OH by its reaction with Fmoc-OSu. As compared to the corresponding Fmoc-Cys(Trt)-OH, the S-Mmt-function was found to be considerably more acid labile. Quantitative S-Mmt-removal occurs selectively in the presence of groups of the tert butyl type and S-Trt by treatment with 0.5-1.0% TFA. The new derivative was successfully utilized in the SPPS of Tyr1-somatostatin on 2-chlorotrityl resin. In this synthesis groups of the Trt-type were exclusively used for amino acid side-chain protection. Quantitative cleavage from the resin and complete deprotection was performed by treatment with 3% TFA in DCM-TES (95:5) for 30 min at RT. We observed no reduction of tryptophan under these conditions.
2.Acid-labile Cys-protecting groups for the Fmoc/tBu strategy: filling the gap.
Góngora-Benítez M1, Mendive-Tapia L, Ramos-Tomillero I, Breman AC, Tulla-Puche J, Albericio F. Org Lett. 2012 Nov 2;14(21):5472-5. doi: 10.1021/ol302550p. Epub 2012 Oct 17.
To address the existing gap in the current set of acid-labile Cys-protecting groups for the Fmoc/tBu strategy, diverse Fmoc-Cys(PG)-OH derivatives were prepared and incorporated into a model tripeptide to study their stability against TFA. S-Dpm proved to be compatible with the commonly used S-Trt group and was applied for the regioselecive construction of disulfide bonds.
3.A 'conovenomic' analysis of the milked venom from the mollusk-hunting cone snail Conus textile--the pharmacological importance of post-translational modifications.
Bergeron ZL1, Chun JB, Baker MR, Sandall DW, Peigneur S, Yu PY, Thapa P, Milisen JW, Tytgat J, Livett BG, Bingham JP. Peptides. 2013 Nov;49:145-58. doi: 10.1016/j.peptides.2013.09.004. Epub 2013 Sep 18.
Cone snail venoms provide a largely untapped source of novel peptide drug leads. To enhance the discovery phase, a detailed comparative proteomic analysis was undertaken on milked venom from the mollusk-hunting cone snail, Conus textile, from three different geographic locations (Hawai'i, American Samoa and Australia's Great Barrier Reef). A novel milked venom conopeptide rich in post-translational modifications was discovered, characterized and named α-conotoxin TxIC. We assign this conopeptide to the 4/7 α-conotoxin family based on the peptide's sequence homology and cDNA pre-propeptide alignment. Pharmacologically, α-conotoxin TxIC demonstrates minimal activity on human acetylcholine receptor models (100 μM, <5% inhibition), compared to its high paralytic potency in invertebrates, PD50 = 34.2 nMol kg(-1). The non-post-translationally modified form, [Pro](2,8)[Glu](16)α-conotoxin TxIC, demonstrates differential selectivity for the α3β2 isoform of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor with maximal inhibition of 96% and an observed IC50 of 5.
4.Preparation of protected peptidyl thioester intermediates for native chemical ligation by Nalpha-9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc) chemistry: considerations of side-chain and backbone anchoring strategies, and compatible protection for N-terminal cysteine.
Gross CM1, Lelièvre D, Woodward CK, Barany G. J Pept Res. 2005 Mar;65(3):395-410.
Native chemical ligation has proven to be a powerful method for the synthesis of small proteins and the semisynthesis of larger ones. The essential synthetic intermediates, which are C-terminal peptide thioesters, cannot survive the repetitive piperidine deprotection steps of N(alpha)-9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc) chemistry. Therefore, peptide scientists who prefer to not use N(alpha)-t-butyloxycarbonyl (Boc) chemistry need to adopt more esoteric strategies and tactics in order to integrate ligation approaches with Fmoc chemistry. In the present work, side-chain and backbone anchoring strategies have been used to prepare the required suitably (partially) protected and/or activated peptide intermediates spanning the length of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI). Three separate strategies for managing the critical N-terminal cysteine residue have been developed: (i) incorporation of N(alpha)-9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-S-(N-methyl-N-phenylcarbamoyl)sulfenylcysteine [Fmoc-Cys(Snm)-OH], allowing creation of an otherwise fully protected resin-bound intermediate with N-terminal free Cys; (ii) incorporation of N(alpha)-9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-S-triphenylmethylcysteine [Fmoc-Cys(Trt)-OH], generating a stable Fmoc-Cys(H)-peptide upon acidolytic cleavage; and (iii) incorporation of N(alpha)-t-butyloxycarbonyl-S-fluorenylmethylcysteine [Boc-Cys(Fm)-OH], generating a stable H-Cys(Fm)-peptide upon cleavage.
