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Application of a bromomaleimide core allows for the incorporation of three different peptides. The key reactions of the process are the selective stapling of both thiol- and amino-peptides on two different sites of the core. The thiol-peptide attacks and replaces the bromide whereas the amino-peptide attaches to the ene-position of the core revealing differential and selective reactivity. This platform will have further application in protein chemistry, multidrug presentation and vaccine preparation.

2-MeTHF and CPME were evaluated as greener alternatives for the most employed solvents in peptide synthesis. The ability of these solvents to dissolve amino acid derivatives and a range of coupling reagents were evaluated as well as the swelling of polystyrene and polyethylene glycol resins. In addition, racemization and coupling efficiencies were also determined. We concluded that the use of 2-MeTHF with combination of DIC/OxymaPure gave the lowest racemization level during stepwise synthesis of Z-Phg-Pro-NH2 and the highest purity during SPPS of Aib-enkephalin pentapeptide (H-Tyr-Aib-Aib-Phe-Leu-NH2).

N-Methylation has a significant impact on improving the oral bioavailability, lipophilicity and aqueous solubility of peptide-based lead drug structures. The selected mono-amino acid derivatives Ac-X-OMe, where X = Gly, Val, Leu, Ile, Phe, Met, Cys, Ser, Asp and His as well as their corresponding N-methylated analogues were studied. The clog P values of all N-methylated peptides are greater than those of native compounds. Quantum chemical calculations were performed to estimate the aqueous solubility of these lipophilic compounds using density functional theory (DFT). To confirm the contribution of dispersion forces on quantum chemical data, the long-range corrected (LC) hybrid density functional (ωB97X-D) was also probed for some amino acid derivatives. The ωB97X functional gave similar results. Our results reveal that after mono N-methylation of the peptide backbone, ΔGsolv becomes more negative (more water soluble) while polarizability and dipole moment are also increased. Natural atomic charges derived by natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis of N, C, and O atoms involved in amide functional group become more positive/(less negative) after N-methylation. All N-methylated amino acids have higher EHOMO (less negative) in comparison with the amino acid analogues, and in all cases N-methylation decreases EHOMO-LUMO. The calculated amide cis/trans activation energies (EA) of all the N-methylated amino acid derivatives were lower than that of native species. N-methylation of these compounds leads to an increase in lipophilicity, aqueous solubility, polarization, dipole moment and lowering of the cis/trans amide energy barrier (EA).

To date, DMF has been considered as the only solvent suitable for peptide synthesis. Here we demonstrate the capacity of THF and ACN, which are friendlier solvents than DMF, to yield the product in higher purity than DMF. Using various peptide models, both THF and ACN reduced racemization in solution-phase and solid-phase synthesis when compared with DMF. Moreover, the use of ACN and THF in the solid-phase peptide synthesis of hindered peptides, such as Aib-enkephalin pentapeptide and Aib-ACP decapeptide, in combination with a complete polyethylene glycol resin (ChemMatrix), gave a better coupling efficiency than DMF.

We report on a novel and user-friendly platform based on a bromomaleimide moiety to obtain branched peptides. The platform is stable for all SPPS conditions. The bromomaleimide core was conjugated to n-copies of thiol-peptide in-solution to obtain two/four/eight-armed dendrimers. Using 'n' number of bromomaleimide analogues, 2(n) ligands were incorporated at both bromo and ene positions via a thioether bond. This method has the advantage of high conversion in a short time, thus enabling effortless purification and characterization processes.

Knowledge of the sequences and structures of proteins from pathogenic microorganisms has been put to great use in the field of protein chemistry for the development of peptide-based vaccines. These vaccine constructs include chemically tailored, shorter peptidic fragments that can induce high immunogenicity, thus shunning the allergenic and nonimmunogenic part of the antigens. Based on this concept, several different chemistries have been pursued to obtain novel platforms onto which antigenic epitopes can be tethered, with the aim to achieve a higher antibody response. In this regard, here we attempt to summarize the chemical strategies developed for the presentation of peptide epitopes., (© 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Here we describe two novel uronium salts, TOMBU and COMBU, derived from the recently described Oxyma-B for use in peptide bond synthesis. These coupling reagents are more stable than COMU in DMF. Furthermore, using various peptide synthetic models in solution and solid-phase synthesis, we reveal that they show better performance than HBTU in terms of preserving chiral integrity and coupling yields, but slightly worse performance than COMU.

