A-amino acids functionalized

Staphyloferrin B (59, Fig. 17) is produced together with staphyloferrin A (see below Sect. 4.4) by Staphylococcus hyicus and other staphylococci 94, 131), by Ralstonia eutropha 250) (= Cupriavidus metallidurans 90a)). Comparison of its CD spectrum with those of model compounds suggests the (S)-configuration of the central citric acid C-atom. Mass spectral investigations show a 1 1 Fe V to-ligand ratio, and NMR studies of the Ga " complex confirm the participation of the two ot-hydroxy- and of the a-amino acid functions in complex formation. Uptake studies with Fe " showed that staphyloferrin B acts as a siderophore, but it is less efficient than staphyloferrin A. 

A general synthesis of cyanoethyl ketones, in which a-amino-acids function as nucleophilic acyl equivalents, is outlined in Scheme 1... 

All pyridoxal enzymes catalyzing chanical transformations of a-amino acids function via ... 

Sanders and coworkers have recently found supramolecular helical arrays of C o molecules in the tubular cavity of helical organic nanotubes composed of a-amino acid functionalized naphthalenediimides (10), which self-assembled to form hydrogen-bonded helical nanotubes in a nonpolar solution and in the solid state (Figure 6.11) [59]. The CD spectrum of the L-10-C,so complex exhibited weak but apparent Cotton effects at 595 and 663 nm due to electronic transitions of C o as... 

As in most aspects of chemistry and biochemistry, structure is the key to function. We ll explore the structure of proteins by first concentrating on their fundamental building block units, the a-amino acids. Then, after developing the principles of peptide str-ucture, we ll see how the insights gained from these smaller molecules aid our understanding of proteins. 

In the Strecker synthesis an aldehyde is converted to an a-amino acid with one more carbon atom by a two-stage procedure in which an a-fflnino nitrile is an intenne-diate. The a-fflnino nitrile is fonned by reaction of the aldehyde with ffliimonia or an fflTtmonium salt and a source of cyanide ion. Hydrolysis of the nitrile group to a carboxylic acid function completes the synthesis. 

The hydrazinolysis is usually conducted in refluxing ethanol, and is a fast process in many cases. Functional groups, that would be affected under hydrolytic conditions, may be stable under hydrazinolysis conditions. The primary amine is often obtained in high yield. The Gabriel synthesis is for example recommended for the synthesis of isotopically labeled amines and amino acids. a-Amino acids 9 can be prepared by the Gabriel route, if a halomalonic ester—e.g. diethyl bromomalonate 7—is employed as the starting material instead of the alkyl halide ... 

While the a-helix of L-a-peptides and the (M)-3i4 helix of the corresponding peptides have opposite polarity and helicity (see Section 2.2.3.1), the inserhon of two CH2 groups in the backbone of L-a-amino acids leave these two hehx parameters unchanged, both the a-helix and the 2.614-hehx of the resulting y" -peptides being right-handed and polarized from N to C terminus. In view of these similarities, the y-peptide hehcal fold might prove useful as a template to elaborate functional mimetics of bioachve a-polypeptides. 

A substantial number of bioactive molecules, such as polypeptides, N-acetyl-DL-penicillamine, p-(dipropylsulfamoyl)benzoic acid, and nicotinic acid, contain a carboxylic acid function, and this provides a site for linkage to a polyphosphazene chain. A number of prototype polymers have been synthesized in which pendent amino groups provide coupling sites for the carboxylic acid (34). The amide linkages so formed are potentially bioerodible, but the use of a hydrolytic sensitizing cosubstituent would be expected to accelerate the process. 

The structural versatility of pseudopoly (amino acids) can be increased further by considering dipeptides as monomeric starting materials as well. In this case polymerizations can be designed that involve one of the amino acid side chains and the C terminus, one of the amino acid side chains and the N terminus, or both of the amino acid side chains as reactive groups. The use of dipeptides as monomers in the manner described above results in the formation of copolymers in which amide bonds and nonamide linkages strictly alternate (Fig. 3). It is noteworthy that these polymers have both an amino function and a carboxylic acid function as pendant chains. This feature should facilitate the attachment of drug molecules or crosslinkers,... 

This route has been widely exploited because of the availability of a-amino azomethine compoimds from natural (S)-a-amino acids, through the corresponding a-amino aldehydes, which are configurationally stable provided that the amino function is suitably protected. Moreover, some a-amino acids are available with the R configuration and a number of enzymatic and chemical transformations have been described for the preparation of optically active unnatural a-amino acids. Overall, the route suffers from the additional steps required for protection/deprotection of the amino function and, in the case of hydrazones and nitrones, cleavage of the N - N or N - O bond. 

The direct use of dioxygen in the catalytic oxidation of nonactivated C-H bonds under mild conditions without using a coreductant was reported by using a K2Pt04/CuCl2 catalytic system to give the selective functionalization of a-amino acids in water.10 The aqueous medium avoided the need for protection of functional groups (Eq. 2.3). 

The addition of perfluoroalkyl iodides to simple olefins has been quite successful under aqueous conditions to synthesize fluorinated hydrocarbons.119 In addition to carbon-based radicals, other radicals such as sulfur-based radicals, generated from RSH-type precursors (R = alkyl, acyl) with AIBN, also smoothly add to a-allylglycines protected at none, one, or both of the amino acid functions (NH2 and/or CO2H). Optimal results were obtained when both the unsaturated amino... 

Moreover, Kim and coworkers have shown that a-amino-butyrolactones can be synthesized by a related process employing the amino acid homoserine with an unprotected hydroxy functionality [31]. In a more recent publication by the same research group, morpholin-2-one derivatives of type 9-37 have been prepared (Scheme 9.6) [32]. Herein, glycolaldehyde dimer 9-32 acts as a bifunctional compound, which first reacts with the a-amino acids 9-33 to give the iminium ions 9-34,... 

Initially PDPs were synthesized by stepwise polycondensation of linear activated depsipeptide [93]. In 1985, Helder, Feijen and coworkers reported the synthesis of PDPs by ROP of a morpholine-2,5-dione derivative (cyclic dimer of ot-hydroxy- and a-amino acid cyclodepsipeptide, cDP) [94, 95]. The ROP method gives an alternative type of PDP by homopolymerization and also allows the copolymerization with other monomers (lactones and cyclic diesters) including LA, GA, and CL to give a wide variety of functional biodegradable materials. The synthesis of PDPs as functional biomaterials has been recently reviewed [17]. 

In this section, the structure, function, and reactivity of amino acids, peptides, and proteins will be discussed with the goal of providing a foundation for successful derivatization. The interplay of amino acid functionality and the three-dimensional folding of polypeptide chains will be seen as forming the basis for protein activity. Understanding how the attachment of foreign molecules can affect this tenuous relationship, and thus alter protein function, ultimately will create a rational approach to protein chemistry and modification. 

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