Cystine peptides

N Fujii, A Otaka, S Funakoshi, K Bessho, T Watanabe, K Akaji, H Yajima. Studies on peptides. CL1. Syntheses of cystine-peptides by oxidation of S-protected cysteine peptides with thalliumin trifhioroacetate. Chem Pharm Bull (Jpn) 35, 2339, 1987. 

Kamber B, Hartmann A, Eisler K, Riniker B, Rink H, Sieber P, Rittel W. The synthesis of cystine peptides by iodine oxidation of 5-trityl-cysteine and S-acetamidomethyl-cysteine peptides. Helv Chim Acta 1980 63 899-915. 

The prototype of oxidizing agents that convert S-protected cysteine peptides directly into cystine peptides (Scheme 1, route B) is iodine. This procedure was initially introduced by Kamber and Rittel for the oxidation of 5-Trt cysteine peptides 66 and has since been extended to the 5-Acm/45,67 5-Tacm/68 5-Phacm/69-71 and 5-Tmb derivatives/64 It can also be... 

For the synthesis of heterodimeric cystine peptides where two different peptide chains are cross-linked by a disulfide bridge random co-oxidation of the two chains besides producing the heterodimer leads in the optimal case to the additional two homodimers in statistical distribution. Therefore, chemical control of the disulfide bridging via site-directed disulfide formation techniques is required since a thermodynamic control for generation of heterodimers is extremely difficult to achieve (see Section 6.1.5). 

These early studies clearly revealed the inherent problems of the chemistry for site-directed formation of unsymmetrical disulfides that has to avoid formation of homodimers. These can result from (i) slow rates of activation of the cysteine peptide, (ii) disproportionation of the activated cysteine species, (in) weak activation and thus slow thiolysis by the second cysteine component and thus its oxidation to the homodimer as well as thiol/ disulfide exchange reactions on the unsymmetrical disulfide present in the reaction media. The latter side reactions are partly controlled by operating in degassed argon-saturated buffers or in organic solvents and preferably under acidic conditions where thiol/disulfide exchange reactions on the nonactivated disulfides, i.e. on the target unsymmetrical cystine peptide occurs at slow rates. 

Many scorpion toxins, insect defensins, and enzyme inhibitors are cystine-rich polypeptides containing three to four disulfide bonds. In a large number of these toxins, two cystines are involved in the consensus Cys-(Xaa)1-Cys/Cys-(Xaa)3-Cys framework which is responsible for the common characteristic fold consisting of an a-helix and a two- or three-stranded antiparallel (3-sheet (a 3 3-fold or 3a 3 3-fold). For a review see ref[69]. The overall compact globular structures of these cystine-rich peptides contain the cystine stabilized a-helix motif (Section 6.1.5.1.2) which is further stabilized by a third disulfide bond between the N-terminus and the (3-strand adjacent to the helix and in some cases by an additional fourth disulfide bridge. Due to the presence of the cystine stabilized a-helix motif, a preferred initial formation of this motif followed by its stabilization via the additional disulfides was expected. However, in contrast to what was observed for the cystine peptides containing only the cystine stabilized a-helix motif, simple air oxidation is not successful. 

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