Peptide-bond formation is a key process in the synthesis of peptide oligomers. Among the many coupling techniques reported, carbodiimides combine strong acylation potency and smooth reaction conditions and are commonly used in the presence of additives. Recently, ethyl 2-cyano-2-(hydroxyimino)acetate (OxymaPure) has emerged as a highly reactive alternative to the classic and explosion-prone benzotriazolic additives, namely 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HOBt) and 1-hydroxy-7-azabenzotriazole (HOAt). Here we report on a new oxime additive 5-(hydroxyimino)-1,3-dimethylpyrimidine-2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)-trione (Oxyma-B). This new additive showed satisfactory solubility in various solvents (DMF, ACN, and THF). It was also more effective in the control of optical purity during the synthesis of Z-Phg-Pro-NH2, Z-Phe-Val-Pro-NH2, H-Gly-Ser-Phe-NH2, H-Gly-Cys-Phe-NH2, H-Gly-Cys(Acm)-Phe-NH2 and H-Gly-His-Phe-NH2 than related Oxyma- and benzotriazole-based reagents. Oxyma-B also proved to be advantageous compared to the related HONM, because the latter cannot be used with the carbodiimide. Furthermore, Oxyma-B showed satisfactory performance in assembling demanding sequences such as the Aib-enkephalin pentapeptide (H-Tyr-Aib-Aib-Phe-Leu-NH2).

The primary idea of using immobilized reagents in organic synthetic chemistry is to simplify the downstream process, product workup and isolation, and therefore avoiding time-consuming and expensive chromatographic separations, which are intrinsic to every synthetic process. Numerous polymer-bounded reagents are commercially available and applicable to almost all kinds of synthetic chemistry conversions. Herein, we have covered all known supported-coupling reagents and bases which have had a great impact in amide/peptide bond formation. These coupling reagents have been used for the activation of a carboxyl moiety; thus generating an active acylating species that is ready to couple with an amine nucleophile liberating the amide/peptide and polymeric support which can be regenerated for reuse. This also addresses a large variety of anchored coupling reagents, additives, and bases that have only been employed in amide/peptide syntheses during the last six decades.

The twenty first century has witnessed several advances in synthetic chemistry, among them microreactors. It is expected that these devices will have a considerable impact on synthetic organic chemistry since they offer a wide range of applications in various fields. Perhaps the synthesis of peptides deserves mention in this regard as these molecules are emerging as therapeutics and offer several advantages over the so-called small molecules. This minireview does not aim to address microreactors in detail, but explains various peptide synthesis methods that involve microfluidic techniques, highlighting the need for further improvement and expansion of microdevices/microreactors.

Here we review the strategies for the solid-phase synthesis of peptides starting from the side chain of the C-terminal amino acid. Furthermore, we provide experimental data to support that C-terminal and side-chain syntheses give similar results in terms of purity. However, the stability of the two bonds that anchor the peptide to the polymer may determine the overall yield and this should be considered for the large-scale production of peptides. In addition, resins/linkers which do not subject to side reactions can be preferred for some peptides.

Small peptides are essential mediators of numerous physiological processes. Consequently, there is huge interest in the de novo design of peptides with a predictable folding and related biological activity. In this study, we investigate the possibility of modulating the secondary structure of tetrapeptides through proline N-oxide moieties and N-methylation of the peptide backbone. A series of tetrapeptides were synthesised to investigate the combined effect of Pro N-oxide and N-methylation of the amide bond on the (n + 1) residue in terms of cis- and trans-isomerization, as well as how these modifications direct potential intramolecular hydrogen bonding interactions. The right combination of both these parameters led to a trans to cis-conformational interconversion and a change in the nature of the hydrogen bonding interactions, as demonstrated by NMR spectroscopic, molecular modeling analysis and thermal coefficient studies. Proline N-oxide residues were proposed to induce turns we named as NO-γ-turns and NO-β-turns based on their similarity to traditional γ- and β-turns.

The physicochemical properties of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) functionalized with peptides and N-methylated peptides were studied with respect to their interaction with beta-amyloid (1-42). Peptides with sequences of CGGIGLMVG and CGGGGGIGLMVG linked with GNPs of an average diameter of 13 nm were employed for this study. The peptide-GNPs were found to be soluble and dispersed at pH 7.4 in a sodium phosphate aqueous buffer solution. The resonance spectra of each peptide coated GNP was measured in the absence and presence of beta-amyloid (1-42). The difference in the intensity of the lambda(max) of the resonance absorption bands was attributed to the interaction of the functionalized GNPs with the protein. Particles bearing the CGGGGGIGLMVG sequence exhibited the largest change in lambda(max) intensity; the prevention of fibril formation and inhibition of cytotoxicity was also examined.

