Peptide bonds derivatives

Zein ze-on [NL Zea] (1822) n. A naturally occurring, high-molecular-weight protein, a polymer of amino acids hnked by peptide bonds, derived from corn. It is considered to be a member of the protein family of plastics, the main member of which is casein plastic. Zein resins, rarely seen today. 

A major advance was devised by Pehr Edman (University of Lund Sweden) that has become the standard method for N terminal residue analysis The Edman degrada tion IS based on the chemistry shown m Figure 27 12 A peptide reacts with phenyl iso thiocyanate to give a phenylthwcarbamoyl (PTC) denvative as shown m the first step This PTC derivative is then treated with an acid m an anhydrous medium (Edman used mtromethane saturated with hydrogen chloride) to cleave the amide bond between the N terminal ammo acid and the remainder of the peptide No other peptide bonds are cleaved m this step as amide bond hydrolysis requires water When the PTC derivative IS treated with acid m an anhydrous medium the sulfur atom of the C=S unit acts as... 

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein. To modify functional properties, vegetable proteins such as those derived from soybean and other oil seeds can be hydrolyzed by acids or enzymes to yield hydrolyzed vegetable proteins (HVP). Hydrolysis of peptide bonds by acids or proteolytic enzymes yields lower molecular weight products useful as food flavorings. However, the protein functionaHties of these hydrolysates may be reduced over those of untreated protein. 

Another subclass of proteases attacks internal peptide bonds and Hberates large peptide fragments. Bromelain, a plant protease derived from the stem of the pineapple plant, can even produce detectable semm proteolysis after oral adrninistration (180). Oral therapy with bromelain significantly reduces bmising that stems from obstetrical manipulations (181). Bromelain—pancreatin combinations have been more effective in digestive insufficiency compared to either pancreatin or placebo (182,183). Bromelain may also enhance the activity of antibiotics, especially tetracycline, when adrninistered concurrently (184). 

The Bum derivative has been used to protect the 7r-nitrogen of histidine to prevent racemization during peptide bond formation. 

FIGURE 5.19 N-Tertninal analysis using Edman s reagent, phenylisothiocyanate. Phenylisothiocyanate combines with the N-terminus of a peptide under mildly alkaline conditions to form a phenylthiocarbamoyl substitution. Upon treatment with TFA (trifluo-roacetic acid), this cyclizes to release the N-terminal amino acid residue as a thiazolinone derivative, but the other peptide bonds are not hydrolyzed. Organic extraction and treatment with aqueous acid yield the N-terminal amino acid as a phenylthiohydantoin (PTH) derivative. 

FIGURE 5.20 Trypsin is a proteolytic enzyme, or protease, that specifically cleaves only those peptide bonds in which arginine or lysine contributes the carbonyl function. The products of the reaction are a mixture of peptide fragments with C-terminal Arg or Lys residues and a single peptide derived from the polypeptide s C-terminal end. 

Cleavage is achieved with H2O, IPA, or MeOH. These derivatives also serve as active esters in peptide bond formation. ... 

Schemes are available, however, that start from the free carboxylic acid, plus an activator . Dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, DCC, has been extensively employed as a promoter in esterification reactions, and in protein chemistry for peptide bond formation [187]. Although the reagent is toxic, and a stoichiometric concentration or more is necessary, this procedure is very useful, especially when a new derivative is targeted. The reaction usually proceeds at room temperature, is not subject to steric hindrance, and the conditions are mild, so that several types of functional groups can be employed, including acid-sensitive unsaturated acyl groups. In combination with 4-pyrrolidinonepyridine, this reagent has been employed for the preparation of long-chain fatty esters of cellulose from carboxylic acids, as depicted in Fig. 5 [166,185,188] ...

In mammals, peptide hormones typically contain only the a-amino acids of proteins finked by standard peptide bonds. Other peptides may, however, contain nonprotein amino acids, derivatives of the protein amino acids, or amino acids finked by an atypical peptide bond. For example, the amino terminal glutamate of glutathione, which participates in protein folding and in the metabolism of xenobiotics (Chapter 53), is finked to cysteine by a non-a peptide bond (Figure 3—3). The amino terminal glutamate of thyrotropin-... 

A polynucleoside with an unnatural polymeric backbone was synthesized by SBP-catalyzed oxidative polymerization of thymidine 5 -p-hydroxyphenylacetate. Chemoenzymafic synthesis of a new class of poly(amino acid), poly(tyrosine) containing no peptide bonds, was achieved by the peroxidase-catalyzed oxidative polymerization of tyrosine ethyl esters, followed by alkaline hydrolysis. Amphiphile higher alkyl ester derivatives were also polymerized in... 

Proteases are enzymes that break peptide bonds in proteins. As such they lend themselves to a variety of homogeneous assay techniques. Most employ labeling both ends of the substrate with a different tag, and looking for the appearance (disappearance) of the signal generated in the intact substrate (product). As an example, for a fluorescence quench assay, the N-terminal of a peptide is labeled with DNP and the C-terminal with MCA. As such, the peptide is fluorescently silent since the fluorescence from DNP is quenched by absorption by the MCA. Another very popular donor/acceptor pair is EDANS 5-[(2-aminoethyl)amino] naphthalene-1-sulfonic acid and DABCYL 4-(4-dimethylaminophenylazo)benzoic acid) (a sulfonyl derivative (DABSYL) [27], Upon peptide cleavage, the two products diffuse, and due to a lack of proximity, the fluorescence increases. 

The essential distinction between the approaches used to formulate and evaluate proteins, compared with conventional low molecular weight drugs, lies in the need to maintain several levels of protein structure and the unique chemical and physical properties that these higher-order structures convey. Proteins are condensation polymers of amino acids, joined by peptide bonds. The levels of protein architecture are typically described in terms of the four orders of structure [23,24] depicted in Fig. 2. The primary structure refers to the sequence of amino acids and the location of any disulfide bonds. Secondary structure is derived from the steric relations of amino acid residues that are close to one another. The alpha-helix and beta-pleated sheet are examples of periodic secondary structure. Tertiary... 

In proteins in particular the peptide bonds contribute to the CD-spectra of the macromolecule. Here, CD-spectra reflect the secondary structure of proteins, which are derived from CD-spectra of model macromolecules with only one defined secondary structure (like poly-L-lysine at given pH values) or based on spectra of proteins with known structures (e.g.,from X-ray crystallography). The amount of a-helices or -sheets in the unknown structure is calculated by linear combination of the reference spectra [150,151]. 

FIGURE 2.14 Peptide-bond formation from chlorides of A-alkoxycarbonylamino acids. N-9-Fluorenylmethoxycarbonylamino-acid chlorides.41 The base is NaHCO, Na2C03, or a tertiary amine. The reaction is carried out in a one- or two-phase system. The latter is used to try to suppress formation of the 2-alkoxy-5(4//)-oxazolone that is generated by the action of the base on the acid chloride. The method is applicable primarily to Fmoc-amino-acid derivatives that do not have acid-sensitive protecting groups on their side chains. 

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