Chloromethyl peptides

To illustrate the specific operations involved, the scheme below shows the first steps and the final detachment reaction of a peptide synthesis starting from the carboxyl terminal. N-Boc-glycine is attached to chloromethylated styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer resin. This polymer swells in organic solvents but is completely insoluble. ) Treatment with HCl in acetic acid removes the fert-butoxycarbonyl (Boc) group as isobutene and carbon dioxide. The resulting amine hydrochloride is neutralized with triethylamine in DMF. 

The actual process of solid phase peptide synthesis outlined m Figure 27 15 begins with the attachment of the C terminal ammo acid to the chloromethylated polymer m step 1 Nucleophilic substitution by the carboxylate anion of an N Boc protected C terminal... 

FIGURE 27 14 A section of polystyrene showing one of the benzene rings modified by chloromethylation Indi vidual polystyrene chains in the resin used in solid phase peptide synthesis are con nected to one another at various points (cross linked) by adding a small amount of p divinylbenzene to the styrene monomer The chloromethylation step is carried out under conditions such that only about 10% of the benzene rings bear —CH2CI groups... 

Polypeptide Synthesis and Analysis. Sihca or controUed-pore glass supports treated with (chloromethyl)phenylethyltrimethoxysilane [68128-25-6] or its derivatives are replacing chloromethylated styrene—divinylbenzene (Merrifield resin) as supports in polypeptide synthesis. The sdylated support reacts with the triethyl ammonium salt of a protected amino acid. Once the initial amino acid residue has been coupled to the support, a variety of peptide synthesis methods can be used (34). At the completion of synthesis, the anchored peptide is separated from the support with hydrogen bromide in acetic acid (see Protein engineering Proteins). 

The chloromethylated polystyrene resin used for Merrifteld solid-phase peptide synthesis is prepared by treatment of polystyrene with chloromethyl methyl ether and a Lewis acid catalyst. Propose a mechanism for the reaction. 

Substitution of a dipeptide unit by a cychc dipeptide derivative within a peptide chain can induce certain conformational restraints that may alter the biological response via changing receptor selectivity. A facile procedure for synthesis of pyrazinone ring-containing opioid mimetics [21] has been elaborated, based on the cycHzation of readily available dipep-tidyl chloromethyl ketones [22] (Scheme 6). This method affords 2(IH)-pyrazinone derivatives containing substituents with desired functional groups at positions 3 and 6 in high yield. 

A group of peptide derivatives such as peptide arginals and boronic acid peptide derivatives belong to another class of reversible thrombin inhibitors. One such inhibitor is PPACK (D-Phe-Pro-Arg chloromethyl ketone), which functions as a powerful irreversible thrombin inhibitor by alkylating the histidine residue at the catalytic site of thrombin (58). It, however, is unstable in neutral solution, as it undergoes cyclization and inactivation. However, the D-methyl derivative of D-Phe-Pro-Arg-H (D-Mephe-Pro-Arg-H) called efegatran, with a molecular mass of 515 Da, is a stable selective reversible inhibitor of thrombin with a K. of approximately 100 nM. The basic amino terminus in this compound is responsible for promoting the specificity toward thrombin (63). 

A second strategy is to attach a linker (also referred to as a handle or anchor) to the resin followed by assembly of the molecule. A linker is bifunctional spacer that serves to link the initial synthetic unit to the support in two discrete steps (Fig. 3). To attach a linker to a chloromethyl-PS resin, a phenol functionality such as handle 4 is used to form an ether bond (Fig. 4). To attach the same handle to an amino-functionalized support, acetoxy function 5 or a longer methylene spacer of the corresponding phenol is applied to form an amide bond. Both of these resins perform similarly and only differ in their initial starting resin [4], An alternative approach is to prepare a preformed handle in which the first building block is prederivatized to the linker and this moiety is attached to the resin. For peptide synthesis, this practice is common for the preparation of C-terminal peptide acids in order to reduce the amount of racemization of the a-carbon at the anchoring position [5],... 

The mechanism of carcinogenesis by PAHs is believed to involve alkylation of an informational macromolecule in a critical, but at present unknown, manner. Such an interaction with a protein has been modelled by alkylation of a peptide this showed a conformational change occurred on alkylation. It has not yet been possible to study the structure of DNA alkylated by an activated carcinogen this is because DNA is a fiber and the structural order in it is not sufficient for a crystal structure determination. However the crystal structures of some alkylated portions of nucleic acids are described, particularly some nucleosides alkylated by chloromethyl derivatives of DMBA. In crystals of these alkylation products the PAH portion of the adduct shows a tendency to lie between the bases of other nucleoside... 

Initial solid phase synthesis25 was carried out on Merrifield s resin (1 % crosslinked chloromethylated styrene/divinylbenzene copolymer, 200-400 mesh) because of its track record in solid-phase peptide synthesis.26 Unfortunately, the Merrifield resin has limitations as a carbohydrate carrier to study interactions between the carbohydrates and relevant binding proteins. The hydrophobic nature of the resin leads to nonspecific, irreversible protein adsorption.27 Later work utilized Rapp s TentaGel, an amphiphilic, polyethylene glycol resin.28... 

More specific evidence came from affinity labeling with molecules which could react with specific amino acid group sat or adjacent to the substrate site. These labels were substrate analogues and competitive inhibitors. Substituted aryl alkyl ketones were used. TV-p-toluene-sulphonyl-L-phenylalanine chloromethyl ketone (TPCK) blocked the activity of chymotrypsin. Subsequent sequence analysis identified histidine 57 as its site of binding (see Hess, 1971, p 213, The Enzymes, 3rd ed.). Trypsin, with its preference for basic rather than aromatic residues adjacent to the peptide bond, was not blocked by TPCK but was susceptible to iV-p-toluenesulphonyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone (TLCK) (Keil, ibid, p249). 

Fig. 10.9. Stereo view of a 13-mer chloromethyl ketone bound to the active site. The electron density of the peptide directs to the propeller.

A number of approaches may be adopted to achieve chemical synthesis of a peptide. The Merrifield solid phase synthesis method is perhaps the most widely used. This entails sequential addition of amino acids to a growing peptide chain anchored to the surface of modified polystyrene beads. The modified beads contain reactive chloromethyl (—CH2CI) groups. 

To expedite peptide syntheses of up to 124 amino acid units, beads of solid polystyrene— with chloromethyl groups, —CH CI, para to about every hundredth phenyl group—are used in an automated process. The sequence of steps is (1) attach C-terminal Boc-protected amino acid by... 

The oxazolidine-2,5-dione heterocycle, perhaps better known as the N-carboxyanhydride of an amino acid, has been incorporated employing a modification of chloromethylated poly(styrene) (192) (76USP3985715). The reaction sequence involved utilization of a masked amino acid, ethyl acetamidocyanoacetate (205). The amino acid was liberated in a subsequent hydrolysis/decarboxylation step (Scheme 98). The cyclized, IV-carboxyanhydride-functional resins (206) were reported to be useful in solid phase peptide synthesis and as supports for enzyme immobilization. 

However, a-chloroketones are powerful alkylating agents and the bound inhibitor attacks His 57 of the catalytic triad system. The reaction is probably more complex than is indicated in the foregoing equation and may involve an epoxy ether intermediate/ Many other peptide chloromethyl ketone inhibitors have been devised/ 1 ... 

Scheme 34 Synthesis of an (Oxomethyleneamino) Peptide by Segment Condensation using a Chloromethyl...

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