Novel peptides incorporating the PCU derived hydroxy acid (5-hydroxy-4-oxahexacyclo[5.4.1.0(2,6).0(3,10).0(5,9).0(8,11)]dodecane) were synthesized and their activity against the resistance-prone wild type C-South African (C-SA) HIV-protease is reported. The attachment of peptides and peptoids to the PCU derived hydroxy acid resulted in a series of structurally diverse promising HIV-1 protease inhibitors. Amongst the nine novel compounds, 16, 17, 20 and 23 gave IC(50) values ranging from 0.6 to 5.0 μM against the wild type C-SA HIV-1 protease enzyme. Docking studies and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations have been carried out in order to understand the binding mode of the PCU moiety at the active site of the HIV protease enzyme. A conserved hydrogen bonding pattern between the PCU derived hydroxy ether and the active site residues, ASP25/ASP25', was observed in all active compounds., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) with a monolayer of peptides were synthesized as a potential tumour activated cancer drug delivery system. The prodrug system was achieved by the attachment of two varying lengths of peptides to GNPs: An 18 amino acid peptide sequence encompassing a shorter fluorescent labelled (coumarin) six amino acid peptide sequence. The longer peptide chain included the sequence D-AFK that is selectively cleavable by the over-expression of proteases in the vicinity of cancer cells. The protease-mediated exposure of the coumarin was demonstrated by the incubation of peptide capped GNPs with adenocarcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial A549 cells and madin-darby bovine kidney epithelial cells. Confocal laser scanning microscopy studies revealed enhanced fluorescence emission intensities in the cancer cell line as compared to the intensity exhibited by the healthy cell line. This work suggests that GNPs functionalised with a cytotoxic agent or fluorophore encapsulated by longer peptide strands may find useful applications for development of GNPs with therapeutic or diagnostic studies.

N-Methylation is a common strategy for improving oral bioavailability of peptide-based lead structures. Herein, we present a detailed study on how the degree of N-methylation affects the absorption-distribution-metabolism-excretion-toxicity (ADMET) properties such as solubility, membrane transport, proteolytic stability, and general cell toxicity of the investigated peptides. As representative structures we chose hexapeptides 1-8. These peptides, corresponding to N-methylated analogues of residues 16-21 and 32-37 of the Abeta-peptide, pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), have previously been shown to inhibit aggregation of Abeta fibrils in vitro. This study suggests that poly-N-methylated peptides are non-toxic and have enhanced proteolytic stability over their non-methylated analogues. Furthermore, solubility in aqueous solution is seen to increase with increased degree of N-methylation, while membrane transport was found to be low for all investigated hexapeptides. The present results, together with those reported in the literature, suggest that poly-N-methylated peptides, especially shorter or equal to six residues, can be suitable candidates for drug design., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The synthesis and NMR elucidation of two novel pentacycloundecane (PCU)-based peptides are reported. The PCU cage amino acids were synthesised as racemates and the incorporation of the cage amino acid with (S)-natural amino acids produced diastereomeric peptides. The diastereomeric 'cage' peptides were separated using preparative HPLC and the NMR elucidation of these PCU containing peptides are reported for the first time. The (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra showed series of overlapping signals of the cage skeleton and that of the peptide, making it extremely difficult to resolve the structure using one-dimensional NMR techniques only. The use of two-dimensional NMR techniques proved to be a highly effective tool in overcoming this problem., (Copyright (c) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

The incidence of type II diabetes is on the increase each year and the World Health Organisation (WHO) predicts there to be over 360 million diabetic patients worldwide by the year 2030. Deposits consisting mainly of a small protein, called islet amyloid polypeptide (amylin), which aggregates into oligo-/polymeric beta sheet structures is responsible for cytotoxicity to the pancreatic beta-cells, thus inhibition of this process has been explored as a potential prevention or treatment. N-Methylated and non N-methylated peptides spanning the length of amylin(1-37) were synthesised and evaluated for their inhibition of full length amylin mediated cytotoxicity to RIN-5F cells. The non N-methylated peptides were very effective in inhibiting the cytotoxicity while the N-methylated peptides were not. Both the N-methylated and non N-methylated versions of the 29-34 region were equally effective., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The syntheses of a novel trishomocubane hydantoin and its mono- and bis-protected t-Boc derivatives are described. The less nucleophilic N-3' nitrogen of the hydantoin ring is protected first when treated with di-tert-butyl dicarbonate (t-Boc anhydride), possibly owing to steric hindrance by the bulky trishomocubane cage skeleton. More basic conditions were required to form the bis-protected t-Boc hydantoin with the same reagent. The structures of these novel compounds were elucidated with 2D NMR techniques. The proton spectrum of the trishomocubane skeleton is complex owing to major overlap of proton signals. A high-level DFT calculation was used to determine some of the crucial interatomic positions, which assisted with the elucidation of the structures. The assignment of proton and carbon signals of the three structures is described and it differs significantly from each other and also from the trishomocubanol precursor. The bis-Boc hydantoin is required for a more facile hydrolysis to the corresponding trishomocubane amino acid at room temperature., (Copyright 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

This research presents the development of positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracers for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) for the diagnosis and monitoring of tuberculosis. Two phage display–derived peptides with proven selective binding to MTB were identified for development into PET radiopharmaceuticals: H8 (linear peptide) and PH1 (cyclic peptide). We sought to functionalize H8/PH1 with NODASA, a bifunctional chelator that allows complexation of PET‐compatible radiometals such as gallium‐68. Herein, we report on the chelator functionalization, optimized radiosynthesis, and assessment of the radiopharmaceutical properties of [68Ga]Ga‐NODASA‐H8 and [68Ga]Ga‐NODASA‐PH1. Robust radiolabeling was achieved using the established routine method, indicating consistent production of a radiochemically pure product (RCP ≥ 99.6%). For respective [68Ga]Ga‐NODASA‐H8 and [68Ga]Ga‐NODASA‐PH1, relatively high levels of decay‐corrected radiochemical yield (91.2% ± 2.3%, 86.7% ± 4.0%) and apparent molar activity (Am, 3.9 ± 0.8 and 34.0 ± 5.3 GBq/μmol) were reliably achieved within 42 min, suitable for imaging purposes. Notably, [68Ga]Ga‐NODASA‐PH1 remained stable in blood plasma for up to 2 h, while [68Ga]Ga‐NODASA‐H8 degraded within 30 min. For both 68Ga peptides, minimal whole‐blood cell binding and plasma protein binding were observed, indicating a favorable pharmaceutical behavior. [68Ga]Ga‐NODASA‐PH1 is a promising candidate for further in vitro/in vivo evaluation as a tuberculosis‐specific infection imaging agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The HIV integrase enzyme represents an important target for HIV inhibition because it is essential for viral replication and there is no cellular counterpart. Blocking HIV replication at this early stage of the viral life cycle can also prevent the establishment of viral reservoirs in the form of latently infected cells. Complications such as drug resistance and other adverse side effects associated with HIV treatment necessitate novel approaches for HIV inhibition. Nanoparticle-based systems are fast revolutionizing the biomedical field with applications in infectious disease diagnosis and treatment, and are important tools to investigate for HIV targeting. This study explores the development of gold nanoparticles functionalized with a hexapeptide, previously demonstrated to inhibit integrase at low micromolar concentrations. We also sought to investigate the effect of Tat peptide incorporation to facilitate both cellular and nuclear entry, so that both cytoplasmic and nuclear events mediated by integrase, could be targeted. Therefore, the aim of this study is to synthesize, characterize and evaluate the antiviral activity of nanoparticle-peptide complexes. Our results showed no obvious HIV inhibitory activity, but did provide original and fundamental in vitro data for this potent hexapeptide when challenged with HIV infection. Further insight into the optimization of gold nanoparticle functionalization with peptides is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report a mild and efficient synthesis of a NODASA-functionalized peptide, which was initiated with a Michael addition reaction between monomethyl fumarate and 1,4,7-triazacyclononane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, DIC is the most widely used carbodiimide for solid-phase peptide synthesis, while EDC ·HCl is mostly used only for solution-phase synthesis. In this paper, we report new coupling cocktails containing EDC ·HCl in combination with potassium salts of OxymaPure and Oxyma-B (i.e., K-Oxyma and K-Oxyma-B, respectively). These reagent cocktails gave spectacular purity compared to DIC/classical N-hydroxylamine derivatives in the solid-phase peptide synthesis of the Aib-enkephaline (Aib = 2-aminoisobutyric acid) pentapeptide (H-Tyr-Aib-Aib-Phe-Leu-NH2), a hindered peptide. Furthermore, we found that the EDC ·HCl/K-Oxyma combination can be used with DMF, THF, or MeCN as the solvent. The optimized cocktail gave less racemization than benzotriazole derivatives, but slightly more than OxymaPure and Oxyma-B during stepwise solution-phase peptide synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, eight non-natural peptides and peptoids incorporating the pentacycloundecane (PCU) lactam were designed and synthesized as potential inhibitors of the wild type C-SA HIV-protease. Five of these inhibitors gave IC50 values ranging from 0.5 up to 0.75 µM against the resistance-prone wild type C-South African HIV-protease. NMR EASY-ROESY studies enabled us to describe the secondary structure of three of these compounds in solution. The 3D structures of the selected cage peptides were also modelled in solution using QM/MM/MD simulations. Satisfactory agreement between the NMR observations and the low energy calculated structures exists. Only one of these inhibitors ( 11 peptoid), which showed the best IC50(0.5 µM), exhibited a definable 3-D structure in solution. Autodock4 and AutodockVina were used to model the potential interaction between these inhibitors and the HIV-PR. It appears that the docking results are too crude to be correlated with the relative narrow range of experimental IC50 values (0.5-10 µM). The PCU-peptides and peptoides were several orders less toxic (145 μM for 11 and 102 μM for 11 peptoid) to human MT-4 cells than lopinavir (0.025 μM). This is the first example of a polycyclic cage framework to be employed as an HIV-PR transition state analogue inhibitor and can potentially be utilized for other diseases related proteases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis and X-ray structure of two diasteriomeric heptapeptides [Ac-Ala-Ala-Ala-( R/S)-Cage-Ala-Ala-Ala-NH2] with a trishomocubane amino acid as a β-turn scaffold are reported. The amino acid was synthesized as a racemate and two diastereomeric peptides were obtained. The two peptides were separated by preparative high-pressure liquid chromatography and crystals suitable for X-ray analysis were grown for both diasteriomeric peptides. In general, both the peptides satisfy the criteria for β-turn conformations. Five of the six Ala residues of both cage peptide crystals satisfy the criteria for 310-helix characteristics and the cage amino acid residue satisfied the α-helix classification. These experimental results confirm previous theoretical studies in our laboratory which predicted that the cage moiety would be a strong/active β-turn inducer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A conference paper about the molecular modeling studies of pentacyclo undecane peptides is presented. It states that these peptides act as the HIV protease inhibitors and adds that the peptides has nanomolar activity against the resistanceprone wild type C-South African HIV-protease (C-SA). The result reveals these peptides can be used as a therapeutic in the treatment of the disease.

The synthesis of four novel trishomocubane amino acid derivatives is described. The hydantoin precursor and bis-Boc protected hydantoin (>95% yield) were previously reported. A mild hydrolysis of the bis-Boc hydantoin with lithium hydroxide at room temperature quantitatively yielded the corresponding novel cage amino acid. The cage amino acid was characterized as the Fmoc derivative. Although the Fmoc amino acid is partially deprotected after three weeks in a refrigerator, it is stable enough for use in Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis (SPPS). The Fmoc cage amino acid was converted to the acid fluoride with cyanuric fluoride. The acid fluoride is required for activation of the cage amino acid in SPPS. Esterification of the sterically hindered trishomocubane amino acid is also reported, indicating sufficient reactivity of the acid function for potential use in SPPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein we report the synthesis and NMR elucidation of five novel pentacycloundecane (PCU)-derived short peptides as potential HIV protease inhibitors. ¹H and 13C spectral analysis show major overlapping of methine resonance of the PCU 'cage' thereby making it extremely difficult to assign the NMR signals. Attachment of short peptides to the cage at position C-8/C-11 results in conformational differences of the peptide side chains due to diastereomeric interactions between the cage skeleton and the chiral side chains. The use of two-dimensional NMR techniques proved to be highly effective in the elucidation of such systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Pentacycloundecane (PCU) lactam-peptide based HIV protease inhibitors were synthesized and nanomolar activity against the resistance-prone wild type C-South African HIV protease is reported. NMR investigations indicated that the activity is related to the chirality of the PCU moiety and its ability to induce conformations of the coupled peptide side chain. EASY-ROESY NMR experiments gave information about the 3D structure of the cage peptides and 3D solution structure could be linked to the experimental IC50 activity profile of the considered inhibitors. QM/MM/MD simulations of the inhibitors in solution confirmed the NMR observed conformations. Docking experiments and QM/MM/MD simulations of the inhibitor-HIV PR complexes were also performed. These computational results complimented the experimental inhibition activities and enabled us to report a unique binding mode for PCU-based inhibitors at the active site of HIV-protease enzyme. A conserved hydrogen bonding pattern between the norstatine type functional group of the PCU hydroxylactam and active site residues, ASP25/ASP25′, was observed in all active compounds. The biological significance and possible mode of inhibition by PCU-based HIV PR inhibitors discussed herein provide us with a deeper understanding of the mode of action of these novel inhibitors. The PCU-peptides are between 6000 and 8500 time less toxic to human MT-4 cells than Lopinavir. This potentially creates new application avenues for these putative inhibitors to be investigated against a vast number of other disease-related proteases. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study, we present the first account of pentacycloundecane (PCU) peptide based HIV-protease inhibitors. The inhibitor exhibiting the highest activity made use of a natural HIV-protease substrate peptide sequence, that is, attached to the cage (PCU–EAIS). This compound showed nanomolar IC50 activity against the resistance-prone wild type C-South African HIV-protease (C-SA) catalytic site via a norstatine type functional group of the PCU hydroxy lactam. NMR was employed to determine a logical correlation between the inhibitory concentration (IC50) results and the 3D structure of the corresponding inhibitors in solution. NMR investigations indicated that the activity is related to the chirality of the PCU moiety and its ability to induce conformations of the coupled peptide side chain. The results from docking experiments coincided with the experimental observed activities. These findings open up useful applications for this family of cage peptide inhibitors, considering the vast number of alternative disease related proteases that exist. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we report on the conformational profile of the pentacyclo-undecane (PCU) cage tripeptide carried out by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation using water as an explicit solvent. The MD solution phase studies carried on the model peptide analogues (A)=Ac–Ala–Ala–Ala–NHMe; (B)=Ac–Cage–Cage–Cage–NHMe; (C)=Ac–Ala–Cage–Ala–NHMe and (D)=Ac–Ala–Pro–Ala–NHMe, are used as a complimentary technique to the corresponding gas phase simulated annealing (SA) study previously carried out in our laboratory. No significant structural changes were observed over the MD trajectories. However, the results reported here provide further evidence that the (PCU) cage amino acid exhibits C7eq, C7aq, αR and αL conformations, and the theoretical results suggest that the PCU cage amino acid is a strong β-turn inducer. These results support the prediction that when the PCU cage residues are in the (i) and (i+2) positions, the β-turn can be extended in either direction to form anti-parallel β-pleated sheets, thereby forming the basis of the mechanism for the folding back of the chain in a cross-β-turn structure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The conformational preferences of the four peptide analogues [A]=Ac-Ala-Ala-Ala-NHMe, [B]=Ac-Cage-Cage-Cage-NHMe, [C]=Ac-Ala-Cage-Ala-NHMe and [D]=Ac-Ala-Pro-Ala-NHMe were carried out using iterative simulated annealing (SA) at the molecular mechanics level using the amber force field. The overall conformational search indicates that the pentacyclo-undecane (PCU) Cage imposes a greater restriction on the conformational freedom of the tripeptide in comparison with proline. The first 20 low energy conformations were also analyzed for β-turns or reverse-turn characteristics. This theoretical study revealed that [D] proved to be the most effective β-turn promoter (35%) within the peptide series [A]–[D]. The pentacyclo-undecane amino acid exhibit promising β-turn characteristics in cases [B] and [C] (15%). In most cases for [A]–[D], the low energy structures are bent although none of the unique structures for [A] satisfy all three criteria for β-turns. The peptide sequences [B]–[D] can be classified as canonical reverse β-type I, II or III turns. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An abstract of the article " EDC·HCl and Potassium Salts of Oxyma and Oxyma-B as Superior Coupling Cocktails for Peptide Synthesis" by Yahya E. Jad and colleagues is presented.

Review: 150 refs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Review: 74 refs